Cloud & Infrastructure · head to head
AWS (Amazon Web Services) vs Render
AWS (Amazon Web Services)
Cloud & Infrastructure
The leading cloud computing platform
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
Render
Cloud & Infrastructure
A modern cloud platform for the next generation
- 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; Render the free Hobby workspace is limited to 25 services and 5 GB of bandwidth
- They diverge on capability: AWS (Amazon Web Services) covers EC2 - Virtual Servers, Render covers Web services.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which AWS (Amazon Web Services) and Render actually diverge.
| Attribute | AWS (Amazon Web Services) | Render |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | Web, Api, Cli, Mobile | Web, Api |
| Founded | 2006 | 2019 |
Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (usage-based), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Cloud & Infrastructure).
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 Render
- Web services
- Static sites
- Background workers
- Postgres database
- Redis database
- Scheduled jobs
- Environment variables
- Custom domains
Both cover
- Docker
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
AWS (Amazon Web Services)
- Web hostingnot Render
- Data storagenot Render
- Machine learningnot Render
- Big data analyticsnot Render
- Application developmentnot Render
Render
- Deploying web services, static sites and cron jobs from a Git repository without managing serversnot AWS (Amazon Web Services)
- Running managed Postgres and Redis alongside application servicesnot AWS (Amazon Web Services)
- Preview environments per pull request for small teamsnot 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
Render
- The free Hobby workspace is limited to 25 services and 5 GB of bandwidth
- Every paid plan charges the workspace fee plus compute on top, so $25 per month for Pro is a floor rather than a total
- SAML SSO and SCIM require the Scale plan at $499 per month
- HIPAA-compliant workspaces, inbound IP rules and advanced RBAC roles are Scale plan features
- Organization-level audit logs require Scale; Pro provides only workspace audit logs
- Contractual uptime SLAs, support response SLAs and a technical account manager are Enterprise only, and Enterprise is custom priced with no published rate
- Included bandwidth is 25 GB on Pro and 1 TB on Scale, with usage beyond that billed separately
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
Render
Free- FreeFree
- 1 web service
- 1 static site
- Shared CPU
- Starter$7/month
- Unlimited services
- Dedicated CPU
- 2GB RAM
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 Render if
- You need web services.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Api.
- You also want static sites.
Questions people ask
- Is AWS (Amazon Web Services) or Render better?
- Neither clearly leads. AWS (Amazon Web Services) starts at Free and Render 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 Render?
- AWS (Amazon Web Services) starts at Free and Render at Free.
- Does AWS (Amazon Web Services) or Render run on more platforms?
- AWS (Amazon Web Services) runs on Web, Api, Cli, Mobile. Render runs on Web, Api.
- 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 Render is typically brought in for.
- What can AWS (Amazon Web Services) do that Render cannot?
- AWS (Amazon Web Services) covers EC2 - Virtual Servers, S3 - Object Storage, RDS - Managed Database, Lambda - Serverless Computing. Render covers Web services, Static sites, Background workers, Postgres database. Both handle Docker.