AI agents
Amazon Bedrock AgentCore vs Foundry Agent Service
AgentCore Gateway, Code Interpreter, and Browser map to the Foundry Agent Service toolbox (a managed MCP endpoint with web search, file search, code interpreter, OpenAPI, functions, and MCP tools).
Side-by-side comparison
| Aspect | Amazon Web Services | Microsoft Azure |
|---|---|---|
| Service | Amazon Bedrock AgentCore | Foundry Agent Service |
| Lifecycle | Generally available | Voice-based agents and some monitoring/eval/telephony capabilities are in preview. |
| What it is | Modular agent platform. Harness (managed agent loop), Runtime, Memory, Gateway (MCP), Identity, Code Interpreter, Browser, Observability, Evaluations, Optimization, Policy, Registry, Payments. Works with any framework and any model. | Managed agent platform. Prompt agents (declarative), voice-based prompt agents (Voice Live), and hosted agents (your container or zip, any framework), plus the Responses API for "ephemeral" agents. Shared toolbox via a managed MCP endpoint. |
| Pricing model | Per-component consumption (Gateway API calls and indexing, and Browser and Code Interpreter session compute). | Tool usage is billed per tool (for example web search grounding and code interpreter sessions), plus model tokens. |
| Docs | Amazon Bedrock AgentCore docs | Foundry Agent Service docs |
| Pricing page | Amazon Bedrock AgentCore pricing | Foundry Agent Service pricing |
| Exams | Generative AI Developer – Professional | AI-103 AI-500 |
Key differences
- AgentCore Gateway turns REST APIs, Lambda functions, and existing services into MCP tools, and fronts existing MCP servers with interceptors and Cedar-compatible policy.
- AgentCore Browser is a managed cloud browser runtime for agents (Playwright and BrowserUse compatible). It's a standalone service, not just a tool flag.
- The Foundry toolbox curates tools once and shares them across agents through a single managed MCP endpoint with central auth and versioning. It also offers Microsoft-ecosystem tools (SharePoint, WorkIQ, Fabric IQ).
Pricing summary
Pricing models only. No prices are quoted because they change by region and over time.
- AWS
- Per-component consumption (Gateway API calls and indexing, and Browser and Code Interpreter session compute). Amazon Bedrock AgentCore pricing →
- Azure
- Tool usage is billed per tool (for example web search grounding and code interpreter sessions), plus model tokens. Foundry Agent Service pricing →
Certification exam mapping
| Exam | Provider | Level | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| AWS Certified Generative AI Developer – Professional | AWS | Professional | current Exam code not confirmed from the official page at build time; shown by name only. |
| Microsoft Certified – Azure AI Apps and Agents Developer Associate AI-103 | Azure | Associate | current Generative AI and agentic solutions with Microsoft Foundry using Python. Successor in scope to the retired AI-102. |
| Microsoft Certified – Multi-Agent AI Solutions Expert AI-500 | Azure | Expert | current |
Relevance is based on each exam's published scope, not a line-by-line objective match. Check the official study guide.
Verification notes
- A Foundry built-in tool equivalent to AgentCore Browser (managed headless browser) wasn't confirmed in the docs reviewed. Treat it as a gap until verified.
FAQ
What is the Azure equivalent of Amazon Bedrock AgentCore?
AgentCore Gateway, Code Interpreter, and Browser map to the Foundry Agent Service toolbox (a managed MCP endpoint with web search, file search, code interpreter, OpenAPI, functions, and MCP tools).
How does pricing compare between Amazon Bedrock AgentCore and Foundry Agent Service?
AWS: Per-component consumption (Gateway API calls and indexing, and Browser and Code Interpreter session compute). Azure: Tool usage is billed per tool (for example web search grounding and code interpreter sessions), plus model tokens. Check the official pricing pages for current rates.
Which certification exams cover this topic?
AWS Certified Generative AI Developer – Professional; Microsoft Certified – Azure AI Apps and Agents Developer Associate (AI-103); Microsoft Certified – Multi-Agent AI Solutions Expert (AI-500).