After the initial free trial period ends, the handling of VMs varies depending on the cloud provider:
- Google Cloud Platform (GCP): When the free trial ends, all resources created during the trial are stopped. However, if you upgrade to a paid account within 30 days, you can restore these resources. GCP offers a free tier for certain services, such as small Compute Engine instances (e.g., e2-micro), which can be used without charge if usage stays within specified limits[1][6][7].
- Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI): After the free trial ends, paid resources are reclaimed unless you upgrade to a paid account. However, OCI provides "Always Free" resources, which remain available even after the trial period. These resources include specific types of VMs and storage, and they can be used indefinitely as long as they are within the designated limits[3][5][8].
- Azure: Azure offers a free account with limited services for up to 12 months. This includes access to certain types of virtual machines for a specified number of hours per month. After the free period, you must either upgrade to a paid account or stay within the limits of the free services to avoid charges[4].
In summary, while the free trial period ends, each provider offers some form of free or reduced-cost usage for VMs, provided you adhere to their specific limits and conditions.
Citations:
[1] https://stackoverflow.com/questions/52797970/google-cloud-virtual-instances-disappear-after-trial
[2] https://www.googlecloudcommunity.com/gc/Google-Kubernetes-Engine-GKE/How-does-Free-Trial-and-Free-Tier-work-together/m-p/805827
[3] https://www.reddit.com/r/oraclecloud/comments/rxil4x/always_free_but_only_during_30_days/
[4] https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/create-free-services
[5] https://www.oracle.com/pk/cloud/free/faq/
[6] https://stackoverflow.com/questions/79427760/is-it-gcp-really-free-after-the-free-trial-period
[7] https://cloud.google.com/free/docs/free-cloud-features
[8] https://docs.oracle.com/iaas/Content/FreeTier/freetier_topic-Always_Free_Resources.htm