AWSvsAzure
Score Comparison
Signals Comparison
AWS
- Unpredictable billing with surprise charges(9/10)
- Free tier traps - Aurora, RDS, and Elastic IP charges(8/10)
- Data egress fees add up quickly(8/10)
- Cost optimization requires dedicated expertise(7/10)
Azure
- Complex and confusing pricing structure(9/10)
- Billing continues after service deletion(8/10)
- Multiple separate bills don't align(7/10)
AWS
- Overwhelming complexity with 260+ services(8/10)
- IAM policies are complex and error-prone(8/10)
- Console slow and difficult to navigate(6/10)
Azure
- Portal interface confusing and hard to navigate(8/10)
- Steep learning curve overwhelms newcomers(7/10)
- Too many overlapping services cause confusion(6/10)
AWS
- Major October 2025 outage - 15 hours downtime(10/10)
- US-East-1 single point of failure for many services(8/10)
Azure
- October 2025 Front Door outage - global cascade(10/10)
- Multiple major outages in 2025-2026(9/10)
- Azure AI services slow and unreliable(7/10)
- Authentication lockouts from portal(8/10)
AWS
- Enterprise Support required - $5,000+/month minimum(9/10)
- Basic support is documentation-only(7/10)
Azure
- Support is slow and closes cases without resolution(9/10)
AWS
- Unauthorized charges from compromised credentials(9/10)
Azure
No signals
AWS
No signals
Azure
- Poor performance in Asia regions(7/10)
Pricing Comparison
AWS
Users: N/A
Storage: 5GB S3, 30GB EBS
Limits: 12-month limit, only specific instance types, basic support only (documentation)
Users: N/A
Storage: EBS separate
Limits: Shared tenancy, basic support unless upgraded
Users: N/A
Storage: EBS separate
Limits: Each service billed separately
Users: Unlimited
Storage: N/A
Limits: Required for production SLAs, Developer/Business support discontinued Dec 2025
Azure
Users: N/A
Storage: As credits allow
Limits: 30-day credit expiration, free tier services have strict limits, not all services eligible
Users: N/A
Storage: Separate
Limits: Basic support only, burstable instance
Users: N/A
Storage: Separate
Limits: Burstable performance, shared infrastructure
Users: Unlimited
Storage: N/A
Limits: Standard Support ($100/mo) has slower response, Developer ($29/mo) limited
Feature Comparison
| Feature | AWS | Azure |
|---|---|---|
| Infrastructure | ||
| Compute (EC2) Industry-leading | ||
| Virtual Machines | ||
| Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) | ||
| Kubernetes (EKS) | ||
| 33 Global Regions | ||
| 60+ Global Regions Most of any provider | ||
| Azure Arc (Hybrid Cloud) Best hybrid solution | ||
| Storage | ||
| Object Storage (S3) 11 9s durability | ||
| Azure Blob Storage | ||
| Databases | ||
| Managed Databases (RDS) Multiple engines | ||
| Azure SQL Database | ||
| Compute | ||
| Serverless (Lambda) | ||
| Azure Functions | ||
| AI | ||
| Azure OpenAI Service Latency issues reported | ||
| AI/ML Services (Bedrock) | ||
| Security | ||
| 90+ Compliance Certifications | ||
| Integrations | ||
| Microsoft 365 Integration Native integration | ||
| Support | ||
| Free Technical Support Requires paid plan | ||
| Pricing | ||
| Simple Pricing Notoriously complex | ||
| Usability | ||
| Intuitive Portal Considered confusing | ||