Try SQL Server in the cloud with an Azure free account
Run Microsoft SQL Server on Azure Virtual Machines or use Azure SQL Database, a fully managed service
Azure SQL Database, a fully managed service in the cloud
Azure SQL Database offers benefits like automatic updates and patches, as well as built-in high availability, intelligence, security, and full SQL Server compatibility.
- Use the same SQL engine you know and love, without the complexity of infrastructure management, and scale compute resources easily.
- Take advantage of industry-leading innovations, like built-in intelligence that learns your app’s patterns and adapts to maximize performance, reliability, and data protection.
- Follow a simple, self-guided migration process and get comprehensive assessments detailing pre-migration steps with Azure Database Migration Service.
- Get 12 months of 250 GB of SQL Database standard S0 instance, with 10 database transaction units per month.
SQL Database Managed Instance
Migrate your SQL Server databases without changing your apps and unlock the operational and financial benefits of an intelligent, fully-managed service.
Azure Hybrid Benefit for SQL Server
Use your on-premises SQL Server licenses with Software Assurance to save up to 30% on SQL Database Managed Instance through Azure Hybrid Benefit for SQL Server.
SQL Server on Virtual Machines
Take advantage of cost savings, operating system choice, cloud flexibility, access to database-optimized VMs, hybrid connectivity, and security and compliance.
What do I get?
With your Azure free account, you get all of this—and you won’t be charged until you choose to upgrade.
of popular free services
+
to explore any Azure service for 30 days
+
25+ services
Which products are free for 12 months?
These popular products are free each month for 12 months
Linux Virtual Machines
COMPUTE
750 hours
B1S VM
Windows Virtual Machines
COMPUTE
750 hours
B1S VM
Managed Disks
STORAGE
64 GB x 2
2 P6 SDDs
Blob Storage
STORAGE
5 GB
LRS hot block
File Storage
STORAGE
5 GB
LRS File Storage
SQL Database
DATABASES
250 GB
Azure Cosmos DB
DATABASES
5 GB
400 requests units
Bandwidth (Data Transfer)
NETWORKING
15 GB
outbound
Which products are always free?
These products—including serverless, containers, and artificial intelligence—are always free
App Service
COMPUTE
10
web, mobile, or API apps
Functions
COMPUTE
1,000,000
requests per month
Event Grid
INTEGRATION
100,000
operations per month
Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)
AI + MACHINE LEARNING
Free
Face API
AI + MACHINE LEARNING
30,000
transactions per month
DevTest Labs
DEVELOPER TOOLS
Free
What else do I need to know?
Do I pay anything to start with the Azure free account?
No. Starting is free, plus you get a $200 credit you can spend during the first 30 days.
What happens once I use my $200 free credit or I’m at the end of 30 days?
We’ll notify you so you can decide if you want to upgrade to pay-as-you-go pricing and remove the spending limit. If you do, you’ll have access to all the free products. If you don’t, your account and products will be disabled, and you'll need to upgrade to resume usage.
What happens at the end of the 12 months of free products?
For 12 months after you upgrade your account, certain amounts of popular products for compute, networking, storage, and databases are free. After 12 months, any of these products you may be using will continue to run, and you’ll be billed at the standard pay-as-you-go rates.
What do I need to sign up for a free account?
All you need is a phone number, a credit or debit card, and a GitHub account or Microsoft account username (formerly Windows Live ID).
Pay less with Azure
AWS is 5 times more expensive than Azure for Windows Server and SQL Server. Why run them anywhere else?
