Today, multiple Docker container orchestration tools are available on the market, including Kubernetes, AWS ECS, AWS EKS, and Docker Swarm. In this article, I will explore all you need to know about Amazon ECS vs EKS.
Here, AWS ECS is a managed service provided by Amazon. Amazon also supports Kubernetes through its managed service, EKS, which simplifies the deployment of a highly available, scalable, and fully managed Kubernetes control plane. Docker Swarm is an open-source container orchestration platform. It is the native clustering engine for and by Docker. Kubernetes is an open-source container orchestration tool developed by Google initially.
Amazon Elastic Container Service (ECS) and Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Service (EKS) have undergone significant evolution. This updated 2025 comparison is tailored for technical leaders and DevOps decision-makers, highlighting the latest differences, use cases, and best practices.
I’ll cover everything from ECS Anywhere and EKS Anywhere real-world use cases, to updated performance limits, new AWS integrations (Graviton, Bottlerocket, Proton, CDK), pricing changes, and improvements in observability, security, and autoscaling. By the end, you’ll have clear recommendations for 2025 based on current trends, skills, and portability needs.
| Parameter | Amazon EKS | Amazon ECS |
| Open Source | Yes (Kubernetes-based) | No ((AWS proprietary) |
| Smallest Deployable Entity | Pod | Task |
| Multi-cloud Integration | Yes (via EKS Anywhere) | Limited (AWS-only, ECS Anywhere for hybrid) |
| Pricing | $0.10/hr cluster fee + compute | No cluster fee, pay only for compute |
| Container Limit | Up to ~750 pods/instance | Up to ~120 tasks/instance |
| Community Support | More | Less |
| Security | IAM via IRSA, Kubernetes RBAC | IAM Roles for Tasks (native) |
| Ease of use | Steeper learning curve, more automation in 2025 | Easier to start, simpler for AWS users |
Elastic Container Service (ECS) is a container management service that is highly scalable and fast. Managing containers and performing operations like start/stop is very easy on ECS. Containers in ECS are defined in a task definition within a service and service is a configuration that runs and maintains a specified number of tasks in a cluster. Tasks can be run on a serverless infrastructure that is managed by AWS Fargate or on a cluster of Amazon EC2 instances that is managed by the user.
Also read: AWS Fargate Pricing
The above architecture diagram shows that there are two subnets, public and private. EC2 instances get created as a part of an ECS cluster that belongs to a private subnet and a Load Balancer and a NAT Gateway belong to a public subnet. The incoming requests route through a Load Balancer to the EC2 instance and then are redirected to the container/task, whereas the outgoing connection from the task/container routes through the EC2 instance and then from the NAT Gateway goes to the internet.
It is important to understand what Kubernetes is before we proceed with Amazon ECS vs EKS. Kubernetes is an open-source container orchestration platform that was originally developed by Google and is now maintained by the Cloud Native Computing Foundation. It automates application deployment, scaling, and management. Kubernetes gives the platform to schedule and run containers on a group of physical or virtual machines. This group of machines with Kubernetes is known as Kubernetes Cluster.
Elastic Kubernetes Service, EKS, is a managed service that can be used to run Kubernetes on AWS. There is no need to install, operate, and maintain the Kubernetes control plane or nodes while using EKS. To ensure high availability, EKS runs Kubernetes control plane instances across multiple Availability Zones. When the nodes are unhealthy, EKS automatically replaces them. EKS provides scalability and security to the applications.
Also read: AWS Security Tools
In the above architecture diagram, you can see that the EKS cluster spans across multiple availability zones. It has its worker nodes in different availability zones to provide high availability for the application. The pods which are deployed get placed onto these worker nodes. NAT gateways from the public subnet allow outbound internet access to the resources deployed to worker nodes.
ECS: Supports AWS VPC networking but with limited task-level control. Service discovery and networking are simplified through ECS Service Connect.
EKS: Full control over pod-level networking using Kubernetes CNI plugins. Supports fine-grained network policies and service meshes.
ECS: No native support for namespaces. Task separation relies on tagging and IAM policies.
EKS: Full namespace support from Kubernetes. Enables isolation for dev/stage/prod within a single cluster, improving resource sharing and access control.
ECS: Still the easiest to use for AWS users. No control plane management needed, tightly integrated with AWS services. Recent updates like ECS Exec and Service Connect improve usability.
EKS: More complex due to Kubernetes, but automation has improved. EKS Auto Mode (2024) now handles compute, scaling, and networking. Managed Node Groups and add-ons reduce manual setup.
ECS: No control plane cost. You pay only for the compute (EC2 or Fargate). Great for cost-effective workloads.
EKS: $0.10/hour per cluster control plane fee. Same compute cost as ECS, but adds cluster and extended support fees. Auto Mode adds management fees.
