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5 Proven Tactics to Reduce AWS Bills Today by 30% in 2025


By Anita Ojieh

on August 15, 2025



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5 Proven Tactics to Reduce AWS Bills Today by 30% in 2025

AWS costs can escalate quickly due to flexible pricing and powerful services, often leading to overprovisioning and underutilization. However, strategic planning and tools can reduce AWS bills by 30% or more. These five ways will help startups and growing businesses understand and control their AWS spending.

Understanding Your AWS Spending Habits

Before diving into cost-cutting, it's vital to understand why your AWS bill is high in the first place. Many companies fall into the trap of "set and forget," spinning up instances and services without monitoring their ongoing costs.

Key Drivers of AWS Spending

Common Mistakes

Understanding your cloud usage patterns is the first step toward building a strategy to reduce AWS bills effectively.

Tactic 1 – Use AWS Cost Explorer and Budgets

One of the most powerful tools available within AWS is the Cost Explorer dashboard. It provides a visual breakdown of spending across accounts, services, and time periods.

Key Features

Step-by-Step: Setting Up AWS Budgets and Alerts

  1. Go to AWS Billing Console
  2. Click on Budgets > Create Budget
  3. Choose Cost Budget
  4. Set your monthly/quarterly threshold (e.g., $1,000)
  5. Configure email alerts for threshold breaches

This proactive step allows teams to act before overspending spirals out of control.

Tactic 2 – Leverage AWS Credits for Startups

Startups often qualify for free AWS credits through various programs. These credits can dramatically reduce or even eliminate cloud bills temporarily, giving teams the runway they need to grow.

How to Access AWS Credits

Eligibility Requirements

If you're a qualifying startup, applying for credits is a no-brainer tactic to reduce AWS bills dramatically without changing any of your architecture.

Tactic 3 – Right Size Your Resources

AWS offers a ton of flexibility but that often leads to waste. Right sizing means adjusting your services to match actual usage.

Overprovisioned Services to Watch

Use These Tools

Right sizing is a continuous process and one of the most effective ways to reduce AWS bills without sacrificing performance.

Tactic 4 – Use Cloud Cost Optimization Tools

Third-party tools can simplify AWS cost optimization by providing insights, automations, and AI-powered suggestions.

Top Tool to Consider in 2025

WENDU is a dedicated cloud cost optimization tool developed by CloudPlexo. It delivers:

Why WENDU Stands Out

FeatureWENDUNative AWS ToolsOther 3rd-Party Tools
Real-Time Alerts✅ Yes❌ No✅ Some
AI-Driven Recommendations✅ Yes❌ No✅ Some
Automation Scripting✅ Yes❌ Manual✅ Some
Tailored for Startups✅ Yes❌ No❌ Not Always
AWS Partner Integration✅ Seamless✅ Native❌ Limited

WENDU is your go-to tool to reduce AWS bills effectively and consistently designed and supported by CloudPlexo.

Tactic 5 – Shift to Spot Instances and Savings Plans

Amazon offers discounts of up to 90% on compute if you're willing to give up instance stability. That's where Spot Instances come in.

Best Practices

Also, Savings Plans offer deep discounts if you commit to consistent usage over 1 or 3 years.

Recommended Usage

Bonus Tip – Turn Off Idle Resources Automatically

AWS Lambda + CloudWatch = Scheduled Shutdowns. Build scripts that:

These automation scripts can be life-savers for fast-paced teams that don’t always remember to shut things down manually.

Real-World Startup Case Studies (Before & After Costs)

Cost optimization isn’t theory, it’s a practice. With CloudPlexo’s expertise and hands-on support, startups like Mintyn and Pharmaserv turned high AWS bills into controlled, efficient spending strategies using AWS-native tools and WENDU’s intelligent automation.

Case Study: Mintyn (Fintech)

Challenges: Over-provisioned networking, multi-region sprawl, inefficient EKS autoscaling, costly RDS setup.

Solutions:

Result: 31% AWS cost reduction in one quarter with better scalability and efficiency.

READ FULL CASE STUDY HERE

Case Study: Pharmaserv (HealthTech)

Challenges: Rising cloud spend due to underutilized resources, over-provisioned databases, and fragmented workloads.

Solutions:

Result: 28% AWS savings and streamlined operations without impacting performance.

READ FULL CASE STUDY HERE

These examples show that with a strategy, it’s very possible to reduce AWS bills by 30% or more, even in high-growth environments.

Monitoring and Measuring Your Cost Reduction Success

Tracking your success is just as important as executing the plan.

Metrics to Watch

Use dashboards from AWS or tools like Wendu to keep your eye on these numbers.

FAQs About How to Reduce AWS Bills

Q1: How do I know which AWS services cost me the most? Use AWS Cost Explorer and filter by “Service” to see your top expenses.

Q2: Are AWS credits for startups renewable? Generally no, but you can apply for top-ups or access more via new partnerships.

Q3: How quickly can cost optimization show results? In as little as a week, especially with right sizing and automation.

Q4: Can small startups really get $100,000 in credits? Yes, through AWS Activate and VC/investor partner programs.

Q5: Is it risky to rely on Spot Instances? Only if used improperly. Use interruption handling and backups.

Q6: Are third-party optimization tools worth it? Yes, especially for fast-growing teams with complex infrastructure.

Conclusion: Take Control of Your AWS Costs Today

The cloud doesn’t have to be expensive, just smarter. By understanding your usage, leveraging free credits, using powerful tools, and applying the five proven strategies above, you can confidently reduce AWS bills by 30% this quarter. Start now, and take control of your cloud finances for good.