AWS Direct Connect vs Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway comparison

Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft are both solutions in the Enterprise Infrastructure VPN category. Amazon Web Services (AWS) is ranked #12 with an average rating of 8.9, while Microsoft is ranked #4 with an average rating of 8.7. Amazon Web Services (AWS) holds a 1.8% mindshare in EIV, compared to Microsoft’s 4.6% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Amazon Web Services (AWS) users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 90% of Microsoft users who would recommend it.

AWS Direct Connect

Read 12 AWS Direct Connect reviews

1,065 Views
1,033 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway

Read 28 Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway reviews

3,008 Views
2,978 Comparison Views

90% willing to recommend

AWS Direct Connect

Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Aug 6, 2024

AWS Direct Connect and Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway compete in the secure cloud connectivity category. AWS Direct Connect holds an upper hand due to its stable high-bandwidth connections.

Features: AWS Direct Connect offers high-speed, low-latency connections, robust security features, and direct access to AWS services. Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway features flexibility, a comprehensive suite of management tools, and integration with other Azure services.

Room for Improvement: Users of AWS Direct Connect seek easier setup processes, clearer pricing structures, and simplified maintenance. Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway users suggest enhancements in connection stability, more nuanced troubleshooting tools, and improved user guidance.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: AWS Direct Connect's deployment is praised for extensive documentation but criticized for complexity. Customer service is well-regarded but occasionally slow. Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway has a more straightforward deployment process, though some find the initial configuration challenging. Customer service is generally faster and more responsive than AWS.

Pricing and ROI: AWS Direct Connect has higher setup costs but delivers a strong ROI through performance and reliability. Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway offers a budget-friendly initial setup, with ROI benefitting from lower recurring costs and high flexibility.

To learn more, read our detailed AWS Direct Connect vs. Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway Report (Updated: March 2026).

Buyer's Guide

AWS Direct Connect vs. Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway

March 2026

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Helped 884,371 peers since 2012

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

AWS Direct Connect

Ranking in Enterprise Infrastructure VPN

12th

Average Rating

8.8

Reviews Sentiment

6.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway

Ranking in Enterprise Infrastructure VPN

4th

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

6.4

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of March 2026, in the Enterprise Infrastructure VPN category, the mindshare of AWS Direct Connect is 1.8%, down from 1.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway is 4.6%, down from 6.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Enterprise Infrastructure VPN Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway	4.6%
AWS Direct Connect	1.8%
Other	93.6%

Enterprise Infrastructure VPN

Featured Reviews

reviewer2231871

Product Manager at a comms service provider with 201-500 employees

Offers secure high-bandwidth connectivity without internet-related risks

Regarding the benefits from the multiple virtual interfaces in the product, there is no interface for the product; it is just a connection that we have. It is an ethernet connection we offer. The customer, from the customer side to AWS, receives an ethernet point-to-point connection, and that is it. The interface and everything along with the communication with AWS, the customer has to do by themselves to build the routes and everything. The connection speed that our clients are using ranges from 100 megabits up to 10 gigabits. The main concern is the port costs. Clients do not report technical problems, so it is mainly always an issue of money. The solution is nice, but sometimes they avoid it because the port costs are high. This is not a problem AWS has exclusively; Azure has the same costs, and these port costs are quite expensive. I would rate this review as an 8 out of 10.

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Srinivas A

Director- Head of DevOps, security, and Complaince at Rightdata

Secure data links from on-premise sources have enabled private access to client databases

The best feature of Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway is its sophisticated security mechanism for transmitting data between on-premise to Azure or Azure to Azure. The process of building the VPN gateway is user-friendly, making it easy to configure. Additionally, it supports various options to establish connections between on-premise to Azure or other sources to targets. Using pfSense as a firewall and VPN at our on-premise allows us to establish connections between Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway and our on-premise pfSense VPN easily. This streamlined connection process occurs within a few steps. Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway has positively impacted our organization because it is core to our system and crucial for establishing private connections to our customer's data sources. Their databases lie in a private network with no communication with the outside world. Our customers trust Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway, and by extension, trust us because of this efficient networking establishment process.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Direct Connect provides an improved connection quality and a diversified link, which contributes to high availability and failover capabilities."

