Head to head · LLM inference · October 2026 research run
Amazon Bedrock vs Azure OpenAI in Foundry Models
Amazon Bedrock scores 81.7 (A) on agent readiness against Azure OpenAI in Foundry Models's 80 (A), and leads in 4 of 7 scored categories. Azure OpenAI in Foundry Models leads on agent ergonomics and maintenance & community. Both do llm inference.
Best model APIs and inference for AI agents · All 830 models comparisons
Which one, for what
Best for Teams already on AWS who want Claude, GPT-6, Nova, Llama and other models under one IAM, billing and VPC boundary, with regional data controls and an SLA.
Ahead on
- Schema & documentation, 94 against 87
- Payments & pricing, 30 against 20
Watch for
An AWS account, IAM setup and a Region choice come before the first call, and an agent can't sign up alone
Azure OpenAI in Foundry Models A
Best for Teams on Azure that need OpenAI models with Entra ID, private networking, EU or US data zones or FedRAMP scope, and one resource that also serves DeepSeek, Llama, Mistral and Grok models.
Ahead on
- Agent ergonomics, 98 against 92
- Maintenance & community, 86 against 81
Watch for
Intermittent failures and 5xx errors in Sweden Central for about six hours on 29 September 2026
Why the edge
Each category where one leads by five points or more, with the reason behind each side's score from its assessment. The numbers are in the table below; this is what they stand for.
Payments & pricing Amazon Bedrock +10
Amazon Bedrock 30
No x402, MPP or L402 (0). Per-token prices per model, tier and Region on the public pricing page, filled from AWS's public price feed (20). New accounts get up to $200 in Free Tier credits and the Free Tier page lists Bedrock among eligible services, and the Free Tier FAQ says most new customers don't need a payment method, but AWS may still ask for one, so half, as for S3 (10). A person signs up for AWS in a browser and sets up IAM before any key exists (0).
Azure OpenAI in Foundry Models 20
No x402, MPP or L402 (0). Per-1M-token prices are public in the Azure Retail Prices API without a login, while the pricing page fills its table with JavaScript and showed GPT-6 prices as pending on 6 October (20). The quota tiers include a Free tier, but an Azure subscription needs a payment method (0). A person signs up for Azure in a browser and creates a resource and a deployment before the first call (0).
Schema & documentation Amazon Bedrock +7
Amazon Bedrock 94
Model reading. No OpenAPI, but the bedrock-runtime and bedrock Smithy models are public in aws/api-models-aws with types, required members and enums, counted as for S3 (25). llms.txt for the user guide with about 2,000 lines, each page with a Markdown twin (10). Model cards state context, output limits, endpoints and supported functions per model, and the guide now recommends bedrock-runtime for new work, but support for each API, endpoint and feature changes model by model (16 of 20). Structured outputs compile JSON Schema to a grammar, with minimum, maximum and string lengths supported, though some inference profiles don't support it, such as Haiku 4.5 through the India profile (13 of 15). Every operation lists typed errors with HTTP codes and links to a troubleshooting page with causes and fixes, and examples run through the guide (15). API version 2023-09-30 and a dated document history with an RSS feed, newest entry 30 October 2026, with structured outputs for Claude on both endpoints added on 18 October (15).
Azure OpenAI in Foundry Models 87
OpenAPI 3.2 spec for the v1 data plane in Azure/azure-rest-api-specs (azure-v1-v1-generated.json, 71 paths and 852 schemas), linked from the v1 API page (25). No llms.txt at learn.microsoft.com (404). Learn pages offer Copy Markdown and the Markdown sources are public in MicrosoftDocs/azure-ai-docs, last merged 5 October (5 of 10). The models page lists each model's capabilities, context and API support, but the model choice guide, dated 19 May 2026, doesn't cover GPT-6 (15 of 20). Structured outputs with strict: true on schemas and function tools, though not together with parallel function calls (15). Examples in Python, C#, JavaScript, Go, Java and REST, and an error table on the quotas page with a fix for 429 and other codes (15). The v1 path replaces monthly api-version values, with preview capabilities opted into by header, a dated API version changelog and dated model versions. On 6 November the Foundry what's new still covered August, though updated on 5 November, and no Azure OpenAI what's new was found at learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/foundry/openai/whats-new, which answered 404 (12 of 15).
