Updated September 28, 2026 · DeployCue Editorial Team
Alibaba Cloud vs AWS
Where Alibaba Cloud and AWS differ
| Fact | Alibaba Cloud | AWS |
|---|---|---|
| Entry price | $4 | $3.50Lower |
| Entry plan | 2 vCPU, 0.5 GiB RAM, 20 GiB ESSD system disk | 512 MB RAM, 2 vCPU, 20 GB SSD |
| Bandwidth allowance | 200 Mbit/s maximum bandwidth | 1 TB |
| Billing models | Monthly, Reserved | Hourly, Per second, Monthly, ReservedCovers more |
| Locations | 31 | 39Higher |
| Free credits | Up to 12 months of Elastic Compute Service usage across 80+ products | up to $200 in credits |
| Compliance certifications | Trusted Partner Network (TPN) certification | ISO 27001, ISO 27017, ISO 27018, ISO 27701, ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 20000, ISO 22301, ISO 42001, ISO 45001, ISO 50001, SOC 1, SOC 2, SOC 3, PCI DSS, CSA STAR, FedRAMP, HITRUST CSF, FIPS 140 3, TISAX, C5, IRAP, MTCS, K ISMS, ENS High, HIPAA, GDPR |
| Regions | SG, TH, MY, ID, PH, JP, KR, US, MX, DE, GB, AE, SA, HK, FR, BR, CN | Not confirmed |
| SLA uptime | Not confirmed | 99.5% to 99.99% |
| Use cases | Game server | Not confirmed |
Same on both: DDoS protection (Yes), Server types (VPS, Bare metal), Operating systems (Linux, Windows).
Key differences
- Alibaba Cloud scores higher overall: 9.50 vs 9.10.
- Entry price is lower at AWS: $3.50 vs $4.
- Locations is higher at AWS: 39 vs 31.
- Support channels: only Alibaba Cloud offers Email, Chat.
- Compliance certifications: only Alibaba Cloud offers Trusted Partner Network (TPN) certification.
- Compliance certifications: only AWS offers ISO 27001, ISO 27017, ISO 27018.
- Founded is lower at AWS: 1994 vs 2009.
- Billing models: only AWS offers Hourly, Per second.
- Pricing model: only Alibaba Cloud offers Free tier.
- Pricing model: only AWS offers Hourly.
Score breakdown
| Area | Alibaba Cloud | AWS |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | 9.60HigherEntry server at $4 against a site median of €5.83, with object storage at $0.016 to $0.017 per GB per month. | 9.00 |
| Offer | 9.80HigherFree tier, free credits, 2 vCPU, 0.5 GiB RAM, 20 GiB ESSD system disk and 31 locations, plus a free control plane. | 9.00 |
| Trust | 8.70 | 9.30Higher |
Area by area
Alibaba Cloud
- Cost9.6
- Offer9.8
- Trust8.7
AWS
- Cost9.0
- Offer9.0
- Trust9.3
- Alibaba Cloud leads on cost by 0.6 points (9.6 vs 9.0).
- Alibaba Cloud leads on offer by 0.8 points (9.8 vs 9.0).
- On trust the two are close: AWS 9.3, Alibaba Cloud 8.7.
What each covers
| Billing models | Alibaba Cloud | AWS |
|---|---|---|
| Hourly | No | Yes |
| Per second | No | Yes |
| Monthly | Yes | Yes |
| Reserved | Yes | Yes |
| Server types | Alibaba Cloud | AWS |
|---|---|---|
| VPS | Yes | Yes |
| Bare metal | Yes | Yes |
| Operating systems | Alibaba Cloud | AWS |
|---|---|---|
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
Choosing between them
Pick Alibaba Cloud if cost and offer matter most.
Pick AWS if trust, entry price, billing models, and locations matter most.
Availability and regulation
| Country | Alibaba Cloud | AWS |
|---|---|---|
| Headquarters | Not confirmed | United States |
What it costs in practice
A year on the entry plan
Alibaba Cloud
$48
12 × $4
AWS
$42
12 × $3.50
AWS costs $6 less.
Worked out from the stated prices and rates; your own total depends on how you use it.
Every fact side by side
| Fact | Alibaba Cloud | AWS |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Free tier | Hourly |
| Legal entity | Alibaba Cloud (Singapore) Private Limited | Amazon.com, Inc. |
| Headquarters | Not confirmed | United States |
| Founded | 2009 | 1994Lower |
| Support channels | Email, Chat, Help centre, CommunityCovers more | Help centre, Community |
Country by country
| Country | Alibaba Cloud | AWS |
|---|---|---|
| Canada | No | Yes |
| United States | No | Yes |
We earn a commission when you sign up through links on this site. Partner status can affect where a brand appears in our rankings. Partners with a live offer in your country come first, then every other brand by score.