---
title: "AWS Database Migration Service Pricing, Features & Alternatives (2026)"
description: "AWS Database Migration Service (Change Data Capture (CDC)): Pricing. Plans, pros & cons, and AWS Database Migration Service alternatives compared for startups in 2026."
source: https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/aws-dms
retrieved: 2026-11-10
---

![AWS Database Migration Service logo](https://www.google.com/s2/favicons?domain=aws.amazon.com&sz=128)

[Change Data Capture (CDC)](https://appstackbuilder.com/categories/cdc)

# 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](https://aws.amazon.com/dms/pricing/), [AWS Database Migration Service](https://aws.amazon.com/dms/).

[Visit AWS Database Migration Service official site](https://aws.amazon.com/dms/)

## AWS Database Migration Service Pricing Plans (2026)

| Plan                        | Price                    | Highlights                                                                  |
| --------------------------- | ------------------------ | --------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Replication instancePopular | Hourly, by instance type | Single-AZ or Multi-AZ · 50–100 GB storage included · Free schema conversion |
| Serverless                  | Hourly, by DCU           | 1 to 384 DCUs · Scales capacity for you                                     |

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 all ](https://appstackbuilder.com/tool-alternatives/aws-dms)

[![Debezium logo](https://www.google.com/s2/favicons?domain=debezium.io&sz=128)DebeziumFree](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/debezium)[![Estuary Flow logo](https://appstackbuilder.com/logos/estuary.ico)Estuary FlowFree · then usage-based](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/estuary)[![Striim logo](https://www.google.com/s2/favicons?domain=striim.com&sz=128)StriimFree · paid plans by quote](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/striim)

## AWS Database Migration Service Compared

[AWS Database Migration Service vs Debezium](https://appstackbuilder.com/compare/aws-dms-vs-debezium)[AWS Database Migration Service vs Estuary Flow](https://appstackbuilder.com/compare/aws-dms-vs-estuary)[AWS Database Migration Service vs Striim](https://appstackbuilder.com/compare/aws-dms-vs-striim)

## 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.

## Not sure if AWS Database Migration Service fits your stack?

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