AWS vs Azure vs GCP — Which Cloud Provider for UK Software? (2025)
AWS (eu-west-2, London) is the right default for most UK software projects: UK data residency confirmed, most UK FinTech and HealthTech teams use AWS, and the widest managed service selection. Azure is the right choice for NHS projects (NHS Azure Landing Zone is Azure-specific), .NET enterprise stacks, and Microsoft-heavy organisations. GCP is for ML/data-heavy workloads (BigQuery, Vertex AI) or Google Workspace-integrated organisations. Cloud provider choice has significant UK compliance, cost, and talent pool implications. Here is an honest UK-focused comparison — including NHS, FCA, and GDS-specific considerations that generic guides miss.
| Factor | AWS (eu-west-2) | Azure (UK South) | GCP (europe-west2) |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK data residency | ✅ eu-west-2 London — confirmed | ✅ UK South London — confirmed | ✅ europe-west2 London — confirmed |
| NHS Azure Landing Zone | Not applicable | ✅ NHS Landing Zone — official NHS standard | Not applicable |
| NHS Digital DTAC evidence | Most NHS DTAC approved on AWS | ✅ Native — NHS Landing Zone | Less common — fewer case studies |
| UK FinTech market share | ✅ Dominant — Monzo, Starling, Revolut | Growing — Barclays, Lloyds use Azure | Smaller — mostly big data workloads |
| GDS public sector use | GOV.UK uses AWS eu-west-2 | Growing — HMRC Azure migration | Not standard for gov services |
| Managed Kubernetes | EKS — complex, full-featured | AKS — simpler, better .NET integration | GKE — Google's native, cleanest UX |
| Serverless / Functions | Lambda — mature, widest ecosystem | Azure Functions — good .NET integration | Cloud Functions — good Python/Node |
| ML/AI workloads | SageMaker — good | Azure ML — good, OpenAI partnership | ✅ Vertex AI + BigQuery — best ML stack |
| UK developer talent pool | ✅ Largest — most UK engineers know AWS | Medium — growing | Smallest |
| ClickMasters default | ✅ All new projects | NHS, .NET enterprise | ML-heavy data platforms |
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