AWS provides the RDS Free Tier as part of the AWS Free Tier to help new customers get started with a managed database service for free. You can choose from any of the database engines that RDS supports:

  • MySQL
  • PostgreSQL
  • MariaDB
  • Oracle
  • SQL Server

Table of contents

What is covered in the free tier?

AWS RDS Free Tier is valid for 12 months. It includes the following functionality:

  • 750 hours of Amazon RDS Single-AZ db.t2.micro instance
  • 20 GB of General Purpose (SSD) DB Storage
  • 20 GB of backup storage for automated database backups.

You pay standard service rates if your usage exceeds the free usage tier. You can find the pricing details on the AWS RDS pricing page.

Who can use the free tier?

The AWS Free Tier is available to you for 12 months, starting with when you created your AWS account.

It is important to note that your RDS Free Tier eligibility might be shorter than 12 months if you created your account earlier.

Does free tier usage reset every month?

Yes, the free tier resets every month and does not accumulate. AWS applies the free tier offer to your monthly usage.

Can I run more than one DB Instance for Amazon RDS for free?

You can run as many instances on the free tier as you want. However, the free tier is only valid for the first 750 hours of a Single-AZ db.t2.micro instance. If your database instances are always running, you will most likely exceed the 750 hours of usage, and AWS will charge you for it.

What happens after 12 months of AWS free tier?

Once you are no longer eligible for AWS Free Tier, you pay the standard rates as explained on the AWS pricing page for RDS.