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Oracle Cloud vs AWS (Amazon Web Services)

Oracle Cloud logo

Oracle Cloud

Software

Enterprise cloud computing services

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
AWS (Amazon Web Services) logo

AWS (Amazon Web Services)

Software

The leading cloud computing platform

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

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; AWS (Amazon Web Services) data transfer in is free and data transfer out is charged, which is the standard source of unexpected bills
  • They diverge on capability: Oracle Cloud covers Autonomous Database, AWS (Amazon Web Services) covers EC2 - Virtual Servers.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Oracle Cloud and AWS (Amazon Web Services) differ
AttributeOracle CloudAWS (Amazon Web Services)
PlatformsLinux, Windows, Api, CliWeb, Api, Cli, Mobile
Founded20192006

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 Oracle Cloud

  • Autonomous Database
  • Compute Instances
  • MySQL Database Service
  • Object Storage
  • Block Volume
  • Load Balancers
  • Virtual Cloud Network
  • API Gateway

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

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.

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)

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

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

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

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

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

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.
Oracle Cloud review

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

Questions people ask

Is Oracle Cloud or AWS (Amazon Web Services) better?
Neither clearly leads. Oracle Cloud starts at Free and AWS (Amazon Web Services) at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Oracle Cloud or AWS (Amazon Web Services)?
Oracle Cloud starts at Free and AWS (Amazon Web Services) at Free.
Does Oracle Cloud or AWS (Amazon Web Services) run on more platforms?
Oracle Cloud runs on Linux, Windows, Api, Cli. AWS (Amazon Web Services) runs on Web, Api, Cli, Mobile.
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 AWS (Amazon Web Services) is typically brought in for.
What can Oracle Cloud do that AWS (Amazon Web Services) cannot?
Oracle Cloud covers Autonomous Database, Compute Instances, MySQL Database Service, Object Storage. AWS (Amazon Web Services) covers EC2 - Virtual Servers, S3 - Object Storage, RDS - Managed Database, Lambda - Serverless Computing. Both handle Terraform, Kubernetes, Docker, SOC2.
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