AWS Academy vs AWS Skill Builder
AWS Academy
aws.amazon.com
AWS Skill Builder
skillbuilder.awsSide by side
| Figure | AWS Academy | AWS Skill Builder |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | $29/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| Linux | — | Yes |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| Android | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 8 |
| Spec score · Cloud Training Platforms | 8.6 (#7) | 9.4 (#1) |
| Company facts | LinkedIn lists Amazon Web Services as a public IT-services company headquartered in Seattle, with 10,001-plus employees and a 2006 founding year. | AWS's LinkedIn profile lists Seattle, Washington headquarters, a 2006 founding year and more than 10,001 employees. |
| Limit: cost | G2 reviewers repeatedly complain that certification and training costs can be high, especially in weaker currencies. | Multiple G2 reviewers say certification or training costs are high, especially where local currencies are weaker. |
| Limit: navigation | G2 reviewers report that the large course catalog and learning journeys can be difficult for beginners to navigate. | G2 reviewers report that learning journeys and the wider platform can be difficult to navigate. |
| Purpose | AWS Academy provides higher education institutions with a free, ready-to-teach cloud computing curriculum to prepare students for industry-recognized credentials and in-demand jobs. | AWS Skill Builder provides online training to build AWS Cloud and AI skills. |
| Rating on G2 | 4.3 out of 5 from 21 reviews | 4.3 out of 5 from 21 reviews |
| What it does | AWS Academy gives higher-education institutions a free, ready-to-teach cloud curriculum aimed at AWS credentials and cloud careers. | AWS Skill Builder is AWS's online learning center for developing AWS Cloud and AI skills through courses, labs, simulations and certification preparation. |
Plans
AWS Skill Builder
- Free accountFree
- Free learning resourcesFree
- Individual monthly$29 a month
- Individual monthly subscription$29 a month
- Individual annual$449 a year
- Individual annual subscription$449 a year
- Team$449 a year
- Team subscription$449 a year
In their own words
AWS Academy
AWS Academy is a free cloud computing curriculum program for eligible higher education institutions. Its courses cover foundational cloud concepts, architecture, development, operations, data analytics and AI/ML, alongside cloud security topics. Most courses align with AWS Certifications and help prepare students for exams. In Learner Lab, educators can create classes, invite students, assign projects, view workspaces and analytics, and access over 100 AWS services. Educators choose what course content to deliver and how long to spend on it; recommended time allocations are optional. Educators can request a 100% discount voucher for certification exams and receive complimentary AWS Skill Builder access for 12 months. Students can also receive 12 months of Skill Builder access, and eligible learners can access the Emerging Talent Community after course completion. Membership begins at the institution level and is open to institutions offering accredited degrees, diplomas, certificates or continuing education. After acceptance, a Program Administrator nominates educators and proposes a class delivery plan.
AWS Skill Builder
AWS Skill Builder is a web-based training service for developing AWS Cloud and AI skills, with material for learners from fundamental to advanced levels. Its free resources include 1,000+ learning resources and over 900 self-paced digital courses. Individual subscriptions add AWS Builder Labs, game-based learning, AWS Jam challenges, a no-fee practice sandbox, exam-preparation courses with guided labs, and Official Practice Exams. The annual Individual subscription also includes AWS Digital Classroom courses, which provide self-paced digital training based on classroom courses. Team subscriptions provide administration for assigning and tracking training, plus reports on course enrollment, labs, AWS Cloud Quest, active users, and AWS Jam challenge results. Team learners can use company credentials when their organization has SSO through ADFS, Azure AD, Ping, or Okta. Courses can be browsed, searched, and enrolled in on phones and tablets, though labs and game-based learning are best experienced on a laptop or workstation. Individual subscriptions exclude live classroom training and AWS Certification exams. Team seats are limited to the purchasing company’s employees and contractors.