Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud (GCP) are the three largest cloud platforms. All three can run almost any application reliably. For a startup or growing business, the best choice usually depends less on raw features and more on your team, your existing tools and your customers.
The short answer
- AWS: the broadest range of services and the largest ecosystem of tools, guides and experienced engineers. A safe default for most web apps and SaaS products.
- Azure: the natural fit if your company or customers live in the Microsoft world (Microsoft 365, Active Directory, .NET, enterprise contracts).
- Google Cloud: strong in data analytics and machine learning, with a reputation for developer-friendly tooling and Kubernetes.
Comparison
| AWS | Azure | Google Cloud | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strengths | Breadth of services, ecosystem | Microsoft integration, enterprise | Data, analytics, ML, Kubernetes |
| Best for | Most web apps and SaaS | Microsoft-centric businesses | Data-heavy and ML products |
| Hiring | Largest talent pool | Large, enterprise-focused | Growing |
| Startup credits | Available through programs | Available through programs | Available through programs |
All three offer startup programs with free credits; check their current terms, as they change.
What actually drives your cloud bill
- Compute (servers, containers, serverless functions)
- Databases (managed PostgreSQL, MongoDB-compatible services)
- Storage and data transfer (especially traffic leaving the cloud)
- Idle resources left running after testing
Most startups overspend because of oversized or forgotten resources, not because they picked the "wrong" provider. Set budgets and alerts from day one.
Managed services vs servers
Managed services (databases, queues, serverless functions, container platforms) cost a little more per unit but save engineering time on patching, backups and scaling. For small teams, they are usually worth it.
Multi-cloud: do you need it?
Rarely, at the start. Running on several clouds adds complexity. Instead, use standard tools (containers, PostgreSQL, infrastructure as code) so you could move later if needed.
A sensible starter setup
- One cloud account structure with separate environments (development, staging, production)
- Managed database with automated backups
- Containers or a platform service for the app
- CI/CD so every change is tested and deployed automatically
- Monitoring, logging and cost alerts
- Least-privilege access for every person and service
How we help
We deliver cloud services for scalable, secure and efficient business solutions: AWS, Azure and GCP deployment with CI/CD automation, from an AWS Certified team. Products we have worked on, such as iReport and Parkpnp, run on AWS.
Book a free consultation to plan your setup or reduce your current bill, or read about our cloud services and security and compliance.