What is the difference between Standard and Convertible Reserved Instances?
The main difference between the two lies in discount depth versus infrastructure flexibility.
- Standard RIs offer the highest savings (up to 72%) but cannot change instance families or operating systems once purchased.
- Convertible RIs offer lower savings (up to 54%) but let you exchange your instances for different types or OS options as your infrastructure evolves.
- Standard RIs can be sold on the AWS Marketplace if no longer needed, whereas Convertible RIs cannot be sold.