The cloud hosting landscape is evolving as we are seeing the entry of multiple cloud service providers each offering a unique combination of features and facilities.
We have the traditional names in the industry such as AWS, Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud and along with that we also have the budget players that are shaking up the market such as Vultr, Digital Ocean and CloudJiffy.
In this plethora of choices, it might become quite complicated to choose something based on your needs, what becomes even more tricky is the introduction of Laravel Cloud and the competitive advantages it provides compared to others.
That is why we are going to look at a comparative viewpoint on all of these important players with a focus on Laravel Cloud in order to see if this latest offering from Laravel is worth the hype and if it will be able to shake up the market.
Speaking of the cloud hosting and cloud infrastructure service provider market, you might want to look at the current situation of service providers as of Q4 2024.
While this can help you understand that AWS is the clear winner with Azure leading in the second place, it does not really provide the complete picture and it misses out on new players and smaller players with budget options.
That is what we are going to achieve in this blog so let us find out about all of them.
Laravel Cloud And It’s Competition
In order to understand the competition, we need to understand Laravel Cloud. It signifies a dramatic shift in the cloud hosting landscape because this is the first time where the industry is seeing a Laravel-focused cloud hosting solution.
Key Features
Built by Laravel for Laravel:
This cloud hosting service provider has been created by the Laravel team with the best kind of knowledge of the framework which makes this hosting option the very best for Laravel use cases.
Zero-Configuration Deployment:
It has the ability for the automatic deduction and optimisation of Laravel projects without requiring any kind of manual setup which is going to be quite helpful to developers.
Intelligent Hibernation:
With Laravel Cloud you can expect intelligent hibernation which is going to be a very unique cost-saving feature that will help you put inactive applications to sleep. That means a reduction of at least 50% of the costs.
Laravel-Optimized Infrastructure:
You get server environments that have been specifically tuned for Laravel performance which is not the case with the other options on the list.
One-Click Laravel CI/CD:
Automatic deployment pipeline setup with GitHub integration is something to look forward to.
Integrated Queue Management:
We speculate that there is going to be built-in monitoring and management for Laravel queue workers.
Free Development Environment:
Laravel sandbox deployments at no cost for testing is one of the most important features we are looking forward to.
Laravel Ecosystem Integration:
Along with that, you get native support for Laravel Telescope, Horizon, and other Laravel-specific tools.
Laravel Cloud: The New Specialized Contender
The best thing about Laravel Cloud is that it simplifies the configuration process a lot and eliminates common pain points in the Laravel deployment process.
- No need to configure web servers for Laravel’s specific requirements.
- Automatic optimization of PHP settings for Laravel performance.
- Built-in handling of Laravel’s directory structure and permissions.
- Simplified environment variable management for Laravel applications.
- Streamlined Laravel queue worker configuration and monitoring.
However, it still has limitations such as:
- It is new to the market so we do not really know how it is going to perform in variable workloads compared to the established providers.
- It has been created with Laravelin mind so it is not suitable for other tech stacks or multi-framework projects as much.
- Currently offers only MySQL with limited customization options.
- Some enterprise features may not be available compared to mature providers.
Laravel Cloud vs. Other Contenders
AWS: The Enterprise Titan
Amazon Web Services is an industry giant with over 200 fully-featured services across computing, storage, databases, and more and supports a global infrastructure of 25+ geographical regions with 80+ availability zones.
This is huge compared to Laravel.
We can’t also forget the fact that it has some of the best security features including IAM, KMS etc.
AWS offers specialised service tools like Lambda, SageMaker, and Redshift for specific use cases and it has a very mature ecosystem with a lot of extensive third-party support.
This was just the tip of the iceberg because you get everything from advance analytics to high reliability with a track record of 99.99% uptime SLAs for critical services. It is basically the industrial leader for a reason.
However, that does not mean it has its disadvantages which includes:
- Opaque pricing structure with potential for unexpected costs (18% of businesses report exceeding AWS budgets by over 20%)
- 65% of new AWS users report difficulty navigating the platform in the first month with a steep learning curve.
- It just has too many services which can cause decision paralysis.
DigitalOcean: Developer-Friendly and Affordable
If you care about simplicity with a very streamlined interface and also a provider that holds approximately 4% of the cloud infrastructure market with predictable pricing and fixed costs then DigitalOcean is a very good option for you.
It is able to do that through multiple means and one of them is its shared CPU options that are able to reduce costs of up to 50% for less demanding applications.
