AWS Activate now offers up to $200,000 for provider-backed startups, Google up to $350,000 for AI startups, Microsoft up to $150,000. What each requires, what the credits cover (including Claude and OpenAI models on Bedrock), the AWS Free Tier changes, and how not to let credits choose your cloud for the wrong reasons.
From each program's own pages, October 2026. Amounts and terms change; confirm before you plan around them.
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Activate credits apply automatically to more than 200 services, including Amazon Bedrock and third-party models on Bedrock from Anthropic, OpenAI, Mistral and Meta. For an AI startup, that means Claude and GPT usage can run on credits. They do not cover AWS Marketplace purchases, Professional Services or Training, and they do not apply to past bills.
Accounts created since July 15, 2025 get up to $200 in Free Tier credits: $100 at sign-up and $100 more for trying services such as EC2 and Bedrock. You choose a free plan or a paid plan at sign-up. The free plan lasts six months or until the credits run out, whichever comes first, and restricts some services; upgrading is one click. More than 30 always-free services continue. The old 12-month free tier applies only to accounts created before that date.
Credits are a discount on year one. The cloud you choose is a cost for every year after. Choose for where your customers, data and team are, then collect the credits.
Apply through your investor or accelerator if you have one. Portfolio-level offers are many times the self-serve amounts.
Spend credits on things that teach you your real costs: production-shaped infrastructure, not oversized instances you will have to shrink later.
Put budgets and alerts in place on day one. Credits hide waste, and the habit of watching the bill is hard to start once they run out.
Know the expiry date and what the monthly bill will be the day after. Startups regularly discover a five-figure bill the month credits end.
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As of October 25, 2026. Provided as is, for general information, and accurate to the best of our knowledge on the date shown. Not legal, compliance, tax, financial or other professional advice. Prices, limits and vendor services change; check current vendor documentation before relying on anything here. Terms of use.