Best Azure Courses Ranked
| Course | Platform | Instructor | Price | Duration | Certification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AZ-900 Learning Path | Microsoft Learn | Microsoft | Free | 10 hours | AZ-900 prep |
| AZ-900 Azure Fundamentals | Udemy | Scott Duffy | $12–$20 | 11 hours | AZ-900 prep |
| AZ-900 with Labs | A Cloud Guru | Lars Klint | $35/mo | 9 hours | AZ-900 prep |
| Azure Fundamentals Certificate | Coursera | Microsoft | $49/mo | 5 months | Career credential |
| AZ-104 Learning Path | Microsoft Learn | Microsoft | Free | 40+ hours | AZ-104 prep |
| AZ-104 Administrator | Udemy | Scott Duffy | $12–$20 | 18 hours | AZ-104 prep |
1. Microsoft Learn AZ-900 Path (Free)
Microsoft's official learning path for the AZ-900 Azure Fundamentals exam is completely free and covers cloud concepts, Azure services, security, privacy, compliance, pricing, and support. It includes interactive sandboxes where you can practice in a real Azure environment without a credit card.
What you'll learn: Cloud computing concepts, Azure architecture (regions, availability zones), core services (VMs, App Service, Functions, Storage, SQL), networking (VNet, Load Balancer), identity (Azure AD / Entra ID), governance (Policy, Blueprints), and pricing calculators.
Pros: Free, official, always up-to-date, includes hands-on sandboxes. Cons: Text-based — no video instruction.
2. AZ-900 Azure Fundamentals (Udemy, Scott Duffy)
Scott Duffy is one of the most popular Azure instructors on Udemy with over 500,000 students. His AZ-900 course is structured around exam objectives with video walkthroughs, demos, and practice questions. Updated regularly for exam changes.
Pros: Video format, practice tests included, one-time $12–$20 cost. Cons: No hands-on sandbox labs.
3. A Cloud Guru AZ-900 (with Labs)
Lars Klint's AZ-900 course on A Cloud Guru combines video instruction with sandbox labs where you deploy real Azure resources. The platform also provides practice exams and a community forum.
Pros: Hands-on labs, engaging instructor, practice exams. Cons: Requires $35/mo A Cloud Guru subscription.
4. Moving to AZ-104 (Intermediate)
After AZ-900, the AZ-104 Azure Administrator certification is the most popular next step. Microsoft Learn offers a comprehensive free path, and Scott Duffy's Udemy course ($12–$20) provides 18 hours of video instruction covering identity, governance, storage, compute, and networking administration.
Azure Certification Roadmap
| Certification | Level | Exam Cost | Salary Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| AZ-900 Fundamentals | Beginner | $99 | Entry-level credential |
| AZ-104 Administrator | Intermediate | $165 | +$10,000–$15,000 |
| AZ-305 Solutions Architect | Expert | $165 | +$20,000–$30,000 |
| AZ-400 DevOps Engineer | Expert | $165 | +$15,000–$25,000 |
Azure Career Paths & Salaries
| Role | Entry Salary | Mid-Level |
|---|---|---|
| Azure Administrator | $75,000–$95,000 | $100,000–$135,000 |
| Azure Solutions Architect | $110,000–$140,000 | $150,000–$195,000 |
| Azure DevOps Engineer | $90,000–$115,000 | $125,000–$165,000 |
| Azure Security Engineer | $95,000–$120,000 | $130,000–$170,000 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Azure harder than AWS?
Neither is inherently harder. Azure integrates more with Microsoft enterprise tools (Active Directory, Office 365), while AWS has a steeper initial learning curve but more documentation. Choose based on your target employer's stack.
Is AZ-900 worth it?
For career changers and non-technical professionals, yes. For experienced IT professionals, skip directly to AZ-104. The AZ-900 exam costs $99 and is often offered free at Microsoft events.
How long to prepare for AZ-900?
1–2 weeks of focused study for IT professionals. 3–4 weeks for complete beginners. The exam has 40–60 questions with a 700/1000 passing score.
Azure vs AWS job market?
AWS has more total job postings, but Azure dominates in enterprise and government sectors. Many large companies (Fortune 500) use Azure due to existing Microsoft licensing agreements. Both skills are highly valuable.