Software · head to head
Alibaba Cloud vs IBM Cloud
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Alibaba Cloud technical support is a separate subscription, from $19.99 a month for Developer up to $8,000 a month for Enterprise, with only Basic included; IBM Cloud the USD 200 starter cloud credit is valid for 30 days only
- They diverge on capability: Alibaba Cloud covers Elastic Compute Service, IBM Cloud covers Virtual Servers.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Alibaba Cloud and IBM Cloud actually diverge.
| Attribute | Alibaba Cloud | IBM Cloud |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 2009 | 2013 |
Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (usage-based), free tier (Yes), platforms (Linux, Windows, Api, Cli), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in Alibaba Cloud
- Elastic Compute Service
- Object Storage Service
- RDS Database
- MaxCompute
- Function Compute
- CDN
- Load Balancer
- Data encryption
Only in IBM Cloud
- Virtual Servers
- Bare Metal
- Cloud Foundry
- Watson AI
- Blockchain
- Databases
- Jenkins
- HIPAA
Both cover
- API Gateway
- Terraform
- Ansible
- Docker
- Kubernetes
- SOC2
- ISO27001
- Cloud deployment
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Alibaba Cloud
- Cloud compute and storage with a strong footprint in China and Asia Pacificnot IBM Cloud
- Pay-as-you-go infrastructure without upfront commitmentnot IBM Cloud
- Committed-use discounts through savings plans for steady workloadsnot IBM Cloud
- CDN and data transfer packages for content deliverynot IBM Cloud
IBM Cloud
- Running containerized and VM workloads on IBM's public cloudnot Alibaba Cloud
- Building on Watson APIs and IBM middleware as managed servicesnot Alibaba Cloud
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Alibaba Cloud
- Technical support is a separate subscription, from $19.99 a month for Developer up to $8,000 a month for Enterprise, with only Basic included
- Service prices are not shown as a rate card and route through a calculator or sales
- Committed discounts require savings plans, reserved instances or capacity packages rather than being automatic
IBM Cloud
- The USD 200 starter cloud credit is valid for 30 days only
- The larger promotional credits are time boxed: USD 1,000 for Bare Metal Servers for VPC over 120 days, USD 2,500 for Power Virtual Server over 90 days, and USD 5,000 for Backup and Recovery over 90 days
- The USD 5,000 Backup and Recovery promotion is valid for new clients only and requires a checkout promo code
- The listed promotions carry an expiry date of 31 December 2026
- Beyond the free tier the account is pay as you go, so cost tracks usage with no published cap
Pricing, plan by plan
Alibaba Cloud
Free- Free TrialFree
- Free tier credits
- ECS instances
- Cloud storage
- Pay-as-You-GoFree
- Flexible billing
- No commitments
- Global reach
IBM Cloud
Free- Lite PlanFree
- Free services
- Limited resources
- 30-day trial
- Standard PlanFree
- Pay-as-you-go
- Enterprise support
- Advanced services
Which should you pick?
Choose Alibaba Cloud if
- You need elastic compute service.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Linux, Windows, Api, Cli.
- You also want object storage service.
Choose IBM Cloud if
- You need virtual servers.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Linux, Windows, Api, Cli.
- You also want bare metal.
Questions people ask
- Is Alibaba Cloud or IBM Cloud better?
- Neither clearly leads. Alibaba Cloud starts at Free and IBM Cloud at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Alibaba Cloud or IBM Cloud?
- Alibaba Cloud starts at Free and IBM Cloud at Free.
- Does Alibaba Cloud or IBM Cloud run on more platforms?
- Both run on Linux, Windows, Api, Cli, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
- Can I use Alibaba Cloud for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Alibaba Cloud best used for?
- Alibaba Cloud is most often used for cloud compute and storage with a strong footprint in china and asia pacific, pay-as-you-go infrastructure without upfront commitment, committed-use discounts through savings plans for steady workloads, cdn and data transfer packages for content delivery. Of those, cloud compute and storage with a strong footprint in china and asia pacific and pay-as-you-go infrastructure without upfront commitment are not what IBM Cloud is typically brought in for.
- What can Alibaba Cloud do that IBM Cloud cannot?
- Alibaba Cloud covers Elastic Compute Service, Object Storage Service, RDS Database, MaxCompute. IBM Cloud covers Virtual Servers, Bare Metal, Cloud Foundry, Watson AI. Both handle API Gateway, Terraform, Ansible, Docker.