Agent ergonomics Azure OpenAI in Foundry Models +6
Amazon Bedrock 92
Model reading of the checklist (tool use, structured output, caching, context, batch, SDKs, errors). Converse takes tools with toolChoice auto, any or a named tool and strict: true, but forced choice depends on the model behind it (17 of 20). Structured outputs on supported models only (13 of 15). Explicit and implicit prompt caching, cache reads at $0.20 per million on Opus 5.5, 0.05x input, with 5-minute and 1-hour TTLs (15). 1M-token context on Opus 5.5, Sonnet 5.5 and Nova 2 Lite, a judgement call since Bedrock has no default model (15). Batch at half price on supported models, but the pricing page shows none for Opus 5.5 or Sonnet 5.5, while Flex is half price on Nova (7 of 10). AWS SDKs in every major language plus token generators for Python, JavaScript and Java (10). Typed errors with recovery advice per code (15).
Azure OpenAI in Foundry Models 98
Model reading of the checklist (tool use, structured output, caching, context, batch, SDKs, errors). Tool use with parallel calls and a forced call by naming the function in tool_choice, 18 of 20 because gpt-6.1-sol calls tools only through the Responses API (18). Strict structured outputs (15). Prompt caching from 1,024 tokens, cached input at 0.1x on GPT-6 ($1 per million on Astra) and cache writes at 1.25x from GPT-5.6 on, with explicit breakpoints (15). 1,050,000-token context on GPT-6 and GPT-6.1, input capped at 922,000 (15). Batch at 50% off Global Standard with a 24-hour target (10). The docs use OpenAI's own SDKs for Python, JavaScript, C#, Go and Java against the v1 endpoint (10). 429 and quota errors documented with retry headers (15). Calls name a deployment rather than a model, so each model must be deployed in the resource first, which the model checklist doesn't score.
Maintenance & community Azure OpenAI in Foundry Models +5
Amazon Bedrock 81
Model reading. The last model or API change is 30 October 2026 (OpenAI model API support and cross-Region inference in GovCloud), after structured outputs for Claude on both endpoints on 18 October (30). Models launched since 7 September 2026 get a 6-month or 45-day Legacy period, but the legacy page, which promises at least 6 months in Legacy, lists Claude 3 Haiku, 3 Sonnet, 3.5 Sonnet, 3.5 Sonnet v2 and 3.7 Sonnet as Legacy from 10 or 13 October with end of life on 13 November in several Regions, about 34 days (6 of 12, down from 10). Six models reached end of life in the 90 days to 6 November on five dates, Command R and R+ on 19 August, Claude 3 Haiku on 10 September, Nova Sonic on 14 September, Nova Canvas and Nova Reel on 30 September and Claude Sonnet 4 on 14 October (3 of 8, down from 4). Dated document history several times a month, What's New and re:Post, with direct support on a paid plan (12 of 15). SDK issue replies not sampled (5 of 10). Current official SDKs, boto3 1.43.125 on 5 November and @aws-sdk/client-bedrock-runtime 3.1163.0 (15). Supported runtimes stated, Python 3.10 or later and Node 20 or later (10). Down from 86 on 6 October.
