Get started with Azure accounts

  • 4 minutes

To create and use Azure services, you need an Azure subscription. When you're working with your own applications and workloads, you create an Azure account, and a subscription is created for you. After you've created an Azure account, you're free to create additional subscriptions. For example, your team might use a single Azure account and separate subscriptions for development, testing, and production workloads. After you've created an Azure subscription, you can start creating Azure resources within each subscription.

Diagram showing four Azure account scope levels: an Azure Account at the top connects to three subscriptions (Dev/Test, Production, Sandbox), each containing resource groups (Web, Data, App, Network) that hold individual resources such as App Service, VM, SQL DB, Cosmos DB, Functions, API, VNet, and NSG.

If you're new to Azure, you can sign up for a free account on the Azure website to start exploring at no cost to you. When you're ready, you can choose to upgrade your free account. You can also create a new subscription that enables you to start paying for Azure services you need beyond the limits of a free account.

Create an Azure account

You can purchase Azure access directly from Microsoft by signing up on the Azure website or through a Microsoft representative. You can also purchase Azure access through a Microsoft partner. Cloud Solution Provider partners offer a range of complete managed-cloud solutions for Azure.

What is the Azure free account?

The Azure free account includes:

  • Free access to popular Azure products for 12 months.
  • A credit to use for the first 30 days.
  • Access to more than 65 services that are always free.

The Azure free account is an excellent way for new users to get started and explore. To sign up, you need a phone number, a credit card, and a Microsoft or GitHub account. The credit card information is used for identity verification only. You won't be charged for any services until you upgrade to a paid subscription.

What is the Azure free student account?

The Azure free student account offer includes:

  • Free access to certain Azure services for 12 months.
  • A credit to use in the first 12 months.
  • Free access to certain software developer tools.

The Azure free student account is an offer for students that gives $100 credit and free developer tools. Also, you can sign up without a credit card.

If you're practicing by creating resources in Azure, monitor usage and remove resources you no longer need to avoid unexpected costs.