July 2025 was a tough month for developer free tiers. With 2 negative changes versus 0 positive, the trend continues toward tighter limits and eliminated offerings. Developers relying on free tiers should review their dependencies.
2
Total Changes same as last month
2
Negative +1 vs last month
0
Positive
0
Neutral
Changes by Type
Change Type
Count
Free Tier Removed
2
Biggest Losers
Vendors that eliminated or reduced free tiers
Amazon SES (1 negative change)
AWS restructured its Free Tier into expiring credits, which removed the per-service SES allowance for new accounts. The SES pricing page, read 2026-08-27, offers only 'up to $200 in AWS Free Tier credits' with 'the free plan will be available for 6 months after account creation' and no perpetual sending allowance from any source.
Storj (1 negative change)
Storj introduced a $5 minimum monthly usage fee for all accounts, announced 2025-05-30 and effective 2025-07-01, leaving a 30-day trial where the free tier used to be. The pricing page, read 2026-08-27, offers '25GB free storage for 30 days' with 'no credit card required' and applies the minimum fee once the trial ends, except for accounts paying in STORJ token.