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How AWS CloudWatch Pricing Works: Metrics, Logs, Dashboards & More
What Is AWS CloudWatch?
AWS CloudWatch is a monitoring and observability service provided by Amazon Web Services (AWS) that brings the ability to get comprehensive and actionable insights into their AWS resources and applications in real-time.
CloudWatch collects monitoring and operational data in the form of logs, metrics, and events, providing a unified view of AWS resources, applications, and services that run on AWS and on-premises servers. Users can track application performance, optimize resource utilization, and respond to system-wide performance changes.
Beyond its basic monitoring capabilities, CloudWatch offers features for detailed analysis and insights into applications’ performance and operational health. Users can set alarms, visualize logs and metrics, take automated actions, troubleshoot issues, and discover insights to keep their applications running smoothly.
CloudWatch pricing is complex, including a free and paid tier across 15 service elements, including metrics, logs, alerts, dashboards, and more. We’ll discuss each of these service elements and their pricing models.
In this article
AWS CloudWatch Pricing Tiers
AWS offers free and paid tiers with varying levels of access to CloudWatch features.
Free Tier
The free tier allows users to gain experience with the service without incurring costs, up to a certain level of usage. It includes limited access to many CloudWatch features, such as a certain number of metrics, dashboard widgets, alarms, log data ingestion, and storage. For example, users can access basic monitoring capabilities, including a predefined number of free metrics and alarms, as well as a specific amount of log data ingestion and storage per month.
The following table summarizes what is included in the CloudWatch free tier. We provide more details about each service in the following section.
Paid Tier
Paid pricing tiers provide access to a broader range of features and higher usage limits. Pricing is based on a pay-as-you-go model, with costs incurred for additional metrics, logs, alarms, and other features beyond the free tier limits.
Pricing varies depending on the specific CloudWatch features used, such as the number of custom metrics, volume of log data ingested and stored, number of alarms, and use of advanced monitoring and analytics features. For more details and pricing for each CloudWatch service, see the following selection.
How Does CloudWatch Price Metrics, Dashboards, Alarms, and Other Service Elements?
Let’s look at the key service elements in Amazon CloudWatch and how they are priced under the free and paid tier.
1. CloudWatch Metrics
Metrics are variables representing the performance of AWS services and resources. They can be standard, provided by AWS services, or custom, created by users to monitor specific aspects of their applications. The volume of metrics collected, the frequency of data points, and the storage duration affect overall costs.
Standard metrics are typically included with the AWS service, but custom metrics and detailed monitoring with higher resolution data points incur additional charges.
What is included in the free tier?
- Default metrics sent by Amazon services
- 10 custom metrics
- 1 million API requests
Paid tier pricing
- First 10,000 custom metrics: $0.30 / metric / month
- Next 240,000 custom metrics: $0.10 / metric / month
- Next 750,000 custom metrics: $0.05 / metric / month
- Next 1 million custom metrics: $0.02 / metric / month
2. CloudWatch Metric Insights
CloudWatch Metric Insights allows users to dive deeper into their metrics and uncover trends, patterns, and anomalies. It enables complex queries across millions of metrics, providing the ability to aggregate and filter data at scale.
This feature is particularly useful for large-scale environments where understanding the interplay between various metrics can inform optimization and troubleshooting efforts. While there is no cost for Metric Insights itself, additional resources such as EC2 instances and CloudWatch Metrics will incur costs.
What is included in the free tier?
- No charge for the queries run with the query editor
Paid tier pricing
- When using the GetMetricData API: $0.01 / 1000 metrics analyzed
3. CloudWatch Logs
Logs involve the collection, monitoring, and analysis of log data from AWS resources, applications, and on-premises servers. The main factors affecting CloudWatch Logs pricing include the volume of log data ingested, the duration of log data storage, and the use of features like log data scanning with CloudWatch Logs Insights.
Pricing is generally based on the amount of data ingested into CloudWatch logs and the length of time logs are stored, with costs increasing for longer retention periods or higher volumes of log data. Organizations often need to make strategic decisions about log retention policies and the scope of log data collection to manage costs effectively.
What is included in the free tier?
- 5 GB data for ingestion, storage, and scanning of data from Log Insights queries
- Up to 1800 minutes per month of Live Tail usage
Paid tier pricing
- Standard data collection: $0.50 / GB
- Infrequent access: $0.25 / GB
- Archival storage: $0.03 / GB
- Live Trace analysis: $0.01 / minute
4. CloudWatch Alarms
Alarms in CloudWatch are a useful tool for monitoring changes in metrics that may indicate issues with your AWS resources or applications. The cost of using CloudWatch alarms is dependent on the number of alarms set up and how often each alarm is evaluated.
Pricing is structured around the number of alarm evaluations per month, with higher evaluation frequencies and a greater number of alarms contributing to higher charges. To manage costs, users should regularly review and consolidate alarms, ensuring that only necessary alarms are active.
