Every developer I know has hit this wall at some point.
You have an idea for a side project. Or you're scoping out infrastructure for a new system at work. You open the AWS pricing page, and twenty minutes later you have seventeen browser tabs open, a half-finished spreadsheet, and still no confident answer to a simple question: how much will this actually cost?
I hit that wall more than once. Whether it was a project at work or something I was building on the side, estimating infrastructure costs was always harder than it should be. The information exists. The cloud providers publish their pricing. But the docs are written as if you're already an expert in their billing model. Unless you've spent real time inside their consoles, the numbers don't connect to anything concrete.
It's not just AWS either. GCP and Azure have the same problem. Each has its own calculator, its own terminology, its own set of gotchas. Comparing them is its own full-time job.
The moment I decided to build something
When I started thinking about my next side project, I wanted to evaluate whether to host it on AWS, GCP, or a PaaS like Railway. Nothing exotic. A simple web app with a database. I wanted a rough monthly cost before I committed to anything.
I spent more time than I should have trying to figure it out. Not because I'm unfamiliar with these platforms. Because the tools that exist are either aimed at enterprise finance teams, locked behind a sales call, or give you a number with no explanation of where it came from.
I wanted something simple: describe your workload, see the cost, side by side, with no account required.
That tool didn't exist in a form I liked. So I built it.
What InfraCompass is
InfraCompass is a set of free tools for making infrastructure decisions. Right now that includes a cloud cost estimator (AWS vs GCP vs Azure), a PaaS comparison tool, and a free tier explorer.
No account. No credit card. No paywall.
The goal is to give you a useful number in under a minute, so you can make a decision and move on. It's not a replacement for a detailed cost analysis before a major migration. But for most early-stage decisions, a directionally correct answer is all you need.
What's next
I'm building more tools in the same direction. Real pricing data (the current estimates use static figures), an AI and LLM cost calculator, and comparisons that go deeper into specific decisions like database choice and CDN costs.
If you find the tools useful, or if something is wrong with an estimate, or if there's a tool you wish existed, I'd genuinely like to hear from you. There's a feedback button in the corner of every page. Use it.