> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.bey.dev/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# FAQ

> Answers to common questions about Beyond Presence products, billing, performance, and compliance.

## General

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="What is the difference between an Agent and an Avatar?" icon="circle-question">
    **Agents** are AI systems that can perform tasks autonomously.
    At Beyond Presence, we focus on conversational video agents - AI systems that conduct real-time conversations through lifelike video interactions.

    **Avatars** are AI-generated digital humans that provide the visual representation for video agents. They create lifelike facial expressions, synchronized speech, and natural movements.

    Learn more: [About agents](/concepts/agents) | [About avatars](/concepts/avatars)
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Billing

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Can I start for free?" icon="gift">
    Yes! Create and test an agent for free with our Free plan.
    Join our [Discord community](https://bey.dev/community) for exclusive member benefits, including free credits. 😉
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What pricing plans are available?" icon="tags">
    We offer several flexible plans ranging from Free to Enterprise.
    Visit our [pricing page](https://www.beyondpresence.ai/pricing) for more details.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How can I change my pricing plan?" icon="arrows-up-down">
    Go to your [Studio settings](https://bey.studio/settings).
    Under the Billing tab, select a new plan and follow the instructions.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How is usage calculated and billed?" icon="calculator">
    Beyond Presence uses a credit system where 1 credit equals 1 minute of managed agent conversation.
    Managed agents time out after 5 minutes of inactivity to prevent unnecessary credit usage.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How do I monitor usage?" icon="chart-line">
    View your current usage in [Studio settings](https://bey.studio/settings) under the Billing tab.
    The API does not expose a usage or credits endpoint. Track usage through the Studio.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What happens when I exceed my included minutes?" icon="chart-line-up">
    If usage-based billing is enabled, extra minutes are billed at your plan's overage rate. See [Concurrency & Quotas](/production/concurrency#usage-limits) for the current rates.
    If usage-based billing is not enabled, requests are rejected with [`402 Payment Required`](/concepts/api/errors#status-codes) until your allowance resets or you upgrade.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Are there API rate or concurrency limits?" icon="gauge">
    Yes. Each plan caps the number of concurrent agent calls and speech-to-video sessions across your account. Requests over the limit return [`429 Too Many Requests`](/concepts/api/errors#status-codes). See [Concurrency & Quotas](/production/concurrency) for the per-plan limits.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Security & Compliance

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Is Beyond Presence GDPR compliant?" icon="shield-check">
    Yes. See [Privacy & GDPR](/production/privacy) for details, and visit our [Trust Center](https://trust.bey.dev/) for certifications and the subprocessor list. Data Processing Agreements are available on request for enterprise customers.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Where is my data stored and processed?" icon="globe">
    Persisted customer data is stored in Europe. Processing runs in a global multi-region deployment (EU, U.S., and Middle East) and is routed to the nearest available worker by default. See [Privacy & GDPR](/production/privacy) and [Deployment](/production/deployment) for details.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I pin processing to a specific region?" icon="location-dot">
    Yes. Region pinning is available to enterprise customers on request and guarantees that all conversations on the account are processed in a single region. See [Region Pinning](/production/privacy#region-pinning).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I run Beyond Presence without any data being retained?" icon="eraser">
    Yes. Zero Data Retention is available to enterprise customers on request. When enabled, transcripts, audio, prompts, LLM responses, and recordings are processed only in volatile memory. See [Zero Data Retention](/production/privacy#zero-data-retention).
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Customization

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="How can I create a custom avatar?" icon="user-plus">
    Record or generate training footage of the person and send the video to [support@beyondpresence.ai](mailto:support@beyondpresence.ai).
    See our [training video requirements](/concepts/avatars/custom#training-video-requirements) for details.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What languages do you support?" icon="globe">
    Beyond Presence supports dozens of popular languages for its managed agents.
    See our [supported languages](/learn/languages) for the complete list.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How do I integrate my own LLM?" icon="brain">
    Use your own OpenAI-compatible LLM with [managed agents](/concepts/agents/external-llm).
    For complete control, build a custom voice agent and use [speech-to-video](/integrations/voice-agents).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How do I integrate my own TTS?" icon="volume">
    Build a custom voice agent and use [speech-to-video](/integrations/voice-agents) for TTS control.
    Custom TTS for managed agents is on our [product roadmap](/learn/roadmap).
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Performance

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="What causes latency and how can I optimize it?" icon="gauge">
    Latency sources include STT processing, LLM inference, TTS generation, avatar rendering, and network conditions.

    **Optimization tips:**

    * Deploy infrastructure closer to users
    * Prompt for concise responses
    * Use managed agents for lowest latency
    * Consider geographic distribution of services
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

<Info>Couldn't find your answer? Ask our [Discord community](https://bey.dev/community) or reach out to [support@beyondpresence.ai](mailto:support@beyondpresence.ai). We're happy to help!</Info>


## Related topics

- [Privacy & GDPR](/production/privacy.md)
- [Conversational Video Agents](/concepts/agents/index.md)