This makes DigitalOcean a good competitor of Laravel Cloud in the aspect of pricing.
When it comes to the aspect of development, DigitalOcean has a lot of active forums where you can expect detailed support documentation to help you out on things.
DigitalOcean has other advantages such as simplified container orchestration which ensures managed Kubernetes.
It is worth maintaining that DigitalOcean has a lot of helpful features such as simple backups as well as one-click deployments for popular frameworks which makes it very developer friendly.
Potential Limitations
- Limited enterprise services compared to AWS or Azure.
- Relies on third-party solutions for content delivery
- Fewer data centres compared to larger providers (12 regions vs. AWS’s 25+)
- Requires third-party integration for deployment pipelines so no built-in CI/CD pipeline here.
Having said that we must remember it is a budget option and compares well with Laravel Cloud but not giants like AWS or Azure.
Microsoft Azure: The Enterprise Integration Specialist
With a cloud market share of 22% approximately, Microsoft Azure is just next to AWS when it comes to market authority. Along with that comes its special set of features and advantages with some of them so unique that you simply cannot find it with other providers.
Key Features and Advantages
Microsoft Integration
The greatest selling point for Microsoft Azure is its integration with Microsoft which means if you are organisation is using Microsoft products and services then you are set for an amazing experience.
Hybrid Cloud
If you prefer hybrid cloud environments by means of on-premises infrastructure along with its integration with cloud infrastructure then Microsoft Azure is the best choice.
Enterprise Focus
Comprehensive compliance and governance tools ensure that you do not have a problem with compliance ever and this is quite good for enterprises.
AI and Machine Learning
Services like Azure Cognitive Services and support for other AI and Machine Learning services make it quite a good option in this area.
DevOps Integration
Built-in Azure DevOps with CI/CD capabilities.
Identity Management
Robust Active Directory integration.
Scale-Out Architecture
Supports massive enterprise workloads
Limitations of the Giant
- Azure has a complicated management interface with 55% of new users reporting difficulty navigating the Azure portal.
- It sometimes has problems with documentation.
- The pricing models are not very fixed or clear which makes it not a good option for smaller or medium-sized enterprises.
- Along with that, there are reports of performance variabilities between multiple regions where some servers are going to work excellently and others might lag behind which is not a very good thing.
It would not be practical to compare Laravel Cloud to Azure although in some aspects Laravel Cloud is definitely better but in any other regard such as support with Microsoft Azure takes the cake.
Vultr: Performance on a Budget
Vultr is a very unique name in this list and also one of the most underrated and niche platforms because it is all about raw power and performance with this option.
Vultr barely has a 1% market share but it is able to provide 25+ global locations for low-latency access which is very impressive.
It also has very transparent pricing policies which means you only pay for what you get and what you need.
Along with that Vultr has support for accessible GPU computing options so you are never going to miss out on performance-related areas.
There are a lot of other aspects like this that make Vultr a surprisingly good option but it also has some limitations like:
- Fewer PaaS offerings compared to larger providers.
- Less extensive support infrastructure than enterprise providers
- Less sophisticated management interfaces
- Narrow feature set with a focus on core infrastructure rather than specialized services
It is quite on the level with Laravel Cloud and can be a good alternative if you do not care about all the bells and whistles and just need raw performance pound for pound.
Google Cloud: AI and Data Analytics Leader
Let’s now talk about the third largest giant in the list after AWS and Azure, it is of course going to be Google Cloud Platform (GCP) which holds approximately 9% market share.
Google Cloud is a very balanced and good option for really anyone looking for a stable platform but it is the best option for anyone looking to utilise it for AI and ML applications as well as for data analytics purposes.
Google Cloud Ensures:
Network Performance
Well, it’s Google so you can expect the best world-class global network infrastructure along with this cloud provider.
Data Analytics
BigQuery and data processing capabilities ensure that your data analytics applications run in the best way possible with Google Cloud.
Machine Learning Excellence
Google Cloud has excellent support for TensorFlow and AI Platform integration.
Kubernetes Origin
Native container orchestration as Kubernetes creator.
Pricing Innovation
It is a very innovative pricing policy and you just need to check out the pricing plans to understand it because if you use it wisely then you can expect a lot of savings.
Live Migration
One of the problems with cloud integration is migration but with Google Cloud, you can expect VM maintenance without downtime which makes it a very interesting option in the market.
Carbon-Neutral Operations
It is among the very few if not the only option on the list to do something for the environment by running environmentally conscious operations and commitments.
