Software · head to head
Oracle Cloud vs Alibaba Cloud
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Oracle Cloud the free trial gives US$300 of credit that expires when consumed or after 30 days, whichever comes first; 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: Oracle Cloud covers Autonomous Database, Alibaba Cloud covers Elastic Compute Service.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Oracle Cloud and Alibaba Cloud actually diverge.
| Attribute | Oracle Cloud | Alibaba Cloud |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 2019 | 2009 |
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 Oracle Cloud
- Autonomous Database
- Compute Instances
- MySQL Database Service
- Object Storage
- Block Volume
- Load Balancers
- Virtual Cloud Network
- HIPAA
Only in Alibaba Cloud
- Elastic Compute Service
- Object Storage Service
- RDS Database
- MaxCompute
- Function Compute
- CDN
- Load Balancer
- Data encryption
Both cover
- API Gateway
- Terraform
- Ansible
- Kubernetes
- Docker
- SOC2
- ISO27001
- Cloud deployment
- Linux support
- Windows support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Oracle Cloud
- Running virtual machines, databases and storage on Oracle's cloud infrastructurenot Alibaba Cloud
- Hosting Oracle Database workloads on infrastructure from the same vendornot Alibaba Cloud
Alibaba Cloud
- Cloud compute and storage with a strong footprint in China and Asia Pacificnot Oracle Cloud
- Pay-as-you-go infrastructure without upfront commitmentnot Oracle Cloud
- Committed-use discounts through savings plans for steady workloadsnot Oracle Cloud
- CDN and data transfer packages for content deliverynot Oracle Cloud
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
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
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
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
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 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.
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 Oracle Cloud or Alibaba Cloud better?
- Neither clearly leads. Oracle Cloud 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, Oracle Cloud or Alibaba Cloud?
- Oracle Cloud starts at Free and Alibaba Cloud at Free.
- Does Oracle Cloud or Alibaba 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 Oracle Cloud for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Oracle Cloud best used for?
- Oracle Cloud is most often used for running virtual machines, databases and storage on oracle's cloud infrastructure, hosting oracle database workloads on infrastructure from the same vendor. Of those, running virtual machines, databases and storage on oracle's cloud infrastructure and hosting oracle database workloads on infrastructure from the same vendor are not what Alibaba Cloud is typically brought in for.
- What can Oracle Cloud do that Alibaba Cloud cannot?
- Oracle Cloud covers Autonomous Database, Compute Instances, MySQL Database Service, Object Storage. Alibaba Cloud covers Elastic Compute Service, Object Storage Service, RDS Database, MaxCompute. Both handle API Gateway, Terraform, Ansible, Kubernetes.