Direct comparison
AWS vs STACKIT
AWS or STACKIT? The direct cloud comparison of services, data centers, costs and sovereignty. Hyperscaler versus European cloud – focused on sovereignty, GDPR and compliance.
Management summary
As of 2026-07AWS and STACKIT represent two different cloud strategies: AWS offers the deepest and broadest portfolio on the market (Strategic Opportunities 10/10) with global reach (9/10), but is characterized by US jurisdiction and proprietary technologies (Technological Sovereignty 4/10). STACKIT positions itself as a sovereign Germany cloud with maximum operational control (10/10) and a high SEAL score (8.2/10), but clearly focuses on IaaS/PaaS in the DACH region without global presence (Global Reach 1/10). For international scaling and complex AI/Big-Data scenarios, AWS is the stronger choice, while STACKIT is optimized for organizations with strict European sovereignty requirements and Linux-First architectures. Pricing varies greatly depending on the workload: AWS offers Savings Plans (up to 72%), STACKIT scores with free egress costs (10/10).
Methodology & data basisAWS
HyperscalerUSP: Market leader with the widest range of features and global reach
Recommendation: Recommended for innovation drivers and international scaling
STACKIT
EU providerUSP: German cloud with maximum compliance and a clear focus on IaaS and PaaS
Recommendation: Recommended for organizations prioritizing local security and trust
Performance chart
AWS and STACKIT across 8 core categories, compared with the average of all providers (1–10).
Market positioning
All 13 providers by sovereignty and portfolio performance — purely computed from the category ratings.
Positions are purely computational: X = mean of technological & operational sovereignty, Y = mean of all remaining rating categories (each 1–10). Not a ranking recommendation. Methodology & data basis
Strengths & weaknesses
Automatically derived from the editorially reviewed rating data and backed by the category ratings (1–10) — fair to both sides.
Strengths
- Broadest service portfolio with top values in databases, network, and virtualization (each 10/10), ranging from IaaS to Quantum Computing.
- Unrivaled global infrastructure with 114 data centers, 30+ regions, and 700 Points of Presence on 6 continents (Global Reach 9/10).
- Excellent data security and encryption (9/10) through CloudHSM, KMS, and Nitro Enclaves, supported by extensive compliance certifications such as BSI C5 and ISO 27001.
- Leading Big-Data platform (9/10) with services like EMR, Glue, and SageMaker Lakehouse for demanding analytics scenarios.
Points to consider
- Low technological sovereignty (4/10) due to proprietary technologies and high lock-in risk, making a later exit more difficult.
- Weak price competitiveness overall (4/10), particularly for CPU (4.2/10), RAM (3.0/10), and Egress (3.0/10).
- Limited operational sovereignty (7/10) and low SEAL score (4.1/10) due to US jurisdiction and the US CLOUD Act.
Strengths
- Maximum operational sovereignty (10/10) and technological independence (9/10) through EU headquarters, open standard stack, and SEAL 3 certification.
- Highest SEAL score in comparison (8.2/10) with strong legal protection (SOV-2 Legal 9/10), ideal for data protection-critical workloads.
- Excellent Linux support (10/10) and solid Managed-Database portfolio (8/10) with PostgreSQL Flex, MariaDB, and MongoDB Flex.
- Attractive pricing structure for certain resources, particularly free egress costs (10/10) and competitive prices for RAM (7.7/10).
Points to consider
- No global reach (1/10) with only 2 regions in 2 countries, making the provider unsuitable for workloads outside Europe.
- Weak AI and Big-Data offering (each 3/10); many AI services are only 'announced' and not productively available.
- No Bare-Metal offering (1/10) and no portfolio for collaboration tools (1/10), confirming its use as a pure infrastructure cloud.
Which provider when?
Use-case-based decision aid — both options are a valid choice.
Choose AWS if:
- You need a global network with low latencies in Asia, America, or Africa.
- Your innovation strategy relies on advanced AI/ML models (Bedrock, SageMaker) or complex Big-Data analytics.
- You are migrating existing VMware environments or need a broad spectrum of Managed Databases (Oracle, MSSQL, Aurora).
- You prioritize the availability of Bare-Metal servers and specialized hardware instances.
Choose STACKIT if:
- Sovereignty and data protection according to European standards (BSI C5, SEAL 3) are your primary selection criteria.
- You operate Linux-based workloads and prefer open standards with low vendor lock-in.
- Your infrastructure remains in the DACH region (Germany/Austria) and does not require global presence.
