Next to the performance and security proven engine, with Azure SQL solutions you’re getting dozens of other benefits, such as auto-scaling, auto-patching/maintenance, auto-backups and built-in HA. Free Azure SQL offers fully managed resources with zero cost and zero commitment. There’re two options designed to start for free, test and grow at your pace:

• Free Azure SQL Database offer – Ideal for new applications or occasional/light workloads with serverless auto-scale and minimal admin work. 

• Free Azure SQL Managed Instance offer – Perfect for moderate SQL Server workloads in with near 100% compatibility, cross-DB queries, and SQL Agents. 

User can choose one of these two offers or try both of them without any cost!

This guide will help you choose the right option based on your scenario and show you how to get started in minutes. If you already know your way around, skip ahead and start for free now via Azure SQL Hub. 

Path #1 – Start, experiment and build new applications in cloud 

Azure SQL database free offer is best for building new applications, developing prototypes, or running light workloads in the cloud. This offer lets you create up to 10 Azure SQL databases for free, with no expiration. Each database can use 100,000 vCore-seconds of compute and 32 GB storage per month at no charge – that’s roughly 28 hours of 1 vCore CPU time, refreshed every month, per database. The databases run in the General Purpose tier and are serverless, meaning they automatically scale compute based on load and can pause when idle to save resources. 

How to get started with an Azure SQL Database for free 

1. Sign in to Azure and open the Azure SQL Database create page. If you don’t have an Azure account, create one (the Azure Free Account gives you credits and other free services, but this SQL DB free offer works with any subscription). In the Azure Portal, navigate to Azure SQL and choose Create SQL Database – or simply go to the https://aka.ms/azuresqlhub and click “Try Azure SQL Database for free”. This will open the SQL Database deployment blade. 
2. Apply the free offer. At the top of the Create Azure SQL Database form, look for a banner that says “Want to try Azure SQL Database for free?” and click the Apply offer button. (If you used the Try for free link, the offer may be applied automatically.) When applied, you should see the price summary on the right update to Estimated Cost: $0.
   
3. Fill in database details. Choose your Azure Subscription and either create or select a Resource Group for this database. Give your database a name (e.g. myFreeDB). For Server, create a new logical server (this is an Azure SQL Server that will host the DB) – provide a unique server name, set admin login and password, and choose a region. Note: All free databases under one subscription must be in the same region (the first free DB’s region becomes fixed for up to 10 free DBs), so pick a region that makes sense for you (ideally where your app runs).
4. Leave the defaults for compute/storage. In Compute + storage, the form will default to a serverless General Purpose database with a certain compute size. You can always scale later, so it’s fine to start with the defaults.
5. Set “free limit reached” behavior. In the Basics tab, after applying the offer, you’ll see a setting for Behavior when free limit reached. Choose between:
   • Auto-pause the database until next month – if the database runs out of free CPU or storage in a month, it will pause (become inaccessible) until the free quota resets next month. This ensures you never get billed.  
   • Continue using database for additional charges – the database will not pause if it exceeds free limits; it will continue running and any overage will be billed at standard rates. You still get the first 100k seconds and 32 GB free each month. (Once you choose “continue with charges,” you can’t revert to auto-pause for that database later in the portal).  
   • If you’re just testing, auto-pause is safest; if you’re building something that needs to run continuously, you might opt to continue (just monitor usage)

Key benefits of the free Database offer

• Serverless auto-scaling: The free DB runs in serverless mode, which can automatically pause when idle and automatically resume on activity. This maximizes your free compute: if your app is only active part of the day, the database uses zero vCore seconds while paused.  

• Monthly reset, no time limit: The free allowances (100k vCore-seconds, 32 GB) renew each month for each database. And unlike some trials, this offer does not expire after several months, you can use it for the lifetime of your subscription. This “free tier” is available to any Azure subscription (new or existing, Pay-Go, CSP, Enterprise, etc.) 

• Scales with you (optional pay-as-you-go beyond free): If a database hits the free limits in a given month, you have a choice: either let it auto-pause until the next month (so you never incur charges), or switch to Bill overage to keep it running and simply pay for the over-limit usage. Importantly, you don’t lose your data or need to migrate—the transition from free to paid is seamless. And when your database needs more scaling headroom, more storage, or additional performance, switching to other offers in SQL DB is easy, fast, and does not require any application changes. You’ll still enjoy monthly free credits applied to it, and if you stay within the free resource limits each month, it remains completely free. 

