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Platform comparison

AWS Skill Builder vs Microsoft Learn

Head-to-head comparison: courses, certificates, cost, and who each platform is best for.

Both are free for course content and neither is free for hands-on practice anymore. AWS Skill Builder gives you hundreds of free digital courses but gates its Builder Labs and practice exams behind a $29 a month subscription. Microsoft Learn keeps all its course content and learning paths free, but it retired the built-in free Azure sandboxes that used to run its exercises. Pick AWS Skill Builder if you're studying for an AWS certification and want official practice exams. Pick Microsoft Learn if you're on the Azure and Microsoft stack and want free study material top to bottom.

AWS Skill Builder's Individual subscription launched at $29 a month in August 2022 and remains the standard price as of 2026 (source: aws.amazon.com/training, TechCrunch launch coverage).

AWS Skill BuildervsMicrosoft Learn

1 coursesCourses in our catalog7 courses

Free to start

YesYes

Certificates on listed courses

YesYes

In short

AWS Skill Builder: AWS, Cloud, DevOps.

Microsoft Learn: C#, .NET, Azure.

Side-by-Side Comparison

FeatureAWS Skill BuilderMicrosoft Learn
Free to startYesYes
Certificates on listed coursesYesYes
Course count17
Focus areas
AWS
Cloud
DevOps
C#
.NET
Azure

AWS Skill Builder

AWS Skill Builder hosts AWS's official free training catalogue with hundreds of digital courses covering cloud fundamentals, AWS services, machine learning on AWS, and certification preparation. Most digital courses are free; hands-on labs and AWS Jam events require a subscription.

Full AWS Skill Builder review →

Microsoft Learn

Microsoft Learn is Microsoft's official free training catalogue. It hosts hands-on learning paths for C#, .NET, Azure, AI, Copilot, Power Platform, and security, with browser-based sandboxes and knowledge checks. Many paths align with official Microsoft certifications and earn shareable achievements.

Full Microsoft Learn review →

Frequently Asked Questions

Is AWS Skill Builder free?

Hundreds of digital courses on AWS Skill Builder are free. The hands-on Builder Labs and the official certification practice exams require the paid Individual subscription, which runs $29 a month or $290 a year (source: aws.amazon.com/training, unchanged since the 2022 launch as of 2026).

Is Microsoft Learn free?

Yes. The course content, learning paths, and certification study material are free with no subscription. One caveat worth knowing: Microsoft Learn's built-in free Azure sandboxes, which used to let you run hands-on exercises without your own subscription, have been retired. Most hands-on exercises now expect your own Azure subscription or a free trial account.

Which is better for a cloud certification?

It depends which cloud you're targeting. AWS Skill Builder's courses map directly to AWS certification exam guides, and its paid tier includes official practice exams. Microsoft Learn's learning paths map directly to Microsoft Applied Skills and certification paths, though the exams are purchased separately from Microsoft, not through Learn itself.

Can I get hands-on cloud practice for free on either platform?

Only partially on both now. AWS gates its guided labs behind the $29 a month subscription, and Microsoft retired its free sandboxes. The realistic free route on either platform is working through the free course content, then practicing on your own AWS free-tier account or Azure free account instead of the platform's built-in labs.

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