Enter Snapshot Cost Inputs
The calculator uses a single content flow with a responsive input grid: three columns on large screens, two on medium, and one on mobile.
Example Data Table
This worked example shows how the estimate behaves with moderate daily change, one extra regional copy, and storage efficiency savings.
| Protected Data | Snapshots/Day | Retention | Daily Change | Compression | Dedup | Extra Copies | Monthly Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 500.00 GB | 4 | 30 days | 6.00% | 20.00% | 15.00% | 1 | $102.55 |
Formula Used
Changed Data per Snapshot = Protected Used Data × Daily Change Rate ÷ Snapshots per Day
Gross Retained Storage = Baseline Full Snapshot + (Changed Data per Snapshot × (Retained Snapshots − 1))
Effective Storage = Gross Retained Storage × (1 − Compression Savings) × (1 − Deduplication Savings)
Total Stored Across Copies = Effective Storage × (1 + Extra Regional Copies)
Billable Storage = max(Total Stored Across Copies − Included Free Tier, 0)
Monthly Storage Cost = Billable Storage × Price per GB-Month
Monthly Request Cost = Snapshots per Day × Billing Days per Month × Request Cost per Snapshot
Monthly Retrieval Cost = Retrieval Test Data × Retrieval Cost per GB
Monthly Total = (Storage Cost + Request Cost + Retrieval Cost) + Tax
Different providers bill snapshots differently. This model is an advanced planning estimate, not a provider invoice replica.
How to Use This Calculator
- Enter the current protected data volume in gigabytes.
- Set how many snapshots you create each day.
- Choose the retention window in days.
- Add the average percentage of data that changes daily.
- Enter expected compression and deduplication savings.
- Include any free tier, extra copied regions, request charges, retrieval tests, and taxes.
- Click the calculate button to display the result block above the form.
- Download the estimate as CSV or PDF for reporting or budgeting.
FAQs
1. What does this calculator estimate?
It estimates monthly and annual snapshot spending using retained data, change rate, storage price, copy count, request cost, retrieval tests, and taxes.
2. Why is used data more important than raw disk size?
Snapshot billing usually follows stored blocks rather than allocated disk size. Using protected data instead of provisioned capacity often produces a more realistic estimate.
3. How does the daily change rate affect cost?
A higher change rate raises incremental data retained by each snapshot. More changed blocks mean more billable storage over the retention window.
4. Why do compression and deduplication matter?
Both reduce the effective amount of stored snapshot data. Strong efficiency savings can materially lower total billable storage and monthly cost.
5. What are extra regional copies?
They represent additional copied snapshot sets kept in other regions or accounts. Each extra copy increases total stored data and often increases monthly charges.
6. Does this match every provider exactly?
No. Providers differ on baseline snapshots, changed block tracking, archival tiers, and request billing. Use this as a planning model, then compare it with your provider pricing page.
7. Should I include retrieval test costs?
Yes, if your team regularly validates backups. Recovery drills improve resilience, but they can add data access or restore charges that should appear in budgets.
8. When should I export CSV or PDF?
Export when you need budget reviews, architecture comparisons, or client reporting. The downloads make it easier to share assumptions and results with stakeholders.