What is included in the free tier?
- 10 standard alarm metrics
Paid tier pricing
- Standard resolution metrics: $0.10 / alarm metric / month
- Standard resolution Metrics Insights queries: $0.10 / metric analyzed / month
- High resolution metrics: $0.30 / alarm metric / month
- Aggregated alarms: $0.50 / composite alarm / month
5. CloudWatch Dashboards
Dashboards are customizable home pages in the CloudWatch console that provide visualizations of metrics and alarms for AWS resources. This can provide a clear and concise overview of resource and application status by gathering and presenting data in a centralized location. The cost depends on the number of dashboards created.
What is included in the free tier?
- Automatic dashboards
- Up to 3 custom dashboards with 50 metrics
Paid tier pricing
- Additional dashboards: $3.00 / dashboard / month
6. CloudWatch Events
Events enable AWS resources to respond automatically to system changes and operational events with minimal latency. Pricing is primarily based on the number of events generated, the rate at which they are matched to rules, and the invocation of targets in response to events.
Events themselves are free to generate, but costs are incurred when events trigger rules and target actions, which can include AWS Lambda functions, Amazon SNS topics, Amazon SQS queues, and more.
What is included in the free tier?
- All standard events (not custom events)
Paid tier pricing
- Custom events: $1.00 / million events
- Cross-account events: $1.00 / million events
7. CloudWatch Contributor Insights
CloudWatch Contributor Insights analyzes and isolates the top contributors to trends in metrics and logs. This feature helps users identify the most significant factors affecting system performance and operational health, such as the highest traffic sources or the most resource-intensive processes.
The pricing model for Contributor Insights is based on the number of rules defined and the amount of data processed by those rules.
What is included in the free tier?
- Up to 1 rule per month.
- Up to 1 million log events relating to the free rule
Paid tier pricing
- Contributor Insights rules: $0.50 / rule / month
- Matched log events: $0.02 / million matching log events / month
8. CloudWatch Application Signals
CloudWatch Application Signals supports application monitoring by allowing developers to send custom signals directly from their applications.
This feature provides a more granular view of application health and performance, enabling precise monitoring of specific events, transactions, or operational states. The cost for using Application Signals depends on the volume of signals sent and processed.
What is included in the free tier?
- 100 million application signals
Paid tier pricing
- First 100 million application signals: $1.50 / million
- Next 900 million application signals: $0.75 / million
- Over 1 billion application signals: $0.30 / million
9. CloudWatch Synthetics
CloudWatch Synthetics allows users to create canaries, scripts that monitor endpoints and APIs, to check the availability and latency of web applications and endpoints. Pricing is based on the number of canary runs per month and the duration of each run.
Canaries can be scheduled to run at various frequencies, from once per minute to once per day, with costs affected by additional AWS services like CloudWatch Logs and AWS Lambda. To manage costs, users should carefully consider the frequency and scope of canary runs, focusing on critical endpoints and APIs and adjusting the frequency of checks.
What is included in the free tier?
- 100 canary runs per month
Paid tier pricing
- $0.0012 per canary run
10. CloudWatch Evidently
CloudWatch Evidently is a feature that enables the ability to perform feature management and experimentation, such as A/B testing, to make data-driven decisions about feature rollouts and application changes.
The cost is influenced by the number of feature evaluations and the volume of experiment data processed. As more experiments and evaluations are conducted to optimize application performance and enhance user experience, the associated costs tend to increase.
What is included in the free tier?
- 3 million events (during the free trial)
- 10 million analysis units (during the free trial)
Paid tier pricing
- Evidently events: $5 / million
- Evidently analysis units: $7.50 / million
11. CloudWatch RUM
CloudWatch Real User Monitoring (RUM) is a feature that helps in analyzing the performance of web applications from the perspective of real users. RUM collects and analyzes data on page load times, user interactions, and application errors, providing insights into user experience and application performance.
The cost of CloudWatch RUM is determined by the number of RUM events. To keep costs low, it is important to concentrate RUM monitoring on important user flows and web pages, and adjust the sampling rate as needed to obtain relevant data without excessive data collection.
What is included in the free tier?
- 1 million RUM events (during the free trial)
Paid tier pricing
- $1 / 100,000 RUM events
12. CloudWatch Cross-Account Observability
CloudWatch Cross-Account Observability enables organizations to aggregate and visualize operational data across multiple AWS accounts and regions within a single CloudWatch dashboard. This feature simplifies monitoring for businesses operating complex, multi-account AWS environments.
Pricing for Cross-Account Observability is primarily based on the volume of data aggregated and the number of dashboards or widgets utilized to visualize this data.
What is included in the free tier?
