Detailed Comparison Matrix
Deployment
| Feature |
PCF |
AWS |
Azure |
GCP |
| Deployment method |
cf push |
CloudFormation/Terraform |
Portal/CLI |
gcloud/terraform |
| Build process |
Buildpacks |
CodeBuild |
Build Service |
Cloud Build |
| Image management |
Automatic |
Manual |
Managed |
Managed |
| Language support |
9+ buildpacks |
Any |
Any |
Any |
| Time to production |
Minutes |
Hours |
Hours |
Minutes |
Scaling
| Feature |
PCF |
AWS |
Azure |
GCP |
| Autoscaling |
Built-in |
ASG required |
Scale out |
Managed |
| Scale to zero |
No |
Yes (Lambda) |
Yes (App Service) |
Yes (Cloud Run) |
| Minimum cost |
App cost |
Per instance |
Per instance |
Per invocation |
| Scale speed |
Seconds |
1-3 minutes |
2-5 minutes |
Seconds |
| Manual scaling |
One command |
Portal/CLI |
Portal/CLI |
Kubectl/gcloud |
Services
| Feature |
PCF |
AWS |
Azure |
GCP |
| Database |
Service Broker |
RDS |
SQL Database |
Cloud SQL |
| Cache |
Service Broker |
ElastiCache |
Redis Cache |
Memorystore |
| Messaging |
Service Broker |
SNS/SQS |
Service Bus |
Cloud Pub/Sub |
| Object Storage |
Service Broker |
S3 |
Blob Storage |
Cloud Storage |
| Credential injection |
Automatic |
Manual |
Manual |
Manual |
Cost Model
| Aspect |
PCF |
AWS |
Azure |
GCP |
| Billing model |
Subscription |
Pay-per-use |
Pay-per-use |
Pay-per-use |
| Scaling cost |
Included |
Per instance |
Per instance |
Per request |
| Predictability |
High |
Low |
Low |
Low |
| Free tier |
No |
12 months |
12 months |
90 days |
| Reserved instances |
Subscription |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Task |
PCF |
AWS |
Azure |
GCP |
| Deploy app |
1 step |
5+ steps |
3-5 steps |
2-3 steps |
| Scale manually |
1 command |
10+ actions |
3-5 actions |
2-3 steps |
| Set up autoscaling |
1-2 steps |
5-10 steps |
3-5 steps |
2-3 steps |
| Connect to database |
Auto-bind |
Manual |
Manual |
Manual |
| Manage networking |
Platform |
Complex |
Moderate |
Moderate |
Multi-Tenancy
| Feature |
PCF |
AWS |
Azure |
GCP |
| Organization isolation |
Native |
Account-based |
Resource groups |
Projects |
| User management |
UAA |
IAM |
Active Directory |
IAM |
| Resource quotas |
Per org/space |
Per account |
Per subscription |
Per project |
| RBAC |
Fine-grained |
Fine-grained |
Fine-grained |
Fine-grained |
Maturity
| Aspect |
PCF |
AWS |
Azure |
GCP |
| Release cycle |
Quarterly |
Continuous |
Monthly |
Continuous |
| SLA |
99.9% |
99.95% |
99.95% |
99.95% |
| Production use |
10+ years |
15+ years |
10+ years |
12+ years |
| Vendor support |
Broadcom |
AWS |
Microsoft |
Google |
Best For
| Use Case |
PCF |
AWS |
Azure |
GCP |
| App deployment |
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
⭐⭐⭐ |
⭐⭐⭐ |
⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Microservices |
⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Data analytics |
⭐⭐ |
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Enterprise MS |
⭐⭐ |
⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
⭐⭐⭐ |
| Machine learning |
⭐⭐ |
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Simplicity |
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
⭐⭐ |
⭐⭐⭐ |
⭐⭐⭐ |
| Developer velocity |
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
⭐⭐⭐ |
⭐⭐⭐ |
⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
Decision Framework
Choose PCF if you prioritize:
1. Developer velocity
2. Simple deployment model
3. Minimal operations effort
4. Multi-cloud flexibility
5. Internal developer platform
Choose AWS if you need:
1. Specific AWS services
2. Maximum flexibility
3. Enterprise integrations
4. Cost optimization options
5. Largest ecosystem
Choose Azure if you have:
1. Microsoft stack dependency
2. Enterprise Microsoft products
3. Active Directory integration
4. SQL Server requirement
5. Government/compliance needs
Choose GCP if you need:
1. Data analytics capabilities
2. Machine learning tools
3. Kubernetes integration
4. Google service integration
5. Serverless preference
See individual provider comparisons:
- PCF vs AWS
- PCF vs Azure
- PCF vs GCP