AWS Solutions Architect
SAA-C03
1Design Secure Architectures
30%
2Design Resilient Architectures
26%
3Design High-Performing Architectures
24%
4Design Cost-Optimized Architectures
20%
Certification comparison
AWS Solutions Architect vs AZ-104
Both are the usual second step on their cloud, but they test different jobs. The AWS exam is about designing solutions. AZ-104 is about running Azure day to day.
Last updated
Side by side
The two exams at a glance
Every figure comes from the vendor’s own pages, through our exam guides, and is checked every week.
| AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate | Microsoft Azure Administrator | |
|---|---|---|
| Vendor | AWS | Microsoft |
| Exam code | SAA-C03 | AZ-104 |
| Level | IntermediateAWS calls it Associate | Intermediate |
| Written for | Cloud engineer or architect | Cloud engineer or architect |
| Questions | 65 | Usually 40–60 |
| Time | 130 min | 100 min |
| Passing score | 720 / 1000 | 700 / 1000 |
| Exam cost | $150Per attempt, before tax | $165In the United States; set by country |
| Experience | 1 year designing solutions on AWSRecommended experience | NonePrerequisites |
| Renewal | Every 3 years: pass the exam again | Every year: free online assessment |
| Exam outline | 4 domainsLargest: Design Secure Architectures (30%) | 5 domainsLargest: Manage Azure Identities and Governance (20–25%) |
| What’s changing | No change announced | No change announced |
Levels are our own rating, from the level each vendor gives its exam. How we check our facts
Exam domains
What each exam covers
Each domain’s share of the exam, as the vendor publishes it. Where one exam has two versions on sale, this is the newer one.
AZ-104
AZ-104
1Manage Azure Identities and Governance
20–25%
2Implement and Manage Storage
15–20%
3Deploy and Manage Azure Compute Resources
20–25%
4Implement and Manage Virtual Networking
15–20%
5Monitor and Maintain Azure Resources
10–15%
Which one
Which should you take?
Choose AWS Solutions Architect if
you work with AWS, or want to, and your job is deciding how systems should be built.
Choose AZ-104 if
you work with Azure, or want to, and your job is managing identities, storage, virtual machines and networks.
Which one first?
Choose by cloud first, then by job. Neither has a prerequisite, and the fundamentals exam below each one is optional.
Beyond the numbers
What really differs
Designing against administering
The AWS exam gives you requirements and asks which design is secure, resilient, fast and cost-effective. AZ-104 asks how to set up and manage the resources themselves.
Keeping it
AZ-104 is renewed every year with a free online assessment. The AWS certification lasts three years and is renewed by passing an exam.
The closest match
If you want the same job on the other cloud, compare like with like: Azure’s architect exam is AZ-305, and AWS’s operations exam is CloudOps Engineer – Associate.
FAQs
Got Questions? We’ve Got Answers.
Find quick answers or contact our support team.
Should I take AWS Solutions Architect or AZ-104 first?
Choose by cloud first, then by job. Neither has a prerequisite, and the fundamentals exam below each one is optional.
Which is harder, AWS Solutions Architect or AZ-104?
They sit at the same level: we rate both intermediate. What differs is what they cover, so the harder one is usually the one further from your own experience.
What experience do I need for AWS Solutions Architect and AZ-104?
AWS Solutions Architect: AWS recommends 1 year designing solutions on AWS. It isn’t required to sit the exam. AZ-104: Microsoft sets no prerequisites for AZ-104. Knowing the exam’s domains well is what counts.
Which costs more, AWS Solutions Architect or AZ-104?
AZ-104 costs more: $165 against $150 for one attempt.