- 100,000 traces
Paid tier pricing
- Traces recorded per month: $0.000005 / trace
13. CloudWatch Internet Monitor
CloudWatch Internet Monitor is a feature designed to help AWS users monitor the availability and performance of their internet-facing applications and services from various global locations. This tool simulates user interactions and network requests to provide insights into latency, uptime, and potential disruptions that could affect end-user experiences.
Pricing for CloudWatch Internet Monitor is determined by the number of checks performed, the frequency of monitoring, and the geographical diversity of test locations.
What is included in the free tier?
- Not available in free tier
Paid tier pricing
- Monitored resources: $0.01 / resource / hour
- Monitored city-networks: $0.74 / 10,000 networks / hour
14. CloudWatch Network Monitor
CloudWatch Network Monitor is a feature designed to provide detailed insights into network traffic and performance, enabling users to monitor, troubleshoot, and optimize their network activity within AWS. It offers visibility into network flows, packet-level details, and performance metrics.
The pricing model for Network Monitor takes into account the volume of network data analyzed and the number of analyses or alerts configured by the user.
What is included in the free tier?
- Not available in free tier
Paid tier pricing
- Monitored resources: $0.10 / resource / hour
15. CloudWatch Container Insights
CloudWatch Container Insights offers specialized monitoring for containerized applications and services, providing detailed insights into container performance, resource utilization, and health. This feature supports popular orchestration services like Amazon ECS, EKS, and Kubernetes, making it a versatile tool for teams utilizing container technologies.
Pricing for Container Insights is based on the amount of data collected and the number of containers monitored.
What is included in the free tier?
- Not available in free tier
Paid tier pricing (Container Insights for EKS)
- First 1 billion: $0.21
- Next 3 billion: $0.18
- Over 4 billion: $0.10
Best Practices for Managing Amazon CloudWatch Costs
The following best practices are useful for understanding and optimizing costs in CloudWatch.
Use Free Tier Resources Wisely
The free tier of AWS offers a substantial allocation of metrics, log data ingestion, alarms, and dashboard widgets. This allows for effective monitoring and management of your AWS environment without any immediate costs. It is essential to prioritize monitoring critical system components and utilize available resources efficiently to avoid unnecessary data ingestion and monitoring that may result in charges.
Only Collect Important Metrics and Log
To manage CloudWatch costs effectively, it’s crucial to collect and store only necessary metrics and logs. Excessive data collection can lead to higher costs, particularly for log data ingestion and storage. It’s important to identify critical metrics and logs that provide meaningful insights into system performance and health, while minimizing the collection of unnecessary data. This can help optimize system efficiency and reduce the risk of data overload..
Use Filters to Control Data Ingestion
Filters allow specific criteria for the data needing to be collected, ensuring that only relevant information is ingested into CloudWatch. This reduces storage and processing costs. It also simplifies data analysis by eliminating noise and focusing on the most impactful data.
Delete Unused Monitoring Elements
Over time, monitoring needs may change, leading to the accumulation of obsolete or unnecessary monitoring configurations. These unused items can incur costs without providing value. Regularly reviewing and deleting unused metrics, alarms, logs, and dashboards can help avoid unnecessary charges.
Use CloudWatch to Monitor Your AWS Spending
By setting alarms based on AWS usage and spending metrics, users can receive notifications when their usage approaches or exceeds predetermined budget limits. This proactive approach allows the ability to adjust usage or configurations before costs become excessive, helping to maintain control over their AWS expenses.
Lumigo: Cloud Native Monitoring for AWS
By unifying logs, metrics, and traces into a single interface, Lumigo empowers developers and DevOps teams with comprehensive context for analyzing and resolving issues swiftly. It reduces the time spent on root cause analysis by 80% while dramatically cutting costs. With Lumigo, troubleshooting becomes fast, efficient, and cost-effective, delivering unparalleled visibility across the entire stack. Users can seamlessly search and analyze logs and click directly into the corresponding traces, accelerating resolution times while enjoying significant cost savings.
With Lumigo, users can:
Cut costs, not logs: Gain control over their observability expenses without compromising visibility. Say goodbye to toggling logs on and off in production.By consolidating logs and traces into one platform, Lumigo streamlines data aggregation, allowing you to eliminate duplicates and reduce the volume of required logs. This consolidation ultimately lowers overall costs.
Quickly get the answers you need with powerful SQL syntax: Simplify the search, filtering, aggregation, and visualization of logs using SQL for immediate access to pertinent troubleshooting information. Analyze logs effortlessly with interactive dashboards and intelligent data visualizations while gaining deep insights that provide a quick understanding of any issue.
Reduce troubleshooting time by over 80%: Lumigo automatically enriches traces with complete in-context request and response payloads and correlates them to the relevant logs and metrics. This enables developers to view logs in the context of the associated traces while seamlessly navigating from logs to traces and vice versa. Lumigo brings all your troubleshooting data into a single, correlated dashboard view.