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After dealing with rising AWS charges and trying out a long list of “cost optimization” tools, I found a small group that actually made a real difference. This is not just a list of features. These are tools that improved my workflow, with each one being best for a certain type of cloud cost problem.
If your company uses lots of storage, needs strong automation for scheduling, or just wants to clear up chargebacks, you will find a tool here that can save both time and money.
How I Picked These Tools
For every tool, I set out to solve a real AWS cost problem and judged them by:
- Ease of use: How quickly could I see value? Was setup simple or a hassle?
- Reliability: Did the tool keep working well every day?
- Result quality: Did it actually save money, or did it just show me problems I already knew about?
- Overall experience: Did it feel user-friendly or only made for compliance teams?
- Pricing: Did the return on investment make sense for regular budgets?
I wanted tools that lowered my AWS bill, not tools that just added another dashboard.
Automated S3 Storage Optimization and Lifecycle Management: reCost.io
Amazon S3 is often the biggest hidden cost on any AWS bill I have seen. If your AWS spending is mostly due to large and messy S3 buckets, reCost.io stands out as the best tool I have tried for managing those costs. It is not a generic “cloud optimizer.” reCost.io goes deep into S3 with automatic storage checks, lifecycle management, and ways to lower hidden transfer and API charges. This came in handy when I saw that old objects and missed lifecycle rules were making my bill much higher.
reCost.io connected easily to my AWS accounts. The dashboards give you a clear view of spending and storage at every level including bucket, prefix, and object, so you can finally see what is using up your budget. The best part was the AI recommendations. They did not just warn me but helped me reclaim wasted space, make my API requests better, and automate lifecycle changes. I did not need to write any cleanup code. My test buckets dropped by 30 to 40 percent in costs, just as promised.
What I liked
- Smart, automatic S3 storage checks. It was easy to find forgotten, duplicate, or rarely used objects.
- Helped me cut down on API costs. I made some workflow changes based on clear tips.
- Lifecycle automation removed all the manual work. No need for YAML or Lambda functions.
- Dashboards are clear and show cost impacts right down to the object level.
- The savings are real. My messy buckets saw bills cut by up to about half.
What I didn’t like
- There are not a lot of public reviews or a big community, so it felt risky if you need peer opinions.
- Only annual contracts are available, so it is not great for short-term projects.
- There are no refunds if you change your mind, but you do get a three-week free trial to test it.
Pricing:
- Startup: $5,000 per year (up to 500 TB S3)
- Business: $18,000 per year (501 TB to 2 PB S3)
- Enterprise: $60,000 per year (2 PB or more) If you sign up for 24 months, you get up to 10 percent off. All plans include a free trial.
If your S3 costs are getting out of control, reCost.io is worth trying. It is deep, automatic, and gives real value without needing to become an expert in storage operations.
Try them out: https://www.recost.io
Best for Reserved Instance and Savings Plan Management: CloudHealth RI and Savings Plan Management
I have spent many hours and dollars managing AWS Reserved Instances and Savings Plans, often worried about being over-committed or missing easy savings. CloudHealth RI and Savings Plan Management stood out when I wanted to automate this process. It is made for larger teams that want to get every possible saving from AWS commitments without using spreadsheets.
CloudHealth reviews all your usage history, looks at many reservation options, and gives you clear buying suggestions. It even tells you what to sell on their built-in marketplace if you have too much reserved. The scenario planning is strong. It predicts if you will overspend or underuse in the coming months, so you are not surprised. The main dashboard is where everything comes together. I got a clear view of reserve use, coverage, and real savings in one spot.
What I liked
- Automated, practical tips for RIs and Savings Plans. I spent less time in the AWS interface.
- I liked the scenario planning. It showed how changing my reservations would affect my future spending.
- The built-in marketplace for RIs is a great way to shift resources.
- The main dashboard helps keep technical and business teams in sync.
- Alerts let me know right away about any drop in usage.
What I didn’t like
- It is expensive and complex, so it suits bigger teams more.
- Setup took some time. It is not as quick to start as S3-focused tools.
- Some features are too advanced if you do not need everything.
- You need someone to manage cost operations to get the best value.
Try them out at: CloudHealth RI and Savings Plan Management
Best for Automated Resource Scheduling and Lifecycle Management: Cloud Custodian
If you are tired of paying for idle EC2s, unused RDS, or leftover EBS volumes, Cloud Custodian is the automation tool that can help. I started using it when I noticed test instances were still running late at night. Cloud Custodian works with policy-as-code. You write YAML rules for what to stop, remove, or tag, based on many types of conditions, and the tool takes care of the rest.
