Migrating your data to the cloud is a big step. It can unlock a world of possibilities for your business, from increased flexibility to improved scalability. But with any big project, there are always questions about cost. One of the most common questions we hear at Renova Cloud is “Is the AWS Data Migration Service free?”

The short answer is that it can be, but it’s not always. AWS offers a generous free tier for its Data Migration Service (DMS), but there are some things you need to know to avoid unexpected charges. 

What is the AWS Data Migration Service?

Before we dive into the costs, let’s quickly recap what AWS DMS is. The AWS Data Migration Service is a cloud service that makes it easy to migrate relational databases, data warehouses, NoSQL databases, and other types of data stores. You can use DMS to migrate your data into the AWS cloud, between on-premises instances and AWS, or between different AWS cloud services.

One of the great things about DMS is that it’s a managed service. This means you don’t have to worry about provisioning or managing the underlying infrastructure. AWS takes care of all of that for you, so you can focus on your data migration.

Is the AWS Data Migration Service Free?

Yes, there is a Free Tier. As part of the AWS Free Tier, you can use the AWS Data Migration Service for free for 12 months. This includes up to 750 hours of a dms.t2.micro or dms.t3.micro instance per month, which is enough to handle a small-scale data migration. The free tier also includes 50GB of General Purpose (SSD) storage.

This is a great way to get started with DMS and see if it’s the right fit for your needs. You can use the free tier to migrate a small database or to test out the service before committing to a larger migration.

It’s important to note that the free tier is only available for a single availability zone. If you need to use multiple availability zones for high availability, you’ll need to pay for the additional resources.

What Happens When the Free Tier Ends?

After your 12-month free tier ends, or if you exceed the free tier limits, you’ll start to be charged for your DMS usage. The pricing for DMS is based on a few different factors, including the type of replication instance you use, the amount of data you transfer, and the amount of storage you use.

Let’s take a closer look at each of these components:

Replication instance

The replication instance is the heart of the AWS Data Migration Service. It’s a managed EC2 instance that runs the replication software and moves your data from the source to the target. The cost of the replication instance depends on the instance type you choose.

There are several different instance types to choose from, each with its own set of resources and pricing. The instance type you choose will depend on the size and complexity of your data migration. For most small to medium-sized migrations, a t2 or t3 instance will be sufficient. For larger or more complex migrations, you may need to use a more powerful instance type.

Data transfer

There are no data transfer charges for data transferred into AWS DMS. Data transfer out of AWS DMS is charged at standard AWS data transfer rates. However, data transfer between AWS DMS and databases in Amazon RDS and Amazon EC2 instances within the same Availability Zone is free.

Storage

You’ll also need to pay for the storage that your replication instance uses. This includes the storage for the replication software, as well as any logs that are generated during the migration. The cost of storage depends on the type of storage you choose.

General Purpose (SSD) storage is the most common type of storage used with DMS. It’s a good all-around option that provides a good balance of performance and cost.

Are There Any Other Costs to Consider?

In addition to the costs we’ve already discussed, there are a few other things you should be aware of.

AWS DMS Schema Conversion Tool

If you’re migrating between different database engines, you may need to use the AWS DMS Schema Conversion Tool (SCT). The SCT is a free tool that helps you convert your database schema and code to the format of the target database.

While the tool itself is free, you may incur charges for the resources that it uses. For example, if you use the SCT to convert a large database, you may need to provision a larger EC2 instance to run the tool.

AWS DMS Fleet Advisor

AWS DMS Fleet Advisor is a free feature that helps you plan your database migration. It collects data about your on-premises databases and provides recommendations on the best way to migrate them to AWS.

Like the SCT, the Fleet Advisor is a free tool, but you may incur charges for the resources that it uses.

How Renova Cloud Helps

At Renova Cloud, an AWS Migration Competency and Advanced Consulting Partner, we guide organizations through every stage of their cloud journey — from cost assessment and migration planning to optimization and ongoing operations. We optimize your AWS Data Migration Service (DMS) usage to keep your costs down, monitoring your migration to prevent resource overprovisioning and ensure you leverage all available cost-saving features.

Why Work with an AWS Migration Partner of the Year?

Renova Cloud’s team is validated by AWS for technical expertise, proven customer success, and deep experience with large-scale database migrations. This validation means faster, safer, and more cost-effective migrations for our customers.

If you’re considering migrating your data to the cloud, contact us today. We are happy to answer your questions and help you get started.