Answer Details

For SaaS startups, the top cloud providers each have distinct strengths: **AWS (Amazon Web Services)** - Most popular choice overall - Broadest range of services and mature ecosystem - Excellent for startups that need flexibility and plan to scale significantly - AWS Activate program offers up to $100,000 in credits for qualifying startups - Steeper learning curve but most hiring-ready talent pool **Google Cloud Platform (GCP)** - Strong for data/AI startups - Best-in-class data analytics, machine learning, and Kubernetes (they invented it) - Generous free tier and startup programs - Particularly good if you're already using Google Workspace - More developer-friendly than AWS for many tasks **Microsoft Azure** - Best for B2B/enterprise-focused SaaS - Seamless integration if targeting enterprise customers using Microsoft products - Strong hybrid cloud capabilities - Good startup credits program through Microsoft for Startups - Makes selling to enterprises easier due to existing procurement relationships **DigitalOcean** - Best for early-stage/lean startups - Much simpler and more affordable than the big three - Predictable pricing without surprise bills - Great documentation and community - Limited services compared to AWS/GCP/Azure, but covers most MVP needs **Vercel/Netlify/Railway** - Modern deployment platforms - Not full cloud providers, but excellent for web applications - Extremely fast deployment and great developer experience - Can handle many SaaS use cases, especially frontend-heavy products Most startups choose AWS for its completeness, though GCP and Azure are catching up. If you're just starting out, DigitalOcean or a modern platform might get you to market faster. What stage is your startup at, and what type of SaaS are you building?