Google Cloud Limitations
If you have to calculate pound for pound then Google Cloud has a smaller list of services in its catalogue compared to AWS or Azure.
Google Cloud is also not the most established name for traditional enterprise environments and one of the reasons for this is its history of service discontinuations which enterprises do not like.
If you are also looking for hybrid options then Google Cloud might not be the best option for you.
Google Cloud is really a very unique offering in this list with some similarities with the other names on the list and some truly unique offerings. For example, the pricing structure is quite similar to Vultr. It would be a good competitor to Laravel Cloud just because of its limitations, otherwise, it would be on the same level as AWS and Azure.
CloudJiffy: The Containerization Specialist
CloudJiffy targets a specific niche with its container-native platform, focusing on PaaS deployment models which just means that this is not the best option for everyone out there.
However, CloudJiffy definitely has its features and advantages and here are some of them.
Container-Native Platform: CloudJiffy is Built from the ground up for containerized applications.
Environmental Sustainability: Claims 35% more energy efficiency than traditional VMs.
Multi-Cloud Management: CloudJiffy has a consistent interface across multiple underlying providers.
Affordable Entry Point: Competitive pricing for startups and small businesses.
Traffic-Based Scaling: Automatic scaling based on actual traffic patterns.
Pre-Configured Environments: Ready-to-use development environments.
Simplified Deployment: Git-push deployment model.
No matter how good a platform is, it still has its disadvantages which in the case of CloudJiffy has to be its limited market presence because it has a relatively very small user community and the fact that it is not ideal for all types of application architectures.
If you are looking at disadvantages then it does not really have a lot of global data centres certainly nothing near AWS numbers.
And enterprises do not really utilise this provider and Laravel Cloud is definitely a better option than this.
Industry-Specific Cloud Recommendations
For Startups and Small Businesses
Laravel Cloud is definitely the best choice when it comes to small businesses because it has the perfect combination of simplicity and cost-effectiveness along with its set of features based on Laravel.
The hibernation feature makes it perfect for smaller businesses because of the level of cost reduction it can bring for applications with variable traffic.
There is also the advantage of the free sandbox environment.
Alternative Options:
- Digital Ocean
- CloudJiffy
For Mid-Size Companies
Digital Ocean and Google Cloud are very good options for midsized companies where you get a balance between cost and features.
You get a lot of features for what you are paying and with additional data analytics capabilities and AI/ML support which is an increasing need for midsized businesses.
This is probably why the midsized options are good for enterprise organisations as well as small businesses because you are experiencing predictable costs and also not sacrificing on advanced features such as advanced Data analytics for business intelligence.
You are also getting strong container support and you do not even have to deal with the enterprise complexity that comes with AWS.
Alternative Options:
We can say that AWS or Microsoft Azure would be a good alternative to Digital Ocean and Google Cloud but then AWS and Azure are on a whole different level.
Laravel Cloud is definitely a good alternative for a very specific situation when the projects are Laravel-specific, other than that there isn’t really any alternative to Digital Ocean and Google Cloud for this price segment and type of use case.
For Enterprise Organizations
AWS and Azure are hands down the best options for large enterprises and especially AWS because it is designed for enterprises with the most comprehensive set of compliance certificates and global presence.
AWS and Azure have everything that large enterprises can need with the most comprehensive service catalogues and while you are paying top dollar but you are also not sacrificing on any feature with the added advantage of advanced security controls.
It might take some time to get used to their implementation but these are the best the industry has to offer.
Alternative Options:
Some might argue that Google Cloud is an alternative and it is to some extent but it is still not a mature cloud platform and it still has drawbacks which makes it not very compatible for large enterprises plus the habit of Google of discontinuing services is a major red flag for large organisations.
Laravel Cloud represents a significant evolution in cloud hosting, offering a compelling alternative to traditional providers for Laravel-focused development teams.
While it is certainly not AWS, Azure or Google Cloud, it is unique and that’s a win and Laravel Cloud reflects the industry’s movement toward purpose-built solutions that eliminate complexity for specific use cases.
The industry is certainly moving away from one-size-fits-all with niche names like Laravel Cloud and we are delighted to talk about it.
If you as someone who is interested in Laravel Cloud implementation or AWS implementation with some of the most extensive experience in cloud implementation and migration solutions then we are here for you.
We are Think To Share and we are industry leaders when it comes to cloud implementation solutions and we can help you with all your cloud-specific needs. We welcome you to visit our website and check out everything we do.
