Answer Details

For SaaS startups, the top cloud providers are: **AWS (Amazon Web Services)** - The market leader with the most comprehensive service catalog. Best for startups that need extensive services, global reach, and mature tooling. Their startup programs offer credits and support. Can be complex and expensive without optimization. **Google Cloud Platform (GCP)** - Strong for data analytics, machine learning, and Kubernetes (they created it). Often cheaper than AWS for compute and storage. Good BigQuery for analytics. Smaller market share means fewer third-party integrations than AWS. **Microsoft Azure** - Ideal if you're building on Microsoft technologies or need seamless integration with Microsoft 365, Active Directory, or targeting enterprise customers already on Azure. Strong hybrid cloud capabilities. **DigitalOcean** - Popular with early-stage startups for its simplicity and transparent, predictable pricing. Much easier to understand than AWS/Azure/GCP. Good for straightforward deployments but fewer advanced services. **Hetzner** - European provider gaining traction for excellent price-to-performance ratio. Significantly cheaper than the big three. Limited to European data centers and fewer managed services. **Most common choice**: AWS dominates the SaaS startup space due to its ecosystem, investor familiarity, and comprehensive services, despite higher costs. Many startups start with DigitalOcean for simplicity, then migrate to AWS as they scale. **Key considerations**: Available credits/startup programs, pricing predictability, technical team expertise, specific service needs (AI/ML, databases, etc.), and compliance requirements for your target market.