Software · head to head
AWS (Amazon Web Services) vs Alibaba Cloud
AWS (Amazon Web Services)
Software
The leading cloud computing platform
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: AWS (Amazon Web Services) data transfer in is free and data transfer out is charged, which is the standard source of unexpected bills; 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
- They diverge on capability: AWS (Amazon Web Services) covers EC2 - Virtual Servers, Alibaba Cloud covers Elastic Compute Service.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which AWS (Amazon Web Services) and Alibaba Cloud actually diverge.
| Attribute | AWS (Amazon Web Services) | Alibaba Cloud |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | Web, Api, Cli, Mobile | Linux, Windows, Api, Cli |
| Founded | 2006 | 2009 |
Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (usage-based), free tier (Yes), 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 AWS (Amazon Web Services)
- EC2 - Virtual Servers
- S3 - Object Storage
- RDS - Managed Database
- Lambda - Serverless Computing
- CloudFront - CDN
- VPC - Virtual Network
- IAM - Access Management
- CloudWatch - Monitoring
Only in Alibaba Cloud
- Elastic Compute Service
- Object Storage Service
- RDS Database
- MaxCompute
- Function Compute
- CDN
- Load Balancer
- API Gateway
Both cover
- Terraform
- Kubernetes
- Docker
- SOC2
- ISO27001
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
AWS (Amazon Web Services)
- Web hostingnot Alibaba Cloud
- Data storagenot Alibaba Cloud
- Machine learningnot Alibaba Cloud
- Big data analyticsnot Alibaba Cloud
- Application developmentnot Alibaba Cloud
Alibaba Cloud
- Cloud compute and storage with a strong footprint in China and Asia Pacificnot AWS (Amazon Web Services)
- Pay-as-you-go infrastructure without upfront commitmentnot AWS (Amazon Web Services)
- Committed-use discounts through savings plans for steady workloadsnot AWS (Amazon Web Services)
- CDN and data transfer packages for content deliverynot AWS (Amazon Web Services)
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
AWS (Amazon Web Services)
- Data transfer in is free and data transfer out is charged, which is the standard source of unexpected bills
- Discounts require one or three year Savings Plan commitments rather than being automatic
- Every service is priced separately, so a working architecture has no single published cost
- The free tier is a promotional allowance rather than an ongoing free plan
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
Pricing, plan by plan
AWS (Amazon Web Services)
Free- AWS Free TierFree
- EC2 750 hours/month
- 5GB S3 storage
- 20GB data transfer
- Pay-As-You-GoFree
- No upfront payment
- No long-term commitments
- Pay only for what you use
Alibaba Cloud
Free- Free TrialFree
- Free tier credits
- ECS instances
- Cloud storage
- Pay-as-You-GoFree
- Flexible billing
- No commitments
- Global reach
Which should you pick?
Choose AWS (Amazon Web Services) if
- You need ec2 - virtual servers.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Api, Cli, Mobile.
- You also want s3 - object storage.
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.
Questions people ask
- Is AWS (Amazon Web Services) or Alibaba Cloud better?
- Neither clearly leads. AWS (Amazon Web Services) starts at Free and Alibaba Cloud at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, AWS (Amazon Web Services) or Alibaba Cloud?
- AWS (Amazon Web Services) starts at Free and Alibaba Cloud at Free.
- Does AWS (Amazon Web Services) or Alibaba Cloud run on more platforms?
- AWS (Amazon Web Services) runs on Web, Api, Cli, Mobile. Alibaba Cloud runs on Linux, Windows, Api, Cli.
- Can I use AWS (Amazon Web Services) for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is AWS (Amazon Web Services) best used for?
- AWS (Amazon Web Services) is most often used for web hosting, data storage, machine learning, big data analytics. Of those, web hosting and data storage are not what Alibaba Cloud is typically brought in for.
- What can AWS (Amazon Web Services) do that Alibaba Cloud cannot?
- AWS (Amazon Web Services) covers EC2 - Virtual Servers, S3 - Object Storage, RDS - Managed Database, Lambda - Serverless Computing. Alibaba Cloud covers Elastic Compute Service, Object Storage Service, RDS Database, MaxCompute. Both handle Terraform, Kubernetes, Docker, SOC2.