Frequently Asked Questions

Q: I can’t find the service I’m looking for. Where are the rest of AWS services?
A: We are actively working on adding more services to the AWS Pricing Calculator. Let us know your top priority service through our feedback form.

Q: Can I change my estimate currency?
A: The AWS Pricing Calculator currently only estimates service costs in USD.

Q: Can I save or share my estimate?
A: You can 1) export your estimate to a csv or pdf file, and 2) generate a link to share and/ or re-access the estimate at a later time.

Q: Can I customize the name for my service?
A: The AWS Pricing Calculator enables customers to 1) add descriptions to individual services, 2) name their estimate and 3) name groups of services.

Q: Can I import data into my estimate?
A: The AWS Pricing Calculator does not currently support bulk import of data.

Q: Where is the Organization navigation?
A: The organization navigation is generated after you create your first group. If there are no groups, you will not see the Organization navigation.

Q: What is a group?
A: Groups are containers that you add services to in order to organize and build your estimate. You can organize your groups and services by cost-center, department, product architecture, etc.

Q: Will the AWS Pricing Calculator replace the Simple Monthly Calculator?

A: We are adding services and features to the AWS Pricing Calculator, and plan on deprecating Simple Monthly Calculator in 2022.

Q: Why is my estimate different than my actual bill?
A: The AWS Pricing Calculator estimates service costs based on a normalized monthly time frame. The Calculator assumes there are 730 hours in a month ((365 days * 24 hours) / 12 months in a year), which may be less or more than the actual hours in the current billing period.

For e­xample, if you use an On-Demand EC2 instance that costs 0.10 USD an hour, you will see the following variances in pricing between your estimated cost and your actual monthly costs:

• Monthly cost estimated by the AWS Pricing Calculator: 730 hours x 0.10 USD = 73.00 USD
• Actual cost in February of a non-leap year: 28 days x 24 hours x 0.10 USD = 67.20 USD
• Actual cost in February of a leap year: 29 days x 24 hours x 0.10 USD = 69.60 USD
• Actual cost in November: 30 days x 24 hours x 0.10 USD = 72.00 USD
• Actual cost in October: 31 days x 24 hours x 0.10 USD = 74.40 USD

If you use the same On-Demand EC2 instance for a year, your estimated and actual costs are the same:

• 12-month total cost estimated by the AWS Pricing Calculator: 730 hours x 12 months x 0.10 USD = 876.00 USD
• Actual total hours a non-leap year: 8760 hours x 0.10 USD = 876.00 USD

Refer pricing assumptions.

Q: How do I add more requirements for my EC2 instance selection?
A: For Amazon EC2, you can choose the Quick or Advanced route to estimation. The Quick estimate allows you to enter minimum requirements for the most common instance attributes, and the Calculator will return the lowest cost instance that meets your specifications. If you would like to filter, browse and compare instances by other, less common attributes, choose the Advanced estimate. The Advanced estimate allows you to view a complete table of instance options that can be filtered and sorted to your specifications.

Q: Can I customize columns in the EC2 instance table in the Advanced estimate?
A: In the Advanced estimate for Amazon EC2, select “Instance type” to expand this section. On the right side of the search field, select the gear icon to adjust your preferences for the EC2 instance table. A modal window will appear, and you can select which columns to view or hide in the table.

Q: How do I add another EBS volume for my Amazon EC2 instance?
A: Add the total storage you want for multiple volumes and use the sum total for the volume you attach to Amazon EC2.