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Alibaba Cloud vs Tencent Cloud

Alibaba Cloud logo

Alibaba Cloud

Software

Asia's leading cloud computing provider

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Tencent Cloud logo

Tencent Cloud

Software

Cloud solutions for global enterprises

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

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; Tencent Cloud standard SA5 2-core instance in Beijing is priced at 1567 CNY per year while an 8-core Standard S6 in Shanghai runs 5719 CNY per year
  • They diverge on capability: Alibaba Cloud covers Elastic Compute Service, Tencent Cloud covers CVM - Cloud Virtual Machines.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Alibaba Cloud and Tencent Cloud actually diverge.

Attributes where Alibaba Cloud and Tencent Cloud differ
AttributeAlibaba CloudTencent Cloud
Founded20092010

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
  • Ansible
  • SOC2
  • ISO27001

Only in Tencent Cloud

  • CVM - Cloud Virtual Machines
  • COS - Cloud Object Storage
  • TencentDB
  • SCF - Serverless Computing
  • VPC
  • DDoS protection
  • Firewall

Both cover

  • CDN
  • Load Balancer
  • API Gateway
  • Terraform
  • Docker
  • Kubernetes
  • Data encryption
  • Cloud deployment
  • Linux support
  • Windows support
  • Api support
  • Cli support

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 Tencent Cloud
  • Pay-as-you-go infrastructure without upfront commitmentnot Tencent Cloud
  • Committed-use discounts through savings plans for steady workloadsnot Tencent Cloud
  • CDN and data transfer packages for content deliverynot Tencent Cloud

Tencent Cloud

  • Gaming platformsnot Alibaba Cloud
  • Social medianot Alibaba Cloud
  • Video streamingnot Alibaba Cloud
  • Asia-Pacific deploymentnot Alibaba Cloud
  • Mobile applicationsnot 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

Tencent Cloud

  • Standard SA5 2-core instance in Beijing is priced at 1567 CNY per year while an 8-core Standard S6 in Shanghai runs 5719 CNY per year

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

Tencent Cloud

Free
  • Free TrialFree
    • Free trial credits
    • CVM instances
    • Cloud storage
  • Pay-as-You-GoFree
    • Flexible pricing
    • No long-term contracts
    • Global infrastructure

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.
Alibaba Cloud review

Choose Tencent Cloud if

  • You need cvm - cloud virtual machines.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Windows, Api, Cli.
  • You also want cos - cloud object storage.
Tencent Cloud review

Questions people ask

Is Alibaba Cloud or Tencent Cloud better?
Neither clearly leads. Alibaba Cloud starts at Free and Tencent Cloud at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Alibaba Cloud or Tencent Cloud?
Alibaba Cloud starts at Free and Tencent Cloud at Free.
Does Alibaba Cloud or Tencent 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 Tencent Cloud is typically brought in for.
What can Alibaba Cloud do that Tencent Cloud cannot?
Alibaba Cloud covers Elastic Compute Service, Object Storage Service, RDS Database, MaxCompute. Tencent Cloud covers CVM - Cloud Virtual Machines, COS - Cloud Object Storage, TencentDB, SCF - Serverless Computing. Both handle CDN, Load Balancer, API Gateway, Terraform.
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