AWS · Free tool
Enter storage size, retention, request volume, and retrieval. Compare S3 Standard, Intelligent-Tiering, IA, and Glacier classes with minimum duration charges included.
Cheapest class for this profile
Standard
$0/mo - $0/year
| Class | Storage | Requests | Retrieval | Penalty | Monthly |
|---|
Penalty means minimum-duration billing when retention is shorter than the storage class minimum.
Cold classes save money when objects stay cold. They can cost more when audits pull back a year of logs, backup jobs delete objects before minimum duration, or lifecycle rules transition millions of tiny files.
The right class depends on access pattern, retention, and object size. This calculator covers the first two. For object size, review buckets with many objects under 128 KB before relying on Intelligent-Tiering.
Which storage class is cheapest?
Glacier Deep Archive is cheapest for storage, but only when data stays for 180 days or more and is rarely retrieved. For irregular access, Intelligent-Tiering is often safer because it moves objects between tiers automatically.
What is the minimum duration penalty?
IA classes bill at least 30 days, Glacier Instant and Flexible bill at least 90 days, and Deep Archive bills at least 180 days. If objects are deleted sooner, AWS still charges storage through the minimum period.
Are retrieval fees only for Glacier?
No. Standard-IA, One Zone-IA, and Glacier classes all charge per-GB retrieval. Standard and the frequent tier of Intelligent-Tiering do not charge retrieval fees.
How do lifecycle transition costs factor in?
Each lifecycle transition is a request charged at the destination class rate. In buckets with many small objects, transition fees and minimum object overhead can erase the storage savings.
