The AWS Free Tier provides limited free access to over 60 AWS services for 12 months, along with “Always Free” offerings. It includes three categories: 12-month free trials (e.g., EC2, RDS), short-term trials (e.g., Amazon Lightsail), and permanent free-tier services (e.g., Lambda, DynamoDB). Usage limits apply, and charges occur if thresholds are exceeded.
Which AWS Services Are Always Free Without Time Limits?
Always Free services include AWS Lambda (1M monthly requests), DynamoDB (25 GB storage), S3 (5 GB standard storage), and Amazon SES (62,000 monthly emails). Developer tools like AWS CodeCommit and monitoring services like CloudWatch (10 custom metrics) also remain free indefinitely. These are ideal for low-usage applications and prototyping.
For developers building serverless applications, AWS Lambda’s Always Free tier supports 1 million requests per month and 400,000 GB-seconds of compute time. This allows for lightweight APIs or scheduled tasks without cost. Amazon DynamoDB’s 25 GB storage limit accommodates small-scale databases, though users must monitor read/write capacity units to avoid charges. Amazon S3’s 5 GB standard storage works well for static website hosting or backup archives, while CloudWatch’s free tier includes 10 custom metrics, 10 alarms, and 1 million API requests for basic monitoring.
| Service | Free Limit | Use Case |
|---|---|---|
| AWS Lambda | 1M requests/month | Microservices, Cron jobs |
| DynamoDB | 25 GB storage | Small NoSQL databases |
| CloudWatch | 10 custom metrics | Basic infrastructure monitoring |
How Can You Avoid Unexpected Charges on AWS Free Tier?
Set up billing alarms in AWS Budgets, use the Free Tier tracking tool, and delete unused resources (e.g., idle EC2 instances). Restrict IAM users to Free Tier services via permissions. Use AWS Cost Explorer to analyze spending patterns. Opt for Always Free services like Lambda instead of EC2 for low-traffic workloads.
AWS Budgets is critical for cost control—configure alerts at 80% of Free Tier limits to prevent overages. For example, EC2’s 750 monthly hours equate to running one instance continuously, but launching a second instance even briefly could trigger charges. The Free Tier tracking tool in AWS Billing Dashboard highlights services nearing limits, while AWS Cost Explorer’s forecast feature predicts 30-day usage trends. Organizations should implement IAM policies blocking non-Free Tier services like Redshift or Elastic GPUs for team members experimenting with prototypes.
| Strategy | Tool | Benefit |
|---|---|---|
| Usage Alerts | AWS Budgets | Real-time spending notifications |
| Resource Cleanup | AWS Config | Identify idle EC2 instances |
| Access Control | IAM Policies | Block paid services |
“AWS Free Tier is a double-edged sword. While it’s perfect for startups testing cloud infrastructure, users often underestimate regional usage splits or auto-scaling triggers. My advice? Pair Free Tier with AWS Organizations to isolate experimental projects. Also, never assume ‘free’ means unlimited—read the fine print on API call limits.” — Cloud Architect at TechScale Solutions
FAQ
- Q: Does AWS Free Tier include support plans?
- A: No. Basic support is free, but developer/business-tier support incurs charges.
- Q: Are AWS Marketplace subscriptions included in Free Tier?
- A: No. Third-party software fees apply regardless of Free Tier status.
- Q: Can I extend the 12-month Free Tier period?
- A: No, but creating a new account resets the trial (violates AWS Terms of Service).