Bedrock vs Google Cloud vs Foundry vs the Claude API
Four ways to reach the same models, differing in who bills you, who sets retirement dates, and how much visibility you get into cost.
Last verified August 21, 2026
The short answer
Use the first-party Claude API unless procurement forces otherwise. If it does, prefer an Anthropic-operated route — Microsoft Foundry or Claude Platform on AWS — because those follow Anthropic's deprecation schedule. Bedrock and Google Cloud are partner-operated and set their own.
Can you use both? Yes, and multi-provider deployments are common for availability. Just budget for the operational cost of tracking two retirement calendars and two sets of model IDs.
Side by side
Option A
Claude API (first party)
Anthropic bills you directly. Global by default. Fast mode available. Real-time usage in the Console, with CSV export by key and model.
Pick it when
The default. Nothing about your procurement requires a cloud marketplace.
Option B
Amazon Bedrock
Partner-operated. AWS bills, AWS sets quotas, AWS sets retirement dates. Bedrock-style model IDs. Global and regional endpoints.
Pick it when
You have an AWS commitment to draw down and can accept a second lifecycle calendar.
Option C
Google Cloud
Partner-operated. Three endpoint types including multi-region. `@`-style model IDs. Retired models linger here longest.
Pick it when
You are on Google Cloud, or you need multi-region routing that is neither global nor pinned to one region.
Option D
Microsoft Foundry
Anthropic-operated, billed in Claude Consumption Units through Azure Marketplace. Follows Anthropic's deprecation dates. US Data Zone deployment available.
Pick it when
You must buy through Azure but want first-party lifecycle behaviour.
The split that actually matters
Not cloud versus cloud. Anthropic-operated versus partner-operated.
| Route | Operated by | Retirement schedule | Model IDs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Claude API | Anthropic | Anthropic’s | claude-opus-5 |
| Claude Platform on AWS | Anthropic | Anthropic’s | Claude API style |
| Microsoft Foundry | Anthropic | Anthropic’s | Claude API style |
| Amazon Bedrock | AWS | AWS’s own | anthropic.claude-...-v1:0 |
| Google Cloud | Google’s own | claude-...@date |
Two of the four cloud routes are Anthropic-operated. That is not obvious from the names, and it is the single most consequential difference between them.
What partner-operated costs you
A second calendar. Anthropic publishes a retirement date; your provider publishes a different one. You have to track both, and the divergence is real — Claude Opus 4, Opus 4.1, Sonnet 4 and Haiku 3.5 all outlived their first-party retirement on partner clouds.
That cuts both ways. If you need an older model for reproducibility, Google Cloud is where they last longest. Just do not mistake a longer tail for a commitment.
Endpoints and premiums
| Provider | Endpoint types | Premium |
|---|---|---|
| Claude API | Global by default; inference_geo: "us" |
1.1x for US-only |
| Bedrock | Global, regional | +10% regional |
| Google Cloud | Global, multi-region, regional | +10% multi-region and regional |
| Foundry | Standard; US Data Zone Standard | 1.1x for US Data Zone |
Multi-region on Google Cloud is the option with no equivalent elsewhere: dynamic routing constrained to a geography.
Cost visibility differs more than you would expect
- Claude API: Console usage, exportable as CSV by API key and model.
- Claude Platform on AWS: real-time per-model breakdown in the Claude Console; AWS Cost Explorer shows aggregate CCU.
- Foundry: Azure Cost Management shows aggregate CCU. No documented equivalent breakdown.
- Bedrock and Google Cloud: whatever the provider’s own tooling gives you.
If chargeback by team or by model matters to you, that list should influence the decision as much as price.
What is not available off the first-party API
Fast mode is Claude API only — not on Claude Platform on AWS, not on partner-operated clouds. Managed Agents are likewise unavailable on partner clouds.
Common misconceptions
- "Claude Platform on AWS is Bedrock." It is not. It is Anthropic-operated, uses Claude API-style model IDs, and follows Anthropic's deprecation schedule — despite running on AWS and billing through AWS Marketplace.
- "Deprecation dates are the same everywhere." They are not. Claude Opus 4.1 retired on the Claude API on 5 August 2026 and remains available on Bedrock and Google Cloud.
- "Model IDs are portable." claude-haiku-4-5-20251001, anthropic.claude-haiku-4-5-20251001-v1:0 and claude-haiku-4-5@20251001 are the same model with three names.
- "Fast mode works on any provider." It is first-party Claude API only.
Sources
- 01Cloud platform pricing — Claude Platform DocsOfficialplatform.claude.com
- 02Model deprecations — Claude Platform DocsOfficialplatform.claude.com
- 03Models overview — Claude Platform DocsOfficialplatform.claude.com