Amazon Web Services (AWS) vs Docker (2026): Pricing, Features & Verdict
Amazon Web Services (AWS) is our pick, scoring 7.9/10 against 7.1/10 for Docker on our Hosting & Infrastructure criteria. Its biggest advantage: higher Customization score (10/10 vs 7/10). For 10 users, Amazon Web Services (AWS) is free, against $160/mo for Docker; both Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Docker have a free plan.
Last updated: November 2026
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
7.9/10
Amazon's public cloud platform, with over 200 pay-as-you-go services for compute, storage, databases, networking and AI, used by startups through large enterprises and governments.
Docker
7.1/10
Docker is a container platform. It includes Docker Desktop, Engine, Hub, Scout and Testcontainers Cloud, and developers and IT teams use it to build, share and run applications in containers.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Feature | | |
|---|---|---|
| Scores | ||
| Overall Rating | 7.9/10 | 7.1/10 |
| Integration | 10/10 | 9/10 |
| Support | 6/10 | 6/10 |
| Cost | 5/10 | 7/10 |
| Customization | 10/10 | 7/10 |
| Security | 9/10 | 8/10 |
| Reliability | 9/10 | 7/10 |
| Ease of Use | 4/10 | 8/10 |
| Analytics | 8/10 | 5/10 |
| Scalability | 10/10 | 7/10 |
| Pricing | ||
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Cheapest paid plan | Contact for pricing | $11/user/mo Pro |
| Estimated cost for 10 users | Free Free plan | $160/mo Team |
| Features | ||
| API and CLI | ||
| Cloud Compute | Not listed | |
| Content Delivery Network | Not listed | |
| Managed Databases | Not listed | |
| Managed Kubernetes | Not listed | |
| Multiple Regions | Not listed | |
| Object Storage | Not listed | |
| Serverless Functions | Not listed | |
| Uptime SLA | Not listed | |
| VPS Hosting | Not listed | |
Amazon Web Services (AWS) vs Docker cost by team size
Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Docker cost the same at 1 user; Amazon Web Services (AWS) costs less from 5 users.
| Team size | Amazon Web Services (AWS) | Docker |
|---|---|---|
| 1 user | FreeFree plan | FreePersonal |
| 5 users | FreeFree plan | $80/moTeam |
| 10 users | FreeFree plan | $160/moTeam |
| 25 users | FreeFree plan | $400/moTeam |
| 50 users | FreeFree plan | $800/moTeam |
The plan that fits each team size, billed monthly, before add-ons and usage charges. Each cost opens that tool's pricing calculator for the team size.
Who Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Docker suit
Amazon Web Services (AWS) fits enterprise better than Docker.
| Audience | Amazon Web Services (AWS) | Docker |
|---|---|---|
| Enterprise | 10/10Enterprise and Unified Operations support tiers and a broad compliance and service range are aimed at large organisations. | 7/10Enterprises get SOC 2 and ISO 27001 compliance, hardened images and a premium support add-on, but they must buy paid seats. |
| Developers | 9/10The full API, CLI and SDK tooling and the breadth of services suit engineers, though the learning curve is steep. | 10/10Desktop, CLI, Compose and Hub are built for developers' daily container work. |
| SaaS Companies | 9/10Multi-region infrastructure and managed services support running production SaaS workloads. | 8/10Containerised builds and testing through Testcontainers Cloud fit SaaS delivery pipelines. |
| Startups | 8/10The free plan credits and pay-as-you-go billing let startups begin cheaply and scale, which G2 reviewers note. | 8/10Companies under 250 employees and $10M revenue can use the free Personal plan commercially. |
| Government | 8/10AWS runs dedicated GovCloud regions, which have their own support pricing. | Not rated |
| IT Teams | Not rated | 8/10The Business plan adds SSO, SCIM, registry access management and hardened Desktop settings for central administration. |
| Small Business | 5/10It is affordable at low usage, but complex billing and setup can overwhelm non-technical small teams. | Not rated |
Which One Should You Choose?
Why choose Amazon Web Services (AWS)
- Lower estimated cost for 10 users: Free vs $160/mo
- Higher Customization score (10/10 vs 7/10)
- Higher Analytics score (8/10 vs 5/10)
- Better fit for enterprise (10/10 vs 7/10)
Why choose Docker
- Higher Ease of Use score (8/10 vs 4/10)
- Higher Cost score (7/10 vs 5/10)
Pros & Cons
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Pros
- The service catalogue is unusually broad, with over 200 services across 38 regions, so most infrastructure needs can be met on one platform.
- EC2 has a 99.99% region-level SLA with credits of up to 100%, and instances unavailable for more than six minutes in an hour are not billed for that hour.
- The free plan gives up to $200 in credits, and more than 30 always-free services let new teams experiment at low cost.
- Support scales from a $29 minimum up to dedicated Enterprise and Unified Operations tiers for mission-critical workloads.
- G2 rates it 4.4 across more than 17,000 reviews, and reviewers praise its scalability and global reach.
Cons
- Reviewers widely cite a steep learning curve across the console and services.
- Usage pricing is complex and can produce unexpected bills unless spend is monitored closely.
- Paid support is billed as a percentage of total AWS spend, so support costs rise with usage.
- A July 2025 billing console bug showed customers estimated charges in the billions, which hurt trust in its cost tooling.
Docker
Pros
- The free Personal plan covers commercial use for companies under 250 employees and $10M revenue, as well as non-commercial open source work.
- One install of Docker Desktop gives you the Engine, CLI, Compose and a local Kubernetes cluster on Mac, Windows and Linux.
- Team pricing of $15 to $16 per user is modest compared with the developer time containers save.
- The Business tier adds SSO, SCIM and Enhanced Container Isolation, and Docker holds SOC 2, ISO 27001 and ISO 27701 attestations.
- An extensions ecosystem includes partners such as Snyk, JFrog and Red Hat.
Cons
- Reviewers often say Docker Desktop is heavy on RAM and disk, especially on Apple Silicon Macs.
- Larger companies and government entities must pay per seat just to use Docker Desktop.
- Docker does not host workloads, so you still need a cloud or server provider.
- Team and Business downgrades require contacting sales, and refunds are only available within 15 days.
- Support on Pro takes up to 5 business days unless you buy premium support.
Not sold on either?
Frequently Asked Questions
Amazon Web Services (AWS) scores higher on our Hosting & Infrastructure criteria: 7.9/10 against 7.1/10 for Docker. The largest gap is in Ease of Use: 4/10 for Amazon Web Services (AWS) and 8/10 for Docker.
Amazon Web Services (AWS) costs less for 10 users: free on its Free plan, against about $160/mo on its Team plan for Docker, billed monthly.
Yes, both Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Docker have a free plan.
Amazon Web Services (AWS) is the better fit for enterprise: we rate it 10/10 for them, against 7/10 for Docker.
