Amazon ElastiCache pricing
Redis / Valkey · Amazon Web Services · snapshot captured June 2026
Amazon ElastiCache is a managed Redis / Valkey offering from Amazon Web Services. It uses node-hour (by ram) or serverless (per gb-hour + ecpu). Its representative entry tier is cache.t4g.micro (0.5 GiB) at ~$12/mo. Serverless option bills $0.084/GB-hour stored + $0.0023 per million ECPUs (Valkey rates), 100 MB minimum. No always-free node tier (historic 12-month t3/t4g.micro offer for new accounts may apply). Prices are a June-2026 snapshot; verify on the linked vendor pricing page before relying on them.
Source: Amazon Web Services pricing. Data as of June 2026.
Amazon ElastiCache pricing tiers
| Tier | Specs | Hourly | Monthly | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| cache.t4g.micro | 0.5 GiB RAM (burstable) | $0.02/hr | ~$12/mo | Cheapest node; good for dev caches. |
| cache.m7g.large | ~6.38 GiB RAM | $0.16/hr | ~$115/mo | General-purpose production node. |
| cache.r7g.large | ~13.07 GiB RAM | $0.22/hr | ~$160/mo | Memory-optimized node. |
Source: Amazon Web Services pricing. Prices are a June-2026 snapshot; verify on the linked vendor pricing page before relying on them.
At a glance
| Cost factor | Amazon ElastiCache |
|---|---|
| Engine | Redis / Valkey |
| Vendor | Amazon Web Services |
| Pricing model | Node-hour (by RAM) or serverless (per GB-hour + ECPU) |
| Representative tier | cache.t4g.micro (0.5 GiB) (~$12/mo) |
| Storage / extras | Serverless option bills $0.084/GB-hour stored + $0.0023 per million ECPUs (Valkey rates), 100 MB minimum. |
| Free tier | No always-free node tier (historic 12-month t3/t4g.micro offer for new accounts may apply). |
| Region note | US East (N. Virginia), us-east-1, on-demand; for Valkey / Redis OSS. |
Source: Amazon Web Services pricing page. Data as of June 2026.
Cost pros & cons
Where ElastiCache saves money
- Tight AWS/VPC integration and Valkey + Redis OSS support
- Serverless option scales to zero-ish with per-GB-hour billing
- Reserved nodes cut steady-state cost substantially
Watch-outs
- Node-hour pricing means you pay for provisioned RAM even when idle
- Multi-AZ replicas multiply the node cost
- Serverless ECPU billing is hard to estimate up front
Accuracy note: Node hourly rates are from reputable AWS price trackers (the official page shows only worked examples); serverless rates are from the official page.
Amazon ElastiCache vs similar offerings
How Amazon ElastiCache compares with other managed Redis / Valkey and adjacent offerings:
| Offering | Engine | Representative tier | Est. monthly |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon ElastiCache (this offering) | Redis / Valkey | cache.t4g.micro (0.5 GiB) | ~$12/mo |
| Upstash Redis | Redis / Valkey | Fixed 250 MB plan | ~$10/mo |
| Redis Cloud | Redis / Valkey | Essentials 250 MB plan | ~$7/mo |
| Aiven for Valkey | Redis / Valkey | Startup (from $60/month) | ~$60/mo |
| Amazon RDS for MySQL | MySQL | db.t3.medium (2 vCPU / 4 GiB) | ~$52/mo |
| Google Cloud SQL for MySQL | MySQL | 2 vCPU / 8 GB (Enterprise edition, compute only) | ~$101/mo |
Frequently asked questions
How much does Amazon ElastiCache cost?
Amazon ElastiCache uses node-hour (by ram) or serverless (per gb-hour + ecpu). Its representative entry is cache.t4g.micro (0.5 GiB) at ~$12/mo. Serverless option bills $0.084/GB-hour stored + $0.0023 per million ECPUs (Valkey rates), 100 MB minimum. snapshot captured June 2026 — verify on the vendor's pricing page.
Does Amazon ElastiCache have a free tier?
Not really. No always-free node tier (historic 12-month t3/t4g.micro offer for new accounts may apply).
What is the cheapest Amazon ElastiCache tier?
The smallest tier is cache.t4g.micro (0.5 GiB RAM (burstable)): ~$12/mo. Cheapest node; good for dev caches. Prices are a June-2026 snapshot; verify on the linked vendor pricing page before relying on them.
What should I watch for in Amazon ElastiCache pricing?
Watch-outs: Node-hour pricing means you pay for provisioned RAM even when idle; Multi-AZ replicas multiply the node cost; Serverless ECPU billing is hard to estimate up front. Node hourly rates are from reputable AWS price trackers (the official page shows only worked examples); serverless rates are from the official page.
Keep exploring
Source & accuracy
Figures are a dated snapshot from Amazon Web Services's pricing page (snapshot captured June 2026). Managed-database pricing is volatile and varies by region, tier, storage and discounts — verify current prices on the vendor's page before purchasing. This is an informational comparison, not a quote. See our methodology and disclaimer.
Last updated: 2026-06-20