AWS CloudFront Free Plan 2026: What's Included & What's Not
Honest breakdown of the free tier limits and features
AWS CloudFront pricing varies by team size and features, ranging from $0 to $1K per month in 2026. Your actual cost depends on the tier you choose, contract length, and negotiated discounts.
Use the interactive pricing calculator to estimate your exact cost based on team size and requirements.
- Free tier: No free tier available
- Billing: Monthly and annual (save 15-20%)
- Hidden costs: Add ~35% for implementation, support, and training
AWS CloudFront offers a freemium model with limited features; upgrade to unlock more.
What's Included in the Free Plan
- 1 million HTTP/HTTPS requests per month
- 100 GB data transfer per month
- CloudFront CDN with global edge locations
- Always-on DDoS protection (AWS Shield Standard)
- AWS WAF with 5 rules
- TLS certificate included (ACM)
- Amazon Route 53 DNS included
- Serverless edge compute (CloudFront Functions)
- 5 GB Amazon S3 storage included
What's NOT Included (Paid Only)
- 10 million requests per month
- 50 TB data transfer per month
- Everything in Free tier
- Enhanced AWS WAF with 20 rules
- Bot management and analytics
- CloudWatch Logs ingestion included
- Serverless edge compute included
- 50 GB Amazon S3 storage included
- No overage charges (reduced performance instead)
Free Plan Limits
| Limit | Free Plan | Paid Plans |
|---|---|---|
| Requests | 1M/month | Unlimited/Higher |
| Data transfer | 100 GB/month | Unlimited/Higher |
| WAF rules | 5 | Unlimited/Higher |
| S3 storage | 5 GB | Unlimited/Higher |
| Plans per account | Up to 3 Free plans | Unlimited/Higher |
You'll Need to Upgrade When...
- You exceed the user limit
- You need features like 10 million requests per month or 50 TB data transfer per month
- You require premium support or SLA guarantees
- You need to remove branding or watermarks
- You need advanced integrations or API access
Hidden Restrictions on Free Plan
- AWS CloudFront branding may appear on your content or communications
- Support is limited to community forums or email with longer response times
- Export options may be restricted or include watermarks
- API access is typically limited or not available
- Advanced reporting and analytics require paid plans
Free vs Paid: Which Do You Need?
Free Plan is Enough If...
- You're an individual or very small team
- You need only basic features
- You don't mind usage limits
- Branding on output is acceptable
- Community support is sufficient
You Need Paid If...
- Your team is growing beyond limits
- You need advanced features
- Professional branding is required
- You need priority support
- Integrations/API access is critical
Free vs Pro (Flat-Rate) Plan Comparison
| Free (Flat-Rate) $0 | Pro (Flat-Rate) $15/month | |
|---|---|---|
| Features | 9 included | 9+ included |
| Support | Community/Email | Priority Support |
| Branding | AWS CloudFront branding | Your branding |
| Best For | Hobbyists, learners, and developers getting started with CDN delivery and basic security | Small websites, blogs, and applications needing generous CDN allowance with built-in security |
Frequently Asked Questions
01 Is AWS CloudFront free?
Yes, AWS CloudFront offers a freemium plan with 9 core features included. However, there are limits on requests, data transfer that may require upgrading.
02 What's included in AWS CloudFront's free plan?
AWS CloudFront's free plan includes: 1 million HTTP/HTTPS requests per month, 100 GB data transfer per month, CloudFront CDN with global edge locations, Always-on DDoS protection (AWS Shield Standard), AWS WAF with 5 rules, and 4 more features. Key limits include Requests: 1M/month, Data transfer: 100 GB/month, WAF rules: 5.
03 What's NOT included in AWS CloudFront's free plan?
The free plan excludes: 10 million requests per month, 50 TB data transfer per month, Everything in Free tier, Enhanced AWS WAF with 20 rules, Bot management and analytics. You'll also have AWS CloudFront branding and limited support options.
04 When should I upgrade from AWS CloudFront's free plan?
Consider upgrading when: you hit user or storage limits, need features like 10 million requests per month or 50 TB data transfer per month, require premium support, or want to remove branding. The cheapest paid plan starts at $15/month.
05 Is AWS CloudFront's free plan really free forever?
Yes, AWS CloudFront's free plan is available indefinitely with no time limit. However, feature and usage limits may restrict what you can do without upgrading to a paid plan.
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