"AWS Direct Connect provides a secure and encrypted connection over the internet."

"AWS Direct Connect allows me to connect our on-premise infrastructure directly with AWS infrastructure."

"The platform's most valuable feature for us is its robust network performance."

"The most valuable feature of Direct Connect is its low latency to the users."

"AWS VPN is cost-effective and affordable; it has the security regulation with 3DES protocol, and they have the security protocol required to encrypt the information in the link."

"It is a stable solution."

"The most valuable feature of Direct Connect is its low latency to the users."

More AWS Direct Connect pros

"The solution is very quick to connect."

"What I like best about Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway is that it's a managed VPN, so it's one of the most powerful VPNs I've ever found. It also provides point-to-site VPNs configurable within a few minutes."

"The solution is user-friendly."

"The VPN Gateway is valued for its ease of use and redundancy."

"The product has valuable virtual machines, viability options, and enhanced VPN services, enabling the option to use it in different zones."

"The best feature is the ability to connect from anywhere."

"The VPN Gateway is valued for its ease of use and redundancy."

"The ability to connect old protocols like Border Gateway Protocol is valuable."

More Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway pros

Cons

"AWS Direct Connect should support cross-cloud connections, such as migrations between Azure and AWS, for disaster recovery purposes on different cloud platforms."

"The platform's stability needs improvement."

"One area that needs improvement is the cost of the ports, which is a concern as these charges are quite high."

"It can be difficult to configure compared to cloud-based GUIs."

"Having more locations could improve the convenience of using the service."

"I would like to see better traffic visibility and higher throughput security, especially for organizations that require more than what the current limit allows."

"It is complicated to do additional BGP configuration for the product."

"There is no room for improvement in Direct Connect right now."

More AWS Direct Connect cons

"Connectivity could be improved in Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway because it's not as stable, particularly when connecting a device tunnel."

"Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway could improve by providing IPS zero-day threat protection. For example, the IPS zero-day threat protection can monitor the user behavior to protect the infrastructure. The solution can only be used as a VPN, it is lacking features."

"The connectivity should be faster."

"Make it completely routable, for example, if I have a gateway, I should be able to connect to whatever network I want on either side of the gateway, and the gateway should figure out which packet goes where."

"More configuration options could be included in Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway."

"There is a need to improve the paperwork and management approval process, which is currently painful, though not directly related to the VPN Gateway itself."

"Considering my past interactions with Microsoft's support team, it is difficult to get the right support unless you find the right person to speak with from the customer support team."

"The price of the solution should be more affordable"

More Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It has reasonable pricing in terms of the features offered."

"It is an expensive solution."

"Its price is reasonable for new technology."

"The solution is subscription-based and very cheap."

"Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway is the cheapest way for us to connect to our cloud infrastructure. Other solutions, such as ExpressRoute are very expensive."

"The cost could be lower."

"There is a monthly license and the price depends on how many users are using Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway. The price could be less expensive."

"The product costs us $140 to $180 per month."

"Payment for licensing the solution is part of the operating model. So, one needs to keep on paying while consuming the solution. In short, the payment is based on the solution's capacity."

"The software has good pricing compared to other vendors."

More Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

14%

Comms Service Provider

12%

University

Financial Services Firm

Computer Software Company

11%

Manufacturing Company

Comms Service Provider

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	3
Midsize Enterprise	7
Large Enterprise	3

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	14
Midsize Enterprise	2
Large Enterprise	14

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with AWS Direct Connect?

One area that needs improvement is the cost of the ports, which is a concern as these charges are quite high. It is primarily a budget issue because while the solution is effective, the port costs ...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for AWS Direct Connect?

Our customers primarily use AWS Direct Connect for hybrid cloud solutions. They have parts of their equipment in their on-premise data center, while also using AWS infrastructure for backups, datab...

