AWS Amplify review

AWS Amplify ranks fifth because it gives teams the deepest backend of any option here, but it asks the most of them. Amplify connects frontends to Amazon Cognito for auth, AWS AppSync for real-time APIs, DynamoDB for data, Lambda for functions and S3 for storage, and adds managed hosting with builds, CDN storage and server-side rendering. Every piece is a standard AWS service, so the app can grow into anything AWS offers. Pricing has no monthly minimums: hosting builds cost $0.01 a minute on a standard instance after 1,000 free minutes, data transfer costs $0.15 per GB served after 15 GB, and backend services follow their own pricing pages. New AWS customers get up to $200 in Free Tier credits, and Amplify has no per-seat pricing. The drawback is complexity: cost estimates span several services, and developers need to understand AWS accounts and permissions. Teams outside AWS will get started faster with Supabase or Firebase.

Who it is for

Teams that already run on AWS

Price

Pay as you go with no monthly minimums; AWS Free Tier covers new accounts.

No monthly minimums - simply pay for what you use.
Quoted from the vendor pricing page on November 12, 2026.

Key features

• Auth powered by Amazon Cognito and data powered by Amazon DynamoDB
• Real-time APIs powered by AWS AppSync and functions on AWS Lambda
• Storage powered by Amazon S3
• Hosting with builds at $0.01 per minute on a standard instance after 1,000 free minutes
• Prebuilt, themeable React components and forms are always free

Strengths and weaknesses

• Strength: No per-seat pricing for team members
• Strength: Backend runs on standard AWS services you can extend with the rest of AWS
• Strength: New AWS customers get up to $200 in Free Tier credits
• Weakness: Each backend service has its own pricing page, so cost estimates take work
• Weakness: Requires familiarity with AWS accounts, IAM and service limits
• Weakness: Web Application Firewall costs $15 a month per app plus WAF charges

Key facts

• Free plan: AWS Free Tier credits, no permanent Amplify plan
• Pricing model: Pay as you go, no monthly minimums
• Build minutes: 1,000 per month at no cost with Free Tier, then $0.01 per minute
• Backend services: Cognito, AppSync, DynamoDB, Lambda, S3

Where it ranks

AWS Amplify is No. 5 in our Best Backend-as-a-Service Platforms verdict.