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The key is understanding what needs to move, what should stay, and whether the change improves your commitment strategy.
This guide focuses on moving commitment management to Usage.ai, while treating your existing cost allocation, reporting, and other FinOps workflows as separate migration decisions.
What stays, what moves, and what gets retired
Before changing anything, separate your current CloudZero setup into three buckets:| Current workflow | Recommended approach |
|---|---|
| Cost allocation, Dimensions, unit economics, reporting | Keep or migrate separately |
| Commitment analysis and recommendations | Evaluate for migration to Usage.ai |
| Workflows you no longer need | Retire after validation |
CloudZero also provides AWS optimization recommendations, including Savings Plans and Reserved Instance purchase recommendations, with some recommendations informed by AWS Cost Optimization Hub or Compute Optimizer data. See CloudZero recommendations for AWS.
At Usage.ai, we focus specifically on commitment optimization and management. Our Flex Insured Commitment Program analyzes your cloud usage, recommends commitments, and, after approval, uses the cloud provider API to purchase them. The resulting purchase is identified as a Flex Commitment.
Inventory your CloudZero dependencies
Start with the things your team would notice if CloudZero disappeared tomorrow.Document:
Cloud accounts and cost connections
Dashboards and Views
Cost allocation rules
Dimensions
Unit economics
Budgets and forecasts
Alerts and anomaly workflows
Optimization workflows
Scheduled reports
API integrations
BI or data warehouse pipelines
That matters because the dashboard is only one part of your FinOps setup. Other systems, reports, and workflows may depend on the data flowing through CloudZero.
Before you migrate, map the dependencies you cannot afford to break.
Preserve your allocation logic
If Finance or Engineering relies on CloudZero Dimensions, do not leave this step until the end.CloudZero Dimensions assign costs to defined elements using rules based on sources such as account names, resource tags, services, regions, Kubernetes metadata, and other cost data.
CloudZero also supports splitting shared costs across elements. See How to Build a CloudZero Dimension
Export or document the allocation model you actually use:
Dimension names
Elements
Rules
Shared-cost allocations
CostFormation definitions
Reports that depend on them
If you are keeping CloudZero for these workflows, this step becomes much simpler. You are moving commitment management to Usage.ai, not rebuilding your entire FinOps reporting layer.
Audit API and reporting dependencies
Migrations can fail quietly here. A team may stop using CloudZero directly while automated systems continue to depend on its data.Search your repositories, BI tools, scheduled jobs, scripts, and internal documentation for:
CloudZero API keys
CloudZero API endpoints
Scheduled exports
Data warehouse jobs
Internal dashboards
Automated reports
Create a simple migration register:
Build your existing commitment inventory
Now move to the part of the migration that directly affects your cloud bill.Before moving commitment management to Usage.ai, establish a clear picture of the commitments you already own. This gives you a baseline for deciding what should stay, what needs attention, and where a new commitment strategy could actually improve the economics.
Do not start by replacing existing commitments. Start by understanding them.
For each Savings Plan, Reserved Instance, or other relevant commitment, record:
Account
Service
Region
Commitment amount
Start and expiration date
Current utilization
Coverage
Effective savings
Remaining term
- Keep: Well utilized and still economically attractive.
- Monitor: Useful today, but workload changes could affect the economics.
- Expiring: Approaching the end of its term and ready for a new purchasing decision.
- At risk: Usage has changed enough to warrant attention.
- Replace: There is a clear, validated reason to change it.
Understand what changes with Usage.ai
This is where the migration differs from a typical FinOps platform replacement. You are not starting over with your existing commitment portfolio. You are deciding which commitments should remain as they are and which future commitment decisions should move to Usage.ai.With our Flex Insured Commitment Program, we analyze your cloud usage and recommend commitments based on that usage. Once you approve a recommendation, we use the cloud provider API to purchase the commitment, which is then identified as a Flex Commitment.
We also distinguish between Existing Commitments, which you purchased directly, and Usage.ai Flex Commitments, which are managed through our Flex Commitment Program. See Flex Commitment eligibility and coverage.
That gives you a clear migration boundary:
New Usage.ai-managed commitments → evaluate through the Flex Commitment workflow
Also read: Usage.ai vs CloudZero: Which Platform Fits Your Cloud Cost Strategy?
Establish your baseline before comparing savings
Before deciding whether Usage.ai is a better fit, establish what “better” means for your environment.Capture your current:
Cloud spend
Commitment coverage
Commitment utilization
On-demand exposure
Realized commitment savings
Existing platform cost
Internal commitment-management effort
This matters because two systems can produce different savings estimates without either being wrong. Recommendation models may use different usage windows, cost definitions, commitment assumptions, or expectations about future usage.
For example, CloudZero’s AWS recommendations can incorporate AWS Cost Optimization Hub data, while our Savings Test uses our own analysis of your environment.
Where possible, compare both against the same spend period, commitment inventory, and usage assumptions.
The goal is not to find the biggest savings number, but it is to find the number you can defend to Finance.
Run the Usage.ai Savings Test
This is your decision gate.You do not need to commit to a full migration before understanding whether Usage.ai can identify a meaningful savings opportunity. The Usage.ai Savings Test is designed to evaluate potential savings from short-term commitments using a light integration path.
For evaluation, we also offer a read-only permissions option, so you can assess potential savings without giving Usage.ai permission to purchase commitments. See Usage.ai Security and Compliance documentation.
