Vercel folds Data Cache into Runtime Cache, and starts billing for it
Next.js fetch caching and unstable_cache keep working without code changes, but reads and writes that used to be free now cost per million units once your team migrates.
Vercel is folding Data Cache into Runtime Cache, moving it out of beta. Next.js fetch caching and unstable_cache keep working as they are, on every version, with no code changes.
The storage allocation changes too: on Pro, each project and environment now gets its own Runtime Cache pool, 8 times the space of the old team-wide Data Cache pool. Enterprise gets 10 times its previous allocation. The bigger change is pricing: reads and writes that Data Cache never billed for now cost $0.40 per million read units and $4.00 per million write units, varying by region, once a team migrates. Hobby teams keep 1 million free read units and 200,000 free write units a month; Pro usage draws from the existing $20 monthly infrastructure credit before anything extra is billed.
Teams created from today default to Runtime Cache. Existing Hobby teams migrate automatically on 29 November. Pro and Enterprise teams get a migration date from Vercel directly, though Hobby and Pro teams can opt in early from their CDN settings, where Runtime Cache pricing applies immediately.
Why it matters: if your Next.js app leans on fetch caching or unstable_cache, cache traffic that cost nothing is about to show up on your bill. Check Data Cache usage in Observability before 29 November if you’re on Hobby, and budget for it if you’re on Pro.
The caveat: Vercel gives no fixed migration date for existing Pro or Enterprise teams, only that it will notify them separately.