Software · head to head
AWS (Amazon Web Services) vs Oracle 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; Oracle Cloud the free trial gives US$300 of credit that expires when consumed or after 30 days, whichever comes first
- They diverge on capability: AWS (Amazon Web Services) covers EC2 - Virtual Servers, Oracle Cloud covers Autonomous Database.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which AWS (Amazon Web Services) and Oracle Cloud actually diverge.
| Attribute | AWS (Amazon Web Services) | Oracle Cloud |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | Web, Api, Cli, Mobile | Linux, Windows, Api, Cli |
| Founded | 2006 | 2019 |
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 Oracle Cloud
- Autonomous Database
- Compute Instances
- MySQL Database Service
- Object Storage
- Block Volume
- Load Balancers
- Virtual Cloud Network
- API Gateway
Both cover
- Terraform
- Kubernetes
- Docker
- SOC2
- ISO27001
- HIPAA
- PCI-DSS
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
AWS (Amazon Web Services)
- Web hostingnot Oracle Cloud
- Data storagenot Oracle Cloud
- Machine learningnot Oracle Cloud
- Big data analyticsnot Oracle Cloud
- Application developmentnot Oracle Cloud
Oracle Cloud
- Running virtual machines, databases and storage on Oracle's cloud infrastructurenot AWS (Amazon Web Services)
- Hosting Oracle Database workloads on infrastructure from the same vendornot 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
Oracle Cloud
- The free trial gives US$300 of credit that expires when consumed or after 30 days, whichever comes first
- The US$300 cloud credit is available only in select countries
- Only one Oracle Cloud Free Trial or Always Free account is permitted per person
- Accounts left idle for 30 days or more are eligible for suspension or termination as abandoned
- Always Free NoSQL Database is restricted to the Phoenix region
- Free Tier availability is subject to capacity limits, and the published per-service capacity figures are estimates that assume the entire credit is spent on that one service
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
Oracle Cloud
Free- Always FreeFree
- Oracle Autonomous Database
- 2 compute instances
- 100 GB storage
- Pay-as-You-GoFree
- Flexible pricing
- No long-term commitment
- Enterprise support
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 Oracle Cloud if
- You need autonomous database.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Linux, Windows, Api, Cli.
- You also want compute instances.
Questions people ask
- Is AWS (Amazon Web Services) or Oracle Cloud better?
- Neither clearly leads. AWS (Amazon Web Services) starts at Free and Oracle 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 Oracle Cloud?
- AWS (Amazon Web Services) starts at Free and Oracle Cloud at Free.
- Does AWS (Amazon Web Services) or Oracle Cloud run on more platforms?
- AWS (Amazon Web Services) runs on Web, Api, Cli, Mobile. Oracle 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 Oracle Cloud is typically brought in for.
- What can AWS (Amazon Web Services) do that Oracle Cloud cannot?
- AWS (Amazon Web Services) covers EC2 - Virtual Servers, S3 - Object Storage, RDS - Managed Database, Lambda - Serverless Computing. Oracle Cloud covers Autonomous Database, Compute Instances, MySQL Database Service, Object Storage. Both handle Terraform, Kubernetes, Docker, SOC2.