AZ-400 vs AWS DevOps Engineer Professional — Which Certification Is Better?

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	AZ-400	AWS DevOps Engineer Professional
Provider	Microsoft	AWS
Level	Expert	Professional
Exam Cost	$165	$300
Avg Salary	$140,000	$145,000
Pass Rate	60%	55%
Study Hours	120h	150h
Difficulty	8/10	9/10
Job Listings	28.0K	25.0K

Our Verdict

Both certifications deliver strong career ROI, but they serve different ecosystems. AZ-400 edges ahead in job listings (28K vs 25K) and costs significantly less ($165 vs $300), while AWS DevOps commands a slightly higher average salary ($145K vs $140K). The real decision factor is your target ecosystem: AZ-400 is the right choice if your organization runs Azure DevOps, GitHub Actions, or the Microsoft stack — and Microsoft's enterprise dominance means Azure DevOps skills are in high demand across Fortune 500 companies. AWS DevOps Professional is harder (difficulty 9 vs 8, 55% pass rate vs 60%) and requires more study (150 vs 120 hours), but AWS remains the largest cloud provider by market share. For maximum career flexibility, choose the platform your current or target employer uses. If you are platform-agnostic, AZ-400 offers better cost-to-value ratio as an entry point, with AWS DevOps as a strong second credential.

Choose AZ-400 if you...

Prefer a more accessible exam (60% pass rate)
Want a lower exam cost ($165 vs $300)
Want broader job market demand (28.0K listings)
Prefer a less challenging exam path (8/10 difficulty)

Choose AWS DevOps Engineer Professional if you...

Want higher earning potential ($145K vs $140K avg)
Focus on AWS ecosystem and professional-level roles

Deep Dive Into Each Certification

AZ-400

Microsoft · Expert · $140K avg

AWS DevOps Engineer Professional

AWS · Professional · $145K avg

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need prerequisites for these certifications?

Yes, both have prerequisites. AZ-400 requires passing either AZ-104 (Azure Administrator) or AZ-204 (Azure Developer) before you can earn the DevOps Engineer Expert title. AWS DevOps Engineer Professional recommends holding either the AWS Developer Associate or SysOps Administrator Associate, though it is not strictly enforced — you can sit the exam without them, but the content assumes that level of AWS knowledge.

Which exam is harder?

AWS DevOps Engineer Professional is widely considered harder. It has a lower pass rate (55% vs 60%), requires more study time (150 vs 120 hours), and covers a broader scope of AWS services in depth. The questions are scenario-heavy and often require choosing between multiple valid approaches. AZ-400 is challenging but more focused on Azure DevOps tooling and CI/CD pipeline design. Both exams assume significant hands-on experience.

Can I pursue both certifications?

Absolutely, and multi-cloud DevOps expertise is increasingly valuable. Engineers holding both Azure and AWS DevOps certifications report average salaries above $155K and are highly sought after by consulting firms, MSPs, and enterprises running hybrid cloud environments. The recommended path is to certify first in whichever platform you use daily, then add the second within 6-12 months.

Which is better for a DevOps lead or manager role?

For leadership roles, AZ-400 has a slight edge because Microsoft's DevOps ecosystem (Azure DevOps, GitHub) is more commonly used for enterprise project management and team coordination. AWS DevOps Professional is more infrastructure-focused. That said, neither certification alone qualifies you for management — they validate technical DevOps skills. Pair either with leadership experience and possibly an ITIL or PMP credential for management track positioning.

Data Sources

Salary data — Aggregated from job postings and salary surveys (US median)
Job listings — Active postings across major job boards
Pass rates — Community-reported estimates