Azure Load Balancer Pricing (2026)
Cloud load balancers distribute traffic across multiple targets to ensure high availability and fault tolerance. Support for HTTP/HTTPS, TCP/UDP, and gRPC with health checking and auto-scaling integration. Azure Load Balancer provides Standard and Basic SKUs. Standard tier supports zone-redundant and cross-region load balancing. Starting from $0.0040/hr ($2.92/mo) for Gateway - Gateway Data Processed.
Key Features
- ✓Layer 4 (TCP/UDP) and Layer 7 (HTTP/HTTPS) load balancing
- ✓SSL/TLS termination with managed certificates
- ✓Health checks and automatic failover
- ✓Integration with auto-scaling groups
- ✓WebSocket and gRPC support
Common Use Cases
Web Application Load Balancing
Distribute HTTP/HTTPS traffic across web servers with path-based routing and SSL termination.
Microservice Routing
Route requests to different backend services based on URL path or host header.
High Availability
Ensure application uptime with automatic failover across availability zones.
On-Demand Pricing
Pay-as-you-go pricing with no upfront commitment. You are billed per hour of usage and can start or stop at any time. Hourly rates start at $0.0040/hr ($2.92/mo) for Gateway - Gateway Data Processed.
| Instance | Price/hr | Price/mo |
|---|---|---|
| Standard - Standard Included LB Rules and Outbound Rules | $0.0250 | $18.25 |
| Gateway - Gateway Data Processed | $0.0040 | $2.92 |
| Gateway - Gateway Chain | $0.0100 | $7.30 |
| Gateway - Gateway | $0.0125 | $9.13 |
| Standard - Standard Overage LB Rules and Outbound Rules | $0.0100 | $7.30 |
| Global - Global Overage LB Rules and Outbound Rules | $0.0100 | $7.30 |
| Global - Global Included LB Rules and Outbound Rules | $0.0250 | $18.25 |
| Standard - Standard Data Processed | $0.0050 | $3.65 |
Reserved Instance & Savings Plans Pricing
Commit to 1 or 3 years for lower hourly rates.
| Instance | Price/hr | Price/mo | 1yr RI/hr | 3yr RI/hr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard - Standard Included LB Rules and Outbound Rules | $0.0250 | $18.25 | - | - |
| Gateway - Gateway Data Processed | $0.0040 | $2.92 | - | - |
| Gateway - Gateway Chain | $0.0100 | $7.30 | - | - |
| Gateway - Gateway | $0.0125 | $9.13 | - | - |
| Standard - Standard Overage LB Rules and Outbound Rules | $0.0100 | $7.30 | - | - |
| Global - Global Overage LB Rules and Outbound Rules | $0.0100 | $7.30 | - | - |
| Global - Global Included LB Rules and Outbound Rules | $0.0250 | $18.25 | - | - |
| Standard - Standard Data Processed | $0.0050 | $3.65 | - | - |
How Load Balancer Pricing Works
On-Demand
Pay per hour with no long-term commitment. Ideal for variable workloads and development environments.
Reserved / Committed Use
Commit to 1 or 3 years for significant discounts.
Spot / Preemptible
Use spare capacity at steep discounts. Best for fault-tolerant, batch, and stateless workloads.
Monthly Cost Examples
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Azure Load Balancer?
Azure Load Balancer is a cloud service offered by Microsoft Azure. It provides various configurations (8 pricing tiers available) with pay-as-you-go and committed-use pricing options.
How much does Azure Load Balancer cost per month?
Prices range from $2.92/month for Gateway - Gateway Data Processed to $18.25/month for Standard - Standard Included LB Rules and Outbound Rules on On-Demand pricing in eastus.
Does Azure Load Balancer have a free tier?
Azure offers various free tier options. Check the official Azure pricing page for the most current free tier details for Load Balancer.
How many Azure Load Balancer pricing tiers are available?
There are 8 pricing tiers available for Azure Load Balancer. These range from entry-level configurations to high-performance options for enterprise workloads.
What pricing models does Azure Load Balancer offer?
Azure Load Balancer offers On-Demand (pay-per-hour, no commitment), Reserved/Committed Use (1-3 year commitments for significant discounts), and in some cases Spot/Preemptible pricing for interruptible workloads at the lowest cost.
How do CDN and load balancer costs work?
CDN pricing is based on data transferred (per GB) and HTTP requests served, with rates varying by geographic region. Load balancers have an hourly base charge plus per-GB data processing fees. Both typically offer lower per-GB rates at higher volumes.