Amazon Web Services (AWS) is one of the top-notch, most comprehensive, and broadly adopted Cloud platforms. They offer cutting-edge infrastructure built from the latest hardware, high-speed network connectivity, and resource redundancy from data centers globally.
However, various reasons are leading some towards alternatives instead. There are plenty of AWS alternatives in the market with equally formidable performance and reliability – at impressively competitive prices.
Whether you need Cloud hosting for a small project or an enterprise organization, here are some reliable and good Cloud alternatives to AWS:
TL;DR
| Web Hosts | Features and Benefits Compared to AWS | Price From |
|---|---|---|
| ScalaHosting | Easier control panel, enhanced security features, free domain and SSL, more straightforward pricing | $29.95/mo |
| LiquidWeb | Fully managed hosting options, more comprehensive support, guaranteed uptime, tailored for WordPress users | $20/mo |
| Digital Ocean | Simplified setup, predefined packages, easier scalability, cost-effective for developers | $14/mo |
| Google Cloud | Seamless integration with Google services, flexible scalability, better for specific Google ecosystem needs | Pay as you go |
1. ScalaHosting
Website: https://www.scalahosting.com
Price: From $29.95/mo (Managed Cloud VPS)
ScalaHosting has been providing web hosting services since 2007. They are a dual-headquartered Cloud hosting provider with homes in Bulgaria and the US. While ScalaHosting offers a complete range of web hosting plans, they are renowned for their Managed Cloud VPS.
ScalaHosting Key Features
One of the main criteria when it comes to hosting is speed. After all, speed influences how well search engines index your site and ultimately impacts your audience’s user experience. ScalaHosting offers excellent server speeds and a solid 99.9% uptime guarantee to users.
SPanel is where ScalaHosting shines. It is an all-in-one web hosting control panel fully compatible with cPanel. ScalaHosting developed SPanel in-house and offers it to their VPS users at no cost, making it a good option, given how cPanel licensing fees have rapidly increased.
SPanel also includes SShield, a free cybersecurity tool that helps safeguard your web hosting account. It monitors everything in real-time and has proven quite effective. You also get SWordPress Manager, a utility that allows WordPress users to manage their sites easily.
All their plans come with ample resources, a free domain name, and SSL. Also included are daily backups. Their servers have supported HTTP/2 since mid-2021, which can boost page loading speeds significantly.
Learn more about ScalaHosting in our review.
Why ScalaHosting is Better than AWS
ScalaHosting Manage Cloud VPS plans are robust and come with many advanced tools that make website owners’ life a lot simpler. They are far easier to manage (and less confusing) than those offered on AWS.
For those seeking a step up from shared hosting, ScalaHosting VPS plans are a happy middle ground, especially if you struggle with server management. It’s also cheap and helps you avoid pricey licensing fees as a plus.
ScalaHosting Pros
- Outstanding hosting uptime and speed performance
- Affordable pricing
- Anytime unconditional Money-back Guarantee
- Automated backup with 7 restore points
- Generous offer in server resources - Even the lowest shared plan gets unmetered bandwidth and unlimited emails
- NVMe SSD storage for all shared hosting plans
- Innovative technology – SPanel, SShield, SWordPress
ScalaHosting Cons
- Price increase during the renewal
2. LiquidWeb
Website: https://www.liquidweb.com/
Price: From $20/mo (Managed VPS)
Based in Michigan, US, LiquidWeb was founded in 1997. They bought a web server business from Rackspace called Cloud Sites, a hosting company devoted to web and Cloud professionals. With more than ten global data centers, LiquidWeb has a range of powerful web hosting options available.
LiquidWeb Key Features
LiquidWeb specializes in VPS, Cloud, and dedicated server hosting, with managed VPS being the most in-demand option. Their packages come filled with impressive specs, resulting in a bevy of robust web hosting plans.
Their managed WordPress and WooCommerce hosting plans are driven by their Cloud called Nexcess that delivers exceptional speed, scalability, and security. For added ease of use, there are three available control panels for you to choose from, namely cPanel/WHM, InterWorx, and Plesk.
LiquidWeb provides a 100% uptime guarantee; if you do experience any downtime, they promise to compensate you for it. Every single plan includes advanced server security services, automatic daily backups, firewalls, DDoS protection, and a free SSL.
Additionally, they provide free nightly backups, which safeguard your website. LiquidWeb also offers customers 24/7/365 support.
Find out more about LiquidWeb here.
Why LiquidWeb is Better than AWS
Many have found LiquidWeb Managed Hosting easier to use, set up, and manage, while using AWS can sometimes be somewhat confusing and nerve-wracking. LiquidWeb’s support is also often cited as a big plus, with users confirming that they preferred its feature updates and roadmaps.
LiquidWeb Pros
- Powerful enterprise hosting solutions with great scalability
- 100% network uptime, backed by detailed Service Level Agreement (SLA)
- Excellent customer support - 59-Second support response guarantee
- Self-operated data centres - Higher degree of security and data integrity compared to providers renting space from third-parties
- PCI-Compliant and HIPAA-Compliant hosting servers available
LiquidWeb Cons
- No standard shared hosting plans
- No Asia-based data center
3. Digital Ocean
Website: https://www.digitalocean.com/
Price: Starts at $14/mo
Digital Ocean is an American Cloud infrastructure service provider headquartered in New York City with 14 data centers worldwide. They provide developers with Cloud services capable of deploying and scaling applications for simultaneous operation on multiple connected devices.
