One of the most common questions I get from the Learn Azure & AWS community is simple:

“If I’m putting in the work to certify this year… should I focus on Azure or AWS for better pay?”

Let’s answer that with real, recent data.

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AWS roles still slightly outpace Azure on average, but in 2026 the gap is narrower than most people expect. In many cases, it disappears entirely depending on role, industry, and seniority.

Based on recent compensation data from Levels.fyi, Glassdoor, and Robert Half Reports published within the last 1–2 months:

At the Solutions Architect / Senior Engineer level:

But averages hide the real story. Salary averages lump together vastly different roles, industries, and experience levels, masking the fact that specialization, seniority, and business impact matter far more than whether the platform is Azure or AWS.

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Azure continues to dominate inside:

These roles may not always advertise the flashiest salaries, but they often come with:

Your job title and skill mix now matter more than whether you’re AWS-only or Azure-only.

The highest-paying cloud roles consistently combine cloud with:

A strong DevOps or Platform Engineer on Azure will often out-earn a general AWS Cloud Engineer.

More job descriptions now ask for:

Candidates with multi-cloud certifications routinely command higher offers than single-platform specialists.

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Focus on AWS if:

Focus on Azure if:

👉 Don’t choose. Stack.

Azure + AWS certifications signal:

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In 2026, cloud salary growth isn’t about betting on the “winning” platform.

It’s about proving you can:

That’s what hiring managers pay for.

If your goal this year is career leverage, not just checking a certification box, preparing across both Azure and AWS gives you real optionality when new opportunities show up.

That’s exactly why the LearnCloudAcademy.com platform exists — one subscription covers both Learn Azure and Learn AWS, so you’re not paying twice or locking yourself into a single path.

Study once. Stay flexible. Let the market work in your favor.

Keep learning and building.

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