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Compare AWS certification levels, purpose, audience, indicative difficulty, focus and exam cost.
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Independent Certification Reference LearningQuiz Quick Reference: AWS Certification Levels & Costs
Compare AWS certification levels, purpose, audience, indicative difficulty, focus and exam cost. Prices are in USD as published by AWS and were last checked in October 2026; always confirm on the official AWS page before booking.
All Business Foundational Associate Professional Specialty
Level | Certification | Exam | Primary purpose | Typical audience | Difficulty (indicative) | Main focus | Exam cost
Business | AWS Certified AI Business Strategist (Beta) | AIB-C01 | AI strategy and business outcomes | Business leaders / strategists | Beta | AI adoption, governance, value | $100*
Beta
Foundational | AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner | CLF-C02 | AWS cloud fundamentals | Beginners, business & technical professionals | Beginner | Cloud concepts, services, security, pricing | $100 / ₹8,553
Foundational | AWS Certified AI Practitioner | AIF-C01 | AI/ML fundamentals on AWS | Business & technical professionals | Beginner | AI/ML, GenAI, responsible AI | $100 / ₹8,553
Associate | AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate | SAA-C03 | Design AWS solutions | Cloud / solution architects | Intermediate | Architecture, networking, storage, databases, HA, cost | $150 / ₹12,829.50
Associate | AWS Certified Developer – Associate | DVA-C02 → DVA-C03
Transition | Develop AWS applications | Developers | Intermediate | Application development, deployment, debugging | $150 / ₹12,829.50
Associate | AWS Certified CloudOps Engineer – Associate | SOA-C03 | Operate AWS workloads | CloudOps / SysOps engineers | Intermediate | Deployment, operations, monitoring, troubleshooting | $150 / ₹12,829.50
Associate | AWS Certified Data Engineer – Associate | DEA-C01 | Build AWS data pipelines | Data engineers | Intermediate | Data stores, pipelines, quality, optimization | $150 / ₹12,829.50
Associate | AWS Certified Machine Learning Engineer – Associate | MLA-C01 → MLA-C02
Transition | Build/deploy ML workloads | ML engineers | Intermediate | ML pipelines, deployment, monitoring | MLA-C01: $150 (English sittings ended 28 Sep 2026)
MLA-C02 beta: $75
MLA-C02 standard price: not yet published
Professional | AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional | SAP-C02 → SAP-C03
Transition | Advanced architecture | Senior architects | Advanced | Complex architecture, migration, governance, resilience | $300 / ₹25,659
Professional | AWS Certified DevOps Engineer – Professional | DOP-C02 | Advanced DevOps | Senior DevOps engineers | Advanced | CI/CD, automation, observability, operations | $300 / ₹25,659
Professional | AWS Certified Generative AI Developer – Professional | AIP-C01 | Build advanced GenAI solutions | AI/GenAI developers | Advanced | GenAI applications, agents, deployment, security | $300 / ₹25,659
Specialty | AWS Certified Security – Specialty | SCS-C03 | Secure AWS workloads | Security professionals | Advanced | Identity, detection, data protection, incident response | $300 / ₹25,659
Specialty | AWS Certified Advanced Networking – Specialty | ANS-C01
Retiring | Design complex AWS networking | Network architects / engineers | Advanced | Hybrid networking, routing, connectivity, security | $300 / ₹25,659
Suggested technical career path
Cloud Practitioner → Associate (SAA / Developer / CloudOps / Data / ML) → Professional
Specialty exams (Security, Advanced Networking) are separate routes, usually taken with Associate-level experience. The Business-level AI Business Strategist exam (AIB-C01) is a stand-alone, non-technical option.
Cost notes
As listed by AWS when checked in October 2026: Foundational exams are $100, Associate $150, and Professional/Specialty $300. India prices (₹8,553, ₹12,829.50 and ₹25,659) are approximate and exclude taxes. Passing an AWS exam generally earns a 50% discount voucher for a future exam (valid for one year; one voucher per exam). If you do not pass, you must wait 14 days to retake and pay the full fee again.
* AIB-C01 is a beta exam; beta pricing, language and availability can differ from standard exams, so check the price at registration.
Exam changes to know about
SAP-C02 is being replaced by SAP-C03. Registration for SAP-C03 opens on 27 October 2026. The last day to take SAP-C02 is 16 November 2026, and SAP-C03 general availability starts on 17 November 2026 at $300.
DVA-C02 is being replaced by DVA-C03. Registration for DVA-C03 opens on 27 October 2026. The last day to take DVA-C02 is 30 November 2026, and DVA-C03 general availability starts on 1 December 2026 at $150.
MLA-C01 is being replaced. The last day to take MLA-C01 in English was 28 September 2026. The MLA-C02 beta started on 29 September 2026 at $75, and general availability begins on 14 January 2027, when MLA-C01 retires in all languages. A standard MLA-C02 price has not been published, so do not assume $150.
Dates for SAP-C03, DVA-C03 and MLA-C02 come from the AWS Training and Certification blog ( September 2026 new offerings ).
ANS-C01 is retiring. AWS has announced the retirement of the Advanced Networking Specialty in 2026 with no direct replacement announced. Confirm the last exam date on the official AWS page before you plan to sit it.
Original reference material, not affiliated with or endorsed by Amazon Web Services. Content last updated in 2026; exams, retirements and prices change, so the actual details may differ. Always check the official AWS Certification pages before booking, because taxes, currency conversion and promotions also change the final price. Amazon Web Services, AWS and AWS certification names are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates and are used only to identify the subject.