Looking to compare AWS vs Google Cloud vs Microsoft Azure? In this comprehensive guide, IT Exams covers everything you need to know about the three major cloud platforms, including features, pricing, performance, and more. Discover which cloud service provider is right for your business needs and start making informed decisions today.
AWS vs Google Cloud vs Microsoft Azure: What Are They?
Amazon Web Services
Amazon Web Services is a subsidiary of Amazon.com that offers a paid-subscription Cloud Computing platform to people, businesses, and governments.
Amazon Web Services is the cloud market’s oldest and most experienced company. As one of the oldest cloud providers, it has a larger user base, as well as higher levels of trust and dependability.
AWS became public in 2006, with service offerings such as Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2), Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3), and others. Elastic Block Store (EBS) became available in 2009, and services such as Amazon CloudFront, Content delivery network (CDN), and more formally entered the AWS Cloud Computing Service portfolio.
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Google Cloud Platform
Google Cloud Platform (GCP) is a set of Cloud Computing services supplied by Google that runs on the same infrastructure that Google employs internally for its end-user products such as Google Search, YouTube, and others.
Google Cloud Platform launched in 2011, and in less than a decade, it has established a strong foothold in the cloud business. Google Cloud was created with the intention of strengthening Google’s own products, such as the Google Search engine and YouTube. However, they have now launched business services, allowing anybody to access Google Cloud Platform, which uses the same infrastructure as Google Search or YouTube.
Microsoft Azure
Microsoft Azure, originally known as Azure, was established in 2010 with the goal of providing a capable Cloud Computing platform for enterprises. In 2014, Azure was renamed ‘Microsoft Azure,’ while the word ‘Azure’ is still widely used. Microsoft Azure has made significant progress in comparison to its competitors since its debut.
AWS vs Azure vs GCP: Pros & Cons
Although there are many outstanding features and many different useful effects, all three types have advantages and disadvantages worth noting so that you can easily consider the right fit for your needs. , check out the details below!
1. AWS
Pros
- Most services, from networking to robotics, are offered.
- The most mature
- The gold standard for cloud dependability and security
- More computing capacity than Azure and Google Cloud Platform
- AWS hosts applications from all major software suppliers.
Cons
- Dev/Enterprise support is required.
- The sheer quantity of services and alternatives available might be overwhelming for newbies.
- There are relatively few hybrid cloud alternatives.
Read more > > Is AWS Cloud Practitioner Worth It? A Full Guide
2. MICROSOFT AZURE
Pros
- Integration and transfer of current Microsoft services are simple.
- There are several options accessible, including best-in-class AI, machine learning, and analytics services.
- Most services are less expensive when compared to AWS and GCP.
- There is a lot of support for hybrid cloud methods.
Cons
- .Fewer service choices in comparison to AWS
- Specifically designed for business customers
3. GCP
Pros
- It works well with other Google services and products.
- Excellent containerized workload support
- Global fiber optic network
Cons
- Limited services in comparison to AWS and Azure
- Limited support for corporate use cases
AWS vs Google Cloud vs Microsoft Azure: Availability Zones
As previously said, AWS was the first in the cloud sector, which means it had more time to create and expand its network. As a result, AWS hosts many locations throughout the world. Azure and GCP both host in numerous locations throughout the world, but the difference is in the number of availability zones.
- AWS now has 66 availability zones, with another 12 in the pipeline.
- Azure has 54 regions throughout the world and is available in 140 countries.
- Google Cloud Platform is now accessible in 20 areas worldwide, with three more on the way.
Moving on with this Azure vs AWS vs Google Cloud blog, let’s take a look at each cloud provider’s market share and growth rate.
When choosing a cloud provider, the first thing to consider is its supported regions and availability. These directly impact the performance of your cloud, due to factors like latency and compliance requirements, especially when dealing with data.
All these platforms provide specialized cloud solutions for the government (Government Cloud). Furthermore, both AWS and Azure offer specialized services that cater to the Chinese market with data centers located in China.
Azure has the broadest geographic coverage compared to the others, while all platforms cover most of the globe. And, showing no signs of slowing, all providers continuously expand their coverage by adding more regions and zones to meet the ever-increasing computing demand.
