FreeTier.co
Free tierRelational DatabasesCloud DatabasesMicrosoftAzure free tier guide
Azure SQL Database logo

Azure SQL Database

FTV43

Yes — Azure SQL Database has a permanent free tier alongside its paid plans. The free plan includes up to 10 databases with 100,000 vCore seconds of serverless compute free each month, for the lifetime of the subscription and 32 GB of storage free per database each month, for the lifetime of the subscription.

About

Azure SQL Database is a fully managed relational database service built on the SQL Server engine and hosted on Microsoft Azure. It supports single databases and elastic pools, with both serverless and provisioned compute options, plus service tiers for General Purpose, Business Critical, and Hyperscale workloads.

The service includes automated patching, backups, high availability, and monitoring, and it supports features such as native vector search, RAG integration, Azure Copilot, Data API Builder, and Fabric mirroring. The pricing page shows vCore-based and DTU-based purchase models, storage limits from 5 GB to 4 TB in General Purpose and Business Critical tiers, Hyperscale storage up to 100 TB, and a free offer for up to 10 databases with 100,000 vCore seconds of serverless compute and 32 GB of storage each per month for the life of the subscription.

  • Fully managed SQL Server engine
  • Single databases and elastic pools
  • Serverless and provisioned compute
  • Hyperscale storage up to 100 TB
  • General Purpose storage from 5 GB
  • Free tier with monthly serverless quota
  • Built-in backups and high availability
  • Native vector search and RAG support

Free Tier Value

43
FTV score
Credit cardRequired
Feature parity0%

This page does not show any concrete free-tier quota, credit, or trial for Azure SQL Database, so there is no defensible monthly value to estimate from the text provided. The cheapest paid option is usage-based pay-as-you-go, but without a stated free allowance the free offering cannot be priced against it.

How we calculate this →

What's included in the free tier

  • Up to 10 databases with 100,000 vCore seconds of serverless compute free each month, for the lifetime of the subscription.
  • 32 GB of storage free per database each month, for the lifetime of the subscription.

See Azure SQL Database pricing for current limits.

Paid plans

Pay as you go

Usage-based
Pay only for what you use, with no long-term commitments or upfront payments.
  • No long-term commitments
  • No upfront payments
  • Scale consumption on demand
  • Single database and elastic pool options

Savings plan for databases

Usage-based
Commit to spend a fixed hourly amount for 1 year.
  • Lower prices until hourly commitment is reached
  • Suited for dynamic workloads
  • 1-year commitment
  • Applies across select database services globally

Azure reservations

Usage-based
One- or three-year agreement to use a specific instance of a service.
  • Discount on Azure services
  • 1-year or 3-year term
  • Specific instance commitment

Pricing extracted from Azure SQL Database's pricing page. Always verify current pricing before committing.

Common questions

Is Azure SQL Database free forever?

Yes. Azure SQL Database has a permanent free tier alongside its paid plans, though the allowance typically resets each month.

Does Azure SQL Database require a credit card?

Yes. Azure SQL Database asks for a card at signup, even for the free tier.