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Set yourself apart from competitors selling with AWS

Firms you compete with meet you in the same places on AWS: Partner Solutions Finder listings, specialization badges, AWS Marketplace categories and shared sales opportunities. This page maps 16 AWS paths where that happens, the role each needs, and how the paths combine, so you can see where competitors stand and where you can stand apart. AWS named 156 partners with new or renewed specializations in September 2026 alone.

As of

Be found and be validated

Be found and be validated
AWS Partner Network (APN) and Partner PathsWhat it gives youFree to join. Five paths: Software, Hardware, Services, Training and Distribution.Role it needsAny.Works with others?Sequence: joining comes before every path below.
Services Partner Tiers: Select, Advanced, PremierWhat it gives youA tier badge and a Partner Solutions Finder listing from Select. Advanced and Premier add a co-branded case study, an APN blog post and Marketing Development Funds.Role it needsServices, Resell.Works with others?Sequence: each tier asks for more than the one below; Competency and MSP sit under Advanced and Premier.
AWS Solution Provider ProgramWhat it gives youResell AWS services and manage customer billing. Growth discounts, a Solution Provider badge and a Finder listing.Role it needsResell, Services.Works with others?Check with AWS: the page lists no criteria beyond joining the APN and reviewing tier requirements.
AWS Competency (industry, use case, workload)What it gives youPriority placement in Partner Solutions Finder, a better score for AWS sales recommendations, direct access to AWS sales teams, and funding for eligible work.Role it needsServices, Software.Works with others?Sequence: listed under Advanced and Premier; check with AWS on what software companies need first.
AWS Managed Services Provider (MSP) ProgramWhat it gives youA badge earned through a third-party audit, plus funding, migration incentives, tooling credits and go-to-market support.Role it needsServices.Works with others?Sequence: listed under Advanced and Premier; counts toward Premier's experience requirement.
AWS Service Delivery and Service Ready SpecializationsWhat it gives youBadges for current holders. New applications are closed and both end June 1, 2027.Role it needsAny current holder.Works with others?Check with AWS: what replaces each one.
AWS Device Qualification Program (Hardware Path)What it gives youA route to qualify your device with AWS; benefits are set in the program.Role it needsHardware.Works with others?Check with AWS: no combination rule is stated.
AWS Training PathWhat it gives youTraining Partner status for firms that sell, deliver or build in AWS training.Role it needsAny.Works with others?Check with AWS: no combination rule is stated.
AWS Distribution PathWhat it gives youAuthorized Distributor status for firms that recruit and support resellers.Role it needsAny.Works with others?Check with AWS: no combination rule is stated.

Which of these badges are worth earning depends on the workloads you sell, the badges the firms you compete with already hold, and the certified people on your team.

Sell software through AWS Marketplace

Sell software through AWS Marketplace
Foundational Technical Review (FTR)What it gives youA free self-service review with results in minutes. Approval earns a Qualified Software badge and a Finder listing, valid two years.Role it needsSoftware.Works with others?Sequence: the Software Path's qualification route; check with AWS on how it maps to the Validated status ISV Accelerate asks for.
AWS Marketplace listingWhat it gives youUp to three categories and three keywords. Syndicated reviews, such as G2, appear free. AWS manages similar-product sections; sellers can't change them.Role it needsSoftware.Works with others?Check with AWS: seller prerequisites sit outside these pages.
AWS Marketplace search performance dashboardWhat it gives youYour listing's top keywords with search volume and rank, up to five keyword ideas, and suggested title edits. Describes your own listing, not a comparison with other sellers.Role it needsSoftware.Works with others?Sequence: needs membership in the AWS Marketplace Seller Prime Program first.
Buy with AWSWhat it gives youAWS co-branding and discovery on your own website, for SaaS products only.Role it needsSoftware.Works with others?Sequence: needs at least one public SaaS listing first.

Whether a listing sets you apart depends on how crowded your category is, whether your buyers already purchase through AWS Marketplace, and how clearly your title and keywords describe what you do.

Sell alongside AWS and other partners

Sell alongside AWS and other partners
APN Customer Engagements (ACE)What it gives youShare opportunities with AWS in ACE Pipeline Manager, receive AWS referrals once eligible, and earn discounts for originating new customer opportunities, plus funding.Role it needsAny.Works with others?Sequence: join the APN and accept the ACE terms in Partner Central first.
ISV AccelerateWhat it gives youVisibility with AWS sales, selling support and ISV funding. Asks for a GA Marketplace product, Validated or Differentiated status, launched and qualified opportunities, training, revenue and ACE eligibility.Role it needsSoftware.Works with others?Sequence: all of those come first; AWS then sends an enrollment task.
Partner Connections (multi-partner opportunities)What it gives youWork one opportunity with AWS and other partners. Invite up to nine partners; each keeps its own opportunity.Role it needsAny.Works with others?Sequence: connect with a partner before inviting them; check with AWS on two partners registering one customer.

