AWS Application Migration Service (MGN) is the AWS-native lift-and-shift migration tool. Its pricing model is structurally favourable to customers: the first 90 days per source server are free, the per-hour rate after that is low, and the staging area uses standard EBS pricing rather than premium tooling rates. For most AWS migrations MGN is the cheapest tool option by a meaningful margin. This page is the 2026 cost reference for MGN specifically, with the EBS staging arithmetic that most migration cost models omit.
AWS provides each source server a 90-day free period that starts when the MGN agent first connects to the destination AWS region. Within the 90 days, MGN's per-server compute charge is waived. The replication itself is still happening, the staging area is still being used, and the destination target compute can still be launched for testing or cutover, but the MGN service fee for that server is zero.
The 90-day window is per server, not per migration project. For a migration that moves 100 servers in waves of 10 per month over 10 months, every server gets its own 90-day window. The 100-server programme would see roughly 80 percent of servers reach cutover within their free window. The structural implication: for migrations on sensible timelines, MGN compute cost is effectively zero. The cost is concentrated in EBS staging area and destination EC2.
The MGN free window in practice
After the 90-day free window expires for a given source server, MGN charges roughly $0.028 per source server per hour, which works out to roughly $20.16 per server per month if replication continues. The rate is published on the public AWS Application Migration Service pricing page. The rate applies regardless of source server size; a 2-core source server and a 64-core source server cost the same per hour in MGN service fees.
For migrations that exceed the 90-day window on a per-server basis (large estates, paused waves, extended validation), the MGN post-window cost typically adds 2 to 8 percent to the tooling line. The cost remains small relative to overall migration budget but is not zero.
MGN replicates source server disks continuously to a staging area in the destination AWS region. The staging area uses standard EBS volumes (gp3 is the default and most cost-effective for staging). The staging area is sized at roughly 1 to 1.5 times the source disk size to accommodate replication snapshots and incremental change tracking.
gp3 EBS pricing is $0.080 per GB-month for storage plus $0.005 per provisioned IOPS-month beyond the baseline 3,000 IOPS, and $0.040 per provisioned MB/s-throughput beyond the baseline 125 MB/s. For most MGN staging areas the baseline IOPS and throughput are sufficient, so the cost is dominated by storage. A 100 GB source server typically uses a 120 to 150 GB staging area at roughly $10 to $12 per month.
EBS staging area cost by source server size
| Source server disk | Staging area size | Monthly cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50 GB | 75 GB | $6.00 | Small Linux workload |
| 100 GB | 150 GB | $12.00 | Standard Windows VM |
| 250 GB | 375 GB | $30.00 | Database or file server |
| 500 GB | 750 GB | $60.00 | Large file or media server |
| 1,000 GB | 1.5 TB | $120.00 | Database or storage server |
| 2,000 GB | 3 TB | $240.00 | Large database server |
MGN supports test launches, which create a non-disruptive copy of the target EC2 instance from the latest replication state. Test launches are used to validate that the target server runs correctly before committing the production cutover. The MGN service fee for test launches is zero; only the EC2 instance cost applies for the duration the test instance runs.
Most teams run a test launch per server per wave, with the test instance running for 2 to 8 hours. For a typical m5.large equivalent at roughly $0.10 per hour, the test cost per server is $0.20 to $0.80. For a 100-server programme with one test launch per server, the test cost lands at $20 to $80. For programmes running multiple test cycles per wave (full regression, performance testing, dependency validation), the cost scales linearly with the test instance count and runtime.
At cutover the target EC2 instance launches and becomes the production system. The MGN service fee for that server stops; the EC2 instance cost begins. Post-cutover the EC2 instance is paid at standard EC2 rates (On-Demand by default; customers should transition to Savings Plans or Reserved Instances after 30 to 60 days of validation).
The post-cutover EC2 cost is not strictly a tooling cost; it is the destination steady-state cost. But for migration cost modelling it is worth tracking because the destination cost begins during parallel running. A 100-server migration with 4 months of parallel running pays the destination EC2 cost for 4 months before the source is fully decommissioned. At a typical $400 per server per month on EC2, the parallel-running destination cost lands at $160,000, materially larger than the MGN tooling line.
A representative MGN-specific cost build for a 100-server migration over 9 months, source servers averaging 200 GB disk each (20 TB total), 4 months of parallel running for most servers, one test launch per server per wave.
