BlowStack vs AWS Skill Builder
BlowStack was built for one thing: passing cloud certification exams. Every piece of it was made for that one platform and fits the others: from any question you open the services and concepts behind it and the interactive lesson for it, and the practice exams, courses, services and concepts work as one. AWS Skill Builder is a massive training platform built to teach AWS itself: 900+ courses, videos, labs, games and flashcards across separate modules, with a practice exam per certification on top. Learning AWS and passing the exam are two different goals, and Skill Builder is built for the first, with practice exams that need a desk, not a phone.
AWS Skill Builder figures checked on Nov 8, 2026.
Side by side
| Criterion | BlowStack | AWS Skill Builder |
|---|---|---|
| Price and access | ||
| PriceWhat full access costs and for how long; whether it renews. |
|
|
| Free tierWhat can be used without paying and without a card. |
|
|
| Content | ||
| AWS certificationsHow many AWS certifications have a practice exam. |
|
|
| Exam versionsWhich exam versions the questions are written for, and whether a retiring version is replaced before its last day. |
|
|
| QuestionsHow many practice questions in total, across all AWS certifications. |
|
|
| Question qualityWho writes the questions and how they are checked. |
|
|
| CoursesWhether a course is included with the practice exam, and in what form. |
|
|
| Learning | ||
| ExplanationsWhat an answer explains: the correct option, every option, references. |
|
|
| Exam simulationTimed exams with the official question count and time limit, review and retakes. |
|
|
| Progress and readinessScore history, weak domains, an estimate of readiness for the real exam. |
|
|
| Content updatesHow often the questions and courses are checked and updated, and whether the page says when. |
|
|
| Usability | ||
| On a phoneWhether the questions, exams and lessons can be used on a phone, in the browser. |
|
|
| Design and ease of useHow modern the platform looks and how easy it is to use. |
|
|
Where each one is the better pick
Where AWS Skill Builder is the better pick
- Links into the official AWS documentation after every question, for those who want to read the source itself.
- Hands-on labs in a live AWS environment, and game-based learning such as Cloud Quest and the Escape Room.
- Breadth beyond the exam: 900+ courses, Certification Maintenance that extends a certification by a year, team tooling.
Not the pick if your goal is the exam itself, or if you practice on your phone: you will spend most of the time on videos, labs and games, and little of it on exam questions.
Where BlowStack is the better pick
- More questions: about 868 exam questions per certification against about 100.
- A practice exam simulator you shape yourself: exam mode built to the real exam, practice mode with your own question count, time, scope and question types, pause and hints.
- Explanations made for learners: every option explained, and the services and concepts behind each question open inside the app, written for the exam, instead of a redirect into the AWS documentation.
- Readiness you can measure: latest, best and average results, results by domain with the weakest marked, and a pass probability.
- Repetitions: every missed question comes back until you get it right.
- A modern way of learning: lessons in which you draw the architecture diagram, trace the flow and spot the flaw, instead of videos and flashcards.
- Cheaper: about USD 6.66 a month, paid once for 3 months, nothing renews.
- On a phone: the whole of BlowStack works in the phone's browser, where Skill Builder's practice exams need a desktop.
Not the pick if you want to build cloud skills in a live AWS account or to learn AWS beyond what the exam asks.
Frequently asked questions
Does AWS Skill Builder have practice exams?
Yes, one timed practice exam per certification with a subscription, retaken with the same questions in a different order, and a 20-question set for free. BlowStack's exam simulation adds a practice mode you shape yourself and, from every question, the services, concepts and an interactive lesson behind it.
Is BlowStack cheaper than AWS Skill Builder?
Yes, by a lot. BlowStack is USD 19.99 for 3 months of everything, about USD 6.66 a month, paid once, and never renews. Skill Builder's exam prep needs a subscription of USD 29 a month, USD 87 for the same 3 months, or USD 449 a year.
Can I use BlowStack and AWS Skill Builder together?
Yes. Skill Builder's free exam prep course and question sets give the official view of the exam domains; BlowStack is where the exam is practiced: thousands of questions with every option explained, exam and practice modes, a pass probability and interactive lessons.
Try the free questions first
100 exam questions and the first lessons of every course are free, with no card.