Cloud comparison

Cloud services,
side by side.

A practical map of the services teams compare most often. See where the hyperscalers go deeper, where developer clouds keep things simple, and where ZCP pairs a developer-first experience with sovereignty, portability, and a bill you can forecast.

AWSAzureGoogle CloudVultrDigitalOcean

Try ZCP See ZCP pricing See the ZCP roadmap Why ZCP

Hyperscalers

Breadth at global scale

AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud offer the deepest catalog of managed services, regions, and enterprise integrations.

Developer clouds

A smaller surface area

Vultr and DigitalOcean focus on fast IaaS, straightforward products, and plans that are easier to understand at smaller scale.

ZCP

Developer workflows with control

A focused developer cloud on Canadian regions, open-source infrastructure, CAD pricing, and $0 egress, with engineers behind it.

Service matrix

Compare the building blocks.

Product names are comparable, not identical. A managed service can differ in scope, defaults, regional availability, support, and pricing. Follow the links before making a procurement decision.

Cloud provider capability comparison
Capability	ZCP Developer-first sovereign cloud	AWS Hyperscaler	Azure Hyperscaler	GCP Hyperscaler	Vultr Developer cloud	DigitalOcean Developer cloud
Compute Virtual machines	Virtual MachinesKVM virtual machines with root access and snapshots.View service	Amazon EC2Broad instance families, bare metal, and specialized accelerators.View service	Azure Virtual MachinesWindows and Linux VMs with Microsoft ecosystem integration.View service	Compute EngineConfigurable VMs with custom machine types and autoscaling.View service	Cloud ComputeSimple cloud instances with CPU, memory, and GPU options.View service	DropletsPredictable cloud VMs with shared and dedicated CPU plans.View service
Compute GPU and dedicated hardware	Bare MetalDedicated hardware, including GPU configurations, scoped through sales.View service	EC2 GPU, Trainium, InferentiaLarge accelerator catalog for AI, HPC, and inference.View service	GPU VMsND, NC, and other accelerator families for AI and HPC.View service	GPU and TPUGPU VMs plus purpose-built TPU accelerators.View service	GPU CloudGPU instances and dedicated compute across multiple locations.View service	GPU DropletsGPU Droplets for AI/ML, HPC, and rendering workloads.View service
Storage Object storage	Object StorageS3-compatible, regional, with free unmetered transfer.View service	Amazon S3Durable object storage with extensive classes and integrations.View service	Blob StorageObject storage for unstructured data and data lakes.View service	Cloud StorageObject storage with regional, dual-region, and multi-region options.View service	Object StorageS3-compatible storage for assets, backups, and media.View service	SpacesS3-compatible object storage with a simple product surface.View service
Storage Block storage	Block StorageNVMe volumes with online expansion and snapshots.View service	Amazon EBSPersistent block volumes with many performance profiles.View service	Managed DisksPersistent disks for Azure VMs with multiple performance tiers.View service	Hyperdisk and Persistent DiskPersistent VM storage with high-performance Hyperdisk tiers.View service	Block StorageAttachable volumes for Vultr compute instances.View service	VolumesBlock storage volumes for Droplets and Kubernetes.View service
Storage Shared file storage	File StorageShared mounts for Linux and Windows workloads.View service	Amazon EFSElastic managed NFS file storage.View service	Azure FilesManaged SMB and NFS file shares.View service	FilestoreManaged NFS file servers for VMs and GKE.View service	File SystemManaged file system storage in the Vultr catalog.View service	Bring your ownNo first-party managed file service in the core catalog.
Containers Managed Kubernetes	Managed KubernetesUpstream Kubernetes on dedicated infrastructure.View service	Amazon EKSManaged Kubernetes with broad AWS integrations.View service	Azure Kubernetes ServiceManaged Kubernetes with Azure identity and policy tooling.View service	Google Kubernetes EngineManaged Kubernetes with strong fleet and data tooling.View service	Vultr Kubernetes EngineManaged control plane with Vultr storage and networking integrations.View service	DigitalOcean KubernetesManaged control plane with autoscaling and standard Kubernetes tooling.View service
Networking Private networking and VPC	VPC NetworkingVPCs, subnets, routing, firewalls, VPN, and DNS.View service	Amazon VPCDeep network controls across a large service ecosystem.View service	Virtual NetworkPrivate networking with hybrid connectivity and policy controls.View service	Virtual Private CloudGlobal VPC design with routing and connectivity services.View service	VPC 2.0Private networks across Vultr compute resources.View service	VPCPrivate networking within a DigitalOcean region.View service
Networking Load balancing	Load BalancerLayer 4 balancing with a flat per-instance price.View service	Elastic Load BalancingApplication, network, gateway, and classic load balancers.View service	Azure Load BalancerLayer 4 load balancing with public and internal modes.View service	Cloud Load BalancingGlobal and regional load balancing across workloads.View service	Load BalancersManaged load balancing for Vultr instances.View service	Load BalancersManaged load balancing for Droplets and DOKS.View service
Data platforms Managed relational databases	Bring your ownRun PostgreSQL, MySQL, and other engines on your VMs or Kubernetes.	Amazon RDS and AuroraManaged relational databases with many engine and HA options.View service	Azure SQL and Azure DatabaseManaged SQL Server, PostgreSQL, MySQL, and more.View service	Cloud SQL and AlloyDBManaged relational databases plus high-performance PostgreSQL.View service	Managed DatabasesManaged PostgreSQL, MySQL, Redis, and other engines.View service	Managed DatabasesManaged PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB, Redis, and Kafka.View service
Application platform Managed application deployment	Private-cloud and single-server PaaSManaged application deployment is available for private-cloud and single-server deployments. Public-cloud PaaS is planned.View service	AWS Lambda and App RunnerFunctions, containers, and managed application deployment.View service	Azure Functions and App ServiceFunctions and managed web application hosting.View service	Cloud Run and App EngineManaged container and application runtimes.View service	Serverless InferenceServerless GPU inference, not a general app PaaS.View service	App Platform and FunctionsManaged app deployment and serverless functions.View service
Security Identity, policy, and security tooling	Platform securityRBAC, scoped API keys, firewalls, DDoS protection, and audit trails.View service	IAM, Organizations, Security HubDeep identity, policy, governance, and security services.View service	Entra ID, Policy, DefenderIdentity and security controls across Microsoft environments.View service	IAM, Organization Policy, SCCIdentity, policy, and security command center services.View service	Firewall Groups and API keysNetwork firewalls, account controls, and API access.View service	Cloud Firewalls and TeamsNetwork firewalls, project controls, and team access.View service
Operations Infrastructure as code and automation	API, CLI, Terraform, and AnsibleOpen tooling with portable infrastructure patterns.View service	CloudFormation, CDK, TerraformLarge ecosystem with service-specific automation options.View service	ARM, Bicep, TerraformNative templates plus strong Azure DevOps integration.View service	Terraform and Infrastructure ManagerDeclarative infrastructure with Google Cloud tooling.View service	API, CLI, TerraformAutomation-first access for core infrastructure services.View service	API, CLI, TerraformSimple automation surface for core products.View service
Commercial model Billing and transfer posture	Published CAD pricing$0 egress and free unmetered transfer on the public cloud.View service	Usage-meteredMany services, dimensions, regions, and transfer paths affect the bill.View service	Usage-meteredConsumption, reserved capacity, and licensing choices affect the bill.View service	Usage-meteredConsumption pricing, committed use, and network paths affect the bill.View service	Usage-based plansSimple core products with service and location-specific transfer terms.View service	Simple monthly plansMonthly caps and included transfer allowances on core products.View service
Operating model Best fit at a glance	Developer-first sovereigntyA focused developer platform with Canadian regions, open infrastructure, and managed control.View service	Maximum breadthBest when you need the largest managed service catalog and global reach.View service	Microsoft alignmentBest when identity, Windows, Microsoft 365, or enterprise agreements lead.View service	Data and AI depthBest when analytics, data engineering, and AI are central to the platform.View service	Flexible infrastructureBest when you want straightforward IaaS, locations, and dedicated options.View service	Developer simplicityBest when a small team values simple products and predictable plans.View service

