Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Depot
| Feature | Amazon Web Services (AWS) | Depot |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free / from $0/mo | Free / from $20/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4.5 / 5 | 4.5 / 5 |
| Best For | enterprises, startups, large-scale-applications, machine-learning-teams | engineering-teams, ci-cd-pipelines, monorepo-teams, docker-heavy-teams |
| Founded | 2006 | 2022 |
| Compute Ec2 | ✓ | ✗ |
| Storage S3 | ✓ | ✗ |
| Serverless Lambda | ✓ | ✗ |
| Databases Rds | ✓ | ✗ |
| Machine Learning | ✓ | ✗ |
| Containers Ecs | ✓ | ✗ |
| Cdn Cloudfront | ✓ | ✗ |
| Fast Builds | ✗ | ✓ |
| Remote Caching | ✗ | ✓ |
| Github Actions | ✗ | ✓ |
| Multi Platform Builds | ✗ | ✓ |
| Buildkit Compatible | ✗ | ✓ |
| Build Analytics | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ Amazon Web Services (AWS) Pros
- Most extensive service catalog of any cloud provider
- Global infrastructure with 30+ regions worldwide
- 12-month free tier covering many services
- Mature enterprise tooling and compliance certifications
✗ Amazon Web Services (AWS) Cons
- Complex pricing that is hard to predict
- Steep learning curve with overwhelming service count
- Console UI feels dated compared to competitors
✓ Depot Pros
- Dramatically faster Docker builds
- Drop-in replacement for docker build
- Native layer caching
- GitHub Actions integration
✗ Depot Cons
- Only for container builds
- Costs scale with usage
- Newer platform
The Verdict
Amazon Web Services (AWS) is built for enterprises and startups, with a focus on compute-ec2 and storage-s3. Depot targets engineering teams and ci cd pipelines and leads with fast-builds and remote-caching.
On pricing, Amazon Web Services (AWS) is the clear winner for budget-conscious users — starting at $0/mo compared to $20/mo for Depot. That $20/mo difference adds up quickly for growing teams.
Both offer free plans, so you can test each with your real workflow before committing to a subscription.
Feature-wise, Amazon Web Services (AWS) offers broader built-in capabilities (7 features vs 6), while Depot takes a more focused approach — which can mean a simpler, faster onboarding experience.
This is a genuinely close comparison. If you can, sign up for both free trials (where available) and run a one-week test with your actual team tasks before deciding.