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There's a free plan; paid tiers are quoted.
Amazon SNS has a $0 AWS Free Tier, but no published flat monthly price for paid use. The published pricing details list Standard Topics at $0.50 per million API requests and $0.60 per million HTTP/S notifications; FIFO Topics cost $0.30 per million publish requests, with additional payload and delivery charges. Free allowances are capped by message type, and SMS rates vary by destination and carrier. The published AWS homepage does not explain SNS itself, so verify product fit and current rates before forecasting spend.
01Every plan, line by line
| Plan | Billed annually | Billed monthly | Built for |
|---|---|---|---|
| AWS Free Tier | — | $0 | Trying standard SNS messaging |
| Standard Topics (Pay-As-You-Go) | — | Quote | General-purpose notifications |
| FIFO Topics (Pay-As-You-Go) | — | Quote | Ordered message delivery to SQS |
Add-ons and overages
- Standard mobile push: $0.50 per 1 million notifications beyond Free Tier
- FIFO subscriptions: $0.01 per 1 million messages plus $0.001 per GB payload
- Payload-based filtering: $0.09 per GB scanned
- Message data protection scanning: $0.08 per GB
- Audit reporting: $0.19 per GB generated
- FIFO archive processing: $0.10 per GB; storage: $0.023 per GB-month
- SMS rates vary by destination and carrier; internet data transfer out starts at $0.09/GB
02What the plan grid doesn't tell you
Free-tier limits
Monthly allowances are capped by message type. Beyond them, listed rates include $0.50 per million mobile push notifications and usage charges for API requests, HTTP/S and email.
FIFO subscriptions
FIFO subscriptions add $0.01 per million messages plus $0.001 per GB of payload, on top of FIFO publish charges.
Filtering and scanning
Payload-based filtering costs $0.09 per GB scanned; message data protection scanning costs $0.08 per GB.
SMS and data transfer
SMS rates vary by destination and carrier. Internet data transfer out starts at $0.09 per GB.
03Which plan should you buy?
| If you are… | Get | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Trying standard messaging | AWS Free Tier | Includes monthly allowances for API requests, HTTP/S, email and mobile push, plus free SQS and Lambda deliveries. |
| General-purpose notifications | Standard Topics (Pay-As-You-Go) | Use the listed per-million request and delivery rates; there is no published monthly base fee. |
| Ordered delivery to SQS | FIFO Topics (Pay-As-You-Go) | The pricing details list ordered delivery to SQS, with publish, payload and subscription charges. |
04Is Amazon Simple Notification Service (SNS) worth the money?
SNS is worth pricing out if you already use AWS, but the published details do not establish that it is cheaper than other messaging options. There is no monthly base fee listed for paid topics, yet usage, delivery type and add-ons all affect the bill. We also cannot assess product fit from the published AWS homepage: it does not explain SNS or its features. Check SNS-specific documentation and estimate costs using your expected volumes before switching.
Cheaper Amazon Simple Notification Service (SNS) alternatives →
Amazon Simple Notification Service (SNS) pricing FAQ
What is Amazon Simple Notification Service (SNS)?
The published AWS homepage does not define Amazon SNS or list its features. The pricing details identify Standard Topics for general-purpose notifications and FIFO Topics for ordered message delivery to SQS, but that is not enough to describe the full service. Confirm product behavior and supported delivery options in SNS-specific documentation before choosing it.
How much does SNS cost?
The AWS Free Tier is listed at $0 per month, with monthly allowances that vary by message type. Paid Standard Topics charge $0.50 per million API requests and $0.60 per million HTTP/S notifications. FIFO publish requests cost $0.30 per million. Add-ons, payload and delivery charges can raise the total.
Is Amazon SNS like Kafka?
The published material does not explain SNS in enough detail to compare it with Kafka. It lists Standard Topics for general-purpose notifications and FIFO Topics for ordered delivery to SQS, but provides no Kafka information or broader product comparison. Check both products’ documentation and pricing against your specific requirements.
What is the price of an SNS SMS gateway?
A specific SMS price is not published on the vendor's site. They state that SMS rates vary by destination and carrier, so the cost depends on where messages are sent. The listed mobile push notification rate is separate: $0.50 per million notifications beyond the Free Tier allowance.