Cloud hosting · November 2026 Edition
Microsoft Azure vs Amazon Web Services
Nine of fourteen models named Microsoft Azure first on the direct prompt; seven named Amazon Web Services. Both were named by all fourteen models and Microsoft Azure carries 41 labels and Amazon Web Services 61, so the shares are not directly comparable.
Named in four categories this edition.
Named in six categories this edition.
First-choice share29%28%Of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts, 0 to 100.
Negative rate5%18%Negative labels as a share of the product's labels, 0 to 100.
Rank in category#1#2A position in a field of 14; printed, not drawn.
Labels4161A count; the two differ.
The two percentage rows are drawn on one 0 to 100 track, Microsoft Azure reading right to left. Rank and label count are printed, not drawn.Google Cloud was named alongside these two in ten of the fourteen direct answers. Microsoft Azure vs DigitalOcean Droplets · Microsoft Azure vs Akamai Connected Cloud · Microsoft Azure vs Atlantic.Net
Share is the count of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts over all fourteen models, for a mid-market B2B company; rank is within the category; every quote names the model and the prompt it came from. Both figures come from the cloud hosting page.
By framing
How many of the fourteen models made each the first choice, per way of asking, and how many argued against it.
Microsoft AzureFirst choices, of fourteen modelsAmazon Web Services
Direct97
Paraphrase89
Comparative111
Budget-constrained003 against Amazon Web Services
Scale-constrained001 against Microsoft Azure · 1 against Amazon Web Services
Negative011 against Microsoft Azure · 7 against Amazon Web Services
Bars are first choices, 0 to 14 each sideModels that argued againstA model can name both, so the two sides of a row do not sum to fourteen.
Across every category in the November 2026 Edition, Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services were named in the same answer 123 times, of the 142 answers naming Microsoft Azure and the 196 naming Amazon Web Services. In those answers Amazon Web Services took the first choice thirty-nine times and Microsoft Azure twenty-four.
Every model, every framing
The eighty-four answers behind the chart above, one cell each: where Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services stood in it.
| Model | Direct | Paraphrase | Comparative | Budget-constrained | Scale-constrained | Negative |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Haiku 4.5 | | | | |||
| GPT-5.4 mini | | | | | | |
| Gemini 3.5 Flash | | | | | | |
| Perplexity Sonar | | | | | ||
| Grok 4.20 | | | | | | |
| Mistral Small | | | | |||
| DeepSeek V4 Flash | | | | | ||
| Llama 4 Maverick | | | | |||
| Qwen 3.7 Flash | | | | | ||
| Kimi K2 | | | | | ||
| GLM 4.7 FlashX | | | | | ||
| MiniMax M2.5 | | | | | | |
| GPT-6 Luna | | | | | ||
| Muse Glimmer 30B | | | |
Microsoft Azure Amazon Web Services first choice named as an alternative argued againstblank: not namedEach cell is one answer, Microsoft Azure on the left and Amazon Web Services on the right.The direct prompt
The plain question, one answer per model, grouped by where Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services stood in it.
Both were the first choice
4 of 14 modelsThe answer named them together, and the judge labeled each a first choice.Gemini 3.5 FlashAmazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure alternatives: Cloudreach, Google Cloud, Mission Cloud, Rackspace Technology
Grok 4.20Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure alternatives: Akamai Connected Cloud, Atlantic.Net, DigitalOcean Droplets, Effectual, Expedient, Google Cloud, RapidScale
DeepSeek V4 FlashAmazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure alternatives: Akamai Connected Cloud, Atlantic.Net, DigitalOcean Droplets, Expedient, RapidScale
Muse Glimmer 30BAmazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure alternatives: Akamai's Linode, Atlantic.Net, DigitalOcean Droplets, RapidScale
Microsoft Azure first, Amazon Web Services an alternative
5 of 14 modelsAmazon Web Services was named in the answer but not as the choice, or not at all.GPT-5.4 miniMicrosoft Azure alternatives: Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud
Perplexity SonarMicrosoft Azure alternatives: Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud
Qwen 3.7 FlashMicrosoft Azure alternatives: Amazon Web Services, DigitalOcean Droplets, Google Cloud
Kimi K2Microsoft Azure alternatives: Amazon Web Services, DigitalOcean Droplets, Google Cloud, Vultr
MiniMax M2.5Microsoft Azure alternatives: Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud
Amazon Web Services first, Microsoft Azure an alternative
3 of 14 modelsMicrosoft Azure was named in the answer but not as the choice, or not at all.Mistral SmallAmazon Web Services alternatives: Akamai's Linode, DigitalOcean Droplets, Expedient, RapidScale
Llama 4 MaverickAmazon Web Services alternatives: DigitalOcean Droplets, Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure
GPT-6 LunaAmazon Web Services alternatives: Azure, Google Cloud
Neither was the first choice, one was named
2 of 14 modelsThe answer put something else first and named one of the two as an alternative.Claude Haiku 4.5Atlantic.Net alternatives: Amazon Web Services, Cloudways, Hosting.com
GLM 4.7 FlashXAkamai Connected Cloud, Atlantic.Net, Cloudways, DigitalOcean Droplets alternatives: Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure
Bold names in an answer are the products the judge labeled a first choice; a model naming several gives each of them that label. The full answer text for every row is in the record.
