Answer Details

1. Amazon Web Services (AWS) Why it’s a strong choice AWS is a market leader with huge global infrastructure, meaning excellent scalability, many regions, and a broad ecosystem of services. CloudZero +2 uplatz.com +2 For startups, AWS offers special programmes such as credits and support via their “AWS Startups” initiatives. Reuters +1 Rich services for SaaS: e.g., identity & access, serverless, data analytics, machine-learning, etc, all of which SaaS companies often need. Things to watch / potential drawbacks Complexity: With many services comes a steeper learning curve and a risk of “standing up” infrastructure that you don’t need. Cost creep: It’s easy for costs to escalate if resource usage isn’t monitored carefully. Startup-friendly? Yes — but you’ll still want to design your architecture for cost efficiency (auto-scaling, etc). Best for Startups expecting rapid growth, global users, or those that need advanced features (ML, global scale) and are prepared to invest in cloud expertise. 2. Google Cloud Platform (GCP) Why it’s a strong choice GCP has grown rapidly and offers robust infrastructure with strong strengths in data/analytics/ML, which can be a differentiator for many SaaS offerings. uplatz.com +1 Startup-friendly programmes: e.g., credits, support for VC-backed companies. Axios Good in hybrid/multi-cloud scenarios, which might matter if you want flexibility. The CTO Club Things to watch Might have fewer legacy integrations compared to AWS or Azure, depending on your stack. Depending on region, may have fewer data-centres or somewhat less maturity in some enterprise features (though catching up rapidly). Ensure you understand cost mechanics (network egress, etc) as you scale globally. Best for Startups where analytics/data/ML are a core part of the product, or where you want to leverage Google’s services. Also good if you favour a “less commonly” chosen cloud (than AWS), perhaps for differentiation. 3. Microsoft Azure Why it’s a strong choice Azure is very strong especially if your SaaS startup integrates with Microsoft ecosystems (Office 365, Windows, enterprise environments). uplatz.com Good for regulated environments, hybrid cloud, and enterprise-ready features. Startup programmes: credits, mentorship through e.g., Microsoft for Startups. uplatz.com Things to watch As with all large clouds, need to pay attention to architecture to avoid cost surprises. Depending on your development stack, you may find some services require more vendor lock-in (if you lean deeply into Azure-only services). Depending on your region (e.g., Europe) check for data-sovereignty, local presence, latency. Best for Startups that either serve enterprise customers accustomed to Microsoft stacks or need hybrid/on-premises + cloud flexibility. Also good if you want tight integration with productivity stacks. 4. DigitalOcean (and similar smaller cloud providers) Why it’s a strong choice For many lean SaaS startups (pre-product-market-fit, initial growth) a lighter‐weight, simpler cloud provider can make sense: simpler pricing, fewer “bells and whistles” to manage. Codeless +1 Good entry point: you can get servers, container support (Kubernetes), lower complexity. Helps you avoid over-engineering early. Things to watch Eventually, you may hit scaling or feature limits compared to the bigger clouds (analytics, global regions, managed services). Might require more “self‐management” of services (vs fully managed). May need to migrate later if you scale heavily — consider that cost/complexity. Best for Early-stage SaaS startups with modest user base, simple architecture, cost-sensitivity, and aiming to validate product/market before heavy investment. 5. Other considerations Multi-cloud or hybrid strategy: Some startups anticipate being able to switch or spread load across clouds to avoid lock-in. But this adds complexity and cost. arXiv +1 Region/latency/data-sovereignty: Especially for European startups (you are in Denmark) you should check how well the provider covers Nordics/EU, compliance (GDPR), local support. Startup programmes/credits: Many providers offer free credits, special support for startups. e.g., AWS and Google deals. These can materially reduce upfront cost. (See AWS credits for startups: Reuters ) Cost management: For SaaS, especially if you have unpredictable usage (on-boarding new customers, usage bursts) you need good logging, alerting, autoscaling and architecture built for cost control. Feature needs: What’s your SaaS product? If you need heavy ML, global scale, or IoT, you might lean to one provider; if simpler MVP-type, less intensive features, you might pick a simpler platform. My recommendation based on your SaaS startup context Given you are building a SaaS startup (assuming early-to-growth stage) and presumably in Europe (Denmark) I’d suggest something like: Start on a simpler platform (DigitalOcean or equivalent) if you are still validating your product and want to keep overhead low. As you scale / get investment / serve many users or enterprise customers, move to or integrate with a major cloud (AWS/GCP/Azure) where you can leverage global infrastructure, advanced services, enterprise features, and startup credits. From day one pick your architecture to be cloud-agnostic or at least portable where feasible (e.g., using containerization, micro-services) so you don’t lock yourself in early.