Worked MGN cost build, 100 servers, 9 months, 20 TB total
| Cost line | Low estimate | Typical estimate | High estimate |
|---|---|---|---|
| MGN service fee (mostly within free window) | $300 | $1,200 | $3,500 |
| MGN service fee (post-90-day overrun) | $0 | $800 | $2,500 |
| EBS staging area (20 TB at ~$0.10/GB/mo, 6 months avg) | $10,000 | $13,000 | $16,000 |
| EBS snapshots during cutover testing | $200 | $500 | $1,200 |
| Test launch EC2 costs (100 servers, avg 4 hours) | $30 | $80 | $200 |
| Source-side network egress to AWS region | $0 | $0 | $2,000 |
| MGN agent installation labour | $3,000 | $8,000 | $18,000 |
| MGN console operations during programme | $8,000 | $18,000 | $40,000 |
| MGN total (excluding destination EC2) | $21,530 | $41,580 | $83,400 |
The typical-column number, $42K, illustrates how small the MGN-specific cost is on a 100-server migration. The bulk of the cost is EBS staging area ($13K) and operations labour ($18K). The MGN service fee itself contributes about $2K. Compared with third-party alternatives (Carbonite Migrate at roughly $400 to $800 per server one-time, or Zerto at similar pricing), MGN represents a meaningful saving on AWS-destination migrations.
AWS Application Migration Service is the cheapest tooling option for AWS-target lift-and-shift migrations and one of the most operationally mature. The free first 90 days per source server, the low post-window rate, and the standard EBS pricing for staging all combine to keep tooling cost small. For most AWS migrations MGN is the right tool choice; the cost cases where third-party tools win are narrow (heterogeneous multi-cloud targets, specific application-level replication requirements, or VMware-to-VMware cutover where HCX is the better fit).
A. MGN charges roughly $0.028 per source server per hour after the first 90 days per server, which works out to about $20 per server per month. The first 90 days per source server are free. Additional costs: EBS staging area storage (typically 1.5 to 2x source disk size at $0.10 per GB-month for gp3), launch test instances during cutover testing, and the destination EC2 instance from cutover. The headline tooling cost is small compared with the overall migration; MGN's role is to make the data movement and cutover mechanic essentially free.
A. Yes. AWS provides a 90-day free period per source server that starts when the MGN agent first connects. Within the 90 days the replication compute and the MGN service charge are free; only the EBS staging storage and any EC2 test instances are charged. The 90-day window is per server, not per migration project, so phased migrations that move servers over 6 to 12 months benefit substantially.
A. MGN supports physical servers (with the source agent installed on Windows or Linux), VMware vSphere VMs (via the source agent or vCenter integration), Hyper-V VMs (with the source agent), AWS EC2 instances (cross-region or cross-account migration), Azure VMs, GCP Compute Engine instances, and other public cloud sources via the source agent. The agent runs on most common Windows and Linux distributions documented on the AWS MGN supported platforms page.
A. MGN replicates source disks continuously to a staging area in the destination AWS region. The staging area uses EBS volumes (typically gp3 for cost efficiency) sized at 1 to 1.5 times the source disk size to handle replication snapshots. For a 100 GB source server, the staging area typically costs $10 to $15 per month at gp3 rates. For a 100-server migration with 8 TB total source disk, the staging area cost typically lands at $800 to $1,200 per month during the replication window.
A. MGN supports both test launches (non-disruptive launches of the target EC2 instance from the latest replication state, used to validate cutover before commitment) and cutover launches (the production cutover). Test launches are free of MGN compute charges; only the EC2 instance cost applies. Cutover launches commit the migration: the target EC2 instance takes over, the source can be decommissioned, and the MGN replication for that server completes. The cutover window is typically 1 to 4 hours per server depending on data volume and validation requirements.
A. MGN is the AWS-native successor to CloudEndure (which AWS acquired in 2019 and rebranded). CloudEndure as a separate product was deprecated and existing CloudEndure customers were migrated to MGN by mid-2024. Carbonite Migrate is a third-party alternative with similar capability and similar pricing (roughly $400 to $800 per server one-time). For AWS-target migrations, MGN is the structurally cheaper choice because of the 90-day free window and the AWS-native integration.
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Updated 2 May 2026