Use the test to answer:
What savings opportunity does Usage.ai identify?
Which workloads drive it?
What existing commitments already cover that usage?
What assumptions determine the recommendation?
What would the net savings look like after applicable fees?
How does the opportunity change under a realistic usage-downside scenario?
Evaluate the downside, not just the discount
A commitment can save money when usage is stable and become uneconomic when usage falls. A meaningful evaluation should therefore look at both the expected savings and what happens if usage moves against you.Our Flex Commitment Program provides cashback protection for eligible Flex Commitments under the applicable program terms. When the cost of an eligible Flex Commitment exceeds the equivalent on-demand cost, we calculate the resulting loss and track the applicable cashback. See How Usage.ai cashback works.
Keep the two sides of the model separate:
Before including cashback in your financial model, review the applicable eligibility, exclusions, calculation methodology, and payout terms. See Usage.ai cashback terms.
Our pricing is performance-based, with fees calculated as a percentage of realized savings from commitments optimized through the Flex Commitment Program.
Most importantly, cashback is not a substitute for good commitment sizing. The first objective is still to buy the right amount of commitment at the right time.
Complete security and account onboarding
Once the economics make sense, move to technical onboarding.For AWS, we support connecting accounts through IAM, CloudFormation, or Terraform. Usage.ai AWS integration guide Start with the least access appropriate for evaluation, then grant the additional permissions required for commitment management after the business case has been validated.
Before connecting production accounts, confirm:
Accounts in scope
Security approval
IAM permissions
Connection method
Integration owner
Who can approve purchases
Who owns the resulting commitments
Keep this stage controlled. You are validating a new commitment-management workflow, not simply installing another tool.
Move commitment management gradually
Avoid making the transition all at once. Connecting Usage.ai, changing your commitment strategy, and expanding automation are separate decisions.A safer sequence is:
↓
Recommendation review
↓
Initial approved commitments
↓
Savings and utilization validation
↓
Expanded management
↓
Automation where appropriate
This gives you time to validate both the economics and the workflow before expanding the scope of commitment management.
Run a controlled validation period
You do not need to run two complete FinOps platforms indefinitely. You do need enough evidence to know that the new commitment-management workflow is working as expected.Validate:
Commitment utilization
Coverage
Realized savings versus expectations
Economics of existing commitments
Reduction in manual work
Continuity of Finance reporting
Any unresolved CloudZero dependencies
Our reporting provides commitment-level and monthly visibility into savings, fees, cashback accrued, and commitment performance. See Usage.ai Reporting and Visibility.
Decide what happens to CloudZero
At this point, you should have enough evidence to make the decision based on your actual workflows and results.Keep CloudZero
If your organization still relies on CloudZero for cost allocation, Dimensions, reporting, unit economics, anomaly detection, or broader optimization workflows.Run both
If Usage.ai is taking over commitment management while CloudZero continues to serve other FinOps workflows.Retire CloudZero
If you have replaced the workflows you still need and validated that the new operating model works in practice.Also read: CloudZero Reviews: Is It Worth It in 2026?
CloudZero to Usage.ai migration checklist
Use this checklist to keep the migration controlled, measurable, and easy to validate at each stage.Before the move
Define the exact migration scope
Decide what stays, moves, and retires
Inventory CloudZero connections and workflows
Document Dimensions and allocation rules
Audit API, BI, and reporting dependencies
Inventory existing commitments
Establish your financial baseline
Review your CloudZero contract
Before changing commitment management
Run the Usage.ai Savings Test
Reconcile savings assumptions
Model expected net savings after applicable fees
Model a realistic downside scenario
Review Flex Commitment eligibility and protection terms
Complete security approval
Define purchasing authority
During transition
Connect approved accounts
Leave healthy existing commitments in place
Review initial recommendations
Approve initial purchases
Monitor utilization and savings
Validate reporting and workflows
Expand automation only after validation
Before decommissioning CloudZero
Replace required reports and dashboards
Migrate API dependencies
Preserve required historical data
Reconcile costs and commitments
Complete contractual requirements
Disconnect CloudZero
Remove unnecessary access
Bring your current commitment inventory, cloud-spend baseline, and a realistic downside scenario.
We can run the Savings Test, map the opportunity against your existing strategy, and help you determine whether the move makes financial sense.
Talk to a Usage.ai expert
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to cancel CloudZero before using Usage.ai?
No. If CloudZero still supports workflows you need, you can transition commitment management first and decide later whether CloudZero should remain in your stack.
Do I need to replace my existing Savings Plans and Reserved Instances?
No. Existing commitments should be evaluated on their own economics. Usage.ai distinguishes them from Flex Commitments managed through its program.
Does Usage.ai replace CloudZero?
Not necessarily on a one-for-one basis.
Usage.ai can take over commitment optimization and management, while you may choose to retain CloudZero or another system for cost allocation, reporting, unit economics, anomaly detection, or other FinOps workflows.
How should I compare the two platforms?
Compare the complete economic and operational outcome, not just platform fees.
Use the same cost basis, usage period, commitment inventory, and scope wherever possible. Then investigate differences in methodology and assumptions rather than simply choosing the larger savings estimate.
What is the safest way to migrate?
Start with the Usage.ai Savings Test, validate the economics, transition commitment management gradually, run a controlled validation period, and decommission CloudZero only after its remaining dependencies have been addressed.
