AWS-SA vs AZ-104
AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate and Microsoft Azure Administrator Associate compared with live job-market data: demand, salary, difficulty, and cost — updated weekly.
The short answer
AWS-SA leads on market demand (1,113 vs 705 US job postings) and AWS-SAalso leads on average salary ($135,000). Both carry a 3/5 difficulty rating, so the decision comes down to career direction rather than effort.
Side-by-Side Data
| AWS-SA | AZ-104 | |
|---|---|---|
| Job Postings | 1,113leads | 705 |
| Market Share | 0.02% | 0.01% |
| Demand Trend | Stable | Stable |
| Avg Salary | $135,000leads | $105,000 |
| Difficulty (1-5) | 3 / 5 | 3 / 5 |
| Exam Cost | $150 | $165 |
| Study Time | 40-120 hours | 40-100 hours |
Job counts and market share from live US job postings, updated weekly. Want a different matchup? Use theinteractive comparison tool.
AWS-SA
AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate
Validates ability to design distributed systems on AWS, covering compute, networking, storage, and database services. The 65-question SAA-C03 exam tests real-world scenario skills for building cost-effective, fault-tolerant architectures. Recommended for those with 1+ year of hands-on AWS experience.
AZ-104
Microsoft Azure Administrator Associate
Validates expertise managing Azure identities, governance, storage, compute, and virtual networks. The 100-minute exam includes 40-60 questions covering five domains with scenario-based labs. Requires 700/1000 to pass and 6+ months hands-on Azure experience recommended.
AWS-SA vs AZ-104: FAQ
Which pays more, AWS-SA or AZ-104?+
AWS-SA is associated with the higher average salary: about $135,000 vs $105,000 for AZ-104, based on current US job market data.
Which is more in demand, AWS-SA or AZ-104?+
AWS-SA currently appears in 1,113 US job postings versus 705 for AZ-104 — roughly 1.6× the demand. Data updates weekly from live job listings.
Is AZ-104 harder than AWS-SA?+
Both are rated 3/5 difficulty on our scale, though exam formats and prerequisites differ — see each certification's page for specifics.
Should I get both AWS-SA and AZ-104?+
Many professionals eventually hold both, but sequencing matters. A common path is starting with AWS-SA (3/5 difficulty) and progressing to AZ-104. Compare requirements on each certification's detail page before committing.