Which Cloud Provider is best for you? A pricing and performance Breakdown
- Vishvanath Metkari
- Feb 24
- 3 min read
Updated: 5 days ago
Cloud computing has become the backbone of modern businesses, with AWS, Google Cloud (GCP), Microsoft Azure, and Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) leading the market. Choosing the right cloud provider depends on various factors like pricing, performance, scalability, security, and real-world use cases. In this blog, we’ll break down these aspects to help you make an informed decision, using detailed tables, graphs, and deep insights.
1. Cloud Provider: Pricing Comparison
Pricing is one of the most critical factors when selecting a cloud provider. The following tables summarize the compute, storage, and networking costs across AWS, GCP, Azure, and OCI.
Compute Pricing (On-Demand Instances)
Cloud Provider | Instance Type | vCPUs | RAM | Cost per Hour |
AWS EC2 | t4g.medium | 2 | 8GB | $0.0336 |
GCP Compute Engine | e2-standard-2 | 2 | 8GB | $0.067 |
Azure VM | B2s | 2 | 8GB | $0.04 |
OCI Compute | VM.Standard.E2.2 | 2 | 8GB | $0.025 |
Spot Instances: AWS, GCP, and Azure provide steep discounts (up to 90%) for spot instances, whereas OCI offers flexible preemptible instances at a lower base price.
Storage Pricing
Cloud Provider | Storage Type | Cost per GB/Month |
AWS | S3 Standard | $0.023 |
GCP | Cloud Storage | $0.020 |
Azure | Blob Storage | $0.0184 |
OCI | Object Storage | $0.0255 |
Cold Storage: AWS (Glacier), GCP (Nearline/Coldline), and Azure (Cool/Archive) provide lower-cost options for infrequent access data.
Networking Pricing (Egress Costs)
Cloud Provider | Free Data Egress | Additional Cost per GB |
AWS | 1GB | $0.08 - $0.23 |
GCP | 1GB | $0.08 - $0.23 |
Azure | 5GB | $0.0875 - $0.20 |
OCI | 10TB | Free up to 10TB |
Key Takeaways:
OCI offers the most generous free data egress, making it ideal for data-heavy applications.
AWS, GCP, and Azure have varying costs based on regions and tiers.
2. Cloud Provider: Performance Breakdown
Performance is crucial for workloads like AI, analytics, and enterprise applications. Below is a comparative breakdown.
Compute Performance
Cloud Provider | Processor Type | Max IOPS | Specialized Chips |
AWS | Intel/AMD/ARM | 16,000 | AWS Graviton |
GCP | Intel/AMD | 100,000 | TPUs for AI/ML |
Azure | Intel/AMD | 20,000 | Azure AI Chips |
OCI | Intel/AMD/ARM | 35,000 | Ampere ARM |
Storage Performance
Cloud Provider | Max IOPS | Latency |
AWS EBS | 16,000 | Low |
GCP Persistent Disks | 100,000 | Very Low |
Azure Managed Disks | 20,000 | Medium |
OCI Block Storage | 35,000 | Low |
Networking Performance
AWS, GCP, and Azure have extensive global networks with low latencies.
OCI provides a high-speed RDMA network, beneficial for HPC workloads.
3. Real-World Scenarios and Best Cloud Choices
Scenario 1: Startup with Budget Constraints
Best Choice: OCI
Offers lower compute and storage costs.
Free-tier outbound data transfer up to 10TB.
Ideal for cost-conscious businesses.
Scenario 2: AI/ML Workloads
Best Choice: GCP
Tensor Processing Units (TPUs) provide superior AI/ML acceleration.
Competitive pricing for GPU instances.
Recommended for AI-first companies and data science teams.
Scenario 3: Enterprise with Multi-Cloud Strategy
Best Choice: Azure
Seamless integration with Microsoft products (Active Directory, Office 365, etc.).
Hybrid cloud support with Azure Arc.
Ideal for enterprises already using Microsoft services.
Scenario 4: E-commerce with High Traffic
Best Choice: AWS
Scalable auto-scaling groups and robust global presence.
Strong security and compliance.
Best for e-commerce and global applications.
4. Security and Compliance
AWS: Offers FedRAMP, HIPAA, GDPR compliance, best for regulated industries.
GCP: Strong in data security with encryption-by-default policies.
Azure: Best for enterprises needing seamless Microsoft security integration.
OCI: Provides isolated network virtualization for enhanced security.
Conclusion: Which Cloud is Best?
The choice depends on your business needs:
For cost-effectiveness, OCI is the best choice.
For AI and ML workloads, GCP stands out.
For Microsoft-based enterprises, Azure is the best fit.
For global scalability and reliability, AWS is the leader.
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