Multi-account governance & guardrails
AWS Organizations vs Azure management groups and subscriptions
AWS Organizations maps to Azure management groups.
AWS accounts correspond roughly to Azure subscriptions, and organizational units to management groups.
Side-by-side comparison
| Aspect | Amazon Web Services | Microsoft Azure |
|---|---|---|
| Service | AWS Organizations | Azure management groups and subscriptions |
| Lifecycle | Generally available | Generally available |
| What it is | Groups AWS accounts into organizational units under a management account, with consolidated billing, delegated administration, and organization policies. | A hierarchy of management groups (up to six levels of depth, not counting the root and subscriptions) containing subscriptions, where policy and RBAC assignments are inherited. |
| Pricing model | Free. | Free. |
| Docs | AWS Organizations docs | Azure management groups and subscriptions docs |
| Pricing page | AWS Organizations pricing | Azure management groups and subscriptions pricing |
| Exams | SAA-C03 SAP-C02 Retiring SOA-C03 | AZ-104 AZ-305 |
Key differences
- Boundaries. An AWS account is a hard security and billing boundary. An Azure subscription is a billing and management boundary inside one Entra tenant, and resource groups add another level below it.
- Depth. Management group trees support up to six levels of depth below the root. AWS OUs can nest up to five levels under the root.
- Billing. Organizations provides consolidated billing. Azure billing is handled through billing accounts and agreements (EA, MCA), separate from management groups.
Pricing summary
Pricing models only. No prices are quoted because they change by region and over time.
- AWS
- Free. AWS Organizations pricing →
Certification exam mapping
| Exam | Provider | Level | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate SAA-C03 | AWS | Associate | current Italian version retires after Dec 31, 2026. |
| 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 Administrator Associate AZ-104 | Azure | Associate | current |
| 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.
FAQ
What is the Azure equivalent of AWS Organizations?
AWS Organizations maps to Azure management groups. AWS accounts correspond roughly to Azure subscriptions, and organizational units to management groups.
How does pricing compare between AWS Organizations and Azure management groups and subscriptions?
AWS: Free. Azure: Free. Check the official pricing pages for current rates.
Which certification exams cover this topic?
AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate (SAA-C03); AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional (SAP-C02) [retiring]; AWS Certified CloudOps Engineer – Associate (SOA-C03); Microsoft Certified – Azure Administrator Associate (AZ-104); Microsoft Certified – Azure Solutions Architect Expert (AZ-305).