The AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner and the Microsoft Azure Fundamentals (AZ-900) are the two best cloud certifications for beginners, with most newcomers choosing one based on which platform they’re most likely to encounter at work. Both require no prior cloud experience, can be prepared for in about four to six weeks, and open the door to entry-level cloud roles paying $80,000 to $110,000 a year. Google also offers a beginner-friendly path, though its entry point is slightly more hands-on.
AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner
The AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner is the most popular starting point for people brand new to cloud computing. Amazon Web Services holds the largest share of the cloud infrastructure market, which means more companies run their workloads on AWS than on any other platform. That market dominance translates directly into job postings: if a company lists a cloud role, there’s a good chance AWS is involved.
This certification is designed for candidates with just a few months of exposure to AWS concepts. You don’t need to know how to architect a complex system or write code. The exam tests your understanding of core AWS services, basic pricing models, security fundamentals, and how the cloud differs from traditional on-premises infrastructure. Most people study for less than six weeks before sitting for the exam. The registration fee is $100.
Because it’s a foundational exam rather than a technical one, the Cloud Practitioner won’t qualify you to manage production environments on its own. Think of it as proof that you understand the landscape. From here, the natural next step is the AWS Solutions Architect Associate, which carries significantly more weight in hiring decisions.
Microsoft Azure Fundamentals (AZ-900)
The AZ-900 is Microsoft’s beginner certification and covers the basics of cloud concepts, Azure services, security, privacy, compliance, and pricing. What sets it apart is that it’s explicitly designed for both technical and non-technical backgrounds. If you work in project management, sales, or IT support and want to understand what your engineering team is talking about, this is a natural fit.
Study time is comparable to the AWS Cloud Practitioner. Survey data from training providers shows the average person who already works in IT prepares in about four weeks, though roughly 20% of test-takers need more than two months. If you have no IT background at all, plan on the longer end. The exam costs $165.
Azure is the dominant cloud platform in organizations that already rely heavily on Microsoft products like Office 365, Active Directory, and Windows Server. If your employer or target industry leans Microsoft, starting with AZ-900 makes more strategic sense than starting with AWS. The certification also slots neatly into Microsoft’s broader credentialing system, letting you move up to role-based certifications like Azure Administrator Associate or Azure Developer Associate.
Google Cloud Digital Leader
Google Cloud’s true beginner certification is the Cloud Digital Leader, which covers general cloud concepts and Google Cloud products at a high level. It’s comparable in scope to the AWS Cloud Practitioner and AZ-900, focusing on business use cases rather than deep technical skills.
Google Cloud holds a smaller market share than AWS or Azure, so you’ll see fewer job postings that specifically require Google credentials. That said, Google Cloud is growing quickly in industries like data analytics, machine learning, and media. If you’re drawn to those fields, starting in the Google ecosystem is reasonable.
One step above the Digital Leader sits the Google Associate Cloud Engineer, which is more hands-on. It tests your ability to set up cloud environments, manage storage and databases, and configure access and security. This is closer to a junior practitioner exam than a pure fundamentals credential, so it demands more study time and some comfort with command-line tools. Google’s retake policy for associate-level exams is also stricter: you get a maximum of four attempts over two years, with increasing wait times between failed attempts (14 days after the first failure, 60 days after the second, and a full year after the third).
What About Vendor-Neutral Certifications?
You may come across CompTIA Cloud+ as an alternative that isn’t tied to any single provider. The appeal is obvious: skills that apply across AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud, making you flexible in multi-cloud environments. The problem is that Cloud+ is not a beginner certification. CompTIA recommends candidates have two to three years of experience in systems administration or networking, plus hands-on time with at least one major cloud platform. Starting here without that background would be frustrating and counterproductive.
A better approach is to earn a vendor-specific foundational cert first, get some real-world experience, and then consider vendor-neutral credentials later if your career moves toward multi-cloud architecture.
How to Choose Between AWS and Azure
If you have no strong reason to pick one over the other, AWS is the safer default simply because of market share. More tutorials, more community forums, more job listings, and more free-tier resources exist for AWS than for any other platform. That ecosystem of support matters a lot when you’re teaching yourself.
Choose Azure instead if your current or target employer runs Microsoft infrastructure, if you already hold Microsoft certifications in other areas, or if you work in an enterprise environment where Microsoft 365 and Active Directory are standard. The AZ-900 will feel more relevant to your daily work, and the follow-on certifications will map directly to roles your company needs to fill.
Choose Google Cloud if your career goals center on data engineering, machine learning, or working at companies known for their Google Cloud usage, particularly in tech and media.
Whichever you pick, the foundational cert is just the starting line. Employers hiring for cloud roles paying $80,000 to $110,000 at the entry level typically want to see at least an associate-level certification paired with some project experience, even if that experience comes from personal labs or portfolio projects. Plan to earn your foundational cert in one to two months, then immediately begin working toward the next level up.