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Azure Stack vs Microsoft Azure VMware comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 15, 2024

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 Stack
Ranking in Hybrid Cloud Computing Platforms
1st
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.6
Number of Reviews
69
Ranking in other categories
Software Defined Data Center (SDDC) (2nd)
Microsoft Azure VMware
Ranking in Hybrid Cloud Computing Platforms
10th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.0
Number of Reviews
4
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2026, in the Hybrid Cloud Computing Platforms category, the mindshare of Azure Stack is 12.8%, down from 26.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Azure VMware is 3.7%, up from 2.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Hybrid Cloud Computing Platforms Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Azure Stack12.8%
Microsoft Azure VMware3.7%
Other83.5%
Hybrid Cloud Computing Platforms
 

Featured Reviews

RS
Data Architect at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
Unified data platform has improved regulatory compliance but still needs better integration features
It is difficult to say about Azure Stack improvement because I need to revisit and study it again. The pricing is okay, but on the services side, perhaps we need to think about some services, not all. I would not like to see any additional features in the future. To give them more like a 9 out of 10 or 10 out of 10, I think they need to improve on the interface, implementation, configuration, and integration with other products, so I rate them an eight. As compared to AWS, they need to add more features. I would like to see operations and storage features, like AI features or security features.
DW
Solutions Area Lead at Tech One Global
Cloud migration has reduced hardware dependence and optimizes security and AI-ready operations
Microsoft Azure VMware is an area that requires attention. I believe the VMware part should eventually merge with Azure as a single Azure platform, moving away from hypervisor-on-hypervisor architecture and instead bringing VMware features into Azure as native capabilities or as VMware-labeled features running in a true cloud environment. Some features should be brought in to achieve this integration. Additional improvements for Microsoft Azure VMware would include integration with Azure Site Recovery and disaster recovery capabilities. The ideal scenario would be VMware as primary with disaster recovery in Azure, connecting in a native manner. These improvements should be delivered as an integrated solution available out of the box rather than as separate components. Integration with other solutions such as Microsoft Site Recovery should encompass Azure native business continuity and disaster recovery with VMware. Microsoft Azure VMware would serve as primary hosting and connect natively to business continuity and disaster recovery capabilities with Azure. This should be available as a native feature.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Considering all the features, the quality of service / price ratio is superior compared to any cloud option."
"We have found the Kubernetes version is one of the key components which we are using heavily."
"Azure Stack is a stable product."
"One of the features I really appreciate is the Hybrid Cloud Extension UI."
"When we engage Azure Stack, it's very easy to lift and shift."
"Because of Office 365, they don't need to come here (to campus) and they don't need to connect to any kind of VPN in order to access their emails or order their course materials or even the information that we provide on the internet, for that matter."
"If a user wants to upgrade Office 365 from any of the packages, there is no disruption happening during migration, and the data is kept safe. There's no loss of data."
"It's more reliable, secure, and easy to deploy. It's much more stable as a platform."
"For new users, if you have a scalable environment where a VMware data center makes sense for your business, I definitely recommend AVS."
"Regarding stability, it is like a five-star solution."
"The capabilities are like a lift-and-shift operation for moving existing VMware environments to the cloud. The time for migration onto the cloud has substantially reduced."
"Since organizations are already on VMware, they can lift and shift everything to Microsoft Azure VMware, allowing the data center to be moved as a whole rather than as separate servers."
"The integration is very good."
 

Cons

"Our only issue with Azure Stack so far is that the networking is very closed."
"One aspect that I consider a drawback is the cost associated with Azure Stack, as its deployment expenses tend to be on the higher side compared to other solutions."
"The way this solution gives you steps to follow to remediate vulnerability is not very well done."
"The fact that it is completely integrated into Azure, while positive, is also a downside."
"It's not stable as IBM solutions. It fully supports all the .NET solutions, but our main applications are based in Java. So in those cases, we've had some minor problems with Azure, but Microsoft always says that it can handle this stuff."
"The licensing model of Azure Stack is complicated. The solution is expensive."
"We face some challenges with database rebuilding."
"It would be better to have more services and functionality when it comes to database software and computing."
"Well, sometimes they release product after product, so it's it's kind of hard to keep an overview of all the different aspects of of the solutions."
"Microsoft Azure VMware is an area that requires attention."
"The only issue is that a small challenge was found regarding the network...to have extended, smooth VLANs and everything else was a little bit complicated."
"Azure VMware needs to cater to smaller enterprises, as it is currently meant for larger entities. One improvement could be more support for mid-sized or scalable environments."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Azure has a subscription version. It has a pay-as-you-go subscription with a subscription ID. So, you have your particular subscription with an enterprise agreement. There is a dev-type subscription for development and testing. The pricing seems pretty reasonable. The pricing could be per resource."
"Azure Stack has an annual licensing fee, which is very expensive."
"Pricing could be improved so I rate it an eight out of ten."
"The cost of Azure Stack is much cheaper than VCE."
"Azure Stack is a medium-priced product, so it is not overpriced, but the prices may be higher for certain services."
"I rate the tool's pricing a seven out of ten."
"I am using my Microsoft license, and it costs monthly. You need to pay additional costs apart from the standard costs."
"Azure Stack's price falls on the higher side of the spectrum. The licensing costs for Azure Stack in our region range somewhere between 40,000 to 50,000 USD."
"The mandatory requirements, such as a minimum of three nodes, make it expensive. The customers need to sign up for approximately $20,000 per month."
"The solution is very competitive."
"To be honest, the tool comes at a high price."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
11%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Computer Software Company
9%
Construction Company
8%
University
17%
Government
8%
Computer Software Company
8%
Comms Service Provider
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business33
Midsize Enterprise14
Large Enterprise26
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with Azure Stack?
I am not really aware about Azure Stack's integration capabilities with my existing IT investments; my technical team would know more about it.I think Azure Stack is a bit expensive, but it is defi...
What is your primary use case for Azure Stack?
I lead the pre-sales at my office, so I focus on the overall operational aspect of it. If you ask me about the technicalities, I might not be able to answer you.I mostly deal with Office 365 and De...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft Azure VMware?
The pricing is high, rated around nine to 9.5 out of ten. The mandatory requirements, such as a minimum of three nodes, make it expensive. The customers need to sign up for approximately $20,000 pe...
What needs improvement with Microsoft Azure VMware?
Microsoft Azure VMware is an area that requires attention. I believe the VMware part should eventually merge with Azure as a single Azure platform, moving away from hypervisor-on-hypervisor archite...
What is your primary use case for Microsoft Azure VMware?
People are moving to Microsoft Azure VMware primarily due to reducing on-premises hardware dependencies. One key factor is VMware licensing, and another is hardware costs. Hardware prices are incre...
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Weblink, Fathym, Sage, CFD Support Ltd, The UberCloud Inc.
Information Not Available
Find out what your peers are saying about Azure Stack vs. Microsoft Azure VMware and other solutions. Updated: June 2026.
900,644 professionals have used our research since 2012.