ECS: AWS proprietary. Limited portability. ECS Anywhere extends use to on-prem, but still AWS-dependent.
EKS: Open-source Kubernetes. Portable across clouds and on-prem. EKS Anywhere and EKS Connector improve hybrid and multi-cloud strategies.
ECS: Strong AWS documentation, limited open-source ecosystem. Best for AWS-centric teams.
EKS: Massive Kubernetes community. Access to thousands of tools, tutorials, and third-party integrations. Ideal for teams leveraging Kubernetes standards.
| Feature | ECS | EKS |
|---|---|---|
| Ease of Use | Simple, AWS-integrated | Complex, but improved via automation |
| Pricing | No cluster fees | $0.10/hr per cluster + extra support fees |
| Portability | AWS-only, limited portability | Highly portable, open-source |
| Community Support | AWS-focused | Large Kubernetes ecosystem |
| Networking | Simplified via Service Connect | Pod-level control, network policies |
| Namespaces | Not supported | Fully supported for isolation |
Bottom Line: ECS is best for fast AWS-native deployments and lower costs. EKS is ideal for portable, scalable apps with Kubernetes flexibility.
Updated for 2025. Contact ClickIT for help choosing the right platform.
✔ If you’re looking to work exclusively on AWS, you should choose ECS as it offers more in-depth AWS integration than Amazon EKS.
✔ Organizations with limited expertise and insufficient resources to invest in learning Kubernetes can go with ECS.
✔ ECS is the ideal choice when there is no time to build, deploy, or migrate your containerized applications successfully to Kubernetes.
✔ If you’re considering deploying containers across multiple infrastructures and would like to take advantage of Kubernetes’ flexibility, you should choose EKS.
✔ If your organization is ready to invest in learning the latest technology and wants to be on the frontline in terms of using the latest tech stack, go with EKS.
✔ When you’re looking for a more future-proof and versatile approach, EKS is the ideal choice.
✔ If you are ready to pay a few bucks for the control plane and take advantage of Kubernetes then go for EKS.
If your needs are entirely AWS-focused and you want the simplest container service: Choose Amazon ECS. It’s a battle-tested orchestrator with minimal setup. You avoid dealing with Kubernetes upgrades and complexities. ECS is excellent for teams that want to deploy containers quickly using AWS CLI/SDK or Copilot, integrate with AWS services (like Lambda, API Gateway, EventBridge) easily, and not worry about the control plane at all.
If you need multi-cloud or on-prem portability, or you rely on the Kubernetes ecosystem: Choose Amazon EKS. In 2025, Kubernetes has solidified its position as the standard for container orchestration. If there’s any chance you’ll need to deploy in another cloud or on-prem (without AWS management), EKS (and possibly EKS Anywhere for on-prem) gives you that consistency. It’s also the go-to if you plan to use custom Kubernetes CRDs, Operators (e.g., Kafka operators, AI/ML operators like Kubeflow, etc.), or need advanced scheduling and bin-packing beyond ECS’s capabilities.
Hybrid Cloud and Edge Scenarios: If hybrid is a core requirement, factor that in your decision:
For a unified cloud-managed control plane spanning on-premises and ECS with ECS Anywhere, the solution is very attractive, as it eliminates the need for an additional control plane on-premises. It’s simpler than running Kubernetes on-prem yourself. However, if your on-prem environment is extensive and you need full control even when disconnected from AWS, EKS Anywhere might be more appropriate (you can run clusters independently and optionally sync to AWS console).
If you’re leaning EKS and want hybrid without managing on-prem control planes, the new EKS Hybrid Nodes (on-prem worker nodes attached to an AWS EKS cluster) could be a sweet spot – AWS manages the cluster control plane in the cloud, you supply hardware and networking on-prem. This could work for scenarios such as bursting to on-premises for data locality.
As discussed, container orchestration is not an add-on but a necessity when running your application in the container world. In this article, we talked about key details surrounding Amazon ECS vs EKS to help you choose which you’re best suited to. We explored the differences between ECS and EKS which are both managed services of AWS. The bottom line is that there’s no direct winner and each solution will offer you unique benefits or drawbacks depending on your needs.
Perhaps ECS can be an ideal choice when you are new to containers and looking for an easy solution. On the other hand, if you are looking for a better way to scale your cluster or application and you are experienced, EKS should be a good fit for you.
When it comes to a requirement where you are tightly coupled to only AWS, then ECS can help you. But if you don’t want to stick with AWS permanently and focus on Kubernetes then EKS is the choice.
Whether you choose AWS ECS vs EKS, with our AWS Managed Services, we can help you design, implement, deploy and maintain your application on AWS.
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