AWS Pricing Model

The AWS Free Tier program enables users to explore and experiment with a wide range of cloud services at little to no cost. Designed primarily for learning, testing, and building small-scale applications, the program requires careful monitoring to prevent unexpected charges.

• Educational Purpose: The program is specifically designed to help users learn, test, and build small-scale applications without immediate financial commitment.
• Three-Tiered Structure: AWS Free Tier is organized into three specific categories: 12 Months Free, Always Free, and short-term Trials.
• Usage Constraints: Each category within the program has unique usage limits, durations, and conditions that users must adhere to.
• Cost Management: While the service allows for low-cost experimentation, it is not unlimited and must be used carefully to avoid incurring unexpected fees.

You can easily find the AWS Free Tier by visiting the official AWS website. Simply go to https://aws.amazon.com/free/ to access the AWS Free Tier page.

If your AWS account is created before 15 july 2025 you are on Legacy AWS Free Tier which include below Programmes

1. Always Free:

Beyond the 12 Months Free program, AWS offers an Always Free tier that provides a set of services free of charge on an ongoing basis. This perpetual free tier is designed to support small applications with modest resource requirements, making it an attractive option for personal projects.

Unlike time-limited offers, the Always Free tier supports low-traffic applications indefinitely.

• Key Services: Includes AWS Lambda (1 million free requests/month), Amazon DynamoDB (25 GB of NoSQL storage), and AWS Cloud-Shell.
• Popular services like EC2 and S3 are not in this category; they will incur charges after your first year.
• Ideal Use Case: Hosting a serverless API or a small database for a portfolio site.

2. 12 Months Free:

This is the most popular category for new developers. It provides a risk-free environment to build full-stack applications during your first 12 months on the platform.

1. Eligibility: Automatically applies to all new AWS accounts upon signup.

2. Core Resources:

• Amazon EC2: 750 hours per month of t2.micro or t3.micro instances (Linux ).
• Amazon S3: 5 GB of standard storage with limited GET and PUT requests.
• Amazon RDS: 750 hours of managed database instances (MySQL, PostgreSQL, or SQL Server).

3. Trials:

In addition to the ongoing free offerings, AWS provides trial access to certain services that are not covered by the Always Free or 12 Months Free programs. These trials allow users to explore and evaluate specific AWS services for a limited time without incurring charges.

• Amazon Inspector: Offers a 15-day free trial for automated, agentless vulnerability scanning of your EC2 and ECR instances
• Amazon SageMaker: Typically offers a 2-month trial for ML model building and hosting.
• Amazon Lightsail: Often provides a 3-month trial for simplified virtual private servers.
• Transitioning: Once a trial expires, the service automatically moves to the "Pay-As-You-Go" mode.

If your AWS account is created after 15 july 2025 then AWS offers Two Plans(FREE & PAID).

AWS Free Plan

The AWS Free Plan allows users to experience AWS for a limited period (up to 6 months) without upfront cost or long-term commitment. It is intended for learning, experimentation, and small proof-of-concept workloads.

• Provides up to $200 USD in promotional credits, subject to eligibility and expiration.
• Includes free usage of select AWS services within defined limits.
• No charges are incurred as long as usage stays within Free Plan limits and credits.
• Limited access to AWS services and advanced features.

The Free Plan is best suited for beginners who want to explore AWS without financial risk.

AWS Paid Plan

The AWS Paid Plan is designed for production-ready workloads and offers full access to the AWS platform. It allows users to continue building and scaling applications after credits are exhausted.

• Provides up to $200 USD in promotional credits (availability varies).
• Includes free usage of select services where applicable.
• Usage beyond credit limits is billed on a pay-as-you-go basis.
• Supports scaling workloads beyond credit thresholds.
• Provides access to all AWS services and features.

The Paid Plan is suitable for organizations and developers running production, scalable, or long-term workloads.