EKS Pricing Explained to Help You Run Kubernetes on AWS

The demand for container orchestration is soaring. In 2025, Kubernetes continues to dominate the world of modern cloud-native applications, powering everything from e-commerce platforms to AI pipelines. And among managed Kubernetes services, Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Service (EKS) is one of the most popular options, used by startups and enterprises alike.

But let’s be honest—EKS pricing is often more confusing than setting up a Kubernetes cluster. Between control plane costs, data transfer fees, EC2 compute charges, Fargate options, and storage add-ons, it’s easy to lose track of what you’re actually paying for.

That’s exactly why this guide exists—to break down EKS pricing in plain terms, help you optimize it, and explore cost-effective Kubernetes deployment strategies using AWS and platforms like Cyfuture Cloud.

Whether you’re just evaluating EKS or trying to rein in spiraling cloud bills, this blog will guide you through the essentials of EKS pricing and what impacts your final invoice.

What Is Amazon EKS (Elastic Kubernetes Service)?

Amazon EKS is AWS’s managed Kubernetes service. It takes care of:

Control plane setup and maintenance

Automatic patching and updates

High availability across multiple Availability Zones

Integration with IAM, CloudWatch, and other AWS services

Basically, EKS lets you run Kubernetes without managing Kubernetes, making it a go-to choice for DevOps teams that value speed, scalability, and ecosystem compatibility.

You can run EKS using:

Amazon EC2 (managing the nodes yourself)

AWS Fargate (serverless compute engine, pay-as-you-go)

On-premise (EKS Anywhere)

And each of these has different pricing implications.

Breaking Down EKS Pricing (As of 2025)

Let’s tackle the cost components one by one.

1. EKS Control Plane Charges

$0.10 per hour per cluster

Roughly $72/month/cluster, regardless of node count or workload

This is the base cost AWS charges to manage the Kubernetes control plane, including API servers, etcd, and other cluster management components. Even if your cluster is idle, this fee remains active.

2. Compute Costs – EC2 or Fargate

Here’s where things can vary drastically depending on how you deploy.

EC2-based Nodes

You pay for the EC2 instances running your pods

Pricing depends on instance type (e.g., t3.medium vs m5.large vs c6i.4xlarge)

Can save costs using Spot Instances (up to 90% cheaper)

EBS volumes, Elastic IPs, and data transfer add extra cost

Example:
A standard m5.large costs approx $0.096/hour in many regions = $69/month per node

Fargate

You’re billed for vCPU and memory requests

No need to manage underlying VMs

Pricing: approx $0.04048 per vCPU/hour and $0.004445 per GB/hour

This model is easier to manage but more expensive at scale unless you have highly variable workloads.

3. Storage Costs

If your pods use Amazon EBS volumes, you pay separately:

EBS General Purpose SSD (gp3): $0.08/GB/month

Provisioned IOPS or encrypted volumes cost more

Also consider snapshot storage and backup pricing

Kubernetes can integrate with Amazon FSx, S3, or EFS for persistent storage—all with their own pricing tiers.

4. Load Balancer and Networking Charges

If your workloads are exposed via Elastic Load Balancers (ELBs):

ALB: $0.0225/hour + $0.008 per LCU/hour

NLB: $0.0225/hour + $0.006 per LCU/hour

Plus, data transfer:

First 1 GB/month: Free

Thereafter: $0.09/GB outbound (to the internet)

Inter-region and cross-AZ traffic costs extra

Networking often becomes one of the hidden cost traps in EKS workloads.

5. EKS Add-ons and Extras

AWS charges for managed add-ons (e.g., CoreDNS, kube-proxy, VPC CNI plugin) depending on your setup. You may also incur charges for:

CloudWatch logging and metrics

AWS Backup for PVs

AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) roles usage

Container Registry (ECR) storage and image pulls

How to Optimize Your EKS Pricing

You’ve probably realized by now—EKS pricing isn’t one-dimensional. Here’s how to make it work smarter for your business:

1. Choose Right-Sized Instances

Avoid over-provisioning EC2 nodes. Use cluster autoscaler or Karpenter to scale nodes dynamically based on demand.

2. Use Spot Instances Strategically

Leverage EC2 Spot Instances for non-critical or stateless workloads. This can cut your compute costs by up to 90%.

3. Schedule Idle Pods for Termination

Set up cron jobs or TTL controllers to scale down idle resources during off-peak hours.

4. Monitor with CloudWatch + Cost Explorer

Use AWS CloudWatch and Cost Explorer to track cost spikes, resource usage, and inefficiencies.

5. Consider EKS on Fargate for Bursty Loads

If you run short-lived workloads like CI/CD jobs or batch processing, Fargate can be cost-effective and maintenance-free.

When to Consider Alternatives Like Cyfuture Cloud

For businesses that want cost predictability, localized support, or a fully managed Kubernetes environment, Cyfuture Cloud is a worthy alternative.

What does Cyfuture Cloud offer?

Kubernetes-as-a-Service (KaaS) with simplified flat-rate pricing

Indian data center hosting (ideal for compliance and latency)

Transparent monthly plans—no hidden networking or control plane fees

24x7 support for setup, migration, and optimization

Dedicated hosting, private cloud, or hybrid options

Cyfuture Cloud helps you deploy Kubernetes clusters without the EKS pricing complexity, especially if your team isn’t deeply DevOps-savvy.

EKS Pricing vs. Cyfuture Cloud: Quick Comparison

Conclusion: Understand EKS Costs to Run Efficient Kubernetes Workloads

There’s no denying that Amazon EKS is powerful. It brings you enterprise-grade Kubernetes on AWS, with all the integrations, scalability, and performance you'd expect.

But as we’ve seen, EKS pricing is multi-layered. From compute choices to load balancers, storage, and data transfer—it’s easy to overspend if you're not monitoring closely. While tools like AWS Cost Explorer help track expenses, working with a provider like Cyfuture Cloud can offer a more predictable, budget-friendly Kubernetes hosting experience, especially for businesses in India or those new to container orchestration.

So before jumping into EKS, map your workload requirements, explore managed service alternatives, and always factor in the total cost of running production-grade Kubernetes—not just the per-cluster rate.

If you’re ready to explore cloud-native orchestration without breaking the bank, reach out to Cyfuture Cloud for a consultation and see how we can streamline your Kubernetes journey.