- SQL Server 2016 went out of support on 14 Jul 2026 — it is receiving no security fixes right now unless covered by ESU.
- SQL per-core pricing is frequency-blind (a fast core costs the same as a slow one), so a modern high-frequency, low-core-count box is the licensing-optimal refresh — industry guidance per Glenn Berry/SQLskills.
- No SA? Azure Arc pay-as-you-go ESU works without it — monthly billing, cancel any time (it auto-stops when you upgrade or migrate).
- There is NO free ESU for running SQL 2016 in Azure — Microsoft ended that with SQL 2014. Evergreen Azure SQL MI/DB avoids ESU entirely, but that is a migration, not a toggle.
ESU is rent at 100% of the licence — the refresh can pay for itself
SQL Server ESU costs roughly the full price of your licences every year — three years ≈ 300% — and it buys only Critical-severity patches, no support, ending at a hard cliff in July 2029. Meanwhile the refresh path hides a genuine free lunch: Microsoft prices SQL per core and doesn’t care how fast the core is. An ageing 2×16-core box needs 32 core licences; a modern single-socket 8-core high-frequency server needs 8 — often with better per-query performance. On Enterprise edition that licence saving alone can exceed the cost of the new server. This calculator puts real numbers on all four paths so the decision is arithmetic, not anxiety.
Myths this tool refuses to repeat
- “ESU escalates 75% / 150% / 300%.” Not on any primary Microsoft page — the current model is flat ~100% per year. We use that, and band the totals honestly.
- “Move it to Azure and ESU is free.” That ended with SQL 2014. SQL 2016 pays the same everywhere; only evergreen Azure SQL MI/DB genuinely escapes ESU.
- “SQL needs 16 cores per server like Windows Server.” No — SQL’s minimums are 4 per processor / 4 per VM. Mixing the two over-licenses small boxes ~4×.
SQL Server lifecycle & ESU rules
Verified from Microsoft Lifecycle and the SQL ESU documentation; no published £/$ ESU price exists, so the tool uses labelled ranges.
Key dates
| Version | End of support | ESU |
|---|---|---|
| SQL Server 2016 | 14 Jul 2026 | 3 cumulative years to 17 Jul 2029 (Y1 15 Jul 2026) |
| SQL Server 2017 | 12 Oct 2027 | NOT announced — no paid bridge exists |
| SQL Server 2022 | 11 Jan 2033 (mainstream ends 11 Jan 2028) | — |
| SQL Server 2025 | 6 Jan 2036 (GA Nov 2025 — the rational upgrade target) | — |
How SQL Server ESU works
| Annual price | A flat ~100% of the full per-core licence price EACH year (3 years ≈ 300%) — the old escalating models no longer apply to new programs |
| Published price | None — Microsoft directs buyers to their account team; figures here are ranges around the public US RRP anchors |
| Charging | Per core: 4-core minimum per processor (pCore) or per VM (vCore) — SQL's minimums, not Windows Server's 8/16 |
| Eligibility | Standard & Enterprise only (no Express, Web or Developer ESU); Developer covered free alongside paid production ESU |
| How to buy | Volume Licensing (requires active Software Assurance) OR Azure Arc pay-as-you-go monthly (no SA needed, cancel anytime, late enrolment back-bills the year) |
| Coverage | Cumulative years to 17 July 2029; Critical-severity security fixes only — no Important-tier patches, no support cases |
| Free in Azure? | NO — free Azure ESU ended with SQL 2014. SQL 2016 pays the same price everywhere (evergreen Azure SQL MI/DB avoids ESU entirely) |
Verified against: Microsoft Lifecycle · Microsoft · Microsoft Lifecycle ESU FAQ (flat 100% of full licence price per year) · Microsoft · Microsoft · Microsoft · Microsoft Lifecycle · Microsoft · Microsoft · Glenn Berry (SQLskills) · NCSC/IASME · PCI SSC.
SQL Server end-of-support FAQs
When did SQL Server 2016 go out of support, and what about 2017?
SQL Server 2016 reached end of support on 14 July 2026 (on SP3). From that date it receives no security updates unless covered by Extended Security Updates, which run in three cumulative years to 17 July 2029. SQL Server 2017 follows on 12 October 2027 — and critically, Microsoft has announced NO ESU program for 2017, so there is no paid bridge: the only paths are upgrade, migrate, or run unsupported.
How much do SQL Server 2016 Extended Security Updates cost?
Microsoft's current model is a flat ~100% of the full per-core licence price each year — so three years costs roughly 300% of your licence value. The "75%/150%/300%" escalation you may see on blogs is not supported by any primary Microsoft source. There is no published dollar SKU; using the public US RRP anchors (Standard $3,945 / Enterprise $15,123 per 2-core pack) a 16-core Standard estate is roughly $31,500 per year — which is why ESU is a bridge, not a plan. It is also cumulative: start in Year 2 and you pay Year 1 too.
Can I get SQL 2016 ESU without Software Assurance?
Yes — that is the practical change. Buying ESU through Volume Licensing requires active SA or subscription licences, but Azure Arc-enabled SQL Server offers pay-as-you-go ESU with no SA at all: connect the server to Arc, pay monthly, cancel anytime (billing auto-stops when you upgrade or migrate). Note the Standard-edition Arc subscription caps at 24 cores per instance, and enrolling late back-bills to the start of the current ESU year.
Is ESU free if I move SQL 2016 to Azure?
No — and this catches people out. The free-ESU-in-Azure benefit ended with SQL Server 2014. From SQL 2016 onwards Microsoft charges the same ESU price in Azure, on-premises and in other clouds. The genuine Azure escape is different: migrating to evergreen Azure SQL Managed Instance or Azure SQL Database, which never need ESU because they are always supported.
Can I upgrade SQL 2016 directly to SQL 2022 or SQL 2025?
Yes to both. SQL Server 2016 SP3 has a supported in-place upgrade path to SQL 2022 and directly to SQL 2025 (GA November 2025), as does 2017. SQL 2025 is the rational target — its extended support runs to January 2036, whereas SQL 2022's mainstream support ends in January 2028. If you hold active Software Assurance, the new-version licences are already included, making in-place upgrade the cheapest compliant path on sound hardware.
What is the "fewer, faster cores" refresh trick?
SQL Server per-core pricing is frequency-blind — Microsoft charges the same for a slow core as a fast one, with a 4-core-per-processor floor. So replacing an old 2×16-core box with a modern single-socket, 8-core high-frequency server can halve or quarter the licences you must buy while often IMPROVING per-query performance. On Enterprise edition that saving routinely exceeds the price of the new server itself. The sizing guidance comes from SQL performance experts (Glenn Berry, SQLskills); the pricing rule is Microsoft's.
What happens if I just keep running SQL 2016 unsupported?
It keeps working — with every new vulnerability left unpatched on the system that holds your most valuable data. Cyber Essentials fails unsupported software in scope unless it is removed or fully segregated; PCI DSS v4.0.1 requires critical patches within a month (6.3.3) and an annual end-of-life technology review with a remediation plan (12.3.4); and cyber-insurance questionnaires increasingly ask the question directly. The do-nothing path is a risk decision, not a cost saving.
How accurate is this calculator?
The lifecycle dates, ESU model and mechanics, core minimums, eligibility rules, Azure/Arc paths and upgrade matrices are all pinned to primary Microsoft documentation and were adversarially fact-checked (July 2026) — several widely-circulated figures failed verification and are deliberately excluded. Prices are indicative US RRP anchors you can edit, never UK quotes; a Servnet specialist confirms real pricing before you commit.
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