Quick Answer
Last verified:
Medium confidence

AWS Elastic Load Balancing (ALB/NLB) costs $0.02 to $0.02 per per month (varies by usage) as of July 2026, with 4 plans available. Pricing depends on your chosen tier, contract length, and negotiated discounts.

Use the interactive pricing calculator to estimate your exact cost based on team size and requirements.

  • Free tier: No free tier available

AWS Elastic Load Balancing (ALB/NLB) offers 4 pricing tiers: Application Load Balancer (ALB), Network Load Balancer (NLB), Gateway Load Balancer (GWLB), Classic Load Balancer. The Network Load Balancer (NLB) plan is high-performance tcp/udp workloads.

Last verified: | Sources: 1 pricing pages and reviews
Know Before You Buy — See AWS Elastic Load Balancing (ALB/NLB) Plans

AWS Elastic Load Balancing (ALB/NLB) lists $0.0225-$0.0225/per month (varies by usage), but hidden costs like implementation and support add to the total as of July 2026. Key hidden costs: cross-availability zone (az) data transfer, default cross-zone load balancing (alb), internet egress data transfer. Verified from 1 sources by CostBench.

Hidden Costs Breakdown

1

Cross-Availability Zone (AZ) Data Transfer

high overage

When traffic crosses between AZs, a transfer cost of $0.01 per GB in each direction is incurred.

industry

When traffic crosses between AZs, a transfer cost of $0.01 per GB in each direction is incurred

2

Default Cross-Zone Load Balancing (ALB)

medium implementation

ALBs always have cross-zone load balancing enabled at the load balancer level by default, which can lead to cross-Availability Zone data transfer charges.

industry

ALBs always have cross-zone load balancing enabled at the load balancer level by default, which can lead to these charges, though it can be disabled per target group

3

Internet Egress Data Transfer

medium overage

Sending data from AWS to the public internet costs between $0.05 and $0.09 per GB for the first 10TB per month.

industry

Internet Egress: Sending data from AWS to the public internet costs between $0.05 and $0.09 per GB for the first 10TB per month

4

Load Balancer Capacity Unit (LCU/NLCU) Usage Charges

medium implementation

ALBs and NLBs are charged hourly plus a usage-based charge per LCU (for ALB) or NLCU (for NLB).

industry

Load Balancer Capacity Units (LCUs/NLCUs): * ALBs and NLBs are charged hourly plus a usage-based charge per LCU (for ALB) or NLCU (for NLB)

5

ALB LCU Calculation Complexity

medium implementation

ALB LCU usage is charged based on the highest usage dimension in a given hour, aggregating new connections per second, active connections per minute, processed bytes per hour, and rule evaluations per second.

industry

ALB LCU: An LCU for ALB aggregates four dimensions: new connections per second (up to 25), active connections per minute (up to 3,000), processed bytes per hour (up to 1 GB), and rule evaluations per second (up to 1,000, with the first 10 rules free)

6

Data Transfer Charges

high overage

Standard AWS data transfer fees apply for data flowing in and out of the load balancer, varying by region and traffic type.

industry

Data Transfer Charges: Standard AWS data transfer fees apply for data flowing in and out of the load balancer.

7

Elastic IP Address Charges

low overage

Additional or unused Elastic IP addresses may incur a fee, as one per load balancer is typically free if attached and in use.

industry

Elastic IP Address Charges: While AWS typically allows one Elastic IP per load balancer for free if attached and in use, additional or unused Elastic IP addresses may incur a fee (approximately $0.005 per hour per IP in us-west-1).

8

SSL/TLS Certificates and Security Features

medium addon

Businesses requiring advanced security measures like SSL/TLS certificates may incur associated hidden costs.

industry

SSL/TLS Certificates and Security Features: Businesses requiring advanced security measures like SSL/TLS certificates may incur associated hidden costs.

9

Hourly Load Balancer Base Rate

low implementation

The base hourly rate for an ALB or NLB is approximately $0.0252 per hour in N. California (us-west-1) and $0.0225 per hour in US East (Ohio).

industry

Hourly Load Balancer Cost: * ALB: Approximately $0.0252 per hour per ALB in regions like N. California (us-west-1)

10

ALB LCU Usage

medium overage

ALB LCU usage costs $0.008 per LCU-hour, determined by the highest usage across new connections, active connections, processed data, and rule evaluations.

industry

An LCU for ALB is determined by the highest usage across four dimensions: 25 new connections per second, 3,000 active connections per minute (1,500 with Mutual TLS), 1 GB of processed data per hour (0.4 GB for Lambda targets), and 1,000 rule evaluations per second (first 10 rules are free)

Frequently Asked Questions

01 What hidden costs should I budget for with AWS Elastic Load Balancing (ALB/NLB)?

Beyond the license fee, budget for: Cross-Availability Zone (AZ) Data Transfer ($0.01 per GB in each direction); Internet Egress Data Transfer ($0.05 and $0.09 per GB); Load Balancer Capacity Unit (LCU/NLCU) Usage Charges ($0.008 per LCU-hour); Data Transfer Charges ($0.05 to $0.09 per GB); Elastic IP Address Charges (approximately $0.005 per hour per IP); Hourly Load Balancer Base Rate ($0.0252 per hour); ALB LCU Usage ($0.008 per LCU-hour). Exact totals depend on your deployment size and negotiated terms.

02 Does AWS Elastic Load Balancing (ALB/NLB) charge for implementation?

AWS Elastic Load Balancing (ALB/NLB) implementation is not included in the license cost. ALBs always have cross-zone load balancing enabled at the load balancer level by default, which can lead to cross-Availability Zone data transfer charges..

03 How much does AWS Elastic Load Balancing (ALB/NLB) support cost?

Premium support pricing for AWS Elastic Load Balancing (ALB/NLB) depends on your tier and contract terms. See the sourced cost breakdown above for any verified figures we have.

04 Are there overage or storage costs with AWS Elastic Load Balancing (ALB/NLB)?

When traffic crosses between AZs, a transfer cost of $0.01 per GB in each direction is incurred. Estimated impact: $0.01 per GB in each direction.

05 What add-ons cost extra with AWS Elastic Load Balancing (ALB/NLB)?

Add-on pricing for AWS Elastic Load Balancing (ALB/NLB) varies by feature. The sourced cost breakdown above lists any verified add-on costs we have.

Now You Know the Real Cost — See AWS Elastic Load Balancing (ALB/NLB) Plans

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