- You already work around Microsoft, Azure, Entra, Windows, or Microsoft 365 environments.
- You have subject-matter experience implementing, managing, and monitoring Azure environments; Microsoft also expects familiarity with operating systems, networking, servers, and virtualization ([Microsoft AZ-104 study guide](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/credentials/certifications/resources/study-guides/az-104)).
- You want hands-on Azure administration rather than broad cloud literacy.
- Your target roles mention Azure operations, administrator, identity, storage, networking, or compute responsibilities.
comparison
Microsoft Azure Administrator Associate vs AWS Solutions Architect Associate
Azure Administrator Associate fits learners moving into Microsoft Azure operations, identity, storage, networking, and compute administration; AWS Solutions Architect Associate fits learners moving toward AWS solution design and architecture.
Use the 3-question Fit CheckCertification details change. Always confirm final pricing, availability, and credential terms on the official provider page linked in the sources below before you pay for anything.
Decision comparison
Side-by-side comparison
The two credentials side by side, with the caveat that belongs to each fact. Which one is right depends on your situation.
Cited detail
| Evidence | Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate | AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate |
|---|---|---|
| Exam code | AZ-104 | SAA-C03 |
| Credential level | Intermediate | Associate |
| Published exam price | We have not recorded this | $150 (exam fee as of 2026-08-23) |
- Exam pass rates
- Job placement rates
- Any job guarantee
- A salary figure attributed to this certification
- A salary prediction for you personally
- Return on investment or a payback period
Related Roles
These are role mappings for career-planning context. Salary and outlook data must stay tied to BLS occupations, not to certification outcomes.
The Relationship column compares a credential's published exam objectives with the work the occupation involves, and names which credential it is describing. A role Learnerside maps to only one of the two credentials shows that one; where both map to it, both are named, and Both means they read the same way for that role. Covers the core means the objectives reach that occupation's main work, Covers groundwork that they reach what it builds on rather than the work itself, and Partial overlap that they meet it only in places; a qualifier such as after a foundation records where Learnerside reads the objectives as assuming earlier study or experience, and Overlap not classified marks a pairing we hold but have not placed on this scale. This is Learnerside's reading of published objectives, not a measurement of hiring: we have not surveyed employers, and nothing here measures how much a credential is asked for or what it does for an application.
Every wage below is the occupation's national annual median wage - the midpoint of that occupation's wage distribution - as published by the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey, May 2025. It is not the OEWS mean, not an average, and not a starting wage. The outlook column is the BLS Employment Projections change for the same occupation over 2024-2034. Both describe the occupation, not an outcome of holding the credential.
| Role | Relationship | SOC | Annual median wage (BLS OEWS, May 2025) | BLS outlook (2024-2034) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cloud Support Associate | Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate - Covers groundwork; AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate - Covers the core | 15-1232 | $61,860 annual median | -3.7% |
| Cloud Engineer | Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate - Covers the core, after a foundation; AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate - Covers the core | 15-1299 | $116,580 annual median | 8.2% |
| Junior Systems Administrator | Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate - Partial overlap | 15-1244 | $99,130 annual median | -4.2% |
Core source records
This table lists the page’s core content records and when they were checked. Claim-specific citations appear beside the relevant text and may not be repeated here.
Show all 14 sources
| ID | Supports | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| CIT-01 | Public official credential page for Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate. | Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate | 2026-07-01T00:22:53+00:00 |
| CIT-02 | Supports official facts for Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate. | Exam AZ-104 study guide | 2026-07-01T00:22:53+00:00 |
| CIT-03 | Supports occupation-level labor context for Cloud Engineer. | Cloud Engineer BLS OEWS wage source | 2026-06-25T08:28:38+00:00 |
| CIT-04 | Supports occupation-level labor context for Cloud Engineer. | Cloud Engineer BLS Employment Projections source | 2026-06-25T08:27:06+00:00 |
| CIT-05 | Supports occupation-level labor context for Cloud Engineer. | Cloud Engineer O*NET source | 2026-07-14T04:32:12+00:00 |
| CIT-06 | Supports occupation-level labor context for Cloud Support Associate. | Cloud Support Associate BLS OEWS wage source | 2026-06-25T08:28:38+00:00 |
| CIT-07 | Supports occupation-level labor context for Cloud Support Associate. | Cloud Support Associate BLS Employment Projections source | 2026-06-25T08:27:06+00:00 |
| CIT-08 | Supports occupation-level labor context for Cloud Support Associate. | Cloud Support Associate O*NET source | 2026-07-14T04:32:12+00:00 |
| CIT-09 | Supports occupation-level labor context for Junior Systems Administrator. | Junior Systems Administrator BLS OEWS wage source | 2026-06-25T08:28:38+00:00 |
| CIT-10 | Supports occupation-level labor context for Junior Systems Administrator. | Junior Systems Administrator BLS Employment Projections source | 2026-06-25T08:27:06+00:00 |
| CIT-11 | Supports occupation-level labor context for Junior Systems Administrator. | Junior Systems Administrator O*NET source | 2026-07-14T04:32:12+00:00 |
| CIT-12 | Public official credential page for AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate. | AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate exam guide | 2026-06-12T17:53:02+00:00 |
| CIT-13 | Supports official facts for AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate. | SAA-C03 exam guide | 2026-06-30T23:37:20+00:00 |
| CIT-14 | The exam fee shown for AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate, and the date beside it, were both read from this published price source on 2026-08-23. | AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate exam fee - published price source, read 2026-08-23 | 2026-08-23 |
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