AWSCostAWS cost · EBS gp2 to gp3
Switch EBS gp2 to gp3 and cut 20% with no downtime
Most EBS volumes are still gp2 for one reason: gp2 was the default when they were created, and nobody changed it. gp3 has been the better deal for years - 20% cheaper at the same or better performance - and moving to it is a live modification with no downtime. There is no migration project here, no snapshot dance, no maintenance window. It is one command per volume, and the volume never even goes offline. This is about as close to free money as an AWS bill offers.
gp3 storage is $0.08/GB-month against gp2's $0.10 - 20% cheaper - and includes 3,000 IOPS and 125 MB/s at no extra cost. Switching is a live modify-volume with no detach and no downtime, and the savings start the moment it completes. For a volume running at baseline performance, it is a clean 20% cut for one command.
What do you actually save switching to gp3?
The storage rate drops 20% across the board (us-east-1 list pricing, baseline performance):
| Volume size | gp2 / month | gp3 / month | Saved |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 GB | $10.00 | $8.00 | $24/year |
| 500 GB | $50.00 | $40.00 | $120/year |
| 2 TB | $204.80 | $163.84 | ~$492/year |
Why is gp3 cheaper and not slower?
gp2 ties performance to size: 3 IOPS per GB, so a small volume is starved and you oversize it just to get speed. gp3 breaks that link. It gives every volume a flat 3,000 IOPS and 125 MB/s baseline no matter how small, and lets you dial performance up separately if you ever need more. For nearly every volume running at baseline, gp3 delivers the same or better performance for 20% less. The old pricing simply has not been the right default for a long time.
How do I migrate gp2 volumes to gp3?
First list what is still on gp2, then switch one over. The modification runs live - the volume stays attached and the instance keeps serving traffic the whole time. Once you have confirmed it on one, the same command scripts cleanly across every gp2 volume in the account:
# every volume still on gp2 - these are the migration candidates
aws ec2 describe-volumes --filters Name=volume-type,Values=gp2 \
--query 'Volumes[].{ID:VolumeId,GB:Size,AZ:AvailabilityZone}' --output table
# switch one to gp3 - live, no downtime
aws ec2 modify-volume --volume-id vol-0123456789abcdef0 --volume-type gp3The same 20% logic applies to the disks under a stopped or forgotten instance - worth pairing with a sweep for volumes that are still billing while their instance is off. RDS storage has the same gp2 default and the same 20% cut waiting there.
Want to know how much of your storage bill is still on the old, pricier volume type? Connect your account read-only and see what it is wasting, in real dollars.
The role can only read - Get, Describe, List, nothing else. Read the exact permissions before you deploy it, and delete the stack whenever you want.
Frequently asked questions
How much cheaper is gp3 than gp2?+
About 20%. In us-east-1, gp3 storage is $0.08/GB-month against gp2's $0.10/GB-month. gp3 also includes 3,000 IOPS and 125 MB/s of throughput at no extra charge, so most volumes get the same or better performance for 20% less.
Is it safe to migrate from gp2 to gp3?+
Yes. You change the volume type in place with an Elastic Volumes modification - no detaching, no downtime, no snapshot-and-restore. The instance keeps running and the data is untouched. The savings start as soon as the modification completes.
How do I migrate an EBS volume from gp2 to gp3?+
One command per volume: modify-volume with --volume-type gp3. It runs live while the volume is attached and in use. You can do it for a single volume or script it across every gp2 volume in the account.
Will gp3 be slower than gp2?+
For most volumes, no - it is the same or faster. gp2 ties IOPS to size (3 IOPS per GB), so small volumes are slow. gp3 gives every volume a flat 3,000 IOPS and 125 MB/s baseline regardless of size, and you can provision more independently if a workload needs it.
Is gp3 always cheaper for large volumes?+
The storage rate is always 20% lower. The one caveat is that gp3's free performance is 3,000 IOPS and 125 MB/s - if a volume genuinely needs more than that, the extra provisioned IOPS and throughput add cost. For the vast majority of volumes running at baseline, gp3 is a clean 20% saving.
Does gp3 apply to RDS storage too?+
Yes. RDS supports gp3 for database storage, and the same logic applies - the same or better performance at a lower rate. It is one of the levers in trimming an over-provisioned RDS storage bill.
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