Support Plans and Cost vs Support Comparison
Review of AWS Support plans (Basic, Business Support+, Enterprise Support, AWS Unified Operations) and how they differ from cost tools.
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:
- Recognize the current AWS Support plan lineup.
- Explain what each plan offers at a high level.
- Connect support-plan choice to business needs.
- Distinguish support plans from cost tools.
- Understand that older plan names are being discontinued.
The Current Support Plan Lineup
AWS currently offers four support tiers. Older plans (Developer, Business, Enterprise On-Ramp) are being discontinued on January 1, 2027. (AWS Documentation)
| Plan | Minimum cost | Best for | Key features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | Free | Learning, experimenting | Documentation, forums, health dashboard, billing help |
| Business Support+ | $29/month per account | Production workloads | 24/7 phone/web/chat, <30-min response for critical, 500+ Trusted Advisor checks |
| Enterprise Support | $5,000/month | Mission-critical systems | Everything in Business Support+ plus TAM, 15-min critical response, security incident response |
| AWS Unified Operations | $50,000/month | Deep operational partnership | Everything in Enterprise plus DSE, architecture guidance, event management, workload reviews |
Older plan names
If you encounter references to Developer Support, Business Support, or Enterprise On-Ramp, those are the older plans being phased out. Learn the current names first.
How to Choose a Support Plan
The decision comes down to: what is the business impact of downtime?
Match the Scenario to the Support Plan
Connect each situation to the most appropriate support level.
Examples
Choose one, then match it on the right
Characteristics
Select an example first
0 of 6 matched so far.
Micro-activity 1: Support Plan Selection
Support Plans vs Cost Tools
A common mistake is confusing support plans with billing tools. They solve different problems:
| Category | What it does | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Cost tools | Help you see, analyze, and control spending | Cost Explorer, AWS Budgets, Pricing Calculator |
| Support plans | Define what help and response you get from AWS | Basic, Business Support+, Enterprise, Unified Operations |
| Pricing info | Tell you how each service is billed | AWS pricing pages, Free Tier documentation |
Simple memory rule
Support plans = what help you get from AWS. Cost tools = how you watch and control spending. They are independent: upgrading your support plan does not change your cost tools, and using Cost Explorer does not require a paid support plan.
Micro-activity 2: Support vs Cost Tools
Summary
| Plan or tool | One-line summary |
|---|---|
| Basic Support | Included for all customers; account/billing help and self-service resources |
| Business Support+ | 24/7 engineer access, <30-min critical response ($29/month min) |
| Enterprise Support | TAM, 15-min critical response, security incident response ($5,000/month min) |
| AWS Unified Operations | Deepest engagement: TAM + DSE, architecture guidance, event management ($50,000/month min) |
| Cost Explorer | Analyze cost trends and forecast spend |
| AWS Budgets | Set thresholds and get alerted |
Key principles:
- Match your support plan to the business impact of downtime
- Support plans and cost tools solve different problems
- Older plan names (Developer, Business, Enterprise On-Ramp) are being discontinued January 1, 2027
Reflection questions
Think about it
Why is Basic Support different from Business Support+? What changes when you upgrade?
Think about it
A colleague says "I set up AWS Budgets, so I don't need a support plan." What's wrong with that reasoning?
Think about it
Why should you be cautious with older study materials that mention Developer Support or Enterprise On-Ramp?