Which of these fit depends on how many opportunities you already share with AWS, the partners you could team up with on a deal, and whether you sell software, services, or both.

How do these programs combine?

Stacks. An MSP, DevOps or CloudOps Competency counts toward Premier's experience requirement.

Sequences. Services firms build from tier to Competency and MSP. Software companies move from the Foundational Technical Review to a listing, then ACE activity, then ISV Accelerate, which asks for all of them. To team up with a rival, find them in Partner Discovery, connect, then invite them.

Conflicts. AWS's pages don't say that any of these paths exclude one another. Two limits matter: Marketplace keywords can't use other sellers' product names, and the pages don't say what happens when two partners register the same customer. Plans that lean on Service Delivery or Service Ready need another route before June 1, 2027.

How do you claim or earn each one?

Get a tier badge and a Finder listing

  1. 1Join the APN and choose the Services Path.
  2. 2Collect what your tier asks for. Select asks for four accredited people, two foundational-certified, two technical-certified, and three launched opportunities with at least $1,500 in monthly recurring revenue.
  3. 3Pay the annual APN fee, $2,500 for each tier.
  4. 4For Advanced and Premier, file a Partner Business Plan. Premier also needs an Executive Business Review.

Earn the Qualified Software badge

  1. 1Join the APN and take the Software Path.
  2. 2Submit an existing SOC 2 Type II audit report or a Well-Architected Framework Review.
  3. 3Read your result, approval or remediation steps, in minutes.

Apply for a Competency

  1. 1Check your tier: AWS lists the program under Advanced and Premier.
  2. 2Complete the technical assessment, including reviews of multiple customer success examples.
  3. 3Apply in AWS Partner Central, where the validation checklists sit behind sign-in.

Make your Marketplace listing easy to find

  1. 1Choose up to three categories that fit your product.
  2. 2Add up to three keywords and leave out other sellers' product names.
  3. 3Use your brand or manufacturer name as the product name.

AWS's public pages don't list common reasons requests are turned down. They do say the Foundational Technical Review returns remediation steps when it can't approve.

Why do two similar companies choose differently?

Illustrative — not a recommendation for you.
Illustrative example

Company A: a 40-person AWS services and resale firm

Two nearby firms chase the same customers. Its paths run through the Services tiers, a Solution Provider badge, a Competency in its main workload, and Partner Connections to team up with a firm holding a badge it lacks.

Illustrative example

Company B: a 25-person AWS software company

Rivals sit in its Marketplace category. Its paths run through the Foundational Technical Review, a Marketplace listing with careful categories and keywords, and ISV Accelerate once its pipeline meets the bar.

Same programs, same rules, two different sets of paths. Neither set is a recommendation for you.

What changed recently?

  • 1 Oct 2026AWS added forward deployed engineering pathways: three pathways with credentials through AWS Skill Builder.
  • 29 Sep 2026AWS Data Competency added two categories, Databases for services partners and Relational Databases for software partners, with new performance-based benefits.

Still ahead: AWS ends Service Delivery and Service Ready on June 1, 2027. No Playmaker change page covers AWS competitors yet.

AWS has the paths. Playmaker finds yours.

You’ve just seen how much AWS offers: programs, funding, listings, specialists and the many ways they combine. All of it is real, and much of it can run at the same time. Which of it fits your company depends on your tier, your roles and your deals.

Playmaker does that work for you:

  • Ranked by revenue. It looks at your company and orders the AWS plays by revenue expectancy, so you spend your time on the plays that matter most.
  • A recipe for each play. Every play comes with the steps to run it. You know what to do next, not just what exists.
  • Built for your mix. Reseller and services, a Marketplace listing and ISV Accelerate, several funding programs at once. Playmaker works out how they fit together for your company, not for a generic partner.
  • Ready in 3 minutes. Generate your playbook in 3 minutes, then refresh it as your deals change.

What does your playbook show?

Frequently
asked questions

The short answers for AWS competitors. Playmaker shows you the rest in 3 minutes.

They search Partner Solutions Finder by industry, use case, workload, solution, or AWS specializations and certifications.

Yes. Partner Discovery in Partner Central lets you search other partners by specialization, among other fields.

No. A tier from Select upward includes a listing, and an approved Foundational Technical Review earns a listing for software. A Competency adds priority placement.

AWS describes them as separate paths with different entry routes. The pages don't say whether one company can hold both, so check with AWS.

Yes. Through Partner Connections, you can invite up to nine partners, and each keeps its own opportunity.

Sources

Primary sources for this page, all accessed Nov 1, 2026. Program names and terms belong to AWS.

Where can you read more?

  • AWS partner programs: every path across seven areasThe front door for every AWS program area.
  • AWS tiers, competencies and certificationsTiers, competencies and the Foundational Technical Review.
  • AWS Marketplace listings and private offersHow to list and sell through AWS Marketplace.
  • AWS services programs you can use, and how to claim themManaged services, funded migrations and ways to sell services.

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