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- 6 min read
Why most startups overpay for AWS (and how to stop)?
For most startups, AWS is the default cloud provider. It’s robust, scalable, and battle-tested by some of the largest companies in the world.
But here’s the thing: those large companies aren’t paying the same AWS prices as you.
If you’re a startup running on default pricing and basic usage tiers, you’re almost certainly overpaying, sometimes by as much as 40%.
And the worst part? You might not even realise it until it’s too late.
This isn’t about AWS being too expensive. It’s about how the cloud pricing model is stacked against early-stage teams.
In this article, we’ll break down exactly why this happens, what most startups get wrong, and how you can flip the script without sacrificing speed, scale, or security.
The hidden costs of AWS for startups
AWS is powerful, flexible, and globally trusted, but it’s also built for scale, not simplicity. Most pricing structures are designed with large enterprises in mind, not cash-strapped startups.
Here are the main reasons startups end up overpaying:
Default pricing is almost always the most expensive
Unless you’ve gone out of your way to secure enterprise discounts or custom contracts, you’re likely paying on-demand rates. These are the highest rates AWS offers, intended for flexibility, not cost efficiency. They’re great for getting started, but terrible for staying lean.
No visibility into usage patterns
Many startups don’t have dedicated DevOps or FinOps resources to track usage. That means databases are running 24/7, services stay over-provisioned, and engineers keep forgetting to shut down old environments. This leads to runaway costs.
Lack of long-term commitments (But not by choice)
Startups can’t always predict growth. That uncertainty means they avoid committing to reserved instances or longer-term contracts, which are significantly cheaper, because they might not even know what they’ll need in six months.
Scaling before optimising
With VC funding or early traction, it’s tempting to scale fast. That often means spinning up bigger instances, duplicating services across regions, or building for hypothetical future demand. It feels like preparation, but without usage caps, this becomes a ticking budget time bomb.
Missing out on enterprise pricing tiers
Large companies get better pricing simply because they negotiate it. They commit big money upfront, so AWS gives them a deal. Startups don’t usually have that leverage, so they miss out, even if they’re using the same services.
What if you could get enterprise-level AWS pricing as a startup?
Here’s where things get interesting.
At Kuberns, we realised something important: Startups shouldn’t be penalised for being small.
We believe startups deserve access to the same pricing, reliability, and support as enterprises without having to commit to massive contracts, hire cloud architects, or jump through red tape.
That’s why we built a model that offers up to 40% savings on AWS costs.
Here’s how we help early-stage teams save 40% on AWS costs, while keeping all the flexibility and control of using AWS directly.
How Kuberns help you save 40% on AWS?
We unlock enterprise-grade cloud pricing for startups
You shouldn’t need a dedicated procurement team to negotiate better AWS pricing. At Kuberns, we’ve built trusted infrastructure partnerships that allow us to offer enterprise-tier pricing to early-stage teams.
We manage the AWS infrastructure to make discounted, high-performance cloud capacity available to startups without compromising on regions, compliance, or performance.
You get all the benefits of AWS:
✅ Same AWS features
✅ Same security guarantees
✅ Same services (EC2, RDS, S3, etc.)
…but at
significantly lower cost.
What this means for you: You’re not using a watered-down version of AWS. You’re getting real AWS features at optimized pricing because you shouldn’t have to grow big to get fair rates.
We match you with prepaid capacity from other companies
There’s a surprising amount of unused infrastructure floating around. Companies often prepay for AWS usage, lock in discounted contracts, and then don’t use all of it, especially after pivots, layoffs, or changes in strategy.
Rather than let those unused resources go to waste, our system securely matches startups with excess AWS contract capacity, ensuring you get the same cloud services at much better prices.
It’s a little like subleasing premium office space that someone else isn’t using but for cloud infrastructure.
Why this works: Our backend handles the complexity, so you get frictionless billing, usage, and support while paying less from day one.
We help you understand and control cloud spend
Beyond giving you access to better rates, we also help you track, optimise, and control your AWS usage.
- Get real-time usage insights
- See which services are underutilised
- Receive recommendations for cutting waste
- Set alerts for usage spikes before they become billing shocks
This means no more blind spots. You can keep costs predictable even as you scale.
Want to see how it works in action? Check out our platform
Why we’re doing this?
We didn’t build Kuberns to sell discounted cloud hosting.
We built it because we’re developers ourselves, and we got tired of watching great products burn through budget just to get off the ground.
Early-stage teams deserve infrastructure that grows with them, not expenses that punish them for not being “big enough yet.”
That’s why we’re committed to helping startups:
- Cut cloud costs by up to 40%
- Deploy faster with AI-powered infrastructure
We’re not here to replace AWS, we’re here to help you make it sustainable.
Curious how Kuberns works?
Is this right for your team?
If you’re a startup founder, solo developer, or small team building on AWS, and you’re tired of unpredictable bills, Kuberns is built for you.
Whether you need help deploying fast or just want better pricing for the same services, we’ve designed the platform to fit your stage, not someone else’s.
You can:
- Stay on AWS infrastructure
- Use our tools to monitor and deploy faster
- Get access to enterprise-tier pricing
- Avoid long-term lock-ins or migration headaches
AWS is an incredible platform, but it wasn’t designed for early-stage startup economics.
With Kuberns, we’re changing that.
We help you unlock the kind of cloud efficiency, cost transparency, and deployment velocity that used to be reserved for enterprises without the complexity, overhead, or massive engineering teams.
So if you’re spending more time worrying about your cloud bill than building your product… it’s time for a better way.