Freedom251 › Data Discovery and Classification Software
Amazon Macie
What Amazon Macie is
Amazon Macie is a cloud service that finds sensitive information in Amazon S3 and surfaces data security risks. It continually evaluates buckets for security and access controls, including public accessibility, and supports automated discovery as well as targeted jobs that run once or recur. Managed sensitive-data types are available, and custom identifiers can be built with regular expressions. Macie works with supported structured and unstructured formats, including document, text, big-data, compression, archive, and email files. Findings are available through the AWS Management Console, command line tools, SDKs, and a REST API; they can also be sent to Amazon EventBridge and AWS Security Hub CSPM. An administrator account can manage member accounts through AWS Organizations and aggregate findings. Findings are retained for 30 days, while full discovery details can be written to a customer-owned S3 bucket. A 30-day free trial includes up to 150 GB inspected per account, bucket inventory, and monitoring; sensitive data discovery jobs are excluded.
Who it suits
Macie suits AWS users who need to identify sensitive information in S3 and monitor bucket security, including organizations managing multiple accounts. Its API, command-line, and SDK access also fits teams that want programmatic access to results.
What it does well
- Continually monitors S3 bucket security and access controls
- Offers automated and targeted discovery jobs
- Supports custom identifiers using regular expressions
- Can aggregate findings across member accounts
- Provides console, command-line, SDK, and REST API access
What to know first
- Findings are retained for 30 days
- Trial excludes sensitive data discovery jobs
- Usage-based rates include per-bucket and per-GB charges
Limits
The 30-day free trial covers up to 150 GB inspected per account, bucket inventory, and monitoring, but excludes sensitive-data discovery jobs. Default quotas include 10,000 monitored S3 buckets per account, 5 TB of monthly discovery-job analysis, and 10,000 custom data identifiers per account.
Plans
| Plan | Billed and limits | Price |
|---|---|---|
| 30-day free trial | 30 days · Up to 150 GB inspected per account · bucket inventory and monitoring included · sensitive data discovery jobs excluded | Free |
| Usage-based pricing | prorated daily · $0.10 per S3 bucket/month · $0.01 per 100K objects · $1 per GB automated discovery (1 GB free tier) · $1 per GB targeted discovery | On request |
As aws.amazon.com lists them, read 1 Oct 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.
Getting started
- Open the Amazon Macie website
- Start the 30-day free trial
- Use the AWS Management Console, command-line tools, SDKs, or REST API
- Connect S3 buckets for inventory and monitoring
- Create automated or targeted discovery jobs
- Configure EventBridge, Security Hub CSPM, or AWS Organizations integration
Verdict
Macie combines ongoing S3 monitoring with scheduled or recurring discovery, and connects findings to AWS security workflows. The trial includes bucket inventory and monitoring, but discovery jobs are excluded and usage-based charges apply.
Questions
How much does Amazon Macie cost?
Pricing starts at $0.10/mo. Usage-based charges include $0.10 per S3 bucket per month, $0.01 per 100,000 objects, $1 per GB of automated discovery after a 1 GB free tier, and $1 per GB of targeted discovery.
Is there a free trial?
Yes. The trial lasts 30 days and includes up to 150 GB inspected per account, bucket inventory, and monitoring. Sensitive-data discovery jobs are excluded.
Which platforms does Macie support?
Macie is available through web and API access, including the AWS Management Console, command-line tools, SDKs, and a REST API.
Can Macie handle multiple AWS accounts?
Yes. AWS Organizations integration lets one Macie administrator account manage member accounts and aggregate findings.
How long are findings kept?
Macie findings are retained for 30 days. Full sensitive-data discovery details can be written to a customer-owned S3 bucket for longer retention.
Does Macie support custom classifications?
Yes. It provides managed sensitive-data types and allows custom data identifiers created with regular expressions.
Facts from Amazon Macie's own pages
- Availability SLA
- AWS commits to a 99.9% monthly uptime percentage for Macie in each AWS Region, subject to SLA exclusions. · aws.amazon.com, 1 Oct 2026
- Commitments
- There are no contracts or minimum commitments for using Amazon Macie. · docs.aws.amazon.com, 1 Oct 2026
- Compliance use
- AWS states that targeted sensitive data discovery jobs can help meet regulations such as HIPAA and GDPR. · aws.amazon.com, 1 Oct 2026
- Data identifiers
- Macie provides managed sensitive data types and lets customers create custom data identifiers using regular expressions. · aws.amazon.com, 1 Oct 2026
- Discovery jobs
- Macie supports automated sensitive data discovery and targeted jobs that can run once or on a recurring basis. · docs.aws.amazon.com, 1 Oct 2026
- Encryption
- Macie encrypts data at rest using AWS Key Management Service managed keys and encrypts data in transit between AWS services. · docs.aws.amazon.com, 1 Oct 2026
- Findings retention
- Macie findings are retained for 30 days, while full sensitive data discovery details are written to a customer-owned S3 bucket for long-term retention. · aws.amazon.com, 1 Oct 2026
- Integrations
- Macie publishes findings to Amazon EventBridge and can publish them to AWS Security Hub CSPM for monitoring and remediation workflows. · docs.aws.amazon.com, 1 Oct 2026
- Multi-account
- A single Macie administrator account can manage member accounts through AWS Organizations integration, with findings aggregated in the administrator account. · aws.amazon.com, 1 Oct 2026
- Programmatic access
- Macie provides a browser-based AWS Management Console, AWS command line tools, AWS SDKs, and a REST API. · docs.aws.amazon.com, 1 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- Amazon Macie discovers sensitive data using machine learning and pattern matching, provides visibility into data security risks, and enables automated protection. · aws.amazon.com, 1 Oct 2026
- S3 monitoring
- Macie continually evaluates Amazon S3 buckets for security and access controls and generates findings for issues such as publicly accessible buckets. · docs.aws.amazon.com, 1 Oct 2026
- Service quotas
- Default quotas include 10,000 monitored S3 buckets per account, 5 TB monthly analysis by discovery jobs, and 10,000 custom data identifiers per account. · docs.aws.amazon.com, 1 Oct 2026