Azure Container Apps Pricing (2026)
Serverless container platforms run containerized applications without managing the underlying infrastructure. You define your containers, and the platform handles scaling, load balancing, and availability. Container Apps provides built-in Dapr integration and KEDA-based scaling for event-driven architectures. Starting from $0.0000/hr ($0.00/mo) for Standard - Standard vCPU Idle Usage.
Key Features
- ✓Run any Docker container without cluster management
- ✓Auto-scale from zero to handle traffic spikes
- ✓Per-second billing for consumed resources
- ✓Built-in load balancing and HTTPS
- ✓Integration with container registries and CI/CD pipelines
Common Use Cases
Microservices
Deploy containerized microservices that scale independently based on demand.
API Services
Run REST APIs in containers with automatic HTTPS and custom domain support.
Batch Processing
Process jobs in containers that scale to zero when idle, minimizing costs.
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 $0.0000/hr ($0.00/mo) for Standard - Standard vCPU Idle Usage.
| Instance | Price/hr | Price/mo |
|---|---|---|
| Dedicated - Dedicated Memory Usage | $0.0050 | $3.63 |
| Standard - Standard NC A100 v4 GPU Usage | $0.0005 | $0.39 |
| Dynamic Sessions - Dynamic Sessions | $0.0300 | $21.90 |
| Standard - Standard vCPU Idle Usage | $0.0000 | $0.00 |
| Dedicated - Dedicated Plan Management | $0.1000 | $73.00 |
| Standard - Standard Requests | $0.4000 | $292.00 |
| Dedicated - Dedicated vCPU Usage | $0.0571 | $41.67 |
| Standard - Standard NC T4 v3 GPU Usage | $0.0001 | $0.05 |
| Dedicated - Dedicated GPU Usage | $4.4076 | $3,217.55 |
| Standard - Standard Memory Idle Usage | $0.0000 | $0.00 |
| Standard - Standard vCPU Active Usage | $0.0000 | $0.02 |
| Hybrid - Hybrid vCPU Usage | $0.1800 | $131.40 |
| Standard - Standard Memory Active Usage | $0.0000 | $0.00 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dedicated - Dedicated Memory Usage | $0.0050 | $3.63 | - | - |
| Standard - Standard NC A100 v4 GPU Usage | $0.0005 | $0.39 | - | - |
| Dynamic Sessions - Dynamic Sessions | $0.0300 | $21.90 | - | - |
| Standard - Standard vCPU Idle Usage | $0.0000 | $0.00 | - | - |
| Dedicated - Dedicated Plan Management | $0.1000 | $73.00 | - | - |
| Standard - Standard Requests | $0.4000 | $292.00 | - | - |
| Dedicated - Dedicated vCPU Usage | $0.0571 | $41.67 | - | - |
| Standard - Standard NC T4 v3 GPU Usage | $0.0001 | $0.05 | - | - |
| Dedicated - Dedicated GPU Usage | $4.4076 | $3,217.55 | - | - |
| Standard - Standard Memory Idle Usage | $0.0000 | $0.00 | - | - |
| Standard - Standard vCPU Active Usage | $0.0000 | $0.02 | - | - |
| Hybrid - Hybrid vCPU Usage | $0.1800 | $131.40 | - | - |
| Standard - Standard Memory Active Usage | $0.0000 | $0.00 | - | - |
How Container Apps 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
Azure Container Apps Free Tier
Free limit: 180K vCPU-sec, 360K GiB-sec/mo. This free tier never expires and renews monthly.
Free Tier Comparison
| Provider | Service | Free Offering | Duration | Limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Azure | Container Apps | Consumption | Always | 180K vCPU-sec, 360K GiB-sec/mo |
| GCP | Cloud Run | CPU + memory + requests | Always | 2M requests, 360K vCPU-sec/mo |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Azure Container Apps?
Azure Container Apps is a cloud service offered by Microsoft Azure. It provides various configurations (13 pricing tiers available) with pay-as-you-go and committed-use pricing options.
How much does Azure Container Apps cost per month?
Prices range from $0.00/month for Standard - Standard vCPU Idle Usage to $3,217.55/month for Dedicated - Dedicated GPU Usage on On-Demand pricing in eastus.
Does Azure Container Apps have a free tier?
Azure offers various free tier options. Check the official Azure pricing page for the most current free tier details for Container Apps.
How many Azure Container Apps pricing tiers are available?
There are 13 pricing tiers available for Azure Container Apps. These range from entry-level configurations to high-performance options for enterprise workloads.
What pricing models does Azure Container Apps offer?
Azure Container Apps 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.
When does serverless become more expensive than a dedicated instance?
Serverless is typically cheaper for sporadic or bursty workloads under ~1 million invocations per month. Once sustained utilization exceeds 30-40% of a dedicated instance, a reserved VM or container usually costs less. Profile your actual request patterns before committing to either model.