Choosing a cloud provider today is about much more than picking the biggest name. It's about balancing cost (hello, cloud credits!), performance (EKS, GKE, AKS), multi-cloud flexibility, and ease of use. Whether you're scaling a startup or modernizing an enterprise, getting the right cloud setup can make or break your DevOps success.

In this guide, we'll break down AWS, GCP, and Azure — including how to maximize cloud credits, compare Kubernetes services (EKS vs GKE vs AKS), and explore how Kapstan simplifies multi-cloud deployments.

Overview: AWS vs GCP vs Azure
Cloud Credits: How to Get Free Cloud Money
Kubernetes Comparison: EKS vs GKE vs AKS
Multi-Cloud Deployment with Kubernetes and Kapstan
User Ratings: Which Cloud Wins?
Final Thoughts

Overview: AWS vs GCP vs Azure

Feature	AWS	GCP	Azure
Market Share	~31%	~11%	~24%
Strengths	Breadth of services, ecosystem	Big data, AI/ML, pricing	Enterprise integration, hybrid cloud
Weaknesses	Complexity, pricing transparency	Fewer services, smaller footprint	UI inconsistencies, learning curve
Best for	Scale, startups, enterprises	AI/ML projects, cost-conscious	Enterprises, hybrid deployments

Cloud Credits: How to Get Free Cloud Money

AWS Credits:

- AWS Activate for Startups: up to $100,000 in credits.

- AWS Free Tier: basic services free for 12 months (and some always-free).

- Apply via AWS Activate.

GCP Credits:

- Google Cloud for Startups: up to $100,000 with approved partners.

- GCP Free Trial: $300 credits for 90 days.

- Apply via Google Cloud for Startups.

Azure Credits:

- Microsoft for Startups: up to $150,000 in Azure credits.

- Azure Free Account: $200 for 30 days + always-free tier.

- Apply via Microsoft for Startups.

Kubernetes Comparison: EKS vs GKE vs AKS

Feature	EKS (AWS)	GKE (GCP)	AKS (Azure)
Pricing	Control plane ~$73/month	Free control plane	Free control plane
Ease of Setup	Moderate	Easiest	Easy
Auto-Scaling	Yes	Best-in-class	Yes
Version Updates	Manual or assisted	Automatic + granular	Assisted
Networking	Complex (VPC, IAM heavy)	Simple (VPC-native)	Complex (VNET heavy)
Best for	Enterprises, regulated industries	AI/ML, startups	Enterprises, Microsoft shops

Multi-Cloud Deployment with Kubernetes and Kapstan

Kapstan is a DevOps platform that automates Kubernetes management, and standardizes deployment across AWS, GCP and Azure. The platform abstracts away provider-specific differences and simplifies GitOps-based workflows for teams managing infrastructure across multiple clouds.

Key benefits:

- Abstracts away differences between EKS, GKE, and AKS
- Uses cloud credits efficiently across clusters
- Manages configs through GitOps/IaC
- Ensures compliance (SOC 2, HIPAA, PCI)
- Centralized control of workloads

AWS vs GCP vs Azure: User Ratings: Which Cloud Wins?

Category	AWS	GCP	Azure
Overall Satisfaction	4.5/5	4.4/5	4.3/5
Ease of Use	4.0/5	4.6/5	4.2/5
Kubernetes Management	4.2/5 (EKS)	4.8/5 (GKE)	4.5/5 (AKS)
Pricing Transparency	3.8/5	4.5/5	4.0/5
Support Quality	4.3/5	4.2/5	4.4/5

Final Thoughts - AWS vs GCP vs Azure

Choosing between AWS vs GCP vs Azure is no longer just about cost or scale. It's about stretching your cloud credits, choosing the right Kubernetes stack, and managing infrastructure efficiently across providers. Kapstan enables you to build flexible, resilient, and optimized multi-cloud architectures with ease.

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Neel Punatar

Neel Punatar graduated with an engineering degree from UC Berkeley in 2004. After working at NASA & Cisco, Neel quickly switched to marketing. He is noted for helping turn around the ROI of 5 companoes including the donation program of Wikipedia, and the Unicorns Zenefits & OneLogin before joining Kapstan.