Digital Ocean Key Features
DigitalOcean’s offered packages are predefined and priced so that there are no hidden costs; what you sign up for is what you get and pay for. Most prefer DigitalOcean because of the simplicity of setting up an account.
Their Droplet system represents standalone self-sufficient servers that can also be configured to become part of a connected chain of platforms. As such, it is effortless to scale up or down. The platforms support various operating systems, including Ubuntu, CentOS, Debian, and Fedora. There’s also a one-click installer to help install WordPress, GitLab, Node.js, Docker, and more.
Other notable features include security, storage, and monitoring via a sturdy and reliable infrastructure. They provide 24/7 support anytime you need help.
Read our Digital Ocean review to learn more.
Why DigitalOcean is Better than AWS
DigitalOcean shines in that its pricing is comparatively lower than AWS. Also, they were the first Cloud hosting company that started serving SSD-built virtual machines to ensure high-speed delivery in 2013. DigitalOcean focuses primarily on its simple user interface (UI) and a lower-complexity approach.
Digital Ocean Pros
- Outstanding server uptime and speed performance
- Competitive and flexible pricing model
- Choice of 15 distributed data centers
- Highly configurable virtual machines
- Built-in alert system for resource thresholds or critical issues
Digital Ocean Cons
- Charges apply for automated backups
- Unencrypted backups
- Only suitable for advanced users
- Less user-friendly for team operations
4. Google Cloud Platform
Website: https://cloud.google.com/
Price: Pay as you go
Google Cloud, aka Google Cloud Platform or GCP, was launched back on April 7, 2008. Google offers it as a suite of Cloud computing services that runs on the same infrastructure that Google uses internally for its end-user products. GCP is mainly a service for building and maintaining original applications, which may be published on the Web.
Google Cloud Platform Key Features
Google Cloud offers multi-Cloud facilities for complex Cloud computing and storage architectures and widely distributed Cloud assets. All leading solutions and platforms such as MongoDB, Elastic Stack, DataStax, and Redis Labs are welcome on this platform. Also, Google’s global reach and processing power help make its Cloud platform highly scalable.
Google Cloud excels in using the same technology that supports the company’s search engine, web browser, Gmail service, and others. This enables seamless integration with the Android mobile operating system. As a result, Google Cloud is fast, secure, and the preferred platform for developers of Android mobile applications.
Additionally, Google Cloud is working on Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) which are the future of Cloud computing. Last but not least, Google is among the few that offer a massive number of data centers over the Americas, Europe, and the Asia Pacific. Google Cloud charges you only for the resources you use, which is fair.
Why Google Cloud Platform is Better than AWS
Google Cloud is another of the foremost AWS competitors because they offer a wider variety of Cloud services at lower prices. A notable advantage is their development using the same technology that helps run Google’s other services – a boon for those seeking to run Android-based apps or systems.
What is Amazon AWS?
Amazon AWS is considered the ‘“Colossus of Cloud Computing” and is a market leader by far. It was built in 2006 from the internal infrastructure of Amazon.com due to its need to handle massive-capacity online retail operations.
Today, AWS is a comprehensive yet still evolving Cloud computing platform provided by Amazon that encompasses a mixture of Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Packaged Software as a Service (SaaS) options.
AWS also offers various tools and solutions for enterprises, even huge conglomerates. All of this runs out of Amazon’s vast data centers across the globe – spanning 245 countries and territories. AWS was also one of the first to introduce a pay-as-you-go Cloud computing model.
Why the Need for Amazon AWS Alternative
Amazon AWS offers over 120 Cloud services; that’s a lot! Having more is good, but sometimes having too many can be overwhelming and, for most businesses moving to the Cloud can be confusing and ultimately frustrating.
Also, its pricing structure is complicated, which adds to the frustration; their prices and billing are high, and many end up paying for features they don’t need.
One of the major criticisms of AWS is that businesses have to invest heavily in their IT team’s education to take full advantage of what the platform has to offer. This need for investment jacks up costs, possibly negating the benefits of moving to the Cloud.
On the whole, AWS can become a challenging maze to tackle, especially for newbies. Also, AWS Elastic Computing (EC2) limits resources by region, about which many are unhappy.
As of late, AWS support has also been in question. As such, many are looking for more suitable Amazon AWS alternatives.
Final Thoughts
Amazon AWS is undoubtedly a well-reputed host, delivering an impressive performance as expected. While they dominate the market share, they can be complex too. For a beginner, Amazon AWS can be tricky, and chances are, you may end up with a costly package you may not need.
The Cloud works best when customers can pick and choose what services suit them best; of course, the relevant mechanisms must be in place to effectively manage a multi-Cloud environment. The above is a list of solid contenders of Amazon AWS. Feel free to explore and try them out; you just might find the right one that suits your needs best.
