Does Lightsail Fall Under the AWS Free Tier? How Can I Track My Usage?

Amazon Lightsail does offer a free trial, but it's separate from the general AWS Free Tier. Lightsail provides a 90-day free trial on select bundles for new or existing AWS accounts that started using Lightsail on or after July 8, 2021.

Regarding tracking your usage:

1. The 90-day free trial period starts from the day you launch your first eligible Lightsail resource. It runs for a full 90 days from that start date, not just for specific calendar months.

2. Unfortunately, there isn't a direct way to check how many days you've used in the 90-day free trial within the Lightsail console. However, you can keep track of when you started using Lightsail and calculate the remaining days yourself.

3. During the free trial, you get 750 hours of usage per month on eligible plans. This is enough to run one instance continuously for the entire month.

As for your two Lightsail instances:

The free trial typically applies to only one bundle per account. This means that while your first instance should be covered under the free trial (as long as it's an eligible plan and within the 750 hours per month limit), you may be charged for the second instance.

To avoid unexpected charges:

1. Monitor your usage closely, especially for resources not covered by the free trial.
2. Set up AWS Budgets to alert you when your usage approaches or exceeds defined thresholds.
3. Use the AWS Cost Explorer to break down your charges by service, usage type, and other dimensions.
4. Be aware that even during the free trial, you might incur charges for resources or usage not included in the free offer, such as Elastic IP addresses or usage beyond the free tier limits.

Remember, after the 90-day period ends, standard charges will apply for all Lightsail resources. It's crucial to understand which resources are eligible for the free trial and to monitor your usage to avoid unexpected charges.

Sources
VPS, web hosting pricing—Amazon Lightsail—Amazon Web Services
Lightsail free tier specifications (3 months / 90 days) | AWS re:Post
Charged for AWS despite using Free tier | AWS re:Post