Systems, computer storage devices, and methods receive a request from a first user. The first user has at least one instance running within a cloud-computing environment. The systems, computer storage devices, and methods automatically analyze the first user instance to produce first user instance characteristics, and automatically analyze characteristics of other user instances running within the cloud-computing environment. Other users, who are different from the first user, operate the other user instances. The systems, computer storage devices, and methods automatically match the first user instance to instances of the other user instances by determining which of the other user instances have the same characteristics as the first user instance characteristics. The systems, computer storage devices, and methods automatically identify cloud-computing options selected by such other users that operate the matching instances that are related to the request. The systems, computer storage devices, and methods then automatically make recommendations to the first user using the computing devices.