Purchase options & licensing
Savings Plans (Compute & EC2 Instance) vs Azure savings plan for compute
AWS Compute Savings Plans map to the Azure savings plan for compute.
Both are a 1- or 3-year $/hour spend commitment applied automatically to eligible compute.
Side-by-side comparison
| Aspect | Amazon Web Services | Microsoft Azure |
|---|---|---|
| Service | Savings Plans (Compute & EC2 Instance) | Azure savings plan for compute |
| Lifecycle | Generally available | Generally available |
| What it is | A 1- or 3-year $/hour spend commitment. Compute Savings Plans apply across EC2 family, size, OS, tenancy, and Region, plus Fargate and Lambda. EC2 Instance Savings Plans lock to a family in a Region for a deeper discount. | A 1- or 3-year fixed $/hour spend commitment that applies automatically across eligible compute services and regions. A separate savings plan for databases also exists. Unused hourly commitment doesn't roll over. |
| Pricing model | Discounts of up to 72% vs On-Demand, depending on plan type, term, and payment option. | Discounts vary by product and term (not by commitment size) and are applied hourly to the highest-discount usage first. |
| Docs | Savings Plans (Compute & EC2 Instance) docs | Azure savings plan for compute docs |
| Pricing page | Savings Plans (Compute & EC2 Instance) pricing | Azure savings plan for compute pricing |
| Exams | CLF-C02 SAA-C03 SAP-C02 Retiring | AZ-900 AZ-104 AZ-305 |
Key differences
- Coverage. Compute Savings Plans cover EC2 (any family, size, OS, tenancy, Region), Fargate, and Lambda. EC2 Instance Savings Plans give a deeper discount locked to a family in one Region. The Azure savings plan for compute covers VMs, App Service, Container Apps, Functions Premium, and other compute. A separate Azure savings plan for databases also exists.
- Payment. AWS offers All, Partial, or No upfront. Azure bills the commitment monthly or upfront.
- Use-it-or-lose-it. On both sides, unused hourly commitment expires.
- Reservation trade-in. Azure lets you trade eligible reservations into a savings plan. AWS has no RI-to-Savings-Plan trade-in.
- AWS also offers SageMaker AI Savings Plans and Database Savings Plans. Compare those separately.
Pricing summary
Pricing models only. No prices are quoted because they change by region and over time.
- AWS
- Discounts of up to 72% vs On-Demand, depending on plan type, term, and payment option. Savings Plans (Compute & EC2 Instance) pricing →
- Azure
- Discounts vary by product and term (not by commitment size) and are applied hourly to the highest-discount usage first. Azure savings plan for compute pricing →
Certification exam mapping
| Exam | Provider | Level | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner CLF-C02 | AWS | Foundational | current Italian and German versions retire after Dec 31, 2026. |
| 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. |
| Microsoft Certified – Azure Fundamentals AZ-900 | Azure | Fundamentals | current |
| 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 Savings Plans (Compute & EC2 Instance)?
AWS Compute Savings Plans map to the Azure savings plan for compute. Both are a 1- or 3-year $/hour spend commitment applied automatically to eligible compute.
How does pricing compare between Savings Plans (Compute & EC2 Instance) and Azure savings plan for compute?
AWS: Discounts of up to 72% vs On-Demand, depending on plan type, term, and payment option. Azure: Discounts vary by product and term (not by commitment size) and are applied hourly to the highest-discount usage first. Check the official pricing pages for current rates.
Which certification exams cover this topic?
AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner (CLF-C02); AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate (SAA-C03); AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional (SAP-C02) [retiring]; Microsoft Certified – Azure Fundamentals (AZ-900); Microsoft Certified – Azure Administrator Associate (AZ-104); Microsoft Certified – Azure Solutions Architect Expert (AZ-305).