AWS Lambda Cost Calculator 2025: Complete Pricing Guide & Free Calculator
📑 Table of Contents
Did you know that 68% of companies overpay for AWS Lambda by not understanding the pricing model? After optimizing Lambda costs for over 50 companies, I've seen bills drop by 70% just by applying the right configuration.
This comprehensive guide includes our free Lambda cost calculator and everything you need to know about AWS Lambda pricing in 2025.
🧮 AWS Lambda Cost Calculator
Calculate Your Lambda Costs Instantly
Estimated Monthly Cost
💰 AWS Lambda Pricing Breakdown (2025 Rates)
AWS Lambda charges based on three main factors:
| Component | Price | Free Tier | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Requests | $0.20 per 1M requests | 1M requests/month | Charged per invocation |
| GB-Seconds | $0.0000166667 per GB-second | 400,000 GB-seconds/month | Memory × Duration |
| Data Transfer | $0.09 per GB (out) | 1 GB/month | To internet only |
🎯 Pro Tip: Memory vs Performance
Doubling memory doesn't double the cost! AWS proportionally increases CPU, network, and disk I/O. Often, higher memory = faster execution = lower total cost.
📊 Real-World Cost Examples
Example 1: API Backend
- 10 million requests/month
- 128 MB memory
- 50ms average duration
- Monthly cost: $21.00
Example 2: Image Processing
- 100,000 requests/month
- 3008 MB memory
- 3 seconds average duration
- Monthly cost: $45.15
Example 3: Real-time Data Processing
- 50 million requests/month
- 512 MB memory
- 100ms average duration
- Monthly cost: $232.50
⚔️ Lambda vs EC2 Cost Comparison
Here's when Lambda beats EC2 on cost:
| Scenario | Lambda Cost | EC2 Cost (t3.micro) | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low traffic API (100K req/mo) | $2.10 | $7.49 | ✅ Lambda |
| Medium traffic (10M req/mo) | $42.00 | $7.49 + scaling | ❓ Depends |
| High traffic (100M req/mo) | $420.00 | $74.90 (t3.large) | ✅ EC2 |
| Sporadic/Cron jobs | $0.50 | $7.49 | ✅ Lambda |
💡 Rule of Thumb
Lambda is cheaper when: Utilization < 15% OR Traffic is sporadic OR You need auto-scaling without management
🚀 Cost Optimization Strategies
1. Right-Size Memory
Start with 512 MB and adjust based on CloudWatch metrics. Use AWS Lambda Power Tuning tool.
2. Reduce Cold Starts
- Use Provisioned Concurrency for predictable traffic
- Keep functions warm with scheduled pings
- Minimize package size (< 50 MB)
3. Optimize Code
// ❌ Bad: Loading SDK on every invocation
exports.handler = async (event) => {
const AWS = require('aws-sdk');
const s3 = new AWS.S3();
// ...
}
// ✅ Good: Load once, reuse connection
const AWS = require('aws-sdk');
const s3 = new AWS.S3();
exports.handler = async (event) => {
// Use existing s3 client
}4. Use ARM Architecture (Graviton2)
20% better price-performance. Just change runtime to arm64!
5. Batch Processing
Process multiple items per invocation to reduce request charges.
⚠️ Hidden Costs to Watch
- VPC Networking: NAT Gateway = $45/month + $0.045/GB
- CloudWatch Logs: $0.50 per GB ingested
- X-Ray Tracing: $5.00 per million traces
- Provisioned Concurrency: $0.0000041667 per GB-second
- API Gateway: $3.50 per million requests
🎁 AWS Lambda Free Tier (Never Expires)
Unlike EC2, Lambda's free tier never expires:
- ✅ 1 million free requests per month
- ✅ 400,000 GB-seconds of compute time
- ✅ Available to all AWS accounts forever
This means a small API or website can run completely free indefinitely!
🎯 Take Action: Optimize Your Lambda Costs
Ready to Cut Your AWS Costs by 70%?
We've helped 50+ companies save an average of $4,200/month on AWS. Our free audit will show you exactly where you're overspending.
📚 Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Is Lambda always cheaper than EC2?
No. Lambda is cheaper for sporadic workloads and low utilization (< 15%). For consistent high-volume processing, EC2 or Fargate may be more cost-effective.
Q: How can I monitor Lambda costs?
Use AWS Cost Explorer with filtering by service. Set up billing alerts. Use tags to track costs by project or environment.
Q: What's the maximum Lambda execution time?
15 minutes (900 seconds). For longer tasks, use Step Functions or ECS/Batch.
Q: Does Lambda charge for idle time?
No! You only pay for actual execution time, rounded up to the nearest 1ms.
Q: Can I reserve Lambda capacity for discounts?
Yes! Compute Savings Plans offer up to 17% discount on Lambda compute charges.