AZ-104 or AWS Solutions Architect Associate: which cloud associate exam fits your job
Microsoft charges $165 in the US for AZ-104 and AWS charges $150 for SAA-C03, as of November 2026. Both vendors offer free official self-paced training, so the cheapest first attempt is the exam fee alone: $165 against $150, or $179.99 against $164.99 with a practice-exam set. A live class lifts the total to $2,560 to $2,660 for AZ-104 and $2,175 to $2,935 for SAA-C03. AZ-104 lapses after a year but renews free online; SAA-C03 lasts three years and renews by passing an exam again.
AZ-104 and SAA-C03 row by row
| AZ-104 Azure Administrator | AWS Solutions Architect Associate | |
|---|---|---|
| Issuer | Microsoft | AWS |
| Exam | AZ-104, 100 minutes, passing score 700; Microsoft publishes no exact question count | SAA-C03, 65 questions (50 scored), 130 minutes, passing score 720 of 1,000 |
| Exam fee (US) | $165 | $150 |
| Formal prerequisite | None (AZ-900 is optional) | None listed |
| Recommended background | Operating systems, networking, servers and virtualization, plus PowerShell, the Azure CLI, the portal and templates | At least a year of hands-on experience designing on AWS; Cloud Practitioner first if you have no IT work experience |
| Validity and renewal | Expires after a year; renewal is a free, open-book online assessment | Three years; renew by passing the current exam or Solutions Architect Professional |
| What a pass signals | You can run Azure subscriptions, identities, storage, compute, virtual networks and monitoring | You can combine AWS services into designs balanced for security, resilience, performance and cost |
| Heaviest exam areas | Identities and governance, and compute, 20–25% each | Designing for security, 30% |
| Version notes | Study guide lists skills measured as of October 26, 2023 | No replacement announced; the Italian-language exam ends after December 31, 2026 |
Administering Azure versus designing on AWS
Both sit at associate level, one step above each vendor's fundamentals exam, but they certify different work. AZ-104 is an operator's exam: creating and securing identities, configuring storage and virtual machines, wiring virtual networks and watching them in production, from the portal, PowerShell and the Azure CLI. SAA-C03 is a designer's exam: given a requirement, which combination of AWS services meets it securely and resiliently without wasting money.
Each cloud has a closer match to the other exam. Microsoft's design exam is AZ-305, and the Azure Solutions Architect Expert title also requires AZ-104. AWS's operations exam is the CloudOps Engineer Associate (SOA-C03, formerly SysOps Administrator), also $150. If you want the same job on a different cloud, compare against those.
What each route costs, from free training to a class
| Route | AZ-104 | SAA-C03 |
|---|---|---|
| Free official training plus the exam | $165 (Microsoft Learn AZ-104T00 paths) | $150 (AWS Skill Builder prep plan, about 18 hours) |
| Add Tutorials Dojo practice exams ($14.99 list) | $179.99 | $164.99 |
| Live class plus the exam | $2,560 (ONLC, 4 days) to $2,660 (New Horizons, 4 days); $2,395 if ONLC grants its free Exam Pak | $2,175 (New Horizons, 3 days) to $2,935 (Learning Tree, 3 days) |
| Renewal | Free online assessment every year ($0) | Pass the current exam or SA Professional every three years ($150 today) |
None of the four class prices includes the exam fee: New Horizons sells the voucher as an add-on for both courses, Learning Tree's AWS listing does not state one, and ONLC's free Exam Pak (a voucher and a retake, requested by phone and released after an 85% practice score) is what brings its AZ-104 total down to $2,395. Both exams also reward building, so budget a little for your own Azure subscription or AWS account and delete resources after each session. AZ-104 costs nothing to renew but must be renewed every year; SAA-C03 lasts three years, then needs another passing exam.
Matching the exam to your job
- You administer Windows or Linux servers and your company is moving to Azure or already uses Microsoft 365. AZ-104. It certifies the work you are about to do, and the free yearly renewal keeps it current.
- You are a developer or cloud engineer who deploys your own services on AWS. SAA-C03. AWS recommends a year of hands-on design experience, and that work counts if you have done it for a year or more.
- You run AWS infrastructure day to day rather than design it. Look at CloudOps Engineer Associate before SAA-C03.
- You want to design on Azure. Plan on AZ-104 as well, because Microsoft awards the Expert title only with both AZ-104 and AZ-305.
- You are new to IT. Neither yet. Microsoft expects server and networking knowledge, and AWS advises people without IT work experience to earn Cloud Practitioner first; AZ-900 is the Azure equivalent.
- Your employer uses both clouds. Start with the one you touch most at work. Both exams together cost $315 in fees.
Common questions
- Which is cheaper, AZ-104 or SAA-C03?
- SAA-C03 is $15 cheaper to sit ($150 against $165, November 2026). AZ-104 costs nothing to renew but must be renewed every year; SAA-C03 lasts three years, then needs another passing exam ($150 today).
- Which exam is longer?
- SAA-C03: 130 minutes for 65 questions. AZ-104 lasts 100 minutes.
- Do I need a fundamentals exam first?
- No. AZ-900 is optional for AZ-104, and AWS lists no prerequisite for SAA-C03.
- Is SAA-C03 being replaced?
- AWS has not announced a replacement as of November 2026.
Full cost guides: AZ-104 and AWS Solutions Architect Associate.
Next step
Ask which cloud exam fits your role
Sources
- Microsoft Learn: Azure Administrator Associate (price, length, experience), checked November 5, 2026
- Microsoft Learn: AZ-104 study guide (skills and weights, passing score), checked November 5, 2026
- Microsoft Learn: renew your certification, checked November 5, 2026
- AWS: Certified Solutions Architect Associate (price, format, no listed prerequisite), checked November 5, 2026
- AWS: SAA-C03 exam guide (passing score, experience, domains), checked November 5, 2026
- AWS: recertification, checked November 5, 2026
Prices are published list prices we recorded on the dates shown, not quotes. How we research.
Class and practice-exam prices come from the named providers, as listed and dated on the certification pages linked above.