I've been an AWS user for over 8 and a half years, and it's pretty rare to see rate increases. Recently, I came across an article discussing a 15% increase in prices, and this got me thinking. In my experience teaching Cloud Finance, I've often challenged my students to pinpoint when AWS has raised its rates. Most can only think of the Elastic IP fees, which brings up the debate of whether that should count as a price increase or just the end of a free offer. So, I'm curious: when have other rates gone up? How does this affect your workloads? Do you have a way to check for rate increases on your services, and what proactive steps do you take to manage these changes?
5 Answers
It's interesting how Capacity Blocks are basically how you can even use certain instance types; you hardly see them available on-demand. They showcase one price for on-demand while charging more effectively. In general, GPU prices are rising, which isn't surprising.
In 2024, AWS began charging for IPv4 addresses, which was a big deal. People argue it isn't a traditional price increase since it was free before, but it definitely felt like it when it cost $43!
That's true! While it felt like an increase, it was more about removing it from the free tier. They communicated that change well in advance, though.
The article actually has a take from QuinnyPig already, so you don’t need to wait long for his opinion! Sounds like there’s a lot of chatter ahead on this.
I didn't catch that! It must have been in a more serious tone, didn't seem like his usual sarcasm!
The most notable increase I recall was when S3 started charging per-API fees. Back in the day, AWS used to brag about their price cuts versus the handful of increases they've had.
Yeah, I don't think I've seen any messaging about those few increases; they always focused on decreases.
Only larger organizations would typically use these instances. They usually have enterprise discounts or other savings plans to cushion the blow from increases, but it's still a price hike.
Even with discounts, an increase is still an increase. If your base price goes up, those discounts become less effective. It's definitely a conversation starter with account teams on pricing.
Actually, a lot of companies do use on-demand instances and try for capacity reservations until they get enough. Running with capacity blocks is efficient, but many companies are also opting for 3-year savings plans.