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Ricky Rios
Ricky Rios

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AWS Free Tier (2025): What Changed, What’s Included, and How to Use It

#aws #cloud #beginners

TL;DR

  • New accounts (created after July 15, 2025) choose between a Free plan or a Paid plan at sign-up.
  • Get $100 in AWS credits at sign-up, plus up to $100 more by completing five quick onboarding tasks (EC2, RDS, Lambda, Bedrock, Budgets), for a total of up to $200.
  • The Free plan lasts up to 6 months or until credits are used. No charges accrue unless you upgrade; some high-consumption services are restricted.
  • Always Free usage (30+ services with monthly limits) is still available.
  • Legacy accounts (created before July 15, 2025) retain the previous Free Tier model.

What’s Actually New?

AWS now offers a credit-based Free plan with the option to choose a Paid plan during sign-up. New users get $100 in credits instantly and can earn an additional $100 by completing five onboarding activities. This structure applies regardless of which plan you select.

Plan Options at Sign-Up

  • Free Plan

    • No charges unless you upgrade.
    • Expires after 6 months or when credits are used—whichever comes first.
    • Some high-consumption services and hardware purchases are restricted.
    • You can upgrade anytime.

  • Paid Plan

    • Full access to all AWS services.
    • Free Tier credits apply automatically to eligible usage; charges begin after credits are exhausted.

Credit Validity Tip: If you upgrade to a Paid plan, unused credits remain valid for 12 months from your original sign-up date.

What Do You Get for Free?

  • Up to $200 in AWS credits

    • $100 at sign-up
    • Up to $100 more by completing onboarding tasks

  • Always Free Tier access to 30+ services (with monthly usage caps).

Credit-Earning Onboarding Activities

  1. Launch and terminate an EC2 instance
  2. Launch an RDS database with basic configuration
  3. Create a basic Lambda function with a Function URL
  4. Use a text prompt in Amazon Bedrock
  5. Set a cost budget in AWS Budgets

Each activity earns $20 in credits.

Track your progress: Use the Explore AWS widget in the console to view your credit balance and onboarding progress.

What’s Restricted on the Free Plan?

Certain high-consumption services are restricted under the Free plan to prevent users from unintentionally depleting their credits. If you need access to those services, simply upgrade to the Paid plan—your remaining credits will still apply.

Legacy vs. New (Quick Comparison)

Feature Legacy Free Tier (Pre–July 15, 2025) New Free Tier (Post–July 15, 2025)
Model Always Free + 12-month/short-term trials Credit-based Free plan + Always Free
Credits None (service-specific trials only) $100 sign-up + $100 more via onboarding activities
Plan Choice Not applicable Choose Free or Paid at sign-up
Free Period Varies by service Up to 6 months or until credits are exhausted
Access All services (within usage limits) Some services restricted on Free plan
Migration Remains on legacy model Not applicable

Should You Choose Free or Paid?

  • Choose Free if you're experimenting, learning, or building small projects. No surprise charges, and you can upgrade later while keeping your remaining credits.
  • Choose Paid if you're deploying real-world workloads and want access to all AWS services from the start. Credits will help offset your first bills.

A Safe Starter Path (Earn & Protect)

  1. Create an account and choose either Free or Paid. You’ll get $100 in credits instantly.
  2. Set a cost budget and enable alerts (earns +$20).
  3. Complete the other four onboarding tasks to unlock an additional $80 in credits.
  4. Stick to Always Free services whenever possible, and stay within their usage limits.

FAQs

Q: Is this available in all AWS regions?
A: Yes, except for AWS GovCloud (US) and China Regions.

Q: What happens when my 6-month Free plan ends?
A: AWS will notify you in advance. After expiration, you’ll have 90 days to upgrade to a Paid plan to continue using your account.

Q: If I created my account before July 15, 2025, do I switch?
A: No. Accounts created before that date stay on the legacy Free Tier.

Final Tips to Avoid Charges

  • Set budgets and alerts immediately—this also earns you credit.
  • Stick to Always Free services and regularly monitor your usage limits.
  • If you need access to restricted services, upgrade to Paid—your credits still apply for up to 12 months.
  • Check the Free Tier landing page and documentation for updates.

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