Azure OpenAI in Foundry Models 86
Model reading. GPT-6.1 Terra released on Azure on 26 October 2026 and a gpt-chat-latest preview of 7 October was added, after GPT-6.1 Sol on 29 September (30). GA models get a retirement date 18 months after launch, set at release and readable through the Models API, with at least 60 days' email and Service Health notice, and previews at least 30 days, so a GA retirement is known more than six months ahead (12 of 12). Many shutdown dates in the 90 days to 6 November, most of them previews or partner models, among them DeepSeek-R1 (13 August), MAI-Image-2 and 2e (15 August), model-router previews (30 August), MAI-Transcribe-1 (15 September), MAI-Image-2.5 previews (1 October), the 2025-03-20 audio models and sora-2 (15 October), a Cohere Command A Plus preview (16 October) and gpt-image-1 (23 October), each in the schedule with a replacement where one exists (4 of 8). The Foundry what's new page, still on August when read on 6 November, plus Microsoft Q&A and paid support; no Azure OpenAI what's new was found (10 of 15). The SDKs are OpenAI's repositories, replies not sampled (5 of 10). Current official SDKs, openai 3.46.0 on PyPI (5 November) and 7.53.0 on npm, plus Microsoft's @azure/openai 2.0.0 companion (15). Supported runtimes stated, Python 3.9 or later and Node.js 20 or later, though openai 3.46.0 requires Python 3.10 (10).
Score by category
| Category | Weight this run | Amazon Bedrock | Azure OpenAI in Foundry Models | Edge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reliability | 16%20 | 80 | 80 | even |
| Performance | 10%pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Schema & documentation | 13%16.2 | 94 | 87 | Amazon Bedrock +7 |
| Agent ergonomics | 13%16.2 | 92 | 98 | Azure OpenAI in Foundry Models +6 |
| Security & auth | 14%17.5 | 98 | 95 | Amazon Bedrock +3 |
| Payments & pricing | 10%12.5 | 30 | 20 | Amazon Bedrock +10 |
| Task success | 10%pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Maintenance & community | 7%8.8 | 81 | 86 | Azure OpenAI in Foundry Models +5 |
| Transparency & trust | 7%8.8 | 85 | 83 | Amazon Bedrock +2 |
| Negative events | ≤15 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | A 81.7/100 | A 80/100 |
Facts side by side
| Fact | Amazon Bedrock | Azure OpenAI in Foundry Models |
|---|---|---|
| Kind | Model API | Model API |
| Vendor | Amazon Web Services | Microsoft |
| Hosted endpoint | https://bedrock-runtime.us-east-1.amazonaws.com | https://<resource>.openai.azure.com/openai/v1 |
| Transports | HTTP | HTTP |
| Auth | OAuth or key | OAuth or key |
| Pricing | Pay per use | Pay per use |
| x402 | no | no |
| Licence | Proprietary service under the AWS Customer Agreement and Service Terms. Third-party models carry their providers' licence terms. The AWS SDKs and the Smithy service models are Apache-2.0 | Proprietary service under the Microsoft Product Terms. The v1 OpenAPI spec is MIT, and the OpenAI SDKs the docs use are Apache-2.0 |
| Read-only variant documented | no | no |
| llms.txt | yes | no |
| Last release | 2026-10-30 | 2026-10-26 |
| Terms last updated | 2026-10-01 | no date given |
| Privacy policy last updated | 2026-05-18 | 2026-09-01 |
| Customer content may train models | yes, with an opt-out | yes |
| Terms restrict automated access | yes | yes |
| Terms restrict benchmarking | yes | yes |
| Terms or service can change without notice | yes | not found in the text |
| Arbitration or class-action waiver | not found in the text | not found in the text |
| Popularity | 21.8M npm/wk | 454k npm/wk |
What the same task costs
| Task | Amazon Bedrock | Azure OpenAI in Foundry Models |
|---|---|---|
| Research a product and write a sourced reportanthropic.claude-opus-5-5 on Amazon Bedrock, gpt-6-astra on Azure OpenAI in Foundry Models | $43.88 | $110 |
| Build a small four-page websiteanthropic.claude-opus-5-5 on Amazon Bedrock, gpt-6-astra on Azure OpenAI in Foundry Models | $10.03 | $25.07 |
| Find and fix a bug in a large codebaseanthropic.claude-opus-5-5 on Amazon Bedrock, gpt-6-astra on Azure OpenAI in Foundry Models | $2.16 | $5.41 |
Estimated from each listing's published prices, the same tasks as on the price index. Plans, minimums and free allowances aren't counted.
