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AWS vs Google Cloud vs Azure: Performance Battle
Team Trantor | Updated: December 28, 2025
Enterprise leaders face the same tough question every day: AWS vs Azure vs Google Cloud—which platform truly delivers for your workloads, budget, and business goals? In 2026, with cloud spend projected to exceed $1 trillion globally, the stakes have never been higher. This isn’t about vendor hype; it’s about matching platforms to real enterprise needs like hybrid integration, AI acceleration, compliance, and total cost of ownership.
At Trantor, we’ve guided hundreds of U.S. organizations through AWS vs Azure vs Google Cloud decisions, from initial migrations to multi-cloud optimization. This comprehensive guide breaks down AWS vs Google Cloudvs Azure across compute, storage, databases, AI/ML, security, pricing, and enterprise use cases. Whether you’re evaluating AWS vs Google Cloud for AI innovation or Azure vs AWS for Microsoft ecosystems, you’ll find clear, actionable insights here.
AWS vs Azure vs Google Cloud Market Share: 2026 Landscape
Market share reveals where enterprises place their trust. AWS leads with 30% global share in Q3 2025, followed by Azure at 22% and Google Cloud at 12%. The big three control 64% of the market, with U.S. enterprises driving much of the growth.
AWS vs Google Cloudvs Azure by the numbers:
- AWS dominates hybrid and regulated workloads (finance, healthcare)
- Azure accelerates in Microsoft-centric enterprises and AI agents
- Google Cloud grows fastest in data analytics and ML (20% YoY)
For AWS vs Google Cloudvs Azure decisions, market leadership signals maturity, but your workload patterns matter more than percentages.
AWS vs Azure vs Google Cloud: Compute Services Compared
Compute powers everything from web apps to AI training. AWS EC2, Azure Virtual Machines, and Google Compute Engine all offer flexible instance families, but differ significantly in performance, pricing, and specialization.
Instance Types and Hardware
AWS EC2 leads with 750+ instance types:
- Graviton4 (ARM): 30% cheaper than x86
- Trainium2: ML training at half GPU cost
- Inf2: Optimized inference
Azure Virtual Machines excels in Windows/SQL optimization:
- HBv4: AMD EPYC for HPC
- NV-series: NVIDIA H100/A100 GPUs
Google Compute Engine prioritizes sustained performance:
- Tau T2A: ARM-based
- A3 Mega: Highest GPU density
compute winner: Google for AI training, AWS for mixed workloads.
Compute Pricing Breakdown
Pro tip: AWS Savings Plans offer most flexibility across EC2, Lambda, and Fargate.
AWS vs Google Cloudvs Azure: Storage Services
Object storage handles data lakes, backups, ML datasets, and static content. All platforms are S3-compatible in 2026.
Object Storage Comparison
AWS S3 wins analytics workloads (Athena, Glue integration). Azure Blob excels with Power BI/Synapse. Google Cloud Storage leads BigQuery pipelines.
Block and File Storage
AWS vs Azure vs Google Cloud storage verdict: Match to your analytics stack—AWS for general-purpose, Azure for Microsoft tools, Google for data science.
AWS vs Azure vs Google Cloud: Database Services
Managed databases are mission-critical. Here’s AWS vs Google Cloudvs Azure across relational, NoSQL, and caching.
Relational Databases
NoSQL and Caching:
- AWS: DynamoDB (serverless), ElastiCache
- Azure: Cosmos DB (multi-model), Redis
- Google: Firestore, Memorystore
Vector databases for AI:
- AWS OpenSearch
- Azure AI Search
- Google Vertex AI Vector Search
AWS vs Google Cloudvs Azure database pick: Azure for Microsoft stacks, AWS Aurora for cost/performance balance.
AWS vs Azure vs Google Cloud: AI/ML Platforms
AI/ML separates innovators from followers. AWS SageMaker, Azure Machine Learning, and Google Vertex AI all matured significantly by 2026.
AI/ML Platform Matrix
Standouts:
- Azure: Easiest enterprise LLM deployment
- Google: Fastest/cheapest training
- AWS: Largest model catalog
AWS vs Azure vs Google Cloud: Serverless and Containers
Serverless eliminates servers; containers ensure portability.
Serverless Compute
Containers/Kubernetes:
- AWS: EKS Fargate (managed)
- Azure: AKS (hybrid strong)
- Google: GKE Autopilot (most automated)
AWS vs Azure vs Google Cloud serverless winner: Google Cloud Run for microservices.
AWS vs Azure vs Google Cloud: Networking and Edge
Global enterprises demand low latency and high availability.
Edge computing leader: AWS CloudFront + Lambda@Edge.
AWS vs Azure vs Google Cloud: Security and Compliance
All three meet FedRAMP High, HIPAA, PCI-DSS, but differ in approach.
Security Capabilities
AWS vs Azure vs Google Cloud security: All enterprise-grade. Azure wins hybrid identity; AWS deepest controls.
AWS vs Azure vs Google Cloud: Pricing Deep Dive
Raw pricing favors Google, but enterprise discounts (20-50%) level the field.