PaaS availability depends on the deployment model.

ZSoftly provides managed application deployment for private-cloud and single-server environments today. Dokploy is one supported open-source platform, not a ZSoftly product. For a self-managed setup, use our Dokploy deployment guide. For managed deployments, ZSoftly provides integrations, identity, networking, security, monitoring, backups, and platform operations. Self-service PaaS on the public cloud is planned separately.

Read the Dokploy deployment guide Talk to the ZSoftly team

“Bring your own” means the provider supports the workload through VMs, Kubernetes, or partner tooling rather than a first-party managed product in the reviewed catalog.

Decision guide

Start with the constraint.

The right cloud depends on the workload, the team operating it, and the cost or jurisdiction constraints you need to defend.

Choose a hyperscaler

You need a deep managed-service catalog, global regions, or tight integration with AWS, Microsoft, or Google tooling.

Choose a developer cloud

You want a smaller product surface, fast VM launches, and simple plans for a focused application or development team.

Choose ZCP

You want a focused developer platform with Canadian data residency, open infrastructure, predictable CAD billing, $0 egress, and help from the team operating it.

Need a multi-cloud answer?

You do not have to move everything at once. ZSoftly helps teams assess workloads, compare total cost and operating effort, and use ZCP alongside AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud where the mix makes sense.

Talk through your architecture

Reviewed August 8, 2026. This page is a capability guide, not a pricing quote or a claim of feature parity. Product names, availability, regions, and pricing change. Sources:AWS product catalog, Azure product catalog, Google Cloud product catalog, Vultr product catalog, DigitalOcean product catalog.

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Cloud services, side by side.