Microsoft is continuing to make Azure easier for developers to get started and try. They now have a dedicated page to list all the free services available to all users. In the past there has been mixed messages of the types of “free” accounts for different types of Azure users. So this should make it much easier for users to get started and avoid further confusion.
Free for 12 Months
The list includes 8+ services that are free for 12 months for new Azure users to try.
Free Forever
Additionally there are 20+ services that are always free.
Usage and Billing
Obviously there are usage limitations to most of these services. This may be in the form of minutes of use, number of users or other numbered unit limit. Most of these limits are incredibly generous. I have seen many developers using these free services to run their blog/website or other interesting applications.
Regarding billing, they also make it incredible easy to see how much of the free service you have used and when that will expire via comprehensive billing reports. Additionally, you can choose whether the service stops when the free limitation is hit or you would like to be charged for overages.
Plus a $200 Credit
On top of all the free goodness, they also offer a $200 credit to use in your first month to try any services that don’t offer a free tier. The credit may also be applied to any overages of the free services in the first month.
Its so encouraging to see Microsoft continuing to remove barriers and making their services/products the easiest to start to use with quality documentation and guided getting started experiences. In my opinion they do it better than any of their competitors.
What has your experience been? Share your thoughts or questions below in the comments.