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IBM Watson Studio vs Microsoft Azure Machine Learning Studio comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 4, 2024

Review summaries and opinions

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

ROI

Sentiment score
7.0
Organizations saw positive ROI from IBM Watson Studio due to improved efficiency, scalability, sales, and reduced staffing needs.
Sentiment score
6.6
Microsoft Azure Machine Learning Studio offers a 36% ROI by simplifying processes, reducing errors, and providing estimation tools.
The product offers a significant return on investment through its scalability and integration capabilities.
My customers have seen returns on investment through increased efficiency, automated calculations, improved accuracy in pricing, and reduced staffing needs due to the automation.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
7.2
IBM Watson Studio customer service is praised for efficiency and responsiveness, though support quality varies by subscription plan and community resources.
Sentiment score
7.1
Users generally rate Microsoft Azure Machine Learning Studio's technical support from moderate to high, appreciating its responsiveness and comprehensive assistance.
The support quality depends on the SLA or the contract terms.
The community access is weak, which limits the ability to engage in discussions and find documentation and examples of similar cases effectively.
Microsoft technical support is rated a seven out of ten.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.5
IBM Watson Studio is scalable with excellent integration, but its resource intensity may increase costs for extensive scaling.
Sentiment score
7.3
Microsoft Azure Machine Learning Studio is highly rated for scalability, suitable for medium and large organizations, despite some complexity.
Watson Studio is very scalable.
I rate IBM Watson Studio seven out of ten for scalability because while it scales, it requires significant resources to do so, making it expensive compared to some competitors.
Microsoft Azure Machine Learning Studio is scalable as I can choose the compute, making it flexible for various scales.
We are building Azure Machine Learning Studio as a scalable solution.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.4
IBM Watson Studio is praised for stability and reliability, comparable to or better than competitors, with effective optimization for large tasks.
Sentiment score
7.8
Microsoft Azure Machine Learning Studio is reliable but faces stability issues with JavaScript and concerns about its future.
Expertise in optimization is necessary to manage such issues effectively.
 

Room For Improvement

IBM Watson Studio needs a more intuitive interface, better support, and reduced setup complexity for wider adoption.
Improving Azure Machine Learning Studio involves enhancing integration, usability, documentation, security, performance, and expanding features and tutorials.
IBM should work on optimizing the user interface and enhancing the product's accessibility for medium and small enterprises.
One area that could be improved is the backup and restoration of the database and the overall database configuration.
It would be beneficial for them to incorporate more services required for LLMs or LLM evaluation.
In future updates, I would appreciate improvements in integration and more AI features.
I find the pricing to be not a good story in this case, as it is not affordable for everyone.
 

Setup Cost

IBM Watson Studio's pricing varies, offering a free light edition, yet considered expensive by some, especially in Africa.
Azure Machine Learning Studio is secure and efficient, but users find pricing complex and potentially expensive with usage-based costs.
IBM Watson Studio is considered rather expensive, with a rating of six or seven.
I rate the pricing as three or four on a scale of one to ten in terms of affordability.
 

Valuable Features

IBM Watson Studio excels in automation, predictive analytics, and integration, offering comprehensive AI capabilities for diverse data-driven tasks.
Microsoft Azure Machine Learning Studio offers a user-friendly interface, seamless deployment, and strong integration for efficient model development and scalability.
This capability saves a significant amount of time by automating processes that typically involve manual work, such as data cleaning, feature engineering, and predictive analytics.
It integrates well with other platforms and offers good scalability.
The platform provides managed services and compute, and I have more control in Azure, even in terms of monitoring services.
Machine Learning Studio is easy to use, with a significant feature being the drag and drop interface that enhances workflow without any complaints.
Azure Machine Learning Studio provides a platform to integrate with large language models.
 

Categories and Ranking

IBM Watson Studio
Ranking in Data Science Platforms
11th
Ranking in AI Development Platforms
10th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.0
Number of Reviews
15
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Microsoft Azure Machine Lea...
Ranking in Data Science Platforms
5th
Ranking in AI Development Platforms
3rd
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.0
Number of Reviews
61
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2025, in the Data Science Platforms category, the mindshare of IBM Watson Studio is 2.0%, down from 2.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Azure Machine Learning Studio is 5.2%, down from 8.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Data Science Platforms
 

Featured Reviews

Abilio Duarte - PeerSpot reviewer
A highly robust and well-documented platform that simplifies the complex world of AI
The main challenge lies in visibility and ease of use. Providing training sessions can be immensely helpful in helping users navigate and understand the tool's potential. This approach would empower users to explore and make the most of the tools and technologies at their disposal. Another area where IBM could enhance its offering is by providing more visibility to end users regarding the vast potential that Watson offers.
Takayuki Umehara - PeerSpot reviewer
Streamlined workflows with drag and drop convenience but needs enhancements in AI
I use Machine Learning Studio for system reselling and integration Machine Learning Studio is easy to use, with a significant feature being the drag and drop interface that enhances workflow without any complaints. It provides a return on investment and cost savings, proving beneficial for…
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
15%
Computer Software Company
12%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Educational Organization
8%
Financial Services Firm
13%
Computer Software Company
10%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Healthcare Company
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for IBM Watson Studio?
The pricing of Watson Studio is justified by the benefits and power it offers.
What needs improvement with IBM Watson Studio?
One area that could be improved is the backup and restoration of the database and the overall database configuration. There were also challenges with programming the network extension in the last p...
Which do you prefer - Databricks or Azure Machine Learning Studio?
Databricks gives you the option of working with several different languages, such as SQL, R, Scala, Apache Spark, or Python. It offers many different cluster choices and excellent integration with ...
What do you like most about Microsoft Azure Machine Learning Studio?
The learning curve is very low. Operationalizing the model is also very easy within the Azure ecosystem.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft Azure Machine Learning Studio?
Pricing is considered to be top-segment and should be improved. I rate the pricing as three or four on a scale of one to ten in terms of affordability.
 

Also Known As

Watson Studio, IBM Data Science Experience, Data Science Experience, DSx
Azure Machine Learning, MS Azure Machine Learning Studio
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

GroupM, Accenture, Fifth Third Bank
Walgreens Boots Alliance, Schneider Electric, BP
Find out what your peers are saying about IBM Watson Studio vs. Microsoft Azure Machine Learning Studio and other solutions. Updated: April 2025.
851,491 professionals have used our research since 2012.