Cloud providers

Overzicht van de 4 belangrijkste cloud providers vergeleken in CloudCost: AWS, Azure, GCP en Alibaba Cloud.

Total: 4

Cloud Providers

CloudCost vergelijks pricing across the four cloud providers most commonly used by global engineering teams. Each provider has a distinct pricing model, free tier, and korting program, and understanding these differences is the first step to lowering your cloud bill.

The Four Providers

  • AWS (Amazon Web Services) — the largest cloud provider by market share, with the broadest catalog of services and the most granular pricing options.
  • Microsoft Azure — the enterprise-focused cloud, tightly integrated with Windows Server, Active Directory, and the Microsoft 365 ecosystem.
  • Google Cloud Platform (GCP) — known for sustained-use kortings, per-second billing, and strong data and machine-learning services.
  • Alibaba Cloud — the leading cloud in China and a strong choice for werkbelastings that need presence in Asia-Pacific and the Middle East.

Pricing Model Differences at a Glance

DimensionAWSAzureGCPAlibaba Cloud
Default billingper-secondper-minute (rounded)per-secondper-hour
Commitment discountReserved Instances / Savings PlansReserved InstancesCommitted Use DiscountsReserved Instances
Spot/preemptibleSpot InstancesSpot VMsSpot / Preemptible VMsPreemptible Instances
Free tier12-month + always-free12-month + always-free$300 / 90-day credit12-month free trial

How to Choose

The right provider depends on your werkbelasting, regio, and team expertise. Use the vergelijkings in the next section to see how equivalent services stack up on prijs, then use the kosten rekenmachine to model your specific werkbelasting. For long-running steady-state werkbelastings, pay close attention to gereserveerd instantie pricing; for bursty or fault-tolerant werkbelastings, spot instanties can cut kostens by up to 90 percent.