Azure vs AWS: Which Cloud Fits Your Stack?

The right answer to Azure vs AWS depends less on features and more on the stack you already run.

Most Azure vs AWS comparisons line up services in a table and name a winner. That skips what decides your real cost: your identity system, licenses, business applications, and team skills. Both platforms are mature and growing fast. According to Synergy Research Group, the global cloud infrastructure market passed $143.4 billion in Q2 2026, up 43% year over year.¹ Most organizations already use both clouds. Flexera's 2026 State of the Cloud survey found that 83% of organizations run active workloads on AWS and 79% on Azure.²

A quick disclosure, because this is an honest comparison. Redefine works on both platforms. We deliver Azure consulting and AWS consulting services, so we have no reason to force one answer.

What Is the Difference Between Azure and AWS?

The main difference between Azure and AWS is their starting point. AWS grew from cloud infrastructure and developer tools. Azure grew from the Microsoft enterprise stack.

AWS launched in 2006 as the first major public cloud and built its lead with developers and cloud-native companies.

Microsoft Azure launched in 2010. Azure extends Windows Server, SQL Server, Microsoft 365, and Dynamics 365 into the cloud with little friction.

A business that already runs on Microsoft usually finds Azure simpler, and a Linux or open-source team usually finds AWS more natural. An IT consulting review of your current systems usually makes the answer clear.

Which Cloud Provider Has the Largest Market Share in 2026?

AWS has the largest market share among cloud providers. According to Synergy Research Group, Amazon held 28% of the global cloud infrastructure market in Q2 2026, Microsoft held 20%, and Google held 15%.¹

Both leaders are accelerating. Amazon's Q2 2026 earnings release reported AWS net sales of $42.2 billion, up 37%, its fastest growth in 18 quarters.³ Microsoft's fiscal Q4 2026 earnings release reported 43% growth in Azure and other cloud services, and Azure revenue passed $100 billion for the first time in fiscal 2026.⁴

Market share shows that AWS and Azure are both safe long-term bets. Market share does not show which cloud fits your business, so let your digital transformation roadmap drive the choice instead.

Azure Comparison at a Glance: AWS vs Azure Side by Side

According to AWS, the AWS Cloud spans 124 Availability Zones across 39 geographic Regions.⁵ Microsoft states that Azure has more geographies than any other cloud provider.⁶

AWS and Azure offer near-identical core services. The real difference is what each service connects to. If you plan to run custom software on either cloud, pick the one your developers already know.

Azure vs AWS Pros and Cons

AWS pros

• Largest market share and the broadest service catalog
• Most-used cloud among developers: 45.9% of professional developers used AWS in the 2025 Stack Overflow Developer Survey, compared with 27.2% for Azure⁷
• Strong fit for Linux, containers, and cloud-native builds

AWS cons

• Microsoft license reuse carries more restrictions
• A separate identity layer to manage if you run Microsoft 365

Microsoft Azure pros

• Native connection to Microsoft 365, Entra ID, Dynamics 365, and Power BI
• Azure Hybrid Benefit lowers Windows Server and SQL Server costs
• Strong hybrid management with Azure Arc

Microsoft Azure cons

• Less benefit for teams with little Microsoft footprint
• A smaller developer community than AWS, so AWS skills are easier to hire

Whichever cloud you pick, plan ERP integration early.

How Do AWS and Azure Cloud Services Compare?

AWS and Azure cloud services are closely matched; the differences sit in compute options, storage ecosystems, and database fit.

Compute

AWS EC2 offers the widest range of instance types, including AWS Graviton processors for Linux price-performance. Azure Virtual Machines cover the same ground and run Windows Server with fewer licensing steps.

Storage

Amazon S3 set the standard for object storage, and most third-party tools support S3 first. Azure Blob Storage matches S3 on tiers and durability and plugs straight into Microsoft services.

Databases

AWS offers the broader menu of managed databases, from Aurora to DynamoDB. Azure is the natural home for SQL Server, since Azure SQL Managed Instance runs existing SQL Server databases with little rework. Our data and analytics team often sees the database decide the cloud: SQL Server estates lean toward Azure.

Is Azure Cheaper Than AWS?

Azure is often cheaper than AWS for Windows Server and SQL Server workloads, because of license reuse. For Linux workloads, Azure and AWS prices are usually close. Both clouds offer pay-as-you-go rates, one-year and three-year commitments, and savings plans.

Azure Hybrid Benefit lets you bring existing Windows Server and SQL Server licenses with Software Assurance to Azure. Microsoft states that Azure Hybrid Benefit saves up to 36% on Windows Server and up to 29% on SQL Server compared with the leading cloud provider, and up to 80% against pay-as-you-go when combined with reserved instances.⁸ Test these vendor figures against your own workloads.

Egress fees matter too. Both clouds include 100 GB of free internet egress each month. After that, at US rates, AWS charges $0.09 per GB for the first 10 TB from US East (N. Virginia),⁹ and Azure charges $0.087 per GB for the next 10 TB in North America.¹⁰ Cost control matters more than the starting rate: Flexera's 2026 survey found that 85% of organizations name managing cloud spend as a top challenge.²

Existing Microsoft 365 or Dynamics 365 licenses can tilt the math toward Azure. Our Microsoft Dynamics 365 consulting work often starts by mapping which licenses a business already owns.

Is Azure or AWS More Secure?

Azure and AWS are equally secure at the infrastructure level. The practical difference is identity: Azure uses the same Microsoft Entra ID directory that signs in Microsoft 365 users, so one set of accounts covers your cloud and your apps.

