Exam fee
$150
Per attempt, before tax
Cost, pay and fit
Is AWS Solutions Architect worth it?
Yes, for anyone who builds on AWS or wants to. It covers a wide range of AWS services at design level, which makes it a good first technical AWS certification whatever your role. It’s most convincing alongside things you’ve actually built.
Last updated
The cost
What it costs
The exam fee is the certification’s fixed cost. Study material and your own time come on top.
Keeping it
Valid for 3 years
Pass the current version of the exam again before it expires
A fee covers one attempt: if you don’t pass, the next attempt is paid for again. What every exam costs
The return
What the jobs pay
US government figures for the occupations this certification most often leads to.
Computer network architects
$134,050
Median pay a year, 2025
- Employed
- 181,800
- Openings a year
- About 9,600
- Outlook
- Expected to grow much faster than average (7% or higher) from 2025 to 2035
The government’s occupation list has no entry for cloud roles as such. We use the closest one, the people who design networks and infrastructure: O*NET lists “solutions architect” among its job titles.
These figures cover everyone in the occupation in the United States, with or without the certification, at every level of experience. Starting pay is lower, and no certification guarantees a job.
Source: O*NET OnLine (US Department of Labor), from Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data and employment projections. Checked November 10, 2026. How we check our facts
Recognition
What the vendor says
Quoted from the vendor’s own page, so read it as their claim.
AWS says this certification ranked among the top 10 certifications of 2023 in Skillsoft’s IT Skills and Salary Report. That’s the latest ranking on AWS’s page.
AWS’s Solutions Architect – Associate page · Read November 10, 2026
AWS gives a 50% discount on your next AWS exam once you hold one of its certifications.
AWS’s Solutions Architect – Associate page · Read November 10, 2026
Your decision
Is AWS Solutions Architect worth it for you?
It’s worth it if
- you design, build or run systems on AWS.
- you’re moving into cloud work from systems administration, networking or development.
- the roles you want mention AWS certification.
Think twice if
- your employer runs on another cloud. Take that provider’s equivalent instead.
- you’ve never used AWS. A few months of hands-on practice first will make it worth far more.
FAQs
Got Questions? We’ve Got Answers.
Find quick answers or contact our support team.
Is AWS Solutions Architect worth it in 2026?
Yes, for anyone who builds on AWS or wants to. It covers a wide range of AWS services at design level, which makes it a good first technical AWS certification whatever your role. It’s most convincing alongside things you’ve actually built.
How much does AWS Solutions Architect cost?
$150 (per attempt, before tax). Check AWS’s site for the price in your country.
What jobs does AWS Solutions Architect lead to, and what do they pay?
The closest occupation is computer network architects (median pay $134,050 a year in 2025). The figures are for the United States, from O*NET OnLine, the US Department of Labor’s occupation database. They cover everyone in the occupation, with or without the certification, so starting pay is lower.
Does AWS Solutions Architect expire?
Valid for 3 years. To keep it: pass the current version of the exam again before it expires.
How hard is AWS Solutions Architect?
We rate it intermediate, going by the level AWS gives it and the experience it expects. You need 720 out of 1000. AWS recommends 1 year designing solutions on AWS. It isn’t required to sit the exam.
