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AWS vs. Azure vs. GCP Cost: Top 3 Cloud Pricing Comparison

AWS vs. Azure vs. GCP cost is one of the hottest buzzwords in the cloud market. The top 3 cloud providers offer highly scalable, affordable, and other additional solutions. However, the pricing models of cloud computing services differ depending on the features and benefits. 

Picking an integrated cloud vendor for your company is not as easy as it seems. You must consider multiple factors, such as unique needs, requirements, business goals, and other vital factors. Amongst all the factors, understanding the pricing structure of each platform is essential. 

In this cloud computing pricing guide, we will help you understand which cloud vendor is cost-effective. Before we dig deep into AWS vs. Azure vs. GCP cost comparison, we will cover some basics of the best cloud providers. 

Amazon AWS

Amazon Web Services (AWS) started in 2006 by offering services such as Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3) and Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2). Within three years of launch, AWS expanded its services by offering Elastic Block Store (EBS), Amazon CloudFront, and Content Delivery Network (CDN). 

Amazon offers 18,000+ services, ranging from machine learning to productivity tools. It offers rich tools, including databases, analytics, management, security, IoT, and enterprise applications. The cloud service provider holds the highest market share in the cloud landscape, making it one of the top choices of enterprises.

The leading cloud provider offers a pay-as-you-go model for its services. The minimum instance you must pay while choosing AWS is USD 69 per month, while the maximum is USD 3.97 per hour. 

Microsoft Azure 

Microsoft Azure offers diverse storage cloud types, helping small and large enterprises shift to the cloud. Azure cloud provider offers Data Lake Storage and Queue Storage for a company with high data storage requirements. 

The file storage service of Azure is a reliable solution to most business requirements. On the other hand, bulk storage is designed for companies to store large amounts of unstructured data. 

Like AWS, Azure also offers a pay-as-you-go pricing model. In addition, one Azure pricing option is “Reserved Instance” (upfront commitment) which allows users to pre-purchase the services. However, you must commit to using the products for at least 1 to 3 years. 

While AWS charges per month or hour, Azure cloud infrastructure services are charged per second. You can choose from many services, such as networking, computing, analytics, and storage. 

Important Update For Azure Spring App Users:

Microsoft Azure has recently launched a consumption pricing plan for Azure Spring Apps. The new plan allows you to start from zero and scale to zero vCPU. The best part about the super-efficient plan is that its costs are the same as Azure Container Apps, but you get the added value of Spring apps. As per the pricing plan, users will be charged only for what they are using. 

Google Cloud Platform

Within a short period, Google Cloud Platform has emerged as a strong competitor for AWS and Azure. In fact, a recent survey of the global tech decision-makers by Google Cloud Platform indicates that IT leaders are looking to the cloud to ensure they are prepared for the future.

41.4% of IT businesses said they had increased the use of cloud-based services and products due to the current economic climate, while 25.9% indicated that they switched from VMs to containers for new or existing applications. 

This means many organizations are switching to the cloud to safeguard their business and stay ahead of the competition. Enterprises looking for a pocket-friendly cloud solution can choose GCP as the platform is much cheaper than AWS and Azure.

The compute pricing of GCP includes multiple pricing models, like free tier options, pay-as-you-go pricing models, and long-term reservations.  trick to choosing the right plan is analyzing several factors, like network, SQL, compute, storage, and serverless pricing. The Google Cloud pricing model offers USD 300 credit for free as customers can spend their amount on the products available. 

Besides, GCP offers multiple free products, including but not limited to storage, database, artificial intelligence, IoT, and computing. In AWS vs. Azure vs. GCP cost comparison, Google Cloud Platform is cost-effective compared to AWS and Azure. With different discount options offered by Google Cloud, the total cost of serverless computing becomes less. 

If you are confused about which cloud platform you should choose to grow your business, Inferenz experts can lend you a helping hand. 

AWS Vs. Azure Vs. GCP Cost Comparison

Organizations need to have the right cloud computing strategy in place to remain competitive in the market. Per the Flexera 2022 State of the Cloud Report, the gap between Azure and AWS is decreasing yearly. 

Small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs) are investing more in AWS than Azure, indicating that the overall cloud spending has grown substantially. For example, while cloud spending was around 38% in 2021, the investment has become 53% in 2022. 

If you are planning to transfer from on-premise to the cloud, choosing the best cloud platform is important.

Below we illustrate the AWS vs. Azure vs. GCP cost comparison. 

Detail  Amazon AWS  Microsoft Azure  GCP 
Type of Discount  Reserved Instances (RIs) Reserved Instances (RIs) Committed Use Discount (CUD)

Sustained Use Discount (SUD)
High Profile Customers  LinkedIn, Facebook, BBC, Airbnb, Twitch, Netflix, Adobe, ESPN, Lamborghini, etc. Apple, HP, Coca-Cola, LG Electronics, Verizon, Xbox, Fujifilm, etc. Twitter, Intel, Yahoo, PayPal, eBay, Target, 20th Century Fox, etc.
Payment Options  3 options are available on AWS – no up-front, partial up-front, and all up-front. All up-front No upfront 
Commitment  1 to 3 years  1 to 3 years  Committed Use Discount (CUD) – 1 or 3 years.

Sustained Use Discount (SUD) – no commitment
Maximum Instance  3.84 TB Ram, 128 vCPUs will price you around – USD 3.97/hour 3.89 TB Ram, 128 v CPUs will price you around – USD 6.97/hour 3.75 TB Ram, 160 v CPUs will price you around – USD 5.32/hour
Minimum Instance  8 GB of Ram and 2 virtual CPUs will price you around – USD 69/month. Pay around USD 70/month for 8 GB of Ram and 2 virtual CPUs. 8 GB of Ram and 2 virtual CPUs will price you around – USD 52/month.
Discount  Up to 75% Up to 72%  Committed Use Discount (CUD) – for 1 year up to 37 percent or 3 years up to 55 percent.

Sustained Use Discount (SUD) – up to 30 percent

Amazon AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud Platform have become the top cloud providers today. The cutthroat competition between the three is getting tough as they fight to secure the number one position in the cloud landscape. In this competition, AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud are decreasing their prices rapidly, making it hard for you to choose one. 

Pick The Best Cloud Provider For Your Company In 2023

Before choosing any one of the cloud service providers, it’s vital to understand your business requirements and end goal. In addition, understanding different plans, features, discount options, resource use, etc., are other critical parameters to look for. 

For instance, if you want a deep feature portfolio, it’s best to choose AWS. Azure could be a better option for companies that operate Microsoft products. GCP is the best choice for companies looking for optimal innovation and low expenses. 

Implementing the best cloud providers is easier said than done. That’s why it’s important to contact experts at Inferenz. We have a dedicated team of experts to help you find the best cloud solution within the budget of your company. Contact Inferenz experts today and let us help you with AWS vs. Azure vs. GCP cost comparison.