Free vs Premium¶
Azzamo offers both free and premium access to its services.
This page explains the differences clearly so you can decide what level of access fits your usage.
Free access¶
Free access is designed to let anyone participate in the Nostr network and read content without friction.
With free access, you can:
- Read from Azzamo relays
- Connect Azzamo relays to your Nostr client
- Publish limited amounts of content to the free relay
- Follow users and receive notes normally
Free access does not require payment or registration.
Limitations of free access¶
To protect network health and prevent abuse, free access has limits.
These limits may include:
- Rate limits on publishing
- Stricter spam and automation filters
- Lower priority processing
- Limited or no media uploads
Free access is intended for casual usage, testing, and reading.
Premium access¶
Premium access is designed for users who actively publish content or rely on predictable infrastructure.
With premium access, your Nostr public key can:
- Write to the Azzamo premium relay
- Publish without strict rate limits
- Upload media using Azzamo Blossom
- Receive higher priority processing
- Benefit from long-term content retention
Premium access is time-based and paid using Bitcoin Lightning.
What premium access unlocks¶
Premium access unlocks additional capabilities across Azzamo services.
Relays¶
- Writing to the premium relay
- Reduced or removed rate limits
- Long-term archiving of published notes
Blossom¶
- Media uploads (images, video, audio)
- Clear storage quotas
- Predictable retention rules
Time-based model¶
Premium access is not a subscription.
- You purchase a fixed amount of time
- Time is linked to your Nostr public key
- There are no recurring charges
You can add more time at any moment.
When free access is enough¶
Free access may be sufficient if you:
- Mostly read content
- Post occasionally
- Do not upload media
- Do not depend on guaranteed availability
Many users never need premium access.
When premium access makes sense¶
Premium access is a good fit if you:
- Post frequently on Nostr
- Upload media regularly
- Want predictable relay behavior
- Depend on long-term availability
Premium access is about reliability, not exclusivity.
Switching between free and premium¶
There is no permanent commitment.
- You can upgrade to premium at any time
- When premium time expires, access falls back to free
- Existing content is not immediately removed
Your Nostr identity remains the same regardless of access level.
Summary¶
Free access keeps Azzamo open and readable for everyone.
Premium access funds the infrastructure and provides reliable, higher-capacity service for users who need it.
Both models coexist by design.