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Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) vs SUSE Rancher comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)
Ranking in Container Security
20th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.6
Number of Reviews
41
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
SUSE Rancher
Ranking in Container Security
33rd
Average Rating
7.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.3
Number of Reviews
2
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2025, in the Container Security category, the mindshare of Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) is 0.8%, up from 0.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SUSE Rancher is 0.4%, up from 0.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Container Security Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)0.8%
SUSE Rancher0.4%
Other98.8%
Container Security
 

Featured Reviews

Daniel Wichinescki - PeerSpot reviewer
Has supported production deployments and simplified permission management though could reduce monitoring costs
For Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS), we only used it to orchestrate the Kubernetes pods. We didn't use the other features. We only used the environment to start our application. I utilized the automatic scaling capabilities. The integration with Azure Active Directory helped with the security of our applications. I think Amazon EKS is better. EKS is the best because there are many features to use for scaling and to control the environments.
Sachin Deorah - PeerSpot reviewer
Enables seamless local Kubernetes development and quick deployment to the cloud
Rancher Desktop provides support for Kubernetes setup on local machines. It allows us to run Kubernetes as per our requirement, and the desktop application offers a good UI. We use Rancher Desktop for local development, testing APIs locally, and it helps to seamlessly publish to the cloud. This makes it a valuable tool for developers.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"I found the Helm deployment feature of the solution valuable."
"We are not yet fully public cloud-native, however, Azure Kubernetes Service promises interesting scalability and flexibility for the future."
"The most valuable feature of the solution is the diagnostic service."
"We are not yet fully public cloud-native, however, Azure Kubernetes Service promises interesting scalability and flexibility for the future."
"Azure Kubernetes Service is pretty robust in terms of scalability and auto-scaling fixes."
"I don't have to furnish my own infrastructure in order to run containers or Kubernetes."
"I have enjoyed working with all the features."
"We find the container orchestration tool that this solution provides to be very valuable."
"Rancher Desktop provides support for Kubernetes setup on local machines."
"The most valuable features of SUSE Rancher include the user interface and the display features."
"Rancher Desktop provides support for Kubernetes setup on local machines."
 

Cons

"There are some limitations with the tutor version, particularly in terms of using a lot of free audio. The private level also has restrictions, limiting the number of audio files you can access to just 50. If you want more, you need to contact support."
"The initial setup of AKS is complicated. The setup depends on the cluster, nodes, and lots of other things. There are also lots of extremely critical small devices. Moreover, you will have to pay them even while setting up the solution. It is not like you setup first and then pay for it."
"Configuration management and troubleshooting performance issues are difficult to solve and could be made easier."
"This is a fairly expensive solution, which can make it prohibitive for smaller organizations."
"Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) is more flexible but more complex to maintain."
"Sometimes, it fails to provide specific metrics."
"One improvement I'd like to see is a better user interface for developers, enabling easier operation without relying heavily on command lines."
"The solution is not particularly user-friendly for novice administrators, making it challenging to understand certain aspects."
"Some initial setup and configuration were required by the admin side for enabling security policies, which were not supported initially."
"Additional features for a paid solution should be included, such as more detailed insights, better graphics, and an improved user interface."
"Some initial setup and configuration were required by the admin side for enabling security policies, which were not supported initially."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The product follows a pay-as-you-go pricing model which is good for small enterprises. You need to pay only for the services that you use."
"It is expensive compared to other vendors."
"Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) is an expensive solution"
"I like the pricing and find it to be in the mid-range, and I would rate it as five out of ten."
"It is an expensive solution."
"The pricing of the solution is same as Azure Stack."
"The product is expensive."
"The cost of the solution is extremely high. Both Amazon and Azure cost extremely high. Given the basic features like when they are coming over the cluster nodes, we think over ten times before giving the solution to clients. No matter how many offerings the solution provides, it becomes so much of a burden that you are not even getting back your invested money from customers."
Information not available
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
25%
Computer Software Company
11%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Insurance Company
6%
Financial Services Firm
15%
Computer Software Company
15%
Transportation Company
8%
Comms Service Provider
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business15
Midsize Enterprise7
Large Enterprise22
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)?
The platform's high scalability is one of its biggest advantages.
What needs improvement with Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)?
Could you please tell what areas of Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) you think could be improved or enhanced? It doesn't necessarily have to be something advanced. Perhaps there are some minor things...
What is your primary use case for Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)?
Could you please describe your customers' usual use cases for Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)?
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for SUSE Rancher?
Rancher is free of cost for us as it is open source. However, there might be costs involved when using Kubernetes on cloud services.
What needs improvement with SUSE Rancher?
I believe additional features for a paid solution should be included, such as more detailed insights, better graphics, and an improved user interface.
What is your primary use case for SUSE Rancher?
My primary use case for SUSE Rancher is managing Kubernetes clusters, allocating them to different users, and monitoring workloads. I manage all cluster-related activities through Rancher.
 

Overview

Find out what your peers are saying about Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) vs. SUSE Rancher and other solutions. Updated: September 2025.
868,759 professionals have used our research since 2012.