You can’t learn everything at once—but you
can start with the cloud that opens the most doors.
That’s what inspired me to write this blog: a comprehensive comparison of AWS vs Azure vs GCP. Whether you’re a beginner like I was or just exploring the world of cloud, I hope this guide gives you the clarity and confidence to choose the right path.
Overview of the Big Three Cloud Providers
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Launched in 2006, AWS is Amazon’s cloud platform and the pioneer in cloud
computing. Known for its massive range of services and global reach, it’s
widely adopted by startups, enterprises, and governments alike. Major companies using the AWS cloud include Netflix, Coca-Cola, Expedia, and Airbnb.
Microsoft Azure
Azure started in 2010 as Microsoft’s answer to the growing cloud market. It
integrates smoothly with Microsoft products and is popular with enterprises,
especially those already using tools like Windows Server, Active Directory, and
Office 365. Major companies using the Azure cloud include Starbucks, HSBC, and HP.
Google Cloud Platform (GCP)
GCP
launched in 2008 and is built on the same infrastructure Google uses for Search
and YouTube. It stands out for its strengths in data analytics, AI/ML, and
developer-focused services. Major companies using the GCP cloud include Toyota, Spotify, Twitter, and PayPal.
Market Leader & Market Share
AWS – The Cloud Giant
Why It Leads: Offers the most services (200+), used by startups, enterprises, and governments worldwide
Popular For: Hosting, databases, AI/ML, and nearly everything else in the cloud
Azure – The Enterprise Favorite
Why It Leads: Works perfectly with Microsoft tools like Office 365, Windows Server, and Active Directory
Trusted By: 95% of Fortune 500 companies
GCP
– The Tech & AI Expert
Why It Leads: Great for data analytics, AI, and modern app development
Trusted By: Vertex AI, Gemini, and Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE)
.png)
Global
Infrastructure Comparison
When picking up a cloud provider, looking at service
availability is crucially important. The number of regions with availability
zones can affect application speed. They also affect meeting local data laws,
especially when global or sensitive data is used.
As of July 2025, here’s how the big three cloud providers
stand:
- AWS has 37 geographic regions with 117 availability zones. They plan to add 4 more regions and 13 more availability zones in the immediate future. They serve 700+ edge locations, 13 regional edge caches, and offer Government Cloud support for U.S. and China regions.
- Microsoft
Azure runs 64 regions, with 15 under construction. They
maintain 126 availability zones with 37 more being built. Microsoft maintains 192 edge
locations in global cities, with 4 edge locations in the US government
cloud, and offers Government Cloud support for U.S. and China regions.
- GCP has 42 cloud
regions with 6 new ones coming soon.
They’ve built 127 zones and 202 edge locations and offer Government Cloud
support for U.S. only (no China regions).
AWS: AWS introduced back in 2017 per-second billing,
which started with EC2 Linux instances and EBS volumes. Today, it applies for
most EC2 instance types (Linux-based), Fargate, EKS, with other services—while
charging for EC2 a minimum of 60 seconds.
AZURE: Azure supports per-second billing for Container
Instances, AKS, and a few VM types, but most VMs still follow per-minute
billing.
GCP: After AWS, Google Cloud Platform (GCP) quickly
adopted per-second billing, then offered it on each VM-based instance as it is
uniform in applying per-second billing across compute services like Windows and
Linux.
AWS vs Azure vs GCP: On-Demand Pricing
(Hourly Rates)
General Purpose ( 4 vCPU, 16 GB RAM )
.png)
AWS offers the lowest cost
(especially with Graviton2 ARM-based chips), while GCP is mid-range and Azure
is generally the highest for this category.
Compute-Optimized ( 4 vCPU, 8 GB RAM )
.png)
AWS offers the most affordable compute‑optimized option
at $0.153/hr, Azure is slightly higher at $0.169/hr. and GCP is more costly at $0.2351/hr
but provides double the RAM.
This makes AWS the clear value leader, while GCP offers maximum memory for compute‑optimized workloads.
Cloud Storage Pricing Comparison
All these cloud service providers (AWS, Azure, GCP) compete closely with each other’s and set similar price ranges for storage services. However, Azure being the most cost-effective option. it's important to also look at other cost factors like data transfer or operation charges before making a final choice.
Actual statistics of the history of big 3 cloud
providers: -
Regional Price Variations: Example - m6i.xlarge costs
Source: Azure Status History
Why, GCP Is Where Projects Go to Quietly Disappear (Launch → Ignore → Sunset) -
Source: Killed By Google
My Working Experience –
I personally find Microsoft Azure the most user-friendly. The portal interface is clean, organized, and easy to navigate — which really helps, especially when you're juggling multiple services. With AWS and GCP, I often feel things are a bit more complex. AWS has a massive service catalog that can be overwhelming, and GCP, while cleaner, still takes time to get used to. For me, Azure just makes the overall experience smoother and more intuitive.
Every cloud provider has its strengths:
- Azure is great for Microsoft-heavy environments
- GCP shines in data and machine learning
- AWS is the most widely adopted, with the biggest community
Happy Exploring! Happy Learning!
.png)
.png)
KARTIKMOD
.png&description=            You can’t learn everything at once—but you can start with the cloud that opens the most doors. When I began my clo...){kind=link}
0 Comments