AWS vs Azure vs Google Cloud: Market Shares and Growth Rate
According to 2021 quarterly results, Microsoft’s Azure cloud revenue has been found to beat both AWS and Google Cloud combined.
Despite Amazon’s AWS’s Goliath-like grandeur, Microsoft’s Azure cloud surpassed its competition with US$17.7 billion in commercial-cloud sales (50% revenue increase over the previous quarter), according to the financial results report. While Amazon’s AWS claimed US$13.5 billion in cloud business revenue for the quarter (sales increased 32%), Google Cloud reported only US$4.05 billion.
According to Canalys, the worldwide cloud industry climbed 35% this quarter to $41.8 billion as of April 2021. AWS accounts for 32% of the market, with Azure accounting for 19% and Google accounting for 7%.
AWS vs Google Cloud vs Microsoft Azure: Who Uses Them?
Because AWS is the oldest participant in the cloud business, it has a larger community support and user base. As a result, AWS has more high-profile and well-known clients, including Netflix, Airbnb, Unilever, BMW, Samsung, MI, Zynga, and others.
Azure is also gaining a number of high-profile clients over time. Azure now boasts about 80% of Fortune 500 firms as clients. Customers include Johnson Controls, Polycom, Fujifilm, HP, Honeywell, Apple, and others.
Google, on the other hand, uses the same infrastructure as Google Search and YouTube, and as a result, many high-end businesses have placed their trust in Google Cloud. Google Cloud customers include HSBC, PayPal, 20th Century Fox, Bloomberg, Dominos, and others.
All of these cloud providers provide a variety of cloud computing services that are necessary for any basic organization. The distinction is in the number of these services. So, as we continue this Azure versus AWS vs Google Cloud blog, let’s have a look at the service offers of these cloud providers.
Read more > > AWS Cloud Certification Path: A Roadmap To Success
AWS vs Azure vs Google Cloud: Services
Now you can discover what services each of these three cloud titans has to offer.
AWS computing services are by far the most mature and functionally rich, thanks to a five-year head start.
AWS provides over 200 services, whilst Azure provides up to 100 services. Google Cloud, on the other hand, is catching up to Azure and AWS in terms of service offerings, offering roughly 60+ services.
The following AWS, Azure, and GCP service offerings are mapped to the domains of computing, database, storage, and networking:
Computer Services
| Services | AWS | Azure | GCP |
| IaaS | Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud | Virtual Machines | Google Compute Engine |
| PaaS | AWS Elastic Beanstalk | App Service and Cloud Services | Google App Engine |
| Containers | Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud Container Service | Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) | Google Kubernetes Engine |
| Serverless Functions | AWS Lambda | Azure Functions | Google Cloud Functions |
Database Services
| Services | AWS | Azure | GCP |
| RDBMS | Amazon Relational Database Service | SQL Database | Google Cloud SQL |
| NoSQL: Key–Value | Amazon DynamoDB | Table Storage | Google Cloud DatastoreGoogle Cloud Bigtable |
| NoSQL: Indexed | Amazon SimpleDB | Azure Cosmos DB | Google Cloud Datastore |
Storage Services
| Services | AWS | Azure | GCP |
| Object Storage | Amazon Simple Storage Service | Blob Storage | Google Cloud Storage |
| Virtual Server Disks | Amazon Elastic Block Store | Managed Disks | Google Compute Engine Persistent Disks |
| Cold Storage | Amazon Glacier | Azure Archive Blob Storage | Google Cloud Storage Nearline |
| File Storage | Amazon Elastic File System | Azure File Storage | ZFS/Avere |
Networking Services
| Services | AWS | Azure | GCP |
| Virtual Network | Amazon Virtual Private Cloud(VPC) | Virtual Networks (VNets) | Virtual Private Cloud |
| Elastic Load Balancer | Elastic Load Balancer | Azure Load Balancer | Google Cloud Load Balancing |
| Peering | Direct Connect | ExpressRoute | Google Cloud Interconnect |
| DNS | Amazon Route 53 | Azure DNS | Google Cloud DNS |
AWS vs Google Cloud vs Microsoft Azure: Key Cloud Tools
There is now too much rivalry among the three cloud providers. All three suppliers have begun to offer these services and are expected to extend them in the future, in accordance with the newest trends and client expectations.
