AWS vs. Google Cloud vs. Azure: A Detailed Breakdown

The cloud has changed the way organizations work. It offers numerous benefits, including unparalleled flexibility, reliability, scalability, and cost savings, making businesses of all sectors make the switch. Today, the question isn’t whether to use the cloud, but which provider to choose.

This article discusses the three biggest cloud providers – Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud. 

Although AWS dominates the cloud industry, all three platforms have comparable service offerings, competing features, and different pricing models. Each platform has its own strengths, and the right choice depends on your organization’s specific needs. 

To help you make an informed decision, here’s a quick overview of each cloud service and a detailed breakdown of their differences. Read on!

A Quick Overview of AWS vs. Azure vs. Google Cloud

Before we get into the details of AWS vs. Azure vs. Google Cloud, let’s look at a brief overview of each service. 

Amazon Web Services (AWS)

Founded by Amazon in 2006, AWS was the first cloud-based service developer and a pioneer in providing customers with a pay-as-you-go model. It is the leading cloud provider in the world, with a market share of 31% in Q1 2024. 

AWS operates across 33 regions and 105 availability zones, offering the broadest global infrastructure over 245 countries and territories. It’s renowned for its 240+ services, covering everything from compute power to AI/ML – which makes it a versatile choice for businesses of all sizes. AWS is often the preferred platform for large enterprises and organizations requiring extensive scalability and reliability.

Microsoft Azure

Microsoft Azure, formerly known as Windows Azure, is a cloud computing platform that allows users to access and manage a variety of services and resources through the Azure portal. Founded in 2010, the platform rebranded in 2014 as Microsoft Azure and now is the second-largest cloud provider in the world, with a market share of 25% in Q1 2024.

Azure operates in 60+ regions, providing a robust global infrastructure with a strong focus on hybrid cloud solutions. It seamlessly integrates with Microsoft’s ecosystem, making it the ideal choice for businesses already using Microsoft products like Office 365, Active Directory, and Windows Server, and Microsoft SQL Server. It’s also highly regarded for its security and compliance features, often selected by industries with strict regulatory requirements, such as finance, government, and healthcare.

Google Cloud Platform (Google Cloud)

Google Cloud, founded in 2008, is the third-largest cloud provider in the world, with a market share of 11% in Q1 2024. It operates across 40 regions and 121 availability zones, making it a strong choice for businesses that prioritize data analytics and AI/ML capabilities. 

Google Cloud is known for its advanced machine learning tools like AutoML and TensorFlow, as well as its expertise in high-performance networking. The platform also prioritizes open-source integration and is a leader in Kubernetes support, making it a go-to option for containerized workloads and organizations focused on cutting-edge technology.

AWS vs. Google Cloud vs. Azure: Pricing Comparison

All 3 CSPs offer flexible pricing models designed to suit different business needs, but they approach pricing in slightly different ways.

Free trials and free tiers

• AWS: Offers a variety of free trials for individual services with differing durations. New users also get a 12-month free tier that provides limited usage of services like EC2, S3, and RDS. In addition, AWS has an Always Free tier for ongoing, limited access to services such as Lambda and DynamoDB.
• Google Cloud: Provides new users with a $300 credit for 90 days, which can be used across any service. Google Cloud also has an Always Free tier for ongoing access to select services like Cloud Functions and BigQuery, with predefined usage limits.
• Azure: Offers a $200 credit for 30 days, plus 12 months of free access to popular services like Azure Virtual Machines, Storage, and SQL Database. Azure also has an Always Free tier with limited usage for services such as Azure Functions and Blob Storage.

On-Demand (pay-as-you-go)

All platforms follow a pay-as-you-go model, where you only pay for what you use without any upfront commitments. Some services are charged on a per-second basis and some on a per-hour basis. It’s important to do your research on these before you start using them. 

Commitment-based discount instruments

• AWS: Offers Reserved Instances and Savings Plans for long-term commitments. These plans provide significant discounts (up to 75% off) when committing to specific usage levels for one or three years.
• Google Cloud: Provides committed use discounts (CUDs) with discount options that offer horizontal flexibility across VM families and regions. CUDs can receive discounts up to 70% for long-term commitments. Google Cloud also applies Sustained Use Discounts (SUDs) automatically for consistent use without requiring upfront commitments.
• Azure: Offers both Reserved VM Instances and Savings Plans, providing discounts for one or three-year commitments. Azure’s Savings Plans allow users to save up to 65% across multiple services like virtual machines and containers. Additionally, Azure’s Hybrid Benefit helps users save further on Windows Server and SQL Server workloads.

