In this guide
Short answer: choose AWS Cloud Practitioner when your target role or employer uses AWS, and choose AZ-900 when Azure is the environment you need to understand. If you have no provider signal, compare local job listings and choose the exam whose terminology you can practice. Both are foundational starting points; neither is a substitute for hands-on cloud work.
What the exams are for
AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner is the foundational AWS credential. AWS positions the CLF-C02 exam for people who need a broad understanding of cloud concepts, AWS services, security and compliance, billing and pricing. It is not designed to prove that you can deploy and operate a production architecture.
Microsoft Azure Fundamentals validates foundational knowledge of cloud concepts, core Azure services, and Azure management and governance. Microsoft’s AZ-900 study guide groups the objectives around cloud concepts, Azure architecture and services, and management and governance. It is a platform-specific foundation, useful when Azure vocabulary appears in your work or next learning step.
Continue exploring: browse the Certification Guides or use the Certification Finder to compare more credentials.
Side-by-side comparison
| Decision point | AWS Cloud Practitioner | Azure AZ-900 |
|---|---|---|
| Exam | CLF-C02; AWS lists 90 minutes and 65 questions. | AZ-900; Microsoft lists 45 minutes for the assessment. |
| Published base price | AWS lists $100 USD before applicable taxes, exchange rates or regional checkout differences. | Microsoft exam pricing varies by country and region; check the official checkout page. |
| Core scope | Cloud concepts, security and compliance, core technology, and billing or pricing. | Cloud concepts, Azure architecture and services, management and governance. |
| Experience | Foundational exam; AWS does not require professional cloud experience to sit it. | Foundational exam for people beginning with Azure concepts and services. |
| Validity | AWS says the certification is valid for three years. | Microsoft says Fundamentals certifications do not expire. |
| Best evidence after study | Explain AWS service choices, security basics and a simple cost decision. | Explain Azure service categories, governance controls and a basic resource plan. |
Choose by workplace signal, not logo preference
Search for the roles you actually want. If listings mention IAM, EC2, S3, VPC or AWS billing, AWS terminology will shorten the gap between study and interview. If they mention Microsoft Entra ID, Azure virtual networks, subscriptions, resource groups or Azure governance, AZ-900 may be the more immediately useful first vocabulary. This does not mean the other cloud is irrelevant; it means your first credential should reinforce the environment you can practise.
For a cloud-neutral operations or project role, compare the learning materials and exam experience you prefer. AWS’s exam is longer and carries a published base fee. Azure’s assessment is shorter, but “shorter” does not mean effortless: you still need to understand concepts rather than memorise service names. In either case, use the provider’s current exam guide as the source of truth.
Study without overclaiming readiness
Build a small, reversible lab
Use a free tier or sandbox only after reading the current terms. Create a simple resource, apply least-privilege access, add a budget alert and delete what you created. Record the architecture in one page. The exercise teaches you more than collecting screenshots, and it gives you a concrete story for an interview.
Translate the vocabulary
Make a two-column glossary for identity, compute, storage, networking, monitoring, security and billing. Map concepts across providers, but label provider-specific names clearly. A load balancer or object-storage concept may transfer; the console, limits and pricing do not automatically transfer.
A practical choice sequence
- Pick your target environment. Review ten job descriptions, a current project brief or the cloud used by your team.
- Read the official exam guide. List domains and mark what you can explain without notes.
- Price the whole attempt. Include exam, practice materials, lab usage, tax and a possible retake.
- Produce one lab note. Show an architecture, security choice, cost guardrail and cleanup steps.
- Only then schedule. A certificate is evidence of a learning milestone, not proof of production access.
Verdict
Neither AWS Cloud Practitioner nor AZ-900 is universally better. AWS is the practical first choice when AWS is the target ecosystem and its three-year cycle is acceptable. AZ-900 is the practical first choice when Azure work is the target, especially for readers who value a fundamentals credential that does not expire. If you are undecided, let job evidence and a small lab choose for you.
Sources and scope: facts checked September 7, 2026. Regional price and exam availability can change; confirm the provider checkout immediately before purchase.