Verdicts
Amazon Bedrock
Bedrock reaches Claude, GPT-6, Nova, Llama and other families through one IAM-controlled API, with a 99.9 per cent SLA and a per-Region zero-retention switch. Setup needs an AWS account, IAM permissions and a Region, capabilities vary by model, and some Regions gave five older Claude models about 34 days of notice.
Azure OpenAI in Foundry Models
An OpenAI-compatible v1 API with a public OpenAPI spec, Entra ID roles in place of shared keys and FedRAMP High scope, with GPT-6 and GPT-6.1 at OpenAI's list prices on Global Standard. Access needs an Azure subscription with a card and a deployment per model, and a 29 September 2026 incident caused about six hours of failures in Sweden Central.
Before you call either
Amazon Bedrock
- Use the geographic or global inference ID from the model card, such as
global.anthropic.claude-opus-5-5. Global routing is cheaper but can process data in any commercial Region - Set
data_retention_modetononein each Region before sending sensitive data. Models that need retention then return ValidationException - Back off with jitter on 429 ThrottlingException, 503 and 529
overloaded_error, and honourRetry-Afterwhen it's sent - Generate short-term API keys from an IAM role for production. Long-term keys create an IAM user and AWS marks them exploration only
- Call ListFoundationModels in your Region and read
modelLifecyclebefore pinning a model ID. Claude 3.x IDs in several Regions stop working on 13 November 2026 and requests don't redirect
Azure OpenAI in Foundry Models
- Point the OpenAI SDK at https://<resource>.openai.azure.com/openai/v1/ and pass the deployment name as
model, not the model id - Prefer Entra ID with the Cognitive Services OpenAI User role over the resource key, which opens the whole data plane
- On 429 wait for
retry-after-ms, then back off with jitter. The OpenAI SDK retries twice by default - Set
store: falseon Responses calls you don't need kept. Stored responses persist 30 days by default - Keep remote MCP approvals on for servers you don't control. They're required by default
Questions
Which is better for AI agents, Amazon Bedrock or Azure OpenAI in Foundry Models?
Amazon Bedrock scores 81.7 (A) on agent readiness against Azure OpenAI in Foundry Models's 80 (A), and leads in 4 of 7 scored categories. Azure OpenAI in Foundry Models leads on agent ergonomics and maintenance & community.
Do Amazon Bedrock and Azure OpenAI in Foundry Models need an API key?
Both take an API key or an OAuth sign-in.
Can an agent call Amazon Bedrock and Azure OpenAI in Foundry Models without installing anything?
Yes. Amazon Bedrock has a hosted endpoint at https://bedrock-runtime.us-east-1.amazonaws.com and Azure OpenAI in Foundry Models at https://<resource>.openai.azure.com/openai/v1.
