AI agents
Amazon Bedrock AgentCore vs Foundry Agent Service
AgentCore Memory maps to Foundry Agent Service memory (preview).
AgentCore's memory is GA and more configurable today.
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 | Billed per memory event and stored or retrieved long-term records. | Preview pricing. Check the Foundry pricing page. |
| 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 |
Key differences
- AgentCore Memory offers short-term (multi-turn) and long-term memory with configurable strategies, sharing across agents, and namespace-scoped IAM controls.
- Foundry lists memory as a built-in tool and describes it as preview on the Foundry overview. Hosted agents also get session-level state persistence.
Pricing summary
Pricing models only. No prices are quoted because they change by region and over time.
- AWS
- Billed per memory event and stored or retrieved long-term records. Amazon Bedrock AgentCore pricing →
- Azure
- Preview pricing. Check the Foundry pricing page. 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. |
Relevance is based on each exam's published scope, not a line-by-line objective match. Check the official study guide.
FAQ
What is the Azure equivalent of Amazon Bedrock AgentCore?
AgentCore Memory maps to Foundry Agent Service memory (preview). AgentCore's memory is GA and more configurable today.
How does pricing compare between Amazon Bedrock AgentCore and Foundry Agent Service?
AWS: Billed per memory event and stored or retrieved long-term records. Azure: Preview pricing. Check the Foundry pricing page. 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).