Quick Answer
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Azure AKS costs Free to $438 per device/month as of October 2026, with 12 plans available including a free tier. Plans: Free tier (No SLA) (free), AKS Edge Essentials at $2.50/device/month, High Performance Compute vCPU at $6.57/vCPU per month, General Purpose vCPU at $7.05/vCPU per month, Confidential Compute vCPU at $10.88/vCPU per month, Compute Optimized vCPU at $10.96/vCPU per month, Memory Optimized vCPU at $11.16/vCPU per month, Storage Optimized vCPU at $13.01/vCPU per month, GPU accelerated compute vCPU at $32.29/vCPU per month, Standard tier (SLA) at $73/month, Automatic at $116.80/month, and Premium tier (SLA and LTS) at $438/month. Pricing depends on your chosen tier, contract length, and negotiated discounts.

Use the interactive pricing calculator to estimate your exact cost based on team size and requirements.

  • Free tier: Yes

Azure AKS offers 12 pricing tiers: Free tier (No SLA), AKS Edge Essentials, High Performance Compute vCPU, General Purpose vCPU, Confidential Compute vCPU, Compute Optimized vCPU, Memory Optimized vCPU, Storage Optimized vCPU, GPU accelerated compute vCPU, Standard tier (SLA), Automatic, Premium tier (SLA and LTS). A free plan is available. Paid plans include AKS Edge Essentials at $2.50/device/month, High Performance Compute vCPU at $6.57/vCPU per month, General Purpose vCPU at $7.05/vCPU per month.

Last verified: | Sources: 1 pricing pages and reviews
Forever Free plan type

Yes, Azure AKS offers a forever free plan as of October 2026. The free tier includes 0 features with limits on usage. Paid plans start at $2.5/device/month (AKS Edge Essentials). Pricing verified from 1 sources by CostBench.

Forever Free

Azure AKS's free plan is available indefinitely with no time limit.

What's Included in the Free Plan

Start Free at Azure AKS

You'll Need to Upgrade When...

  • You exceed the user limit
  • You need features like advanced automation
  • 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

  • ! Azure AKS 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

Free vs AKS Edge Essentials Plan Comparison

Free tier (No SLA) $0
Features 0 included 0+ included
Support Community/Email Priority Support
Branding Azure AKS branding Your branding
Best For Individuals Growing teams

Frequently Asked Questions

01 Is Azure AKS free?

Yes, Azure AKS offers a forever free plan with 0 core features included. However, there are limits on users and features that may require upgrading.

02 What's included in Azure AKS's free plan?

Azure AKS's free plan includes: . Key limits include basic usage caps.

03 What's NOT included in Azure AKS's free plan?

The free plan excludes: advanced features, premium support, and higher limits. You'll also have Azure AKS branding and limited support options.

04 When should I upgrade from Azure AKS's free plan?

Consider upgrading when: you hit user or storage limits, need features like advanced automation, require premium support, or want to remove branding. The cheapest paid plan starts at $2.5/device/month.

05 Is Azure AKS's free plan really free forever?

Yes, Azure AKS'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.

See Azure AKS Plans
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