Cloud Cost Clinic Preflight
Free cloud cost optimization tool for AWS budget guardrails.
Answer a few planning questions and get a starter AWS budget split, alert thresholds, and first-review checklist for common cloud cost optimization traps.
This free cloud cost optimization tool does not connect to AWS and does not estimate exact pricing. It creates starter guardrails based on common AWS cost surprise patterns. After real usage starts, review Cost Explorer and adjust the thresholds.
No login required
Create a starter AWS budget plan.
Work through three short steps. The result is a budget guardrail plan you can copy into your setup notes before launch.
Warning, high, and critical alert thresholds
Service-specific watch buckets
First review queue for likely cost traps
Walkthrough
Need help setting up the budget in AWS?
Use the generated plan as your starting point, then follow the walkthrough to create the AWS Budget in the console.
Watch the AWS Budget setup walkthroughWorkflow
Cloud cost optimization strategies before launch.
Plan the cost risks
Tell the tool what you expect to use: private subnets, NAT Gateway, RDS, S3, CloudWatch Logs, backups, or multi-AZ traffic.
Set guardrails
Create starting budgets, service watch areas, and alert thresholds before the first full monthly bill arrives.
Review real usage
After usage starts, compare actual Cost Explorer data with the guardrails and turn likely waste into a safe review queue.
FAQ
Cloud cost optimization tool questions
Is this cloud cost optimization tool an AWS pricing calculator?
No. Cloud Cost Clinic Preflight creates starter AWS budget guardrails from planned usage. It does not estimate exact AWS pricing or connect to your AWS account.
How is this different from AWS Budgets or Cost Explorer?
AWS Budgets and Cost Explorer use billing data from your AWS account. Preflight helps you plan budget thresholds and watch areas before real usage appears, then points you back to Cost Explorer for adjustment.
Can this help with NAT Gateway, VPC, CloudWatch Logs, S3, and EBS costs?
Yes. The starter plan can include NAT Gateway and data transfer, VPC-related costs, CloudWatch Logs, S3, EBS volumes, EBS snapshots, RDS or Aurora, load balancers, and shared unknowns.
When should I adjust the starter budget plan?
Adjust the plan after real Cost Explorer data appears, usually after the first few days or weeks of normal usage. Treat the output as a guardrail, not a final forecast.
Use the checklist after launch.
Preflight sets starting guardrails. The AWS Cost Review Checklist helps you review real findings safely once usage begins.