- You want to avoid high egress costs and are looking for transparent prices for RAM and Kubernetes.
Service comparison by category
All 19 rating categories in a head-to-head duel (1–10). A notable lead is marked from a 2-point difference.
| Category | AWSvsSTACKITScale 1–10 | Avg. all | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Data Security & Encryption | 99 | 7.8 | balanced |
| Technological Sovereignty | 49 | 7.4 | Lead STACKIT |
| Operational Sovereignty | 710 | 8 | Lead STACKIT |
| Strategic Capabilities | 105 | 6.2 | Lead AWS |
| Price | 45 | 6.4 | balanced |
| Collaboration Tools | 45 | 5.1 | balanced |
| Global Reach | 91 | 4.5 | Lead AWS |
| Big Data | 93 | 4.8 | Lead AWS |
| AI | 73 | 4.8 | Lead AWS |
| Bare Metal | 31 | 5.2 | Lead AWS |
| Virtualization | 106 | 5.7 | Lead AWS |
| Containerization | 96 | 7.3 | Lead AWS |
| Databases | 108 | 6.9 | Lead AWS |
| High Availability | 106 | 6.7 | Lead AWS |
| Microsoft | 64 | 4.5 | Lead AWS |
| Linux | 1010 | 8.8 | balanced |
| Encryption | 98 | 6.8 | balanced |
| Storage | 107 | 7.7 | Lead AWS |
| Network | 108 | 7.8 | Lead AWS |
Management Summary
Sovereign Cloud
SEAL Framework
Strategic (15 %)
Legal & Jurisdictional (10 %)
Data & AI (10 %)
Operational (15 %)
Supply Chain (20 %)
Technology (15 %)
Security & Compliance (10 %)
Environmental (5 %)
Availability & Locations
Compute
shared & low-budget
Hot Storage
Cold Storage
Managed Databases
Network & Security
Orchestration
Virtualization
Management
Big Data
AI & Machine Learning
Compliance & Certificates
German cloud security catalogue
IT service management system standard
Information security management system
Cloud security controls for providers
Personal data protection for cloud
Privacy information management extension
Energy management for data centers
Cloud Security Alliance assurance registry
Service organization control audit reports
Payment card data security standard
Quality management system standard
Cost Indication
vCPU/h
H100/h
GB/h
CPU/h
Ratio1/4
GB/h | 3000 IOPS
GB/h
GB/h
GB/h
Cluster/h
per 1 Mil Requests
GB-Sec
LLama3.3-70B per 1Mil tokens
LLama3.3-70B per 1Mil tokens
per GB
Our comparison methodology
The scores show a relative price comparison per service category. The lowest price earns 10 points; higher prices are marked down proportionally. Missing services are treated neutrally.
As of: List prices as of 11 September 2025, location Germany (DE).
More cloud comparisons
Frequently asked questions: AWS vs STACKIT
What is the difference between AWS and STACKIT?
AWS is a global hyperscaler with the broadest portfolio (Strategic Opportunities 10/10) and strong global reach (9/10), but with US jurisdiction (SEAL 4.1/10). STACKIT is an EU provider focusing on sovereignty (SEAL 8.2/10) and operational control (10/10), but offers no global network (1/10) and a limited portfolio in AI and Big Data (each 3/10).
Which provider is more sovereign?
STACKIT is significantly more sovereign with a SEAL score of 8.2/10 (82%) and operational sovereignty of 10/10. AWS has a SEAL score of 4.1/10 (41%) and operational sovereignty of 7/10, conditioned by US jurisdiction and the US CLOUD Act.
Who is cheaper?
This depends on the workload. AWS has a Cost Rating of 6.0/10, STACKIT 5.4/10. STACKIT scores with free egress costs (10/10) and cheaper RAM (7.7/10 vs. 3.0/10 at AWS). AWS, however, offers Savings Plans with up to 72% discount and is more competitive in Block Storage (10.0/10) and Serverless-Request (8.8/10). Actual costs are workload-dependent.
Which provider offers better AI and Big-Data services?
AWS clearly leads with Big Data (9/10) and AI (7/10) through services like SageMaker, Bedrock, and EMR. STACKIT has only 3/10 in both categories, with many AI services still listed as 'announced' and not productively available.
Are there Bare-Metal options?
AWS offers Bare-Metal instances (Score 3/10), albeit with limited variety compared to specialized providers. STACKIT offers no Bare-Metal offering (Score 1/10).
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