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Amazon EC2 Reviews

Vendor: Amazon Web Services (AWS)
4.3 out of 5
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What is Amazon EC2?

Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2) is a web service that provides secure, resizable compute capacity in the cloud. It is designed to make web-scale cloud computing easier for developers.

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Amazon EC2 is the #6 ranked solution in top Compute Service solutions. PeerSpot users give Amazon EC2 an average rating of 8.6 out of 10. Amazon EC2 is most commonly compared to Apache Spark: Amazon EC2 vs Apache Spark. Amazon EC2 is popular among the large enterprise segment, accounting for 58% of users researching this solution on PeerSpot. The top industry researching this solution are professionals from a computer software company, accounting for 10% of all views.
Buyer's Guide
Amazon EC2
October 2025
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Amazon EC2 mindshare

As of October 2025, the mindshare of Amazon EC2 in the Compute Service category stands at 9.0%, up from 7.1% compared to the previous year, according to calculations based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Compute Service Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Amazon EC29.0%
AWS Lambda18.2%
AWS Batch17.2%
Other55.6%
Compute Service

PeerResearch reports based on Amazon EC2 reviews

TypeTitleDate
CategoryCompute ServiceOct 27, 2025Download
ProductReviews, tips, and advice from real usersOct 27, 2025Download
ComparisonAmazon EC2 vs AWS LambdaOct 27, 2025Download
ComparisonAmazon EC2 vs AWS FargateOct 27, 2025Download
ComparisonAmazon EC2 vs AWS BatchOct 27, 2025Download
Suggested products
TitleRatingMindshareRecommending
Apache Spark4.211.6%90%67 interviewsAdd to research
AWS Lambda4.318.2%94%89 interviewsAdd to research
 
 
Key learnings from peers

Valuable Features

Amazon EC2 is valued for its scalability, elasticity, and ease of setup. Users praise the pay-as-you-go pricing, flexibility in instance types, and seamless integration with other Amazon services. The architecture supports high performance and security standards. Auto-scaling and load balancing are essential features, ensuring adaptability to changing demands. Users appreciate the robust encryption, security groups, and cloud storage options. Its ability to handle diverse workloads makes it a popular choice among businesses.
  • "You can do anything with Amazon EC2 as you have a bare system in your hands."
  • "From the features perspective, I find the most beneficial features of Amazon EC2 for server management to be very impactful."
  • "There is no better place to enjoy a relaxing afternoon with friendly staff, great coffee, and a cozy atmosphere that makes you feel right at home."

Room for Improvement

Amazon EC2 users indicate the need for improved cost efficiency, better pricing transparency, and more seamless scalability. There is also a desire for easier integrations with other services, enhanced automation for configurations, and improved user interface design. Users express concerns about billing complexities and wish for enhanced accessibility and streamlined updates. The need for more responsive technical support and automated processes for data migration and system upgrades is frequently highlighted.
  • "I have heard from multiple people that if you have an Amazon EC2 instance running and you stop it, the billing continues unless you terminate the Amazon EC2 instance."
  • "I have heard from multiple people that if you have an Amazon EC2 instance running and you stop it, the billing continues unless you terminate the Amazon EC2 instance."
  • "There are some specific features, such as ML features and AI features, that I would to see included in the next releases of Amazon EC2."

ROI

Organizations experience financial and operational improvement with Amazon EC2, realizing savings on infrastructure and staffing. Consumption-based pricing allows costs to be managed by adjusting usage. Users report benefits in terms of business continuity, disaster recovery, and reduced time to market. While initial expenses are higher than traditional environments, the elimination of physical maintenance and the use of reserved and spot instances provide cost effectiveness. ROI is perceived positively but varies across different measures.

Pricing

Amazon EC2 pricing is generally viewed as attractive but complex, with various pricing models such as on-demand, reserved, and spot instances. Users report that costs can escalate, especially at scale or with high workloads, and unexpected costs may arise without careful monitoring. While the licensing is flexible, and models include options like pay-as-you-go, many note the necessity for better cost prediction tools. Enterprises often find it expensive compared to competitors like Azure and Google Cloud Platform.
  • "We are paying about $1,500 a month for one of the services."
  • "It's competitive but can vary based on instance types and usage patterns."
  • "The price can be improved."

Popular Use Cases

Amazon EC2 is predominantly used for hosting servers, deploying applications, managing development and testing environments, enabling cloud migration, and running databases. Users leverage EC2 for flexible, scalable virtual machine setups, containerization with Kubernetes, and cloud-based web services. It supports diverse applications such as ERP systems, financial planning, and API-based solutions. EC2's hardware as a service and integration capabilities with AWS services like EBS and S3 are essential for many customers.