Path #2 – Already running SQL Server on-premises or in VMs? 

Every application needs a database – sometimes just one, sometimes many. Maybe yours began as a small internal tool. Maybe it quietly grew into something business critical. It works. Your application knows how to talk to SQL Server. Your jobs run on schedule. Your database carries years of history, and your backup chain could probably tell the whole story.

Then one day someone asks: “Can we try running this in the cloud?” 

The first reaction is often hesitation: 

• Will everything still work?  

• Will it be compatible with our SQL Server 20XX version?  

• Will we need to rewrite part of the app? 

And if you’re already running SQL Server (Express, Standard, or Enterprise) and your application depends on features that cloud databases don’t typically support such as: 

• Isolated environment with dedicated, separate compute 

• Cross-database queries 

• SQL Agent jobs 

• Linked servers 

• CLR assemblies 

• Transparent Data Encryption rules already in place 

Azure SQL Managed Instance gives you the ability to choose the SQL Server engine (2022, 2025, or always-up-to-date) delivered as a fully managed service – giving you the power of SQL Server with the simplicity of the cloud. 

How to get started with SQL MI for free 

It’s as easy as it can get – all you need to have is an Azure account for free and Azure subscription. If you already have these two, simply open https://aka.ms/create-free-sqlmi – this link will lead you to create Azure SQL Managed Instance page with free offer automatically applied. 

After populating the mandatory (*) fields in the create page, you will get your free SQL managed instance with built-in availability and opened networking defaults. Automatically generated free instance name is customizable as many other options on the create page. After finishing populating the mandatory fields on Basics tab of create page click on "Review + create" and finish creation. 

After ~20mins you will be able to find your deployed instance in the Azure portal by using the search bar or finding it within the ‘recent resources’ list on the home page, like on the image below. 

After you’ve opened the free SQL MI resource, navigate to the Networking page in Security and copy the public endpoint.

With this endpoint you can now connect to your free SQL managed instance with the tool of your choice, e.g. SSMS 22 or VSCode with MSSQL extension – Voilà! It’s that easy to create a free SQL MI and connect to it. 

From here, you can use SSMS Restore wizard or standard T-SQL RESTORE FROM URL command to restore database from backup file. You can either use sample database or your company’s database .bak files to test your real workload with Azure SQL Managed Instance. To restore these after you upload them to Azure Storage.

Key benefits of free Managed Instance offer 

You can test your real-life workload for 720vCore hours with a 4-vCore or 8-vCore free SQL managed instance that comes with 64GB of data and backup storage with up to 500 databases. 

 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What’s the duration of free offer?
   • Free Azure SQL Managed Instance offer is available for 12 months since the day of activation for that subscription.
   • Free Azure SQL Database offer is available for up to 10 databases per subscription for lifetime.
2. What happens after the free period?
   • Free SQL managed instance will be stopped and you’ll have an option to upgrade it to paid for 30 days. Afterwards it’ll be deleted. 
   • Free SQL database will be auto-paused until next month unless you explicitly set “Continue using database for additional charges” option for “free limit reached” behavior.  
3. What are the limitations?
   • Visit free Azure SQL DB offer limitations page. 
   • Visit free Azure SQL Managed Instance offer limitations page.
4. What are the prices for paid Azure SQL SKUs?
   Regular prices for Azure SQL services can vary depending on the region, compute model, SQL license and service tier. For more precise information visit:
   • Azure SQL Managed Instance pricing
   • Azure SQL Database pricing 

Closing

Whether you’re building something new or bringing an existing SQL Server workload to the cloud, Azure SQL gives you a way to start free, safely, and on your own terms. No risk, no pressure – just the same familiar SQL experience, with less overhead and more room to grow. 

Want to get started with free Azure SQL offers? 

• Learn more about the free Azure SQL Database offer if you’re building new or serverless workloads. 

• Learn more about the free Azure SQL Managed Instance offer if you want to test your existing SQL Server workloads in the cloud.