Softwr

Software · head to head

AWS (Amazon Web Services) vs Box

AWS (Amazon Web Services) logo

AWS (Amazon Web Services)

Software

The leading cloud computing platform

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Box logo

Box

Software

Cloud content management for the enterprise

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only AWS (Amazon Web Services) has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • 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; Box all Business and Enterprise plans require a minimum of 3 users

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which AWS (Amazon Web Services) and Box actually diverge.

Attributes where AWS (Amazon Web Services) and Box differ
AttributeAWS (Amazon Web Services)Box
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelusage-basedsubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Api, Cli, MobileWeb
Founded2006Unknown

Identical on both: 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 Box

Nothing recorded that AWS (Amazon Web Services) does not also cover.

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

AWS (Amazon Web Services)

  • Web hostingnot Box
  • Data storagenot Box
  • Machine learningnot Box
  • Big data analyticsnot Box
  • Application developmentnot Box

Box

No use cases recorded yet. See the Box review.

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

Box

  • All Business and Enterprise plans require a minimum of 3 users
  • Business Starter ($5/user/month) caps at 100 GB of shared storage across the whole account and a 2 GB per file upload limit
  • Enterprise Plus requires annual billing, and Enterprise Advanced's exact price is not published on the pricing page

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

Box

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Box review.

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.
AWS (Amazon Web Services) review

Choose Box if

Nothing in the data separates Box from AWS (Amazon Web Services) on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.

Box review

Questions people ask

Is AWS (Amazon Web Services) or Box better?
Neither clearly leads. AWS (Amazon Web Services) starts at Free and Box at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, AWS (Amazon Web Services) or Box?
AWS (Amazon Web Services) has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for AWS (Amazon Web Services) and On request for Box.
Does AWS (Amazon Web Services) or Box run on more platforms?
AWS (Amazon Web Services) runs on Web, Api, Cli, Mobile. Box runs on Web.
Can I use AWS (Amazon Web Services) for free?
Yes. AWS (Amazon Web Services) has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Box starts at On request.
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 Box is typically brought in for.
What can AWS (Amazon Web Services) do that Box cannot?
AWS (Amazon Web Services) covers EC2 - Virtual Servers, S3 - Object Storage, RDS - Managed Database, Lambda - Serverless Computing.
ShareXLinkedInRedditWhatsAppEmail

Related pages

More on AWS (Amazon Web Services)

More on Box

Keep looking

Other head to heads