Cloud Server Cost Estimator (AWS / GCP / Azure)
Estimate and compare monthly cloud server costs across AWS, Google Cloud, and Azure from instance size and running hours, with fully editable hourly rates. Runs in your browser.
Monthly cost comparison
| Provider | Hourly (editable) | Monthly |
|---|---|---|
| AWS | $/hr | $121.47 |
| Google Cloudcheapest | $/hr | $97.82 |
| Azure | $/hr | $121.18 |
Rates are indicative on-demand US-region prices (circa 2024) and are fully editable — actual pricing varies by region, OS, and commitment. For accurate figures, paste current rates from each provider's pricing page or calculator. Reserved/committed-use and spot pricing can cut these costs substantially.
About this tool
Cloud compute is billed by the hour, so the monthly cost of a server is simply its hourly rate times the hours it runs — but comparing that across providers, and across always-on versus part-time usage, is where the planning happens. This estimator starts from a comparable general-purpose instance size on AWS, Google Cloud, and Azure, multiplies the hourly rate by the hours per month you set (730 for always-on, less for jobs that spin down), and shows the three monthly totals side by side with the cheapest highlighted. Crucially, every hourly rate is editable: cloud pricing changes frequently and varies by region, operating system, and commitment, so the built-in numbers are indicative starting points (US region, on-demand, circa 2024) that you should replace with current figures from each provider's pricing page for a real quote. The cost arithmetic is exact; reserved or spot pricing, which can dramatically lower costs, can be modeled by editing the rates. Everything runs locally.
How to use it
- Pick a comparable instance size across the three clouds.
- Set hours per month — 730 for an always-on server, fewer for intermittent workloads.
- Replace the indicative hourly rates with current values from each provider's pricing page.
- Compare the monthly totals; the cheapest is highlighted.
Frequently asked questions
- How is the monthly cost calculated?
- Monthly cost = hourly rate × hours per month. An always-on server runs about 730 hours a month (365 × 24 ÷ 12), so a $0.166/hour instance costs roughly $121/month if left on continuously.
- Are the built-in prices accurate?
- They are indicative on-demand US-region rates from around 2024 and are meant as a starting point only. Cloud pricing changes often and differs by region, OS, and discount program, so replace them with current figures from each provider for an accurate comparison — which is why every rate is editable.
- How can I lower these costs?
- Reserved instances or committed-use discounts (1–3 year commitments) often cut on-demand prices by 30–60%, and spot/preemptible instances can be cheaper still for fault-tolerant work. Model these by entering the discounted hourly rate. Turning servers off when idle (lowering the hours) also helps directly.
- Why might equivalent instances differ in price between clouds?
- Each provider sizes, names, and prices its families differently, bundles different amounts of CPU/RAM/network, and varies by region. Even "equivalent" instances are not identical, so compare on the specs and workload fit, not price alone.
- Does this include storage, bandwidth, and other charges?
- No — it estimates compute (the instance) only. Block storage, egress bandwidth, load balancers, snapshots, and managed services are billed separately and can add up; add them in your provider's full pricing calculator for a complete bill.
- Is anything uploaded?
- No. All rates and the calculation stay in your browser with no network request.