Multi-account governance & guardrails
AWS Control Tower vs Azure landing zones (Cloud Adoption Framework)
AWS Control Tower maps to Azure landing zones from the Cloud Adoption Framework, deployed with the portal accelerator, Bicep, or Terraform, plus subscription vending modules.
Azure Blueprints, an older option, retires January 31, 2027.
Side-by-side comparison
| Aspect | Amazon Web Services | Microsoft Azure |
|---|---|---|
| Service | AWS Control Tower | Azure landing zones (Cloud Adoption Framework) |
| Lifecycle | Generally available | Azure Blueprints (preview), an older way to package governance artifacts, retires January 31, 2027, in a phased retirement that began July 31, 2026. |
| What it is | Sets up and governs a multi-account landing zone on Organizations and Identity Center, with account vending and preventive, detective, and proactive controls. | Microsoft's reference architecture and deployable implementations (portal accelerator, Bicep, Terraform) for management groups, policies, identity, networking, and management at scale. |
| Pricing model | No charge for Control Tower itself. You pay for the services it sets up (Config, CloudTrail, and others). | No charge for the reference implementation. You pay for deployed resources (Log Analytics, Firewall, Defender, and others). |
| Docs | AWS Control Tower docs | Azure landing zones (Cloud Adoption Framework) docs |
| Pricing page | AWS Control Tower pricing | Azure landing zones (Cloud Adoption Framework) pricing |
| Exams | SAP-C02 Retiring SOA-C03 | AZ-305 |
Key differences
- Managed service vs. reference. Control Tower is a managed service that builds and maintains the landing zone, detects drift, and vends accounts through Account Factory. Azure landing zones are a reference architecture with deployable code that you own and update.
- Controls. Control Tower ships preventive (SCP), detective (Config), and proactive (CloudFormation hook) controls. Azure landing zones apply a curated set of Azure Policy assignments.
Pricing summary
Pricing models only. No prices are quoted because they change by region and over time.
- AWS
- No charge for Control Tower itself. You pay for the services it sets up (Config, CloudTrail, and others). AWS Control Tower pricing →
- Azure
- No charge for the reference implementation. You pay for deployed resources (Log Analytics, Firewall, Defender, and others). Azure landing zones (Cloud Adoption Framework) pricing →
Certification exam mapping
| Exam | Provider | Level | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional SAP-C02 | AWS | Professional | retiring Being updated to SAP-C03. Registration for SAP-C03 opens Oct 27, 2026. Last day to take SAP-C02 is Nov 16, 2026. |
| AWS Certified CloudOps Engineer – Associate SOA-C03 | AWS | Associate | current Replaces AWS Certified SysOps Administrator – Associate (SOA-C02), whose last exam day was Sep 29, 2025. Simplified Chinese and Korean versions retire after Nov 19, 2026. |
| Microsoft Certified – Azure Solutions Architect Expert AZ-305 | Azure | Expert | current English version updated Apr 17, 2026. |
Relevance is based on each exam's published scope, not a line-by-line objective match. Check the official study guide.
Verification notes
- Azure Blueprints (preview) began a phased retirement on July 31, 2026, and fully retires January 31, 2027. Microsoft recommends migrating to Deployment Stacks.
FAQ
What is the Azure equivalent of AWS Control Tower?
AWS Control Tower maps to Azure landing zones from the Cloud Adoption Framework, deployed with the portal accelerator, Bicep, or Terraform, plus subscription vending modules. Azure Blueprints, an older option, retires January 31, 2027.
How does pricing compare between AWS Control Tower and Azure landing zones (Cloud Adoption Framework)?
AWS: No charge for Control Tower itself. You pay for the services it sets up (Config, CloudTrail, and others). Azure: No charge for the reference implementation. You pay for deployed resources (Log Analytics, Firewall, Defender, and others). Check the official pricing pages for current rates.
Which certification exams cover this topic?
AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional (SAP-C02) [retiring]; AWS Certified CloudOps Engineer – Associate (SOA-C03); Microsoft Certified – Azure Solutions Architect Expert (AZ-305).