See all answers

What advice do you have for others considering AWS Direct Connect?

See all answers

What do you like most about Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway?

The solution is user-friendly.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway?

The logging mechanism could use improvement. More detailed logging would help in troubleshooting any failures during connection establishment or monitoring Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway. Otherwise, e...

See all answers

What advice do you have for others considering Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway?

For those considering using Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway, read the documentation thoroughly. Create an Excel sheet outlining tasks for both the source and target sides, especially when establishing ...

See all answers

Comparisons

Fortinet FortiClient vs AWS Direct Connect

Compared 17% of the time

Prisma Access by Palo Alto Networks vs AWS Direct Connect

Compared 15% of the time

Sangfor SSL VPN vs AWS Direct Connect

Compared 9% of the time

AWS PrivateLink vs AWS Direct Connect

Compared 8% of the time

IBM Secure Gateway Service vs AWS Direct Connect

Compared 5% of the time

More AWS Direct Connect Competitors

OpenVPN Access Server vs Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway

Compared 20% of the time

Cisco Secure Client (including AnyConnect) vs Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway

Compared 13% of the time

Fortinet FortiClient vs Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway

Compared 9% of the time

Prisma Access by Palo Alto Networks vs Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway

Compared 9% of the time

Ivanti Connect Secure vs Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway

Compared 5% of the time

More Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Enterprise Infrastructure VPN

February 2026

Download AWS Direct Connect product report

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway

February 2026

Download Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway product report

Also Known As

No data available

MS Azure VPN Gateway

Overview

AWS Direct Connect offers low-latency, reliable connectivity with secure data transfers between on-premise infrastructures and AWS environments. It ensures high availability and cost-effectiveness for large data transfers, integrating seamlessly with existing systems.

AWS Direct Connect is recognized for its robust network and security, providing minimal latency and reliable connectivity. It seamlessly integrates with on-premise infrastructure, enabling secure and fast data transfers. Users benefit from its high availability and low maintenance, making it cost-effective for large data transfers. Multi-account environment support is a key feature. Despite a complex configuration process compared to cloud GUIs, it enhances security by avoiding public internet exposure. Room for improvement includes the setup of credentials and terminology, upgrade process, BGP configuration, multi-network connections, traffic visibility, stability, and throughput security. Expanding data center locations and cross-cloud connections can be advantageous. Promotion is necessary for awareness. Some report VPN connection issues while some are content with its performance.

What are the key features of AWS Direct Connect?

Secure Connectivity: Enhances security by avoiding public internet exposure
Low Latency: Provides minimal latency for fast data transfers
High Availability: Ensures continuous connectivity with low maintenance
Cost-Effective: Reduces costs for large data transfers and multi-account environments
Seamless Integration: Easily integrates with on-premise infrastructure

What benefits and ROI should users look for?

Reliability: Sturdy and consistent connectivity minimizes downtime
Efficient Data Transfers: Cost reduction and efficiency for large data volumes
Security: Avoids exposure to the public internet, enhancing data protection
Resource Integration: Facilitates hybrid cloud environments by integrating on-premises and cloud resources

In industries like finance, healthcare, and media, AWS Direct Connect is implemented to ensure secure and efficient connectivity between on-premises data centers and AWS environments. It supports operations like database management and application deployment, facilitating data and application migration while enabling hybrid cloud connectivity.

Amazon Web Services (AWS)

A VPN gateway is a specific type of virtual network gateway that is used to send encrypted traffic between an Azure virtual network and an on-premises location over the public Internet. You can also use a VPN gateway to send encrypted traffic between Azure virtual networks over the Microsoft network. Each virtual network can have only one VPN gateway. However, you can create multiple connections to the same VPN gateway. When you create multiple connections to the same VPN gateway, all VPN tunnels share the available gateway bandwidth.

Microsoft

Sample Customers

Expedia, Intuit, Royal Dutch Shell, Brooks Brothers

Information Not Available

Buyer's Guide

AWS Direct Connect vs. Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway

March 2026

Free Report: AWS Direct Connect vs. Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway

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