AZ-900 vs AWS Cloud Practitioner: Which Entry-Level Certification to Choose

Most people starting cloud certifications choose between Azure AZ-900 and AWS Cloud Practitioner. Both are entry-level cloud fundamentals exams, both are widely recognised, and either can start a cloud career. Which one to take depends on your target employer, your industry and your longer-term plans.

Below, az-900 vs aws cloud practitioner is compared on cost, exam structure, job market demand and difficulty, followed by a way to decide.

Exam Overview: What Each Certification Covers

Azure AZ-900 Fundamentals

AZ-900 is Microsoft's entry-level cloud certification. It tests cloud concepts, Azure services, security, privacy, compliance and pricing, at the level of concepts rather than hands-on skills.

Key areas covered:
- Cloud computing models (IaaS, PaaS, SaaS)
- Azure core services (compute, networking, storage, databases)
- Azure security and compliance
- Azure cost management and pricing
- Support and service level agreements

AZ-900 assumes little technical background. Hands-on Azure experience helps but isn't needed to pass.

AWS Cloud Practitioner

AWS Cloud Practitioner (CLF-C02) is Amazon's equivalent entry-level certification. It tests AWS cloud concepts, services, security, architecture and pricing.

Key areas covered:
- AWS cloud concepts and benefits
- AWS core services (compute, networking, storage, databases)
- AWS security and compliance
- AWS billing, pricing, and cost management
- AWS architectural principles

Like AZ-900, it doesn't require hands-on experience. Both exams test foundational knowledge, not implementation.

Side-by-Side Exam Comparison

The two exams cost almost the same ($99 for AZ-900 vs $100 for the AWS exam), but the AWS exam gives you an extra 30 minutes. AZ-900 typically has fewer questions, so time pressure is less of an issue.

Job Market Demand: Azure vs AWS

For a career decision on az-900 vs aws cloud practitioner, market demand is a large factor.

Current Cloud Market Share

AWS leads the global cloud infrastructure market, with Azure second and Google Cloud third.

Market share is only a proxy, though. What matters for a job seeker is where the jobs are.

Job Posting Data

AWS roles are more common overall, particularly in startups and web-focused companies. Azure is stronger in enterprises that already run on Microsoft products and in government and regulated industries. Job listings in your own area are the best guide.

More jobs ask for AWS Cloud Practitioner in absolute numbers, but AZ-900 is closing the gap, especially in enterprise sectors.

Salary Comparison: Which Pays More?

At the entry level, salaries for AZ-900 and AWS Cloud Practitioner holders are nearly identical. An entry-level cloud engineer or cloud support associate earns towards the lower end of the IT pay scale, regardless of which foundational certification they hold.

These affect salary more than the foundational cert does:
- Your higher-level certifications (AWS Solutions Architect, Azure Administrator, etc.)
- Your hands-on experience with the platform
- Your location and company size
- Your additional technical skills

An entry-level certification shows foundational knowledge. Pay rises noticeably with associate-level or professional-level certifications on either platform.

Difficulty: Which Is Easier?

The two exams differ more on difficulty than on anything else.

AWS Cloud Practitioner Difficulty

AWS Cloud Practitioner is slightly easier conceptually, but it needs more memorisation: AWS service names, acronyms and basic capabilities. Many questions test definitions, in the form "Which service is used for X?"

Example question type: "Which AWS service provides managed database functionality?" (Answer: Amazon RDS, DynamoDB, etc.)

The emphasis on memorisation makes it approachable for beginners and tedious for experienced IT professionals.

AZ-900 Difficulty

AZ-900 leans more toward conceptual understanding. Microsoft's questions often ask you to apply a concept rather than recall a service name, and there are more scenario-based questions.

Example question type: "A company needs a cloud solution that allows them to pay only for compute resources they use. Which cloud model does this describe?" (Answer: Pay-as-you-go pricing model)

That makes AZ-900 slightly harder if you rely on memorising, and easier if you like to reason things through. If you prefer to understand why a cloud concept works the way it does, AZ-900 will suit you.

Summary on Difficulty

Both are easy certifications, and neither needs advanced technical knowledge. AZ-900 is slightly more conceptual; AWS Cloud Practitioner relies slightly more on memorisation. Most experienced IT professionals pass both on the first attempt.

Which Certification Should You Get First?

Get the one your target employer uses.

