Azure Pricing Documentation
Navigate the cost-effective landscape of Microsoft Azure. Understand and manage your cloud spending with detailed pricing information for all Azure services.
Understanding Azure Pricing Models
Azure offers flexible and transparent pricing models designed to meet diverse business needs. Whether you prefer pay-as-you-go, reserved instances, or hybrid benefits, Azure provides options to optimize your cloud investment.
Pay-As-You-Go
Ideal for variable workloads and getting started. You pay only for the resources you consume, with no upfront commitment.
- Flexibility
- No long-term contracts
- Scalable costs
Reserved Instances
Commit to a 1- or 3-year term for significant savings on compute resources. Suitable for predictable, steady-state workloads.
- Up to 72% savings compared to pay-as-you-go
- Capacity reservation in Azure regions
- Various commitment options
Azure Hybrid Benefit
Leverage your existing on-premises Windows Server and SQL Server licenses for discounted rates on Azure services.
- Maximize your existing investments
- Cost savings for license-transferable workloads
- Simplifies migration
Key Service Pricing Categories
Below is a summary of pricing considerations for popular Azure services. For precise details and regional variations, please refer to the individual service pricing pages.
| Service Category | Primary Pricing Metric | Key Cost Drivers | Learn More |
|---|---|---|---|
| Compute (Virtual Machines) | Per Hour / Per Second | VM Size, Operating System, Region, Reserved Instances | VM Pricing |
| Storage (Blob, File, Disk) | Per GB / Per Transaction | Storage Tier (Hot, Cool, Archive), Data Transfer, Operations | Storage Pricing |
| Databases (SQL DB, Cosmos DB) | DTUs / vCores / Per Request | Service Tier, Performance Level, Storage, Throughput | DB Pricing |
| Networking (Bandwidth, VPN Gateway) | Per GB / Per Hour | Data Egress, Gateway Type, Connection Hours | Network Pricing |
| AI + Machine Learning | Per Transaction / Per Hour / Per Training Unit | Model Complexity, Data Size, Compute Resources | AI Pricing |
Tools for Cost Management
Azure provides a suite of tools to help you monitor, analyze, and optimize your cloud spending effectively.
Azure Cost Management + Billing
Gain deep visibility into your Azure spending. Analyze costs, set budgets, and identify cost-saving opportunities.
- Detailed cost reporting
- Budget alerts
- Cost recommendations
- Exporting billing data
Azure Advisor
Receive personalized recommendations to improve the performance, security, and cost-effectiveness of your Azure resources.
- Cost optimization recommendations
- Identify underutilized resources
- Suggest reserved instance purchases