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 #5 with an average rating of 8.7. Amazon Web Services (AWS) holds a 1.9% mindshare in EIV, compared to Microsoft’s 4.2% 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

1,178 Views
1,143 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway

Read 28 Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway reviews

3,094 Views
3,032 Comparison Views

90% willing to recommend

AWS Direct Connect

Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Download the report

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

Download the complete report

Helped 886,510 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

5th

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

6.4

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2026, in the Enterprise Infrastructure VPN category, the mindshare of AWS Direct Connect is 1.9%, down from 2.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway is 4.2%, 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	4.2%
AWS Direct Connect	1.9%
Other	93.9%

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.

Read full review

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

"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."

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

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

"It is a stable solution."

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

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

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

"It is a highly scalable solution."

More AWS Direct Connect pros

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

"I rate the product ten out of ten."

"The interoperability with various firewall and access gateway vendors is one of this solution's most valuable features."

"The most valuable feature of Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway is its performance. It is very fast."

"It sends us a lot of detections when we have any anti-virus updates. It provides the extended time needed to update a set of time needs and notifications."

"You can configure these networks using IP numbers and connect them using certificates or SaaS strings."

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

"It is a stable solution in our company, and we monitor critical health and performance parameters daily and weekly."

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."

"Its terminologies are challenging to interpret."

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

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

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

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

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

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

More AWS Direct Connect cons

"In the next release, Microsoft should add an option to schedule upgrades."

"Regarding pricing for Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway, it could be more cost-effective."

"The product's deployment phase is not simple, making it an area where improvements are required."

"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."

"VPN gateway works based on how you stabilize and work with it. It isn't stabilized on the first day, and you need to set up the channels properly and understand what bandwidths you're using."

"The price of the solution should be more affordable"

"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."

"My advice is to only use it if absolutely necessary. If you have the option, don't."

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."

"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."

"Its price is reasonable for new technology."

"It's an expensive product"

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

"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 cost could be lower."

"It's saved us money compared to getting a third-party appliance."

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

More Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway pricing and cost advice

See which vendors are best for you

Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Enterprise Infrastructure VPN solutions are best for your needs.

See recommendations

886,510 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Comms Service Provider

14%

Computer Software Company

12%

Financial Services Firm

Healthcare Company

Computer Software Company

11%

Manufacturing Company

Comms Service Provider

Construction Company

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

Prisma Access by Palo Alto Networks vs AWS Direct Connect

Compared 13% of the time

Fortinet FortiClient vs AWS Direct Connect

Compared 12% of the time

AWS PrivateLink vs AWS Direct Connect

Compared 8% of the time

Sangfor SSL VPN vs AWS Direct Connect

Compared 7% of the time

Tailscale 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 12% 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 8% of the time

Tailscale vs Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway

Compared 5% of the time

More Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Enterprise Infrastructure VPN

April 2026

Download AWS Direct Connect product report

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway

March 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

Find out what your peers are saying about AWS Direct Connect vs. Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway and other solutions. Updated: March 2026.

DOWNLOAD NOW

886,510 professionals have used our research since 2012.

See our AWS Direct Connect vs. Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway report.

See our list of best Enterprise Infrastructure VPN vendors.

We monitor all Enterprise Infrastructure VPN reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.