Other discounts

• AWS: AWS offers Spot Instances, which allow users to access excess capacity with discounts of up to 90%, billed on a per-second or per-hour basis. For customers with large-scale or consistent usage, AWS also offers volume discounts and the ability to negotiate private agreements for even greater savings and custom pricing.
• Google Cloud: Google Cloud provides Spot VMs, similar to AWS Spot Instances, with per-second billing and savings of up to 91% on compute costs. Google Cloud also offers volume discounts and custom pricing agreements for enterprises with large or sustained workloads, helping businesses maximize cost efficiency.
• Azure: Azure’s Spot VMs provide significant savings of up to 90% on spare capacity, ideal for ephemeral or flexible workloads. Azure also supports volume discounts and private enterprise agreements for customers requiring large-scale services, offering competitive pricing for high-usage organizations. 

AWS vs. Google Cloud vs. Azure: The Comparison Table

Factors To Consider When Choosing Between AWS, Google Cloud, and Azure

Choosing the right cloud provider depends on your business needs, workloads, and long-term goals. Each platform shines in different areas, so it’s essential to assess which one aligns best with your use case.

1. Cost

Cloud services can vary significantly in pricing based on usage, storage, data transfer, and computational power. It’s essential to understand the pricing models offered by the CSPs, and predict your Cloud Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) to choose the best fit. 

Compare costs across providers while considering hidden fees for data transfers, API requests, or storage retrieval. Begin by using cloud provider calculators, such as those from AWS, Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure to forecast costs for cloud resources.

2. Security and compliance

Security is a top priority in cloud computing. Look for Cloud Service Providers (CSPs)that offer robust security features like encryption (both in transit and at rest), identity and access management (IAM), and multi-factor authentication (MFA). 

Additionally, many industries have strict compliance requirements such as GDPR, HIPAA, or PCI DSS, which your provider must adhere to. Be sure to verify that the CSP has relevant certifications and maintains a comprehensive approach to data protection.

3. Expert community

A strong community of developers, engineers, and experts around a CSP can be an invaluable resource. When a provider has an active community, you can rely on it for troubleshooting, learning best practices, and discovering optimization strategies. Additionally, a large expert network often means that more third-party integrations, tutorials, and forums are available, increasing overall flexibility.

4. Internal technical expertise

Your team’s technical expertise plays a significant role in the CSP selection process. If your team has experience with a particular provider (e.g., AWS, Google Cloud, Azure), it may be more efficient to choose that platform to leverage existing skills and avoid steep learning curves. On the other hand, if your team lacks experience, opting for a provider that offers strong training resources and certifications might be beneficial.

5. Integration with existing tools and processes

It’s important to assess how well the CSP will integrate with your existing tools, software, and workflows. Check for compatibility with popular DevOps tools, database systems, and automation software. 

Avoiding vendor lock-in through multi-cloud or hybrid cloud options is also a consideration if flexibility is critical. Research if your ISV partners are available for procurement via the cloud service provider’s marketplace.

6. Customer support

Effective customer support can significantly impact your cloud experience. Evaluate the provider’s support offerings, such as 24/7 technical support, dedicated account managers, and rapid response times. Premium tiers of support might be necessary for mission-critical applications, where downtimes or issues can have serious business consequences. 

Evaluate reseller/MSP options available to discover if a partner can help accelerate your cloud adoption journey. Good documentation, training, and community support can also play a role here. 

7. Global reach and data center locations

The location of data centers is crucial for latency-sensitive applications or businesses with a global presence. Selecting a provider with data centers in regions where your customers are based can also enhance performance.

8. Service portfolio and innovation

Evaluate the breadth of services provided, from computing power to advanced AI and machine learning capabilities. Providers that continually innovate and expand their offerings allow you to adopt new technologies as your business grows. Consider whether the CSP has a roadmap aligned with your future needs in automation, AI, analytics, or IoT.

9. Data migration and vendor lock-in

Migrating to and from a CSP can be complex and costly. It’s important to consider how easily data can be transferred in and out of the provider’s platform. All platforms offer migration incentives such as credits and bulk pricing discounts. While these offers can reduce initial costs, it’s important to focus on long-term benefits and value rather than one-time savings. 

10. Compliance with industry standards

Beyond security, industry-specific certifications (such as SOC 2, ISO 27001, FedRAMP, etc.) may be required depending on the sector you operate in. Choose a CSP that is compliant with the regulatory standards that apply to your business, ensuring that your data and infrastructure meet all necessary legal and industry requirements. 

Maximize Your Cloud Investments With ProsperOps

ProsperOps automates your cloud financial management with minimal user intervention. 

ProsperOps is the leading FinOps automation platform known for cloud rate optimization. We automatically optimize the hyperscaler’s native discount instruments to reduce your cloud spend and place you in the 98th percentile of FinOps teams. 

We help you optimize discount instruments like AWS RIs, Savings Plans, Google Cloud CUDS, or Azure RIs and SPs by automatically blending discount instruments to maximize your savings while minimizing commitment risk.

With ProsperOps, there is no friction within your operations or forced trade-offs. The algorithm runs silently in the background 24/7, without manual oversight or intervention from your busy teams.

We help you achieve and maintain an Effective Savings Rate (ESR) that can help position your business as a top FinOps performer. 

Ready to experience this automation in action? Book a demo today and experience the potential savings and efficiency gains firsthand.