What are AWS EC2 Reserved Instances?
Reserved Instances let you commit to a specific instance type in a specific region for 1 or 3 years, saving up to 72% vs on-demand. Choose No Upfront, Partial Upfront, or All Upfront payment. Standard RIs can also be resold on the AWS Marketplace.
How much can I save with AWS EC2 Savings Plans?
AWS EC2 Savings Plans can reduce costs by up to 72% compared to on-demand pricing. 3-year commitments offer the highest savings (up to 72%), while 1-year plans provide up to 42% savings. All-upfront payment options maximize your discount.
What are AWS EC2 Spot Instances?
Spot Instances let you use spare AWS capacity at up to 90% discount compared to on-demand prices. They're ideal for fault-tolerant workloads like batch processing, data analysis, and CI/CD pipelines. AWS can reclaim them with 2-minute notice.
Which AWS region has the cheapest EC2 pricing?
EC2 pricing varies by region. Generally, US East (N. Virginia) offers competitive rates, but prices differ by instance type. Use our multi-region comparison tool to find the most cost-effective region for your specific instance needs.
Reserved Instances vs Savings Plans — which is better?
Savings Plans are more flexible (apply across instance families, regions, and services like Fargate/Lambda). Reserved Instances offer capacity reservation and marketplace resale. Both offer up to 72% savings. Use our calculator to compare exact costs side by side.
Should I choose 1-year or 3-year commitment?
3-year savings plans and reserved instances offer the highest discounts (up to 72%) but lock you in longer. 1-year options give more flexibility with up to 42% savings. If your workload is stable and predictable, 3-year all-upfront is almost always the best value. Use our calculator to see the exact dollar difference for your instance.