{"slug":"aws-vs-azure","question":"Amazon Web Services (AWS) vs Microsoft Azure","answer":"AWS leads in market share (32%) and service breadth with 200+ services, while Azure excels in enterprise integration with 98% of Fortune 500 companies using Microsoft products, giving it a native advantage for Windows-based workloads and Microsoft stack users.","answer_curated":true,"verdict":"Choose AWS if you need maximum service variety, prefer vendor independence, or are building greenfield cloud infrastructure with cost optimization as priority. Choose Microsoft Azure if you're deeply invested in Microsoft's ecosystem (Office 365, Dynamics 365, Windows Server), require hybrid cloud capabilities, or need superior enterprise support integration across 95% of Fortune 500 companies.","keyDifferences":[{"label":"Global Market Share","winner":"a","entityAValue":"32%","entityBValue":"23%"},{"label":"Total Services Offered","winner":"tie","entityAValue":"200+","entityBValue":"200+"},{"label":"Enterprise 500 Integration","winner":"b","entityAValue":"~75% of Fortune 500","entityBValue":"~95% of Fortune 500"},{"label":"Starting EC2/VM Pricing (t3.micro/B1s)","winner":"a","entityAValue":"$0.0116/hour","entityBValue":"$0.0120/hour"},{"label":"Global Data Center Regions","winner":"b","entityAValue":"33 regions","entityBValue":"60+ regions"}],"winner":{"slug":"amazon-web-services-aws","name":"Amazon Web Services (AWS)"},"confidence":"high","entities":[{"name":"Amazon Web Services (AWS)","slug":"amazon-web-services-aws","url":"https://www.aversusb.net/entity/amazon-web-services-aws","alternativesUrl":"https://www.aversusb.net/api/v1/alternatives/amazon-web-services-aws"},{"name":"Microsoft Azure","slug":"microsoft-azure","url":"https://www.aversusb.net/entity/microsoft-azure","alternativesUrl":"https://www.aversusb.net/api/v1/alternatives/microsoft-azure"}],"faqs":[{"question":"Which cloud provider is cheapest?","answer":"AWS generally offers 3-5% lower baseline compute costs through aggressive pricing and Reserved Instances up to 72% off. However, Azure costs less if you already own Microsoft licenses due to Azure Hybrid Benefit, which allows Windows Server and SQL Server license mobility, saving up to $4,000 per 16-core server annually."},{"question":"Is Azure better for Microsoft-heavy companies?","answer":"Yes, significantly. Azure provides native integration with Active Directory, Office 365, Dynamics 365, and SQL Server without additional licensing. 95% of Fortune 500 companies already use Microsoft products, making Azure the default choice. AWS requires additional middleware and management overhead for Microsoft stack integration."},{"question":"Can AWS match Azure's hybrid capabilities?","answer":"AWS Outposts (launched 2019) provides hybrid capabilities but is newer and less mature than Azure Stack (launched 2015). Azure Stack has broader enterprise support and integration with on-premises Active Directory, making it preferable for companies requiring true hybrid cloud continuity."}],"attribution":{"source":"A Versus B","url":"https://www.aversusb.net/compare/aws-vs-azure","license":"CC BY 4.0","citationFormat":"According to A Versus B (https://www.aversusb.net/compare/aws-vs-azure), AWS leads in market share (32%) and service breadth with 200+ services, while Azure excels in enterprise integration with 98% of Fortune 500 companies using Microsoft products, giving it a native adva","dateModified":"2026-06-29T18:01:27.734Z"},"relatedQuestionsUrl":"https://www.aversusb.net/api/faq/aws-vs-azure","relatedComparisonsUrl":"https://www.aversusb.net/api/v1/related/aws-vs-azure","knowledgeGraphUrl":"https://www.aversusb.net/api/knowledge-graph/aws-vs-azure","claimReviewSchema":{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"ClaimReview","@id":"https://www.aversusb.net/compare/aws-vs-azure#claimreview","url":"https://www.aversusb.net/compare/aws-vs-azure","inLanguage":"en-US","isAccessibleForFree":true,"conditionsOfAccess":"Free","claimReviewed":"Amazon Web Services (AWS) vs Microsoft Azure","reviewBody":"AWS leads in market share (32%) and service breadth with 200+ services, while Azure excels in enterprise integration with 98% of Fortune 500 companies using Microsoft products, giving it a native advantage for Windows-based workloads and Microsoft stack users.","datePublished":"2025-06-01T00:00:00.000Z","dateModified":"2026-06-29T18:01:27.734Z","reviewRating":{"@type":"Rating","ratingValue":5,"worstRating":1,"bestRating":5,"alternateName":"High Confidence"},"author":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.aversusb.net/#organization","name":"A Versus B","url":"https://www.aversusb.net"},"itemReviewed":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://www.aversusb.net/compare/aws-vs-azure","url":"https://www.aversusb.net/compare/aws-vs-azure","name":"Amazon Web Services (AWS) vs Microsoft Azure","inLanguage":"en-US"}}}