With SaaS, applications are delivered entirely by the provider, and customers have little to no control over the underlying platform or data portability. This creates a higher risk of vendor lock-in, as migrating away from one SaaS provider to another may require reworking applications or losing features.

In contrast, PaaS gives customers more flexibility by allowing them to build, deploy, and manage their own applications while relying on standardized frameworks and platforms. Because applications are customer-managed, switching providers or migrating workloads can be easier compared to SaaS.

Vendor lock-out, personnel threats, and natural disasters are risks in any service model. The key differentiator here is portability and flexibility. Choosing PaaS reduces dependence on a single provider’s application features, thereby lowering vendor lock-in risk while still offloading infrastructure management.