Compute TCO Example (t3.medium, 1 year)
Egress Fees: AWS $0.09/GB, Azure $0.087, Google $0.08-0.12.
Optimization Tools:
- AWS Cost Explorer
- Azure Cost Management
- Google Billing Recommender
AWS vs Azure vs Google Cloud: Enterprise Use Cases
Financial Services
Azure — Native SQL/Entra ID, confidential computing for trading platforms.
Healthcare/Life Sciences
AWS — HealthLake, 10PB medical imaging analysis.
Retail/E-commerce
Google Cloud — Real-time BigQuery personalization.
Manufacturing/IoT
AWS — 1TB/hour factory telemetry processing.
Software/SaaS
Google Cloud — GKE + Cloud Build CI/CD.
AWS vs Azure vs Google Cloud: Hybrid/Multi-Cloud
90% of enterprises run multi-cloud. Key enablers:
- AWS: Outposts, Local Zones
- Azure: Arc (Kubernetes anywhere)
- Google: Anthos (multi-cloud leader)
AWS vs Azure vs Google Cloud Migration Strategies
6 Rs Framework:
- Rehost (lift/shift)
- Replatform
- Refactor
- Repurchase
- Retire
- Retain
Free Tools: AWS Migration Evaluator, Azure Migrate, Google Migration Center.
Performance Benchmarks
AWS vs Azure vs Google Cloud: Vendor Lock-in Mitigation
Use Kubernetes, Apache Iceberg, S3-compatible APIs across all platforms.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Which is cheapest: AWS vs Google Cloudvs Azure?
Google wins raw pricing; AWS best long-term commitments.
AWS vs Google Cloudvs Azure for AI/ML?
Google (training), Azure (LLM integration), AWS (model variety).
Can Google Cloud run Windows workloads?
Yes, but Azure optimal for Microsoft stack.
Best Kubernetes: AWS vs Google Cloudvs Azure?
Google GKE Autopilot most managed.
AWS vs Google Cloudvs Azure security?
All FedRAMP High. Azure hybrid identity leader.
AWS vs Google Cloudvs Azure for startups?
Google $300 credit, AWS Lightsail simplicity.
Single cloud vs multi-cloud?
Single simpler; multi-cloud for specific strengths.
AWS vs Google Cloudvs Azure egress fees?
Google lowest ($0.08/GB), AWS $0.09.
Best analytics platform?
Google BigQuery serverless leader.
Largest partner ecosystem?
AWS (31K+ partners).
Cloud repatriation trend?
5-10% workloads return on-prem.
Greenest cloud?
Google carbon-free energy leader.
SAP workloads: AWS vs Google Cloudvs Azure?
Azure certified SAP HANA leader.
Developer experience?
Google Cloud Build + Artifact Registry.
Disaster recovery?
All RPO/RTO <15min with cross-region replication.
Conclusion: Choosing Between AWS vs Azure vs Google Cloud
We see enterprises succeed with all three platforms when they align cloud choice with business reality rather than vendor promises. AWS delivers unmatched maturity for complex migrations and regulated workloads that demand the deepest service catalog and proven hybrid capabilities. Azure transforms Microsoft ecosystems with seamless integration across Microsoft 365, Dynamics, and Power Platform, making it the natural choice for organizations already invested in the Microsoft stack. Google Cloud accelerates AI and analytics innovation faster than anyone else, particularly for data scientists and engineering teams building next-generation ML pipelines and real-time analytics platforms.
The truth about AWS vs Azure vs Google Cloud is that no single platform wins every category. Forward-thinking U.S. enterprises recognize this and build flexible strategies—starting with a primary cloud for core workloads while selectively adopting best-of-breed services from others. We’ve guided financial institutions through AWS migrations that cut infrastructure costs 40% while maintaining zero downtime. We’ve helped healthcare providers build Azure-based patient data platforms that accelerate clinical research by months. And we’ve partnered with retailers using Google Cloud’s BigQuery and Vertex AI to deliver personalized experiences that drive double-digit revenue growth.
At Trantor, we help U.S. enterprises navigate these AWS vs Google Cloudvs Azure decisions through hands-on assessments, proof-of-concepts, architecture design workshops, and multi-year optimization roadmaps. Our approach always starts with your reality: current workloads, technical debt, compliance requirements, team skills, and three-year business goals. Whether you’re optimizing your current cloud spend to reclaim 20-30% in waste, planning a hybrid/multi-cloud architecture that spans on-premises data centers and public clouds, building AI-powered applications that deliver measurable ROI, or preparing for the next wave of sovereign cloud and edge computing requirements, our team brings proven experience from hundreds of enterprise transformations across finance, healthcare, manufacturing, retail, and technology sectors.
Cloud decisions made today shape your competitive position for the next decade. The organizations that thrive aren’t chasing vendor hype—they’re building cloud strategies that directly support revenue growth, operational efficiency, risk reduction, and sustainable innovation. We partner with forward-thinking leaders who understand that the right cloud architecture isn’t about picking a winner in AWS vs Google Cloudvs Azure debates; it’s about creating a foundation that evolves with your business.
Ready to map your specific AWS vs Azure vs Google Cloud journey? Connect with us!
