# AWS AppSync

Canonical: https://inetgeek.com/data-api/aws-appsync/

Managed GraphQL service that resolves queries against DynamoDB, Aurora, Lambda and HTTP sources, with WebSocket subscriptions for real-time updates.

## Who it suits

GraphQL over AWS data sources when you want no floor on the bill: no minimum fees, no mandatory usage, $4.00 per million query and data-modification operations, and WebSocket subscriptions priced separately at $2.00 per million updates.

Consider something else if You need a free tier that stays. AppSync's 250,000 operations, 250,000 real-time updates and 600,000 connection-minutes expire after 12 months, where Hasura's and Directus's free plans do not — and nothing on the pricing page addresses running it yourself.

## What the documentation says

### Pricing

- Free tier: Yes ([source](https://aws.amazon.com/appsync/pricing/), read 2026-09-14)
- Kind of free offer: Introductory free tier ([source](https://aws.amazon.com/appsync/pricing/), read 2026-09-14)
- What the free plan includes: 250,000 query or data-modification operations, 250,000 real-time updates and 600,000 connection-minutes — and it expires after 12 months rather than renewing. ([source](https://aws.amazon.com/appsync/pricing/), read 2026-09-14)
- Entry paid plan: None. AWS states there are no minimum fees and no mandatory service usage: the bill is $4.00 per million query and data-modification operations, $2.00 per million real-time updates and $0.08 per million connection-minutes, plus EC2-rate data transfer. ([source](https://aws.amazon.com/appsync/pricing/), read 2026-09-14)
- Pricing model: Purely per request, with no plan tier: query and data-modification operations, real-time updates and connection-minutes are each metered and priced separately. ([source](https://aws.amazon.com/appsync/pricing/), read 2026-09-14)

## Compared with

- [AWS AppSync vs Hasura](https://inetgeek.com/compare/hasura-vs-aws-appsync/)