How to Cut Amazon EFS and FSx Storage Costs

Last updated: June 2026 · Written by Morten Andersen and reviewed by Fredrik Filipsson · See, Cut, Lock, Run method

Amazon EFS and Amazon FSx are managed file storage services, and because they are set up once and mounted by many workloads, their cost is rarely revisited. That is how the bill grows: a large share of data sits cold on the expensive Standard class, Provisioned Throughput keeps billing for capacity no one uses, and old file systems stay mounted to nothing. This guide is part of our complete guide to AWS cost optimization, the cluster pillar it links up to, and it shows the levers that actually move EFS and FSx spend.

How much do Amazon EFS and FSx cost?

Amazon EFS Standard storage costs $0.30 per GB-month, the Infrequent Access class costs $0.016 per GB-month, and FSx is priced per provisioned GB plus throughput by file system type. The EFS figures come from the Amazon EFS pricing page: Standard is for active data, Infrequent Access is for files read rarely at roughly one twentieth the per-GB rate, and IA adds a $0.01 per GiB fee each time data is read or written. With the default Elastic Throughput mode you pay only for the throughput your workload actually drives. Amazon FSx, per the Amazon FSx pricing page, charges for provisioned storage capacity, throughput or SSD IOPS capacity, and backups, with rates that differ across FSx for Windows File Server, NetApp ONTAP, OpenZFS, and Lustre and between SSD and HDD. Verify current rates before modeling, since pricing changes by region and file system type.

How do I cut EFS and FSx storage cost step by step?

Cut EFS and FSx cost by tiering cold data, right-sizing throughput and capacity, and removing what nothing reads. Work through these steps:

1. Measure storage and throughput by file system. Use Amazon CloudWatch and AWS Cost Explorer to see how each file system splits between storage and throughput and how much data is cold, since cold data is the fastest saving.
2. Turn on EFS lifecycle management. Enable a lifecycle policy that moves files not accessed for a set window to Infrequent Access, which is $0.016 per GB-month versus $0.30 for Standard. For data that sits cold, the per-GB saving far outweighs the small per-access fee.
3. Switch EFS to Elastic Throughput where it fits. Elastic Throughput bills only for the throughput you use, so workloads on Provisioned Throughput that rarely hit their ceiling stop paying for headroom they never need.
4. Right-size FSx capacity and throughput. Match FSx storage capacity, throughput capacity, and deployment type to real demand, and choose HDD over SSD where the latency profile allows, since SSD throughput is the most over-bought FSx line.
5. Delete orphaned file systems and old data. Remove file systems with no mount activity, clear stale directories, and shorten backup retention so you stop paying to store data nothing reads.

This is the same waste-elimination work in our AWS cost optimization service. The container-image counterpart, where registry storage and pulls drive their own cost, is covered in the sibling guide how to reduce Amazon ECR storage and data transfer costs.

Should I use EFS Standard, Infrequent Access, or FSx?

Use EFS Standard for actively read data, EFS Infrequent Access for files that sit cold, and FSx when you need a specific protocol or performance profile like Windows SMB, NetApp ONTAP features, or Lustre throughput. The decision turns on access pattern and protocol, not just price. For general Linux shared storage with a mix of hot and cold files, EFS with lifecycle management gives the best blended rate because cold data falls to the IA class automatically. For Windows file shares, high-performance computing, or workloads that need ONTAP snapshots and replication, FSx is the right fit and the saving comes from right-sizing capacity and throughput rather than tiering. The table below compares the cost levers.

Verdict: for general shared storage, EFS with lifecycle management to Infrequent Access wins on blended cost; for protocol or performance needs, FSx right-sized to real demand is the correct choice.

Frequently asked questions

How much does Amazon EFS cost?

Amazon EFS Standard storage costs $0.30 per GB-month and the Infrequent Access class costs $0.016 per GB-month, with a $0.01 per GiB access fee each time IA data is read or written. With Elastic Throughput you also pay for the throughput you use. Lifecycle management to IA can cut storage cost by up to 92 percent for rarely accessed data.

How is Amazon FSx priced?

Amazon FSx pricing depends on the file system type. You pay for provisioned storage capacity per GB-month, throughput or SSD IOPS capacity, and backups, with rates that vary by FSx for Windows File Server, NetApp ONTAP, OpenZFS, or Lustre and by SSD versus HDD. Right-sizing capacity and choosing HDD where latency allows are the main levers.

What is EFS Infrequent Access and when should I use it?

EFS Infrequent Access is a lower-cost storage class for files that are not read often, priced at $0.016 per GB-month versus $0.30 for Standard. Use it through lifecycle management for any file system where a large share of data sits cold, since the per-GB saving outweighs the small per-access fee for rarely read files.

What is the biggest hidden EFS or FSx cost?

Provisioned Throughput you do not use on EFS, and over-provisioned storage and SSD throughput on FSx. Both bill whether or not the workload needs them. Moving EFS to Elastic Throughput and right-sizing FSx capacity removes that fixed waste without changing the data.

The short version

EFS Standard bills $0.30 per GB-month and Infrequent Access $0.016, so the first move is a lifecycle policy that tiers cold data to IA. Then switch to Elastic Throughput so you pay only for throughput you use, right-size FSx storage and throughput capacity, and delete file systems and backups nothing reads. When you want every file system reviewed and the saving proven down, that is part of what our AWS cost optimization service delivers.