AWS, Azure and Google Cloud: A Plain Comparison
The three big cloud providers — Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud Platform (GCP) — offer broadly similar capabilities, yet each has its own personality, strengths and pricing quirks.
This article gives you a plain-English sense of where each one tends to shine, so the recommendation in your proposal makes sense rather than feeling arbitrary.
They Are More Alike Than Different
All three can host websites, run databases, store files and scale automatically. For most projects, any of them would do the job competently. The deciding factors are usually your existing tools, your team's skills and specific feature needs.
| Provider | Tends to suit | Notable strength |
|---|---|---|
| AWS | Broadest range of needs | Largest service catalogue and maturity |
| Azure | Microsoft-centric businesses | Tight links to Windows, Office 365 and Active Directory |
| Google Cloud | Data and analytics workloads | Strong data, machine learning and Kubernetes heritage |
Frequently Asked Questions
Which one is cheapest?
There is no single answer. Pricing depends heavily on what you run and how you configure it; the headline rates are rarely what you actually pay.
Can I switch later?
Yes, but moving between providers takes effort. We design to reduce lock-in where it is practical to do so.
If you need a hand with any of this, your Progressive Robot delivery team is ready to help. Raise a ticket from the Support area of your client portal or speak to your account manager and we will guide you through the next steps.