AWS Key Tools
Artificial Intelligence and Machine learning
AWS provides DeepLens, an AI-powered camera for building and implementing machine learning algorithms for optical character recognition and image or object detection, as part of its many AI-oriented offerings. AWS has announced the release of Gluon, an open-source deep-learning toolkit that can be used by both developers and non-developers to quickly create neural networks without any prior understanding of AI.
SageMaker to Severless
AWS offers a wide range of machine learning and AI services. AWS also offers AWS SageMaker, which is used to train and deploy machine learning models. It also includes the Lex conversational interface, which enables Alexa services, as well as the AWS Greengrass IoT messaging service and the Lambda serverless computing service.
WS vs Azure vs Google Cloud: Pricing
The following table compares the pricing structures of AWS, Azure, and GCP based on the machine type that each provides:
| Machine Type | AWS | Azure | GCP |
| Smallest Instance | AWS charges roughly US$69 per month for a very basic instance with two virtual CPUs and eight gigabytes of RAM. | In Azure, the same sort of instance, i.e., an instance with 2 vCPUs and 8 GB of RAM, will cost roughly US$70 per month. | In comparison to AWS, GCP will supply you with the most basic instance, which includes two virtual CPUs and eight gigabytes of RAM, at a 25% lower cost. As a result, it will cost you around US$52 every month. |
| Largest Instance | The most expensive AWS instance, with 3.84 TB of RAM and 128 vCPUs, will cost you roughly US$3.97/hour. | Azure’s biggest instance offers 3.89 TB of RAM and 128 vCPUs. It costs about $6.79 per hour. | GCP leads the pack with its biggest instance, which has 3.75 TB of RAM and 160 vCPUs. It will cost you around US$5.32/hour. |
Another thing to keep in mind is that AWS just began providing pay-per-minute charging. Azure already has pay-per-minute paying, whereas Google Cloud has pay-per-second charging, which allows consumers to save far more than using AWS or Azure. When compared to AWS, Google also offers a variety of discounts that may save consumers up to 50%. Gartner reports that ‘Google provides large discounts and very flexible contracts to try to win projects from clients.’
FAQs
What is better AWS or Azure or Google Cloud?
A broad breakdown of services is as follows: AWS offers the most extensive catalog of services. Azure is in second place, with a strong suite of AI, machine learning, and analytics capabilities. Google Cloud Platform ranks third in terms of the number of services available.
What are the key differences between AWS vs Azure vs Google Cloud?
AWS offers virtual server and virtual machine instances, whereas Azure offers virtual hard drives and Google Cloud offers virtual machine instances. AWS instances are available in the following configurations: On-demand, Reserved, and Spot are all options.
Which is cheaper Azure vs AWS vs Google?
Google Cloud is significantly less expensive than AWS and Azure for computing-optimized cloud-based instances. However, when it comes to accelerated computing instance types, it is more costly than others.
Why GCP is cheaper than AWS?
Azure offers a well-rounded collection of storage capabilities and functionalities, but it may have a high learning curve, particularly for those with no prior experience with Microsoft technology. Google has fewer features but excels in storage cost and usability.
Why is Google Cloud better than Azure?
We’ve included some pricing samples for typical instance sizes below. AWS offers a pricing advantage for general-purpose and memory-optimized instances, while Google Cloud is less expensive for compute-oriented instances, but keep in mind that Google instances supply nearly half the amount of RAM.
Final Words
In conclusion, AWS, Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure are three of the most popular cloud service providers in the market today. Each platform has its own strengths and weaknesses, making it important for businesses to carefully evaluate their needs before choosing a provider. AWS offers a wide range of services and has a large community of developers, while Google Cloud is known for its machine-learning capabilities and efficient pricing model. Microsoft Azure is well-suited for businesses already using other Microsoft products and services. Ultimately, the best choice for your organization will depend on your specific requirements and budget. With this guide, you should now have a better understanding of the differences between AWS vs Google Cloud vs Microsoft Azure, and be better equipped to make an informed decision for your business.
