AWS provides several native cost management tools, with the AWS Pricing Calculator being a prominent one for estimating project costs across over 150 AWS services. It allows users to experiment with different configurations to predict expenses without needing an AWS account, making it a useful starting point for budgeting and planning. However, the calculator itself does not identify cost-saving opportunities, which often requires automation solutions for more effective cost management. The case of Bud, a financial services company, illustrates how automation can significantly enhance resource utilization and cost efficiency, as they implemented Cast AI to automate resource management tasks, leading to substantial cost savings and improved engineer productivity.