AWS IAM gives very fine-grained control over every resource, and it can connect to Entra ID, but you then manage two identity layers.

On compliance, AWS and Azure are evenly matched. Both list SOC 2, ISO 27001, PCI DSS, and FedRAMP, along with HIPAA support, in their official compliance programs.^11,12 Both also follow a shared responsibility model: the cloud secures its infrastructure, and you secure your configuration and data.

If your ERP and CRM run on Microsoft Dynamics 365, Azure keeps identity, audit logs, and data residency rules in one place, which simplifies audits.

Which Is Better for Hybrid and Multi-Cloud, Azure or AWS?

In our experience, Azure is the stronger choice for hybrid and multi-cloud management. Azure Arc manages servers, Kubernetes clusters, and databases across your data center, AWS, and Google Cloud from one Azure control plane, and Azure Local runs Azure services on your own hardware. AWS Outposts brings AWS hardware on-premises for teams that want the same AWS APIs everywhere. Hybrid is the norm: Flexera's 2026 survey found that 73% of organizations operate hybrid cloud environments.²

Two clouds only work when data moves cleanly between them. Plan cloud integration services before the second cloud arrives, not after.

Is Azure or AWS Better for AI?

Azure is better for AI when your data lives in Microsoft tools, and AWS is better when you want a wide choice of foundation models or your data lake already sits in Amazon S3.

Azure offers Azure OpenAI and Microsoft Foundry (formerly Azure AI Foundry) for AI apps and agents, tied to Microsoft 365, Microsoft Fabric, and Power BI. AWS offers Amazon Bedrock, with foundation models from several providers through one API, plus Amazon SageMaker for custom model training. Demand is broad: Flexera's 2026 survey found that 81% of organizations use generative AI, up from 72% a year earlier.²

The better AI platform is the one that can reach your data. If your reporting runs on Power BI, Azure AI reaches it with less plumbing. Our AI services team starts every AI project with a data map, not a model choice.

Where Does Google Cloud Fit Among the Cloud Providers?

Google Cloud is the third-largest cloud provider, with 15% of the global market in Q2 2026 according to Synergy Research Group.¹ Google Cloud is strongest in data analytics with BigQuery, in Kubernetes, which Google originally developed, and in AI through Vertex AI and Gemini models. In the 2025 Stack Overflow Developer Survey, 24.3% of professional developers used Google Cloud.⁷

Google Cloud makes the shortlist when analytics or Kubernetes is the core workload. For most mid-market companies, the choice still comes down to Azure or AWS. Our consulting services stay platform-neutral, so all three can stay on the table.

Which Cloud Fits Your Stack?

Choose Microsoft Azure if

• Your people sign in with Microsoft 365 and Entra ID
• You run Windows Server, SQL Server, or .NET applications
• Your ERP or CRM runs on Dynamics 365 or Business Central

Choose AWS if

• You build cloud-native or Linux-first applications
• Your developers already know AWS tools and services
• You need the widest catalog of specialized services

Three Common Stacks and Their Best Fit

Scenario 1: A Microsoft-first manufacturer or distributor

What the stack looks like

Microsoft 365, Entra ID, SQL Server reporting, Power BI dashboards, and an ERP on Dynamics 365 Business Central or moving to it.

Best fit: Microsoft Azure

Azure gives this business one identity system, reusable licenses, and native connections to its ERP. Pair the move with a Business Central implementation so the cloud and ERP decisions support each other.

Scenario 2: A cloud-native software or ecommerce team

What the stack looks like

Linux containers, open-source databases, a data lake in Amazon S3, and developers who already use AWS.

Best fit: AWS

AWS wins on service breadth and team familiarity. Moving to Azure would add retraining without a clear payoff.

Scenario 3: An enterprise after an acquisition

What the stack looks like

One business unit on Azure, another on AWS, plus shared finance and HR systems on Microsoft.

Best fit: Both, with Azure as the primary cloud

When shared systems run on Microsoft, Azure is the natural primary cloud for identity, and existing AWS workloads can stay where they work.

When Azure is the wrong choice

Azure is the wrong primary cloud if your team has deep AWS skills, your stack has little Microsoft footprint, or your core services depend on AWS-only features.

A Five-Step Cloud Platform Comparison Roadmap

1. Map your stack. List every application, database, identity system, and license that touches your workloads.
2. Price real workloads. Model your top five workloads on both clouds, with your licenses, egress, and support included.
3. Check team skills. Count who knows each platform and price the training gap. A strategy roadmap workshop puts IT, finance, and operations in the same room for this step.
4. Plan data movement. Decide how data flows between your cloud, ERP, CRM, and reporting before you migrate. Our data integration services scope this connection by connection.
5. Pilot, then commit. Move one real workload, measure cost and performance for 60 to 90 days, then sign a longer commitment.

Cloud Platform Selection Checklist

If you cannot check most of these boxes yet, a short consulting assessment fills the gaps before you sign anything.

Frequently Asked Questions

The Honest Verdict

There is no single best cloud. AWS is the right call for cloud-native teams, Linux-heavy workloads, and businesses that want the widest service catalog. Microsoft Azure is the right call when your identity, licenses, ERP, and reporting already run on Microsoft, because each connection gets simpler and often cheaper.

Connected Microsoft systems pay off. Redefine client Parsons Kellogg grew annual revenue from under $14 million to over $120 million across 30 stores after unifying its backends on Microsoft Dynamics 365 with real-time Power BI reporting. See more in our client case studies.

Talk to the Redefine Azure consulting team

Sources & Citations

Primary research, official earnings releases, and official vendor pages used for the statistics and claims in this guide (pricing checked September 2026):