If you're targeting:

Azure Organisations: take AZ-900 first. Your certification matches the platform they run.

AWS Organisations: take AWS Cloud Practitioner first. It shows AWS familiarity from day one.

Undecided About Your Target: look at your local job market. Search LinkedIn, Indeed and local job boards and count how many positions mention each certification.

Azure Adoption by Industry

Azure is strongest in:

• Microsoft shops (companies built on Windows Server, Exchange, SharePoint)
• Enterprise organisations (large corporations with existing Microsoft licensing)
• Government and regulated industries (Azure's compliance certifications and government cloud offerings)
• Financial services (banks and investment firms prefer established enterprise vendors)
• Healthcare (HIPAA and regulatory compliance tools)

For a career in enterprise IT, government contracts or regulated industries, AZ-900 is the more useful first certification.

AWS Adoption by Industry

AWS is strongest in:

• Startups and scale-ups (first-mover advantage, extensive free tier)
• Web and mobile companies (AWS Lambda, API Gateway, optimised for modern development)
• Content delivery and streaming (Netflix, Twitch, media companies)
• SaaS companies (AWS tools designed for multi-tenant applications)
• Data-intensive companies (powerful analytics and data lake services)

For a career in startups, web development or cloud-native development, AWS Cloud Practitioner is the more useful first certification.

Can You Get Both Certifications?

Yes. Many cloud professionals hold both.

The timeline for obtaining both:
- AZ-900 preparation: 2-4 weeks
- AWS Cloud Practitioner preparation: 2-4 weeks
- Total time to hold both: 4-8 weeks of focused study

That assumes you study one after the other. Many people study both at once, which stretches the timeline to 6-10 weeks.

Holding both helps because:
1. You demonstrate multi-cloud knowledge to employers
2. You expand your job market significantly
3. You understand cloud concepts from two different vendor perspectives
4. You position yourself for higher-level certifications on both platforms

Many hiring managers see multi-cloud certification as evidence that you understand cloud computing beyond one vendor.

Learning Strategies for Each Exam

Preparing for AZ-900

Focus on conceptual understanding:
- Study cloud models (IaaS, PaaS, SaaS) thoroughly
- Learn Azure service categories rather than memorising service names
- Practice scenario-based questions
- Review Azure pricing and cost management concepts
- Study compliance and security frameworks

Preparing for AWS Cloud Practitioner

Focus on knowing the services and memorising them:
- Create flashcards for AWS services and their basic functions
- Study the AWS Well-Architected Framework
- Memorise service acronyms and their purposes
- Understand billing terminology and cost management
- Review AWS service categories and what each does

Practice Resources for AZ-900

For AZ-900, practise with questions that match the real exam. azureprep.com covers Azure certifications: AZ-900 is free in full with a free account, and other certifications have a free preview.

Practice questions help with either exam because:
- You identify weak knowledge areas before the actual exam
- You become comfortable with exam question phrasing
- You build test-taking speed and confidence
- You validate your understanding of concepts
- You reduce test anxiety through familiarity

Plan to answer at least 200-300 AZ-900 practice questions before sitting the real exam.

How to Decide

Use these lists to decide:

Choose AZ-900 if:
- Your target employer is Microsoft-centric
- You're pursuing government or regulated industry roles
- You prefer conceptual, scenario-based learning
- You want certification from the larger enterprise platform
- You're in a region where Azure is dominant (Europe, some government sectors)

Choose AWS Cloud Practitioner if:
- Your target employer is AWS-focused
- You're pursuing startup or modern tech company roles
- You prefer straightforward, memorisation-focused study
- You want entry to the larger overall cloud market
- AWS is dominant in your region

Choose Both if:
- You're uncertain about your target employer
- You want maximum job market flexibility
- You have time for 4-8 weeks of study
- You want to demonstrate multi-cloud knowledge
- You're building a long-term cloud career

Next Steps

1. Review job postings in your target market. Which certification appears more frequently?
2. Research companies you'd like to work for. Which cloud platform do they use?
3. Consider your learning style. Do you prefer conceptual understanding (AZ-900) or memorisation (AWS Cloud Practitioner)?
4. If pursuing AZ-900, start with azureprep.com's free AZ-900 practice questions to assess your baseline knowledge.
5. Make the choice and start studying.

Employers care more about what you know than about which foundational certificate you hold. Pick the exam that matches your goals, study to a plan, and move on to higher-level certifications once you pass.