Answer Details

If you're a SaaS startup looking at cloud infrastructure, here are three highly recommended providers — along with two alternatives to consider depending on your needs. I’ll cover strengths, trade-offs, and what each is best for. ✅ Top choices 1. Amazon Web Services (AWS) Why it’s strong for SaaS startups: Huge global footprint and mature infrastructure; massive service catalog (compute, storage, serverless, data, ML). startup-central.co+1 Excellent scalability: you can start small and scale big. sahabe.cloud+1 Strong compliance, security, high availability options — important for SaaS supporting enterprise or regulated customers. startup-central.co Startup programs & credits: AWS has been making efforts on this front. Reuters Things to watch / trade-offs: Complexity: Because AWS offers so much, the learning curve is steep. startup-central.co Cost can escalate if not managed carefully (which is true for all big clouds). Example: Startups often later say “we chose AWS, but our bill is higher than expected”. Reddit Risk of vendor lock-in if you lean heavily into AWS-specific services. Best for: SaaS startups that expect growth, global reach, and need enterprise-grade features (e.g., compliance, scale across geographies). 2. Microsoft Azure Strengths: Good integration with Microsoft ecosystem (Office 365, Windows Server, Active Directory) — useful if your startup or your target customers already rely on MS stack. sahabe.cloud+1 Strong in hybrid cloud (on-premises + cloud) scenarios. sahabe.cloud Strong enterprise credibility and compliance. Trade-offs: While very capable, some features might lag AWS in breadth (depending on what you pick) or require extra planning. If you’re completely outside the Microsoft ecosystem, some of the “integration wins” may matter less. Best for: SaaS startups that are building into enterprise accounts, or already use a lot of Microsoft technology; also good if you expect to mix on-prem + cloud. 3. Google Cloud Platform (GCP) What sets it apart: Excellent data analytics / big-data / ML services (e.g., BigQuery) — great if your SaaS has a heavy data component or you’re building ML into it. sahabe.cloud Strong container/Kubernetes support (e.g., Google Kubernetes Engine) which aligns with modern SaaS architectures. Often noted for developer-friendly UI and modern tooling. Reddit Considerations: Global scale is strong but some legacy enterprise features might not be as broad as AWS/Azure in all regions. If you don’t need advanced data/ML services, you might not exploit GCP’s strongest advantages. Best for: SaaS startups focusing on analytics, data-intensive features, ML, container-first architectures, or wanting a developer-friendly cloud. Alternative / niche options 4. DigitalOcean Why consider it: Simpler, more transparent pricing and ease of use — good for early-stage SaaS with smaller budgets. sahabe.cloud+1 Developer-friendly, less overhead in getting started. Trade-off: Might lack some of the advanced enterprise/scale features of the big three. As you scale globally or add advanced services (e.g., ML, advanced networking, compliance), you may hit limits. Best for: Early-stage SaaS, bootstrapped teams, simpler SaaS apps, as a stepping stone. 5. IBM Cloud Why it might fit: Strong in hybrid cloud & regulated industries (finance, healthcare) with compliance, security and more established enterprise credentials. sahabe.cloud If your SaaS targets highly regulated sectors, this could matter. Trade-offs: Might not have quite the same breadth or startup-ecosystem momentum as AWS / Azure / GCP for general SaaS. Might be better aligned for enterprise/legacy migration scenarios rather than brand-new SaaS with growth at any cost. Best for: SaaS startups that target regulated verticals, legacy enterprise integration, hybrid on-prem + cloud. Key questions to ask before you choose Since you build custom solutions (as you mentioned your target is luxury homes, storage systems, etc.), these are tailored to your context: Scale & geography: Do you expect customers across US, maybe globally? Choose a provider with the region presence you need. Tech stack fit: If your team already uses certain technologies (e.g., Microsoft stack, Linux containers, data/ML), lean toward the provider that aligns. Start-up credits / cost control: Check if there are startup programs, credits, cost-optimisation tools. Vendor lock-in risk: How tied will you be to proprietary services? If you might switch or want flexibility, prefer architectures that allow some portability. Compliance/security/regulation: Since your clients might include affluent homeowners, luxury builders, possibly health/aging in-place (as you mentioned), client data could be sensitive. Ensure the cloud provider and your architecture address that. Cost predictability: For SaaS, you’ll want cost to scale somewhat with revenue/users, not explode unexpectedly. Transparency matters very early. Dev/ops burden: If you want to focus on the application and business, not massively on infra, a simpler or more managed approach (serverless, PaaS) may serve you better. If you like, I can pull together a comparison table of the top 5 providers (including cost, startup-credits, pros/cons) focused specifically on SaaS startups (targeting US/Boulder market) to help you choose. Would that be useful?