It took some time to learn the policy language, but once I got it running, Cloud Custodian started saving money right away. It shut down test servers after hours and enforced scheduling policies using tags. The AWS integration (CloudWatch Events and Lambda) means it reacts in real time and you are not stuck with an outside vendor. It is open source, so there are no extra fees, and there is a helpful community.
What I liked
- Open source, so no cost except for AWS Lambda usage.
- Tag-based automation lets me control exactly what should stop or be deleted.
- Works directly with AWS, no need for other platforms.
- Once you set up policies, it keeps things tidy without more work.
- The community is active and helpful. I got answers to setup questions quickly on GitHub.
What I didn’t like
- The YAML policy language takes time to learn, so it is not easy for non-developers.
- There is no graphical policy builder. I had to do everything in code.
- Setting up larger or messier environments takes effort.
- There is no official commercial support. All help comes from the community.
Try them out at: Cloud Custodian
Best for AWS-Native Cost Monitoring and Governance: AWS Cost Explorer
For quick and simple AWS cost overviews and budget alerts, I always use the built-in AWS Cost Explorer tool. It is already set up in every AWS account. You can make cost reports, daily or weekly spending breakdowns, or see costs by service, region, or tag in just a few clicks. The interface is not fancy, but for fast answers about where your money is going, nothing is better than Cost Explorer’s direct integration and always up-to-date data.
I used Cost Explorer to set up budget alerts, check unusual spending, and make reports for finance, all inside AWS. It does not give advanced optimization or automation like third-party tools, but if you are starting out or need fast answers, this is my first stop.
What I liked
- No setup or integration needed. Connects right to your AWS account data.
- You can break down spending by service, tag, region, or account.
- Quick, customizable dashboards are good for regular reviews.
- Works with Budgets and Anomaly Detection for some proactive help.
- AWS updates it often.
What I didn’t like
- Advanced analytics and automation are missing. You will need more if you want optimization.
- The interface can be confusing for beginners.
- Exporting or automating reports for complex needs is not simple.
- Only works for AWS. Hybrid cloud users need something else.
Try them out at: AWS Cost Explorer
Best for Tagging, Chargeback, and Cost Allocation Governance: CloudHealth by VMware
Tagging and chargeback reports are a pain unless you use CloudHealth by VMware. I tested it to fix a tagging problem and was impressed with how easy it was to enforce tagging across all my AWS resources. Its automation tools are designed for companies where finance and IT need clear, reliable chargebacks.
CloudHealth’s dashboards made it simple to see cloud spending by team, project, or owner because of policy-driven tag management. It helped me clean up old tags and keep new resources tagged correctly. Chargeback and showback features made the reports easy for business partners to understand, which made finance much happier.
What I liked
- Smart automatic tag management. I fixed many wrongly tagged resources.
- Chargeback and showback reporting is flexible and easy for business users.
- The policy engine for enforcing tag standards is strong.
- Handles multiple accounts and clouds with no problem.
- Dashboards work for both technical and non-technical users.
What I didn’t like
- First setup and ongoing policy management take time.
- The price is best for larger companies, not startups.
- Some parts can be hard to learn.
- Sometimes reports on costs and allocation are a day behind.
Try them out at: CloudHealth by VMware
Best for Open-Source and Third-Party AWS Cost Optimization Utilities: Infracost
If you use Terraform for your infrastructure and want to know costs before you deploy, Infracost is a must-have command line tool. I added it to my CI/CD pipelines and then every pull request showed a Markdown diff of how much a new database or instance type would change costs. Infracost is great for helping developers and DevOps teams see what things will cost while they are writing code, not after the bill arrives.
The tool is open source and easy to add to CI tools like GitHub Actions. I mostly used it for fast cost checks so I did not get surprised by high bills at the end of a sprint. It will not automate cost savings or manage storage, but for seeing costs during code reviews, it is very useful.
What I liked
- Open source and free for main features.
- Clean command line tool that fits right into code pipelines.
- Developers get feedback before costs go up. No more expensive surprises.
- Reports can be in Markdown, JSON, or diff formats.
- Active and helpful community with regular updates.
What I didn’t like
- Only works with resources managed by Terraform for now.
- It does not automate cost changes. It is just for awareness.
- You need to keep cost estimates matched with your real AWS bills.
- Advanced features like guardrails and collaboration need a paid plan.
Try them out at: Infracost
Final Thoughts
There are many AWS cost tools out there, but only a few are worth using all the time. The best ones save both time and money, whether it is cleaning up S3, stopping unused servers, or managing reserved instances.
CloudHealth is strong for handling commitments. Cloud Custodian is my pick for those who want cost automation using code. For fast reporting, Cost Explorer is the simple, AWS-native starting point.
No matter what you choose, pick a tool that fits your workflow and team. Choose what works, then move on. There is no need to stay loyal to one tool in cost management.
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