Other comparisons with Amazon Bedrock or Azure OpenAI in Foundry Models
- Amazon Bedrock vs Claude API
- Amazon Bedrock vs Antseed
- Amazon Bedrock vs BlockRun.AI
- Amazon Bedrock vs Cerebras Inference
- Amazon Bedrock vs Cloudflare AI Gateway
- Amazon Bedrock vs Cloudflare Workers AI
- Amazon Bedrock vs Cohere Chat API (Command models)
- Amazon Bedrock vs DeepInfra
- Amazon Bedrock vs DeepSeek API
- Amazon Bedrock vs Eden AI
- Amazon Bedrock vs Glimpse
- Amazon Bedrock vs Fireworks AI Inference
- Amazon Bedrock vs Gemini Developer API
- Amazon Bedrock vs GroqCloud
- Amazon Bedrock vs Hugging Face Inference Providers
- Amazon Bedrock vs Inkling 2 Small
- Amazon Bedrock vs Jais 3
- Amazon Bedrock vs Meta Model API
- Amazon Bedrock vs MiniMax API
- Amazon Bedrock vs Mistral AI API
- Amazon Bedrock vs Muse Spark Open
- Amazon Bedrock vs Nemotron 3.5 Super VL
- Amazon Bedrock vs Novita AI
- Amazon Bedrock vs OpenAI API
- Amazon Bedrock vs OpenRouter
- Amazon Bedrock vs Prism Inference
- Amazon Bedrock vs Router.com (Ramp Router)
- Amazon Bedrock vs Beam 1.0
- Amazon Bedrock vs RouterPlus
- Amazon Bedrock vs SambaCloud
- Amazon Bedrock vs SiliconFlow
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- Amazon Bedrock vs StepFun API
- Amazon Bedrock vs SWE-2 Flash
- Amazon Bedrock vs Tencent Cloud TokenHub
- Amazon Bedrock vs Together AI Inference
- Amazon Bedrock vs Vercel AI Gateway
- Amazon Bedrock vs Vertex AI (Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform)
- Amazon Bedrock vs xAI API (Grok)
- Claude API vs Azure OpenAI in Foundry Models
- Antseed vs Azure OpenAI in Foundry Models
- Azure OpenAI in Foundry Models vs BlockRun.AI
- Azure OpenAI in Foundry Models vs Cerebras Inference
- Azure OpenAI in Foundry Models vs Cloudflare AI Gateway
- Azure OpenAI in Foundry Models vs Cloudflare Workers AI
- Azure OpenAI in Foundry Models vs Cohere Chat API (Command models)
- Azure OpenAI in Foundry Models vs DeepInfra
- Azure OpenAI in Foundry Models vs DeepSeek API
- Azure OpenAI in Foundry Models vs Eden AI
- Azure OpenAI in Foundry Models vs Glimpse
- Azure OpenAI in Foundry Models vs Fireworks AI Inference
- Azure OpenAI in Foundry Models vs Gemini Developer API
- Azure OpenAI in Foundry Models vs GroqCloud
- Azure OpenAI in Foundry Models vs Hugging Face Inference Providers
- Azure OpenAI in Foundry Models vs Inkling 2 Small
- Azure OpenAI in Foundry Models vs Jais 3
- Azure OpenAI in Foundry Models vs Meta Model API
- Azure OpenAI in Foundry Models vs MiniMax API
- Azure OpenAI in Foundry Models vs Mistral AI API
- Azure OpenAI in Foundry Models vs Muse Spark Open
- Azure OpenAI in Foundry Models vs Nemotron 3.5 Super VL
- Azure OpenAI in Foundry Models vs Novita AI
- Azure OpenAI in Foundry Models vs OpenAI API
- Azure OpenAI in Foundry Models vs OpenRouter
- Azure OpenAI in Foundry Models vs Prism Inference
- Azure OpenAI in Foundry Models vs Router.com (Ramp Router)
- Azure OpenAI in Foundry Models vs Beam 1.0
- Azure OpenAI in Foundry Models vs RouterPlus
- Azure OpenAI in Foundry Models vs SambaCloud
- Azure OpenAI in Foundry Models vs SiliconFlow
- Azure OpenAI in Foundry Models vs Simplismart
- Azure OpenAI in Foundry Models vs StepFun API
- Azure OpenAI in Foundry Models vs SWE-2 Flash
- Azure OpenAI in Foundry Models vs Tencent Cloud TokenHub
- Azure OpenAI in Foundry Models vs Together AI Inference
- Azure OpenAI in Foundry Models vs Vercel AI Gateway
- Azure OpenAI in Foundry Models vs Vertex AI (Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform)
- Azure OpenAI in Foundry Models vs xAI API (Grok)
Machine-readable
- This page as Markdown
/compare/amazon-bedrock-vs-azure-openai.md· slim.min.md· JSON.json(or sendAccept: text/markdown) - Each listing in full
/api/v1/tools/amazon-bedrock.json·/api/v1/tools/azure-openai.json - From a terminal
anchor compare amazon-bedrock azure-openai(the CLI) - Over MCP
compare_tools {"a": "amazon-bedrock", "b": "azure-openai"}at/mcp, no key