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Azure Hybrid Benefit Estimator

Estimate Azure Hybrid Benefit savings for Windows Server and SQL Server VMs in Azure. Define multiple VM rows, calculate license requirements (16-core Windows / 4-core minimum SQL), and compare with-vs-without AHB cost annually and over 3 years. Includes SA gating, full AHB rules reference, and shareable URL state.

Live 1 estimates Cost / Licensing Estimator Azure Hybrid Benefit AHB Windows Server SQL Server Software Assurance
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Windows Server VMs in Azure

Define the Windows VMs running in Azure and the on-prem licenses you intend to apply.

AHB requires either Software Assurance or a qualifying Subscription license. Without SA, you cannot apply AHB and pay full Windows rates in Azure.
Datacenter supports unlimited dual-use (on-prem + Azure). Standard requires SA for dual-use rights.

VM rows

Description vCPUs / VM # of VMs

Pricing inputs (per vCPU per month, USD)

Pay-as-you-go Windows rate in Azure, per vCPU per month.
Base compute rate without Windows license. AHB pricing.

License inputs (annual, USD)

Annual SA cost per 16-core Datacenter license, or annual Subscription price.

Savings analysis

AHB cost vs paying full Windows rates.

Sizing

Total VMs 0
Total vCPUs 0
16-core licenses needed 0
License utilisation —

Annual cost

Without AHB —
With AHB (BYOL + SA) —
Annual savings —
Savings % —

3-year TCO

Without AHB —
With AHB —
3-year savings —

SQL Server VMs in Azure

Define the SQL Server VMs running in Azure and the on-prem core licenses you intend to apply. Scope: SQL Server on Azure VM (IaaS). Azure SQL Database and Managed Instance use a different cost model and are out of scope.

SQL Server AHB requires SA on per-core licenses, or a Subscription license.
Edition affects per-core cost. Enterprise also provides additional Azure entitlements (e.g. higher tiers in Azure SQL).

VM rows

Description vCPUs / VM # of VMs

Pricing inputs (per vCPU per month, USD)

Pay-as-you-go SQL Server VM rate in Azure, per vCPU/month. Includes SQL license.
Compute-only rate (Windows or Linux) without SQL license, per vCPU/month. AHB pricing.

On-prem SA cost (annual, USD)

Annual SA on Per-Core SQL Server licenses. Default reflects Enterprise pricing.

Savings analysis

AHB cost vs paying full SQL VM rates.

Sizing

Total VMs 0
Total vCPUs 0
Cores to license 0
2-core packs needed 0

Annual cost

Without AHB —
With AHB (BYOL + SA) —
Annual savings —
Savings % —

3-year TCO

Without AHB —
With AHB —
3-year savings —

Windows Server AHB rules

What you actually get with each license.

  • Each 16-core Datacenter license with SA covers either two VMs of up to 8 cores each, or one VM of up to 16 cores.
  • For VMs larger than 16 cores, license stacking applies (e.g. a 32-core VM needs 2 × 16-core licenses).
  • VMs smaller than 8 cores still consume one "VM slot" — two 4-core VMs use the same license as two 8-core VMs.
  • Datacenter allows simultaneous on-prem + Azure use (dual-use rights).
  • Standard requires SA for any dual-use; without SA, the on-prem license cannot also cover Azure.
  • SA or Subscription is mandatory for AHB. Without it, you pay full Windows rates in Azure regardless of how many on-prem licenses you own.

SQL Server AHB rules

Per-core licensing in the cloud.

  • 4-core minimum per VM — even a 2-vCPU SQL VM consumes 4 core licenses.
  • SQL Standard licenses apply to General Purpose tier in Azure SQL DB/MI, or Standard edition on Azure VM, at 1:1 core ratio.
  • SQL Enterprise licenses apply to Business Critical tier (1:1) or General Purpose tier (1:4 ratio — one Enterprise core covers up to 4 GP cores).
  • Active SA is mandatory on Per-Core licenses for AHB to apply.
  • High-availability passive replicas: covered by primary's SA without extra licensing, provided they remain truly passive.
  • This estimator assumes SQL Server on Azure VM (IaaS) at 1:1 ratio. Azure SQL DB and Managed Instance involve additional sizing decisions outside this scope.

Fields you should pay extra attention to

Inputs that materially change the savings number.

1. Software Assurance toggle No SA = no AHB. The savings drop to zero. Many organisations forget that AHB is gated on active SA — buying licenses without SA does not unlock cloud rights.
2. The 8-core sweet spot for Windows A Datacenter license covers two VMs of up to 8 cores each. Sizing your VMs at 8-core boundaries doubles your license efficiency. Two 10-core VMs need two licenses; two 8-core VMs need one.
3. The 4-core minimum for SQL SQL VMs always cost at least 4 core licenses. A 2-vCPU SQL VM is the same SA cost as a 4-vCPU SQL VM. Right-size to multiples of 4 to avoid overpaying.
4. Pricing values are illustrative Default per-vCPU rates are public reference values. Real prices depend on region, VM family, currency, and Enterprise Agreement discounts. Replace every input before relying on the totals.
5. Edition matters more than you think For SQL, Enterprise + AHB unlocks Business Critical tier in Azure SQL or 1:4 ratio on General Purpose. Standard limits you to Standard edition / GP tier 1:1. Picking edition by per-core cost alone misses the architectural rights.
6. Don't model AHB on workloads you can't lift-and-shift AHB only saves money if the workload actually moves to Azure. If your workload has on-prem dependencies (NAS, legacy AD, regulatory), the AHB savings are theoretical until migration completes.