Service and Support

Many find Amazon EC2's support quick and customer-friendly, especially with premium packages. Email responses are usually prompt within 24 hours. While the framework and documentation assist users effectively, integration guidance could improve. High ratings and positive experiences are common, though some criticize high costs and generic initial responses in enterprise support. Many users haven't required assistance, attributing stability and comprehensive documentation to minimal technical issues.

Deployment

Users found Amazon EC2's initial setup mostly straightforward, with a few complexities. Graphical interfaces simplify the process, but scripting practices like CloudFormation enhance efficiency. Experienced users find starting instances easy, yet non-technical individuals face challenges, requiring understanding of AWS infrastructure. Quick deployments ranged from a few minutes to hours, with some opting for automation. Proper setup demands planning and familiarity, influencing setup time and ease. Successful implementation often relies on knowledgeable team members.

Scalability

Amazon EC2 offers impressive scalability, praised for its horizontal and vertical scaling capabilities. Users appreciate its on-demand flexibility and the ability to auto-scale. Some face challenges with instance type changes, but the platform supports large user bases, accommodating thousands efficiently. The capacity to handle increased traffic smoothly, alongside resource optimization, makes EC2 a preferred choice for many organizations seeking scalable cloud solutions. Office networks find its scalability features particularly beneficial.

Stability

Amazon EC2 is described as highly stable by users who highlight its reliability, though some mention occasional instability due to degraded performance or downtime. Instances perform best when adhering to AWS best practices, such as using multiple availability zones and resource scaling mechanisms. Users appreciate features like CloudWatch and disaster recovery for addressing potential issues, noting its architecture and robust infrastructure as contributing to consistent performance across various environments and deployments. Ratings generally reflect strong satisfaction.
These insights are based on the in-depth reviews provided by peers to help you make a better buying decision.
Download our Amazon EC2 Buyer's Guide for additional reliable information.

Review data by company size

By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business26
Midsize Enterprise13
Large Enterprise22
By reviewers
By visitors reading reviews
Company SizeCount
Small Business31
Midsize Enterprise21
Large Enterprise73
By visitors reading reviews

Top industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
10%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Transportation Company
8%
Comms Service Provider
7%
Educational Organization
6%
Performing Arts
6%
Renewables & Environment Company
5%
Healthcare Company
4%
University
4%
Government
4%
Media Company
4%
Real Estate/Law Firm
4%
Retailer
3%
Wholesaler/Distributor
2%
Outsourcing Company
2%
Pharma/Biotech Company
2%
Energy/Utilities Company
2%
Consumer Goods Company
2%
Construction Company
2%
Insurance Company
2%
Logistics Company
2%
Non Profit
1%
Marketing Services Firm
1%
Legal Firm
1%
Hospitality Company
1%
Engineering Company
1%
Venture Capital & Private Equity Firm
1%
Wellness & Fitness Company
1%

Compare Amazon EC2 with alternative products

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Learn more about Amazon EC2

Amazon EC2’s simple web service interface allows you to obtain and configure capacity with minimal friction. It provides you with complete control of your computing resources and lets you run on Amazon’s proven computing environment. Amazon EC2 reduces the time required to obtain and boot new server instances to minutes, allowing you to quickly scale capacity, both up and down, as your computing requirements change. Amazon EC2 changes the economics of computing by allowing you to pay only for capacity that you actually use. Amazon EC2 provides developers the tools to build failure resilient applications and isolate them from common failure scenarios.

Amazon EC2 was previously known as Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud, EC2.

Amazon EC2 customers

Netflix, Expedia, TimeInc., Novaris, airbnb, Lamborghini

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Product Categories

Product Categories
Compute Service

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Amazon EC2 Reviews Summary
Author infoRatingReview Summary
AWS Architect at Corvit Networks4.5I've used Amazon EC2 for two years across various projects and found it scalable, reliable, and feature-rich, though somewhat expensive. Its elasticity, instance variety, and integration with AWS services have been especially valuable for efficient cloud operations.
Senior Software Engineer at a tech vendor with 1,001-5,000 employees4.5I use Amazon EC2 for hosting and managing applications, appreciating its flexibility and control. While it's stable and effective, users should be warned that billing may continue after stopping instances if they aren't fully terminated.
senior Engineer manager at Poshmark Inc.4.0No summary available
Sr. Big data engineer at B-CITI Solutions Inc.5.0I find Amazon EC2 reliable for server management, security, and scalability, with smooth setup and good performance, though I hope for more AI/ML features in future. Overall, it’s cost-effective and I highly recommend it.
Senior AWS Account Manager at Silicon Overdrive4.5No summary available
Chief Technology Officer at Prognosys Medical Systems4.5No summary available
DevOps Engneer at SCL IT Technologies Pvt Ltd5.0No summary available
Solution Architect at Virtusa Global4.0I work for a company undergoing a cloud migration using Amazon EC2 for our infrastructure. Its valuable features include scalable resources and regional deployment, but pricing and instance detachment complexity need improvement. Competitors like Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud offer unique features.