By buyer segment
The same question asked on behalf of a different buyer. Each standing is computed within its segment and they are never added together. The figures above are the mid-market standing, which is the one the category orders by.
Small business
Amazon Web Services leads by four points.
Amazon Web Services9%#2 of 14Microsoft Azure6%#4 of 14Mid-marketThe figures above
The order flips: Microsoft Azure leads at mid-market.
Microsoft Azure29%#1 of 14Amazon Web Services28%#2 of 14Enterprise
The order flips: Amazon Web Services leads at enterprise.
Amazon Web Services45%#1 of 8Microsoft Azure41%#2 of 8What the models said about Microsoft Azure
Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Five of six in this category shown.
“Recent public incident reports from Google Cloud and Microsoft Azure show that major providers can still have region-wide or multi-service disruptions” GPT-5.4 mini · negative prompt · soft negative
“Hyperscalers (AWS/Azure/GCP) can charge heavy fees to move data out of their network” Gemini 3.5 Flash · scale prompt · soft negative
“For most mid-sized B2B companies, Microsoft Azure often provides the best balance of enterprise features, compliance certifications, and ecosystem integration” MiniMax M2.5 · paraphrase prompt · first choice
“Azure is frequently the top choice for traditional mid-market B2B companies, especially those heavily integrated into the Microsoft ecosystem.” Gemini 3.5 Flash · direct prompt · first choice
“Start with Azure if you already use Microsoft products—maximizes value from existing licenses and minimizes learning curve” MiniMax M2.5 · direct prompt · first choice
What the models said about Amazon Web Services
Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Six of eight in this category shown.
“Avoid big providers like AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud unless you're using their free tiers” Grok 4.20 · budget prompt · hard negative
“Hyperscalers (AWS/Azure/GCP) can charge heavy fees to move data out of their network... High complexity; requires dedicated FinOps/DevOps; egress fees and support plans can be expensive.” Gemini 3.5 Flash · scale prompt · soft negative
“Choose AWS/Azure/GCP only if you need their broader enterprise ecosystem... enough to justify the added cost/complexity.” GPT-5.4 mini · budget prompt · soft negative
“Largest and most mature cloud platform with 200+ services... Choose AWS if you need the most services, global coverage, and proven reliability” Kimi K2 · comparative prompt · first choice
“Dominates with 200+ services, massive global infrastructure... Best for enterprises and developers needing unlimited scalability.” MiniMax M2.5 · comparative prompt · first choice
“AWS is generally the most mature and broadest cloud platform... usually the default choice if you want the widest service catalog” GPT-5.4 mini · comparative prompt · first choice
Also compared
Microsoft Azure vs DigitalOcean DropletsMicrosoft Azure vs Akamai Connected CloudMicrosoft Azure vs Atlantic.NetMicrosoft Azure vs VultrMicrosoft Azure vs CloudwaysMicrosoft Azure vs HostingerAmazon Web Services vs DigitalOcean DropletsAmazon Web Services vs Akamai Connected CloudAmazon Web Services vs Atlantic.NetAmazon Web Services vs VultrAmazon Web Services vs CloudwaysAmazon Web Services vs HostingerAll twenty-eight head-to-head pages and the full cloud hosting standing
Comparisons are drawn for the top eight products in each category, each against each. The output is the models' output; nothing here is a recommendation by the index.