AWS Free Credits
VPS Hosting Verified May 2026
AWS Free Credits deal: $5,000
Free AWS credits for startups through the AWS Activate program
- Up to $100K in AWS credits for qualifying startups — covers significant infrastructure costs
- Credits apply to the full AWS catalog: EC2, RDS, S3, Lambda, Bedrock AI, and more
- No equity taken — purely a startup support program
- Additional perks: AWS support credits, training, and technical office hours
How AWS Free Credits scored 76/100
6 weighted criteria, each scored out of 10 and published with its reasoning. Featured placements never move a score.
Deal Strength
8.0 /10AWS Activate gives eligible startups $5,000 in credits self-serve, with $1,000 as the entry level and up to $100,000 available when a VC or accelerator nominates you.
Value for Money
8.0 /10Credits apply across EC2, S3, RDS, Lambda and the rest of the catalogue, so $5,000 can cover 6-12 months of a small startup's infrastructure bill outright rather than shaving a percentage off it.
Capability
10.0 /10AWS has the broadest catalogue in cloud, 200+ services including EC2, S3, RDS, Lambda, Bedrock and SageMaker, so the credits stretch across hosting, data and machine learning rather than one narrow product.
Time to Value
5.0 /10You apply self-serve with an AWS account and a live website, and credits then apply automatically to your bill. Eligibility checks can take days, so apply before you actually need the headroom.
Trust & Reliability
8.0 /10AWS is the largest cloud provider, with published SLAs, broad compliance coverage and Business Support included alongside Activate credits. The credits themselves expire within 1-2 years, so plan usage around that clock.
Flexibility & Exit
3.0 /10Credits expire after 1-2 years and anything unused is forfeited, and they do not cover Marketplace purchases or Reserved Instances. Beyond spending them there is no lock-in, but the deadline is real.
$5,000
$5,000
Affiliate link — same price for you, and it never moves the score.
- Up to $100K in AWS credits for qualifying startups — covers significant infrastructure costs
- Credits apply to the full AWS catalog: EC2, RDS, S3, Lambda, Bedrock AI, and more
- No equity taken — purely a startup support program
- Additional perks: AWS support credits, training, and technical office hours
About AWS Free Credits
Quick answer
Free AWS credits for startups through the AWS Activate program
AWS Activate, in 30 seconds
AWS Activate is Amazons startup-credit programme: pre-paid AWS credits, free Business Support during the credit window, plus training and partner perks. We picked it because AWS still has the broadest service catalogue (EC2, S3, RDS, Lambda, Bedrock, SageMaker and 200+ more), so a credit dollar buys more than on a niche cloud. For a seed startup, $5,000 in credits typically funds 6 to 12 months of meaningful infrastructure.
How it works
Activate Founders is self-serve: any startup with a website and AWS account can apply for $1,000 in credits, Developer Support credit, AWS courses and a 90-day office-hours session with a solutions architect. Activate Portfolio is the higher-tier door: backed by a partnered VC or accelerator (Y Combinator, Techstars, 500 Global, Antler and 1,000+ others), you can be nominated for $5,000 up to $100,000, with Business Support waived. Credits apply automatically to your bill. Eligibility: under 10 years old, under $100M raised, no prior $100k+ award.
Pricing reality
Credits cover on-demand EC2, S3, RDS, Lambda, CloudFront, Bedrock and most managed services. They do not cover: AWS Marketplace, Reserved Instances or Savings Plans purchases, support fees above the included tier, Route 53 domain registrations, or custom enterprise agreements. Credits expire 1 to 2 years after issue depending on tier — unused portions are forfeited. Most accelerators issue $5,000 to $25,000 packages; the $100,000 tier is for VC-backed startups past Series A.
AWS vs alternatives
| Programme | Credit range | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| AWS Activate | $1,000-$100,000 | Service breadth and ecosystem |
| Google for Startups Cloud | $2,000-$200,000 | BigQuery and Vertex AI |
| Microsoft for Startups | $1,000-$150,000 | Azure OpenAI, M365 perks |
| Oracle for Startups | $3,000-$1M | Cheaper compute if AI-heavy |
| DigitalOcean Hatch | $25,000 over 24 months | Simple infra needs |
Decision matrix
- Buy if: you are already building on AWS, you have a working product, and you can claim the higher tier through an accelerator or VC.
- Wait if: you are still pre-product — the 12-month clock will tick before you need the infrastructure.
- Skip if: your stack is AI-training-heavy (Microsoft Founders Hub gives Azure OpenAI access) or BigQuery-centric (Google credits go further).
What's included
- Covers all major AWS compute and storage services
- $5,000 extends runway 6–12 months for lean teams
- No credit card required to claim; verified via third party
- 12-month expiry window allows deliberate spend planning
- SaaSTweaks-verified affiliate deal
- Vendor-direct activation flow
- Editorial pros + cons review
- Tracked savings claim with refresh date
AWS Free Credits pricing
Verified May 2026. Vendor's published rates at the time we checked — always confirm at checkout.
| Plan | Price | Term | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Founders | Up to $1,000 in credits | one-time | For early-stage startups; no accelerator sponsorship required; apply directly |
| Portfolio (via sponsor) | Up to $100,000 in credits | one-time | For startups backed by qualifying VCs, accelerators, or incubators; 2-year validity |
| AWS program | Free | application | Apply at aws.amazon.com/activate; credits applied to your AWS account automatically |
How to claim it
4 steps. The last one is the part most people skip.
- 1
Open AWS Free Credits through the link on this page
It carries our referral tag. The price you pay is identical either way, and it never changes the score on this page.
- 2
Pick the plan that matches your usage
This offer applies automatically through the link — there is no code to enter.
- 3
Confirm the discount before you pay
The order summary should show the reduced amount. If it does not, stop and tell us — we re-test listings that stop working.
- 4
Check what happens at renewal
$5,000
Where AWS Free Credits wins and loses
What works
- Up to $100K in AWS credits for qualifying startups — covers significant infrastructure costs
- Credits apply to the full AWS catalog: EC2, RDS, S3, Lambda, Bedrock AI, and more
- No equity taken — purely a startup support program
- Additional perks: AWS support credits, training, and technical office hours
What doesn't
- Higher Portfolio tiers require backing from a qualifying accelerator or VC
- Credits expire after a set period — must be planned to use effectively
- Credits do not apply to third-party marketplace products sold through AWS
- Eligibility requirements vary; some startups may only qualify for lower tiers
The bottom line
Strong verified credits for startups on the leading cloud platform, though the expiry window limits flexibility.
$1,000 self-serve via Activate Founders. $5,000 to $100,000 via Activate Portfolio if you are nominated by a partnered accelerator or VC. The $100k tier needs Series A or later.
On-demand EC2, S3, RDS, Lambda, CloudFront, Bedrock and most managed services. Excluded: Marketplace software, Reserved Instances, Savings Plans, support fees and Route 53 domain registrations.
Yes, in 1 to 2 years from issue depending on tier. Unused credits are forfeited. Plan usage so you actually spend them inside the window.
Yes, the Founders tier ($1,000 plus support and training) is self-serve. You only need an AWS account, a website and to meet the eligibility caps (under 10 years old, under $100M raised).
No. Free Tier is the 12-month always-on allowance every AWS account gets. Activate adds credits on top, plus Business Support and partner perks.
You can move up tiers — for example Founders $1k upgraded to Portfolio $25k after raising — but you cannot stack two Portfolio awards above the $100k lifetime cap.
