Compare · checked 27 Sep 2026
CloudJaeger and AWS’s own cost tools.
If you run only on AWS, the native tools may be all you need — Cost Explorer's console is free of charge. Here is what they do well, and where CloudJaeger adds something.
| Question | AWS native tools (credited first) | CloudJaeger · status as of 2026-10-15 |
|---|---|---|
| Why did the bill change?What moved, and who owns it | Cost Explorer, with forecasts 18 months ahead and, in the console, AI-written forecast explanations in preview. The AWS FinOps Agent, in preview since June 2026, investigates cost anomalies and, with CloudTrail permissions, searches CloudTrail for the API activity behind the change. Sources [1], [2], [3], [4] | Live Overview and Cost Explorer show what moved — by service, account, region and tag — with the billing basis and freshness on every figure. Live on AWS; Preview on Azure and Google Cloud. It does not trace a cause through CloudTrail; a per-change explanation view is planned. |
| What should we fix first?Recommendations | Cost Optimization Hub, with 18 recommendation types and a cost efficiency metric, plus Compute Optimizer and Trusted Advisor. Sources [5], [6], [11] | Preview One ranked queue with a decision on every item. Projected savings stay projected until a bill shows the drop; no saving has been bill-graded yet. |
| What about our other clouds?Coverage beyond AWS | Cost Explorer shows AWS costs. A multicloud view is something you build, for example FOCUS exports in an Amazon QuickSight dashboard. Sources [1], [7] | Microsoft Azure PreviewGoogle Cloud Preview AWS runs on real bills today, through a read-only role. Azure and Google Cloud sync real cost and inventory, and stay in Preview until checked against a real bill. |
| What is behind the spend?Architecture context | Architecture guidance lives in the AWS Well-Architected Tool, separate from the billing views. Source [8] | Preview An infrastructure map of discovered resources at list price, with the services it cannot see listed. Network boxes and links are drawn for AWS only. |
| Can an agent ask it?AI agent access | A Billing and Cost Management MCP server, announced in August 2025, for the AI assistant of your choice. Source [9] | Preview MCP read tools with a read key; key-based MCP answers agree to the cent with the web app. OAuth for third-party clients is still unfinished. |
| Is it really the same machine?Cross-cloud equivalence | AWS’s tools compare AWS instance types; Compute Optimizer recommends AWS resources. Source [6] | Preview Compares 700 services and 3,780 machine types across AWS, Azure and Google Cloud with a graded equivalence verdict; most Google Cloud machine types are listed, not priced (12 of 533 carry a price). |
| Can we price AI spend without connecting anything?Credential-free AI cost audit | Amazon Bedrock spend appears in Cost Explorer with the rest of the AWS bill; AI providers you pay directly are not on that bill. Source [10] | Preview A free audit prices an OpenAI or Anthropic usage export in your browser — no account, and the file never leaves the tab. It prices from AI price book 2026-10-v1 and names what it could not price. |
| What does it cost?Price | The Cost Explorer console is free of charge; each Cost Explorer API request costs $0.01. Source [1] | Beta, by design-partner application; no public price yet. |
Sources and date
- AWS Cost Explorer user guide — the console is free of charge; forecasts run 18 months ahead
- AWS What's New, November 2025 — 18-month forecasting and AI-powered forecast explanations in Cost Explorer
- AWS What's New, 9 June 2026 — AWS FinOps Agent is available in preview
- AWS FinOps Agent (preview) user guide — investigating cost anomalies; with CloudTrail permissions, a search of CloudTrail event history
- Cost Optimization Hub FAQs — 18 recommendation types and the cost efficiency metric
- AWS Compute Optimizer — recommendations for AWS resources
- AWS blog — multicloud cost visibility with Amazon QuickSight and FOCUS
- AWS Well-Architected Tool
- AWS What's New, 22 August 2025 — the AWS Billing and Cost Management MCP server
- Amazon Bedrock user guide — track usage and costs (billed dollars in Cost Explorer and CUR 2.0)
- AWS Trusted Advisor — checks that identify unused resources and opportunities to lower your costs
AWS product pages and documentation, read 27 Sep 2026. Amazon Web Services and AWS are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates; no affiliation or endorsement is implied.
Status mapping: works → Live · works in part → Preview · sample estate only → Demo-only · broken or after v1 → Planned.
Keep AWS’s own tools. Add the context they do not carry.
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