# Underutilized or overprovisioned WorkSpaces Applications instances Canonical: https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/inefficiencies/underutilized-or-overprovisioned-appstream-instances Amazon WorkSpaces Applications (formerly AppStream 2.0) fleets often default to instance types designed for worst-case or peak usage scenarios, even... By: Jason DiDomenico Updated: 2026-09-28 [Cloud Efficiency Hub](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub) # Underutilized or Overprovisioned WorkSpaces Applications Instances The short version Amazon WorkSpaces Applications (formerly AppStream 2.0) fleets often default to instance types designed for worst-case or peak usage scenarios, even when average workloads are significantly lighter. [Jason DiDomenico](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasondidomenico/) Director of FinOps @ Discover Financial Services AWS service [Amazon WorkSpaces Applications](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/cloud-services/aws-appstream-2-0) Category [Compute](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/service-category/compute) Reference CER-0050 Type Overprovisioned Resource ## Explanation Why the waste happens and who it affects. This leads to consistently low utilization of CPU, memory, or GPU resources and inflated infrastructure costs. By right-sizing WorkSpaces Applications instances based on actual workload needs, organizations can reduce spend without compromising user experience. ## Billing model The pricing dimensions that drive this cost. WorkSpaces Applications streaming instances are billed based on the selected instance type, size, and operating system, with higher-cost options providing more CPU, memory, and GPU resources. Windows instances are charged hourly, Rocky Linux and Red Hat Enterprise Linux instances are charged per second with a 15-minute minimum, and Elastic fleet instances are billed per second. Always-On fleet instances are charged the running rate even when no users are connected, idle On-Demand fleet instances are charged a small stopped-instance fee, and Windows-based fleets also incur a monthly per-user fee. If instance types are overprovisioned relative to actual usage, customers pay for unused capacity, driving unnecessary spend. ## How to detect 4 checks to find it in your estate. - Identify WorkSpaces Applications fleets or stacks with consistently low CPU, memory, or GPU utilization over a representative period - Review instance type specifications in relation to average and peak workload demands - Conduct performance benchmarking or usage sampling for specific applications or user groups - Check whether current instance types were selected based on assumption or inherited defaults rather than workload data ## How to fix 3 ways to remove the waste. - Right-size WorkSpaces Applications fleets by selecting smaller or less specialized instance types that meet current workload demands - Conduct performance testing after downgrading to ensure that application responsiveness and user experience are preserved - Update provisioning templates or fleet configurations to reflect optimized instance types going forward ## Documentation Vendor references for pricing and configuration. - [WorkSpaces Applications Instance Families docs.aws.amazon.com](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/appstream2/latest/developerguide/instance-types.html) - [Amazon WorkSpaces applications pricing aws.amazon.com](https://aws.amazon.com/workspaces/applications/pricing/) ## Related inefficiencies [Browse the library](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub) - Amazon WorkSpaces Applications CER-0180 ### [Suboptimal WorkSpaces Applications Fleet Auto Scaling Policies](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/inefficiencies/suboptimal-appstream-fleet-auto-scaling-policies) When fleet auto scaling policies maintain more active instances than are required to support current usage - particularly during off-peak hours-organizations incur unnecessary compute costs. Fleets often remain oversized due to... Compute - Amazon WorkSpaces Applications CER-0175 ### [Inactive WorkSpaces Applications Image Builder or App Block Builder Instances](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/inefficiencies/inactive-appstream-image-builder-or-app-block-builder-instances) When Amazon WorkSpaces Applications (formerly AppStream 2.0) builder instances are left running but unused, they continue to generate compute charges without delivering any value. These instances are commonly left active after... Compute - AWS EKS CER-0280 ### [Fargate Resource Rounding and Per-Pod Overhead Driving Step-Up Costs](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/inefficiencies/fargate-resource-rounding-and-per-pod-overhead-driving-step-up-costs) Pod resource requests - often inflated by sidecar containers-push total memory or CPU just over a Fargate sizing boundary. Because Fargate adds mandatory system overhead and only supports fixed resource combinations, small incremental... Compute --- Source: the public page above. Product screenshots and illustrative interfaces are examples, not live customer data.