AWS Database Migration Service: Pricing, Features & Alternatives
AWS DMS migrates databases between engines (Oracle, SQL Server, PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB, MariaDB and others) or between copies of the same engine, with near-zero downtime as its stated goal. You pay hourly for a replication instance, or choose DMS Serverless, which scales capacity in DCUs (one DCU is 2 GB of RAM). Schema Conversion is free apart from the S3 storage it uses. Burstable instances include 50 GB of storage and compute or memory-optimized ones 100 GB. New AWS accounts since July 15 2025 get up to $200 in Free Tier credits rather than free DMS hours.
Who it’s for: Teams moving databases into AWS, or keeping a source and target in sync during a migration, inside their own AWS account.
Category
Change Data Capture (CDC)
Pricing
Pay-as-you-go
Free tier
No
Best for
Change Data Capture (CDC): database migration, AWS, cut-over sync
AWS Database Migration Service at a Glance
- What it is
- Managed database migration and replication (AWS)
- Source databases
- Major commercial and open-source databases
- Where it runs
- Your AWS account
- How you pay
- Hourly per instance or per DCU
- Free access
- AWS Free Tier credits for new accounts
Checked November 2026 against AWS DMS pricing, AWS Database Migration Service.
AWS Database Migration Service Pricing Plans (2026)
| Plan | Price |
|---|---|
| Replication instancePopular | Hourly, by instance type |
| Serverless | Hourly, by DCU |
Pricing summary: Usage-based. Always confirm current pricing on the official site.
Key AWS Database Migration Service Features
- Homogeneous and heterogeneous migrations from Oracle, SQL Server, PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB, MariaDB and others
- Billed hourly per replication instance (Single-AZ or Multi-AZ), or by DCU-hour on DMS Serverless
- Burstable instances include 50 GB of storage; compute and memory-optimized ones include 100 GB
- Schema Conversion is free apart from the S3 storage it uses
- New accounts since July 15 2025 get up to $200 in AWS Free Tier credits instead of free DMS hours
Pros
- +Pay-as-you-go with no licence
- +Heterogeneous migrations plus free schema conversion
- +Serverless option scales itself
- +Lives inside your AWS account
Cons
- −Tied to AWS as source or target
- −Tuning large ongoing replications takes work
- −Hourly rates live in a calculator, not on the page
Best AWS Database Migration Service Alternatives
Compare allAWS Database Migration Service Compared
AWS Database Migration Service FAQ
What is AWS Database Migration Service used for?⌄
AWS Database Migration Service is a change data capture (cdc) tool. AWS’s managed service for moving databases into AWS and keeping source and target in sync during the cut-over, billed by the hour.
Is AWS Database Migration Service free?⌄
AWS Database Migration Service does not offer a permanent free tier.
How much does AWS Database Migration Service cost?⌄
AWS Database Migration Service uses usage-based (pay-as-you-go) pricing. See the official pricing page for current rates.
What are the best AWS Database Migration Service alternatives?⌄
Popular AWS Database Migration Service alternatives include Debezium, Estuary Flow, Striim. Compare pricing and features on our AWS Database Migration Service alternatives page.
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