AWS Academy vs Cantrill

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.

Cantrill provides self-paced cloud and technical training through its website, with courses covering AWS, Microsoft Azure, Docker, and technical fundamentals. Lessons combine theory with practical demonstrations; the Advanced Networking course also describes section quizzes, practice exams, GitHub demo assets, visual aids, and captions. A free Docker Fundamentals course covers installing Docker, containerization, and deployment. Paid options include $29 a month for ALL THE THINGS PLUS and one-time plans at $400, paid once for ALL THE THINGS and $600, paid once for ALL THE THINGS PLUS — 1 PAYMENT. Other listed choices split payments across two or three months. The ALL THE THINGS bundle includes current and future courses, unlimited access across devices, and early access to new and in-production courses 6–8 weeks before public availability. Advanced Networking is aimed at experienced engineers or consultants and people with AWS associate-level knowledge, though it starts with fundamentals. It requires an AWS account, which learners need an email address and credit or debit card to obtain. The course page offers a 14-day unconditional money-back guarantee.