CloudCostCompareCloud pricing calculators compared: what each leaves out
Short answer: AWS, Azure, Google Cloud and Oracle each publish a calculator for their own services. They are useful, and they answer a narrower question than people expect. A cross-cloud tool answers a different one: what the same workload costs on each cloud. Use the second to choose and the first to confirm.
Key points
- Vendor calculators cover their own catalog in depth and include their discounts.
- They cover one cloud, and you choose every setting.
- Equivalent services across clouds are your job to match.
- Cross-cloud tools trade depth for a fair comparison.
- Use both: compare first, then quote.
What do vendor calculators do well?
- They cover the cloud’s full catalog, including new and niche services.
- They know the vendor’s discounts and options, such as reservations.
- They can show many regions and configurations.
- They produce a quote you can share inside a company.
The vendor tools are the AWS Pricing Calculator, the Azure pricing calculator, the Google Cloud pricing calculator and the Oracle cost estimator.
What do they leave out?
| Gap | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Only one cloud | You cannot see a difference without building the same estimate three more times |
| You choose every setting | Two people can build different estimates for the same workload |
| Equivalent services are your job | Matching a load balancer to another cloud’s one is left to you |
| Extras you forget | A calculator prices what you add, and cannot tell you what you left out |
| Rounded assumptions | Hours per month, tier breaks and units vary between tools |
What does a worked example look like?
Made-up round numbers to show the method, not real prices. One person builds the same web app estimate on three vendor calculators.
| Line | Calculator A | Calculator B | Calculator C |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hours per month assumed | 730 | 730 | 720 |
| Servers: 2 x 0.10 per hour | 146.00 | 146.00 | 144.00 |
| Load balancer | included by default | not added | added at 20.00 |
| Data out, 500 GB | not added | 36.00 | 36.00 |
| Logs | not added | not added | not added |
| Total shown | 146.00 | 182.00 | 200.00 |
The same app shows three totals, and not because of price differences. Hours per month differ, the load balancer was added in one tool only, data out in two, and logs in none. A cross-cloud tool applies one set of assumptions to every cloud, so those differences vanish, and what remains is the price difference you wanted to see.
What does a cross-cloud tool do?
A comparison tool starts from the workload, such as a web app or a data platform, and sizes the same job on each cloud with services chosen as equivalents. It gives up depth in return for a fair side-by-side view. The trade-off is fewer services and no negotiated prices.
On this site:
- Every figure comes from the vendors’ public price lists, with each price tied to its vendor SKU.
- Equivalence reasons are recorded and shown.
- A service a cloud does not offer shows as a gap, never as zero.
- Methods are published. See how we calculate monthly costs and how prices are collected.
How do I use both?
- Use a cross-cloud estimate to find which options are worth a closer look.
- Rebuild the best candidate in the vendor’s own calculator for a quote that includes your discounts.
- Check the result with list prices vs what you actually pay.
You can also price infrastructure code before applying it with a Terraform plan.
Which mistakes are common?
- Comparing totals from tools with different hours-per-month assumptions.
- Trusting a quote that excludes data transfer and logs.
- Copying an old estimate into a new region.
- Treating a calculator total as a commitment.
Decision checklist
- Are the assumptions the same in every estimate?
- Did I include data out, logs, backups and support?
- Did I compare list prices before discounts?
- Did I confirm the winner in the vendor’s calculator?
Next steps
Read how to read a cloud estimate before you rely on any total, then try the web app estimator.
Frequently asked questions
Are cloud pricing calculators accurate?
They are accurate for the settings you enter, but they price only what you add. A calculator cannot tell you what you left out, and two people can build different estimates for the same workload.
Why use a cross-cloud tool instead of vendor calculators?
A cross-cloud tool starts from the workload and sizes the same job on each cloud with services chosen as equivalents, which gives a fair side-by-side view with less effort.
Do comparison tools include my discounts?
No. They use public list prices. Rebuild the best candidate in the vendor's own calculator to include your commitments, credits and negotiated rates.
What do comparison tools leave out?
Services without a clear equivalent, niche products, and your own negotiated prices. A good tool marks these as gaps, not zero.
How should I use both?
Use a cross-cloud estimate to find which options deserve a closer look, then build the best candidate in the vendor calculator for a quote.