Amazon Web Services (AWS) vs Apache CloudStack

Amazon Web Services (AWS)9.3Visit Apache CloudStack8.6Visit

Higher score Amazon Web Services (AWS) #1 in Cloud Computing platform 9.3/10 Paid ✓ 0 of 3 features Visit AWS

vs

Apache CloudStack #3 in Cloud Computing platform 8.6/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 0 of 3 features Visit site

• Amazon Web Services (AWS) fits best

  Broad cloud workloads and regulated enterprises

• Apache CloudStack fits best

  Teams building self-hosted private clouds

Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.

Side by side

Feature	Amazon Web Services (AWS) 9.3/10 Visit ↗	Apache CloudStack 8.6/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.3	8.6
Ranking	#1 in Cloud Computing platform	#3 in Cloud Computing platform
Best for	Broad cloud workloads and regulated enterprises	Teams building self-hosted private clouds
Pricing model	Paid	Free
Starting price	—	Free plan
Free plan	Not checked yet	✓ (best)
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Cloud	Self-hosted, Browser extension
Platforms	Web	Web, Linux
Support	Phone, Live chat, Community, Docs · 24/7	Community, Docs
Compliance	SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR, HIPAA, PCI DSS	SSO/SAML, 2FA
Built for	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Amazon Web Services (AWS) 0/3 · Apache CloudStack 0/3
Managed Kubernetes	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Serverless compute	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Object storage	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Specs
Service model	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Compute options	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Regions available	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Support levels	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Our review
Pros	Compute, storage, databases, networking, and application services HIPAA-eligible services and a standard Business Associate Addendum CloudTrail audit logging, identity controls, and centralized backups	Orchestrates compute, networking, storage, and multiple hypervisors. Supports high availability, live migration, and disaster recovery. Offers REST-like and AWS-compatible APIs plus Terraform and Ansible integrations.
Cons	Costs vary by service, region, usage, storage, and data transfer HIPAA eligibility covers designated services and requires customer configuration Customers must select and configure services under a shared-responsibility model	Requires self-hosting and the operational work that entails. Its broad infrastructure scope may exceed the needs of simpler environments. Support channels are community resources and documentation.
Our verdict	AWS provides cloud infrastructure and managed services for organizations building, hosting, storing, and processing applications and data. Its broad service range suits individual developers through enterprises, including organizations… Read the review →	Apache CloudStack is an open-source Infrastructure-as-a-Service platform for deploying and managing public, private, and hybrid clouds. Its self-hosted model is aimed at cloud providers, managed service providers, telecommunications… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Amazon Web Services (AWS) — where it wins

  • Compute, storage, databases, networking, and application services
  • HIPAA-eligible services and a standard Business Associate Addendum
  • CloudTrail audit logging, identity controls, and centralized backups

  Where it doesn't

  • Costs vary by service, region, usage, storage, and data transfer
  • HIPAA eligibility covers designated services and requires customer configuration
  • Customers must select and configure services under a shared-responsibility model

• Apache CloudStack — where it wins

  • Orchestrates compute, networking, storage, and multiple hypervisors.
  • Supports high availability, live migration, and disaster recovery.
  • Offers REST-like and AWS-compatible APIs plus Terraform and Ansible integrations.

  Where it doesn't

  • Requires self-hosting and the operational work that entails.
  • Its broad infrastructure scope may exceed the needs of simpler environments.
  • Support channels are community resources and documentation.

• Amazon Web Services (AWS)9.3/10 · Paid

  Broad cloud services with HIPAA-eligible options and usage-based pricing.

  Visit AWSFull verdict →
• Apache CloudStack8.6/10 · Free plan

  A capable private-cloud foundation for teams prepared to operate it themselves.

  Visit siteFull verdict →