Azure Virtual Machines's free allowance is an intro tier: new accounts get a larger allowance that steps down to a smaller permanent free tier after the intro period.
About
Azure Virtual Machines is Microsoft Azure's on-demand infrastructure service for creating and running Linux and Windows virtual machines in the cloud. It provides scalable compute capacity for a wide range of workloads, from enterprise applications and development environments to high-performance computing and migration scenarios.
The service is designed to help organizations deploy applications quickly on resilient infrastructure while maintaining flexibility over operating system choice, VM size, regional placement, and cost optimization options.
- Deploy Linux and Windows VMs in seconds.
- Run diverse workloads including SQL Server, Oracle, SAP, open-source software, and HPC applications.
- Scale across 60+ regions with high availability options.
- Use built-in security, monitoring, backup, and migration integrations.
- Optimize spend with reservations, Spot VMs, and Azure Hybrid Benefit.
Free Tier Value
This free offer is a 30-day trial with $200 in credit, so it is best treated as a one-time starter budget rather than a recurring monthly allowance. Because the credit can be spent across metered VM usage and related services, the practical value is real but time-limited; a credit card is typically required for Azure account signup, which adds friction.
What's included in the free tier
Verified
- 750 hours each of B2pts v2 (Arm-based) burstable Linux VMs for 12 months.
- 750 hours each of B2ats v2 (AMD-based) burstable Linux VMs for 12 months.
- 750 hours each of B2pts v2 (Arm-based) burstable Windows VMs for 12 months.
- 750 hours each of B2ats v2 (AMD-based) burstable Windows VMs for 12 months.
See Azure Virtual Machines pricing for current limits.
Paid plans
Virtual Machines
- compute
- metered usage
- egress
- metered usage
- disks
- metered usage
- Linux and Windows virtual machines
- Load balancing and auto-scaling included at no cost for current generation VMs
- Support for managed disks and multiple OS images
- Standard egress charges apply
- Additional IP address options available
Pricing extracted from Azure Virtual Machines's pricing page. Always verify current pricing before committing.