Validates knowledge of designing secure, resilient, high-performing and cost-effective cloud solutions using AWS services.
A good SAA-C03 course teaches you to choose the right AWS design for a scenario, not just name services, and gives you time in the console. We compared the main options on exam coverage, hands-on practice, length and price.
Most people should start with Stéphane Maarek's course, which follows the exam in 27 hours. Choose Adrian Cantrill for deeper hands-on learning, the ExamPro video for a free full course, and AWS's exam prep plan or the Coursera review as a final pass.
| Course | Best for | Format | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
 Ultimate AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate 2026 | Compact full course | Video | $130 |
 AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate | Deep hands-on learning | Video | $40 |
 SAA-C03 exam prep plan | Official AWS plan | Interactive | Free |
 Exam Prep: AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate | Short final review | Video | $59/month |
 AWS Solutions Architect Associate (SAA-C03) Full Course | Free full course | Video | Free |
 learn-cantrill-io-labs | Free labs | Interactive | Free |
About 27 hours of video with slides and AWS service demonstrations, organized around the SAA-C03 domains and ending with a practice exam. It stays closer to the exam than Cantrill's course and takes far less time.
Great fit if you want a compact course that follows the exam
Poor fit if you want to build each design yourself in depth; choose Adrian Cantrill
A detailed architecture course built on diagrams, video lessons and demos, with practical builds in your own AWS account. It goes deeper than a focused exam review and takes longer. Purchases carry a 14-day refund.
Great fit if you want to understand the designs and build them yourself
Poor fit if you want a short, exam-focused course; choose Stéphane Maarek
AWS's official exam preparation plan of about 18 hours, with domain reviews, questions and practical activities. The content is free and a Skill Builder subscription adds the extra tools. It comes from the company that writes the exam.
Great fit if you want an issuer-led route through the objectives
Poor fit if you are new to AWS and need the services taught from scratch; choose Maarek or Cantrill
An AWS-authored review of about 8 hours in six modules, with domain explanations and exam-style walkthroughs. It reviews what you know rather than teaching the services, so it works best after a full course.
Great fit if you want a review course after learning the core services
Poor fit if you are learning AWS for the first time; choose Maarek or Cantrill
A free video course of about 50 hours from Andrew Brown (ExamPro), published by freeCodeCamp, that goes through every SAA-C03 domain. It is the longest course on this list and costs nothing.
Great fit if you want a full course at no cost and can commit to a long watch
Poor fit if you want a compact course; choose Stéphane Maarek
Adrian Cantrill's free lab instructions, diagrams and templates on GitHub for building AWS projects in your own account. They cover labs across several certifications and are not a course, so pair them with a video course.
Great fit if you want practical exercises to pair with your study
Poor fit if you want lessons that teach the concepts; choose Maarek or Cantrill's course
Compare all AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate practice tests →
For most people, Stéphane Maarek's Udemy course: it follows the exam in about 27 hours. Adrian Cantrill's course is better if you want to build everything yourself.
Yes. ExamPro's 50-hour course on YouTube covers every SAA-C03 domain, and Cantrill's labs and AWS's practice question set are free. Most candidates add a paid practice exam set.
The courses here run from 8 hours for the Coursera review to about 50 hours for ExamPro. Plan for about 50 hours of preparation in total, 35 to 70 depending on your AWS experience.
Cantrill's course is longer and goes deeper with hands-on builds. Maarek's is shorter and more exam-focused, with console demonstrations instead of a full self-built environment.