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Azure Container Registry vs Harbor 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 Container Registry
Ranking in Container Registry
4th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
20
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Harbor
Ranking in Container Registry
2nd
Average Rating
8.0
Number of Reviews
2
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of March 2025, in the Container Registry category, the mindshare of Azure Container Registry is 11.0%, down from 11.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Harbor is 27.8%, up from 26.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Container Registry
 

Featured Reviews

Aravindhan Suresh - PeerSpot reviewer
Fast, secure, and has no downtime; it also has a role-based access feature
I'm not an active Azure Container Registry user, but I faced some issues, which Azure rectified after six months of usage. During the deployment, my company had a multi-stage pipeline, so whenever the team deploys via the Docker run command or generates an image, the issue arises. The problem is that whenever a new image is generated, that new Docker image isn't updated in Azure Container Registry, so that's an area for improvement. As soon as the deployment is over, my team has to go to Azure Container Registry to delete the image and start the pipeline, and only then will the image be updated. The new image isn't reflected in Azure Container Registry after deployment. My team had to take extra steps for the new image to reflect. Before 2020, Azure Container Registry didn't have the option to scan vulnerabilities, as I've heard from my team lead. After 2020, that feature was introduced in the tool, so as long as that feature is available, then Azure Container Registry is okay. I can't think of any other features to add to it in the next version.
reviewer2584182 - PeerSpot reviewer
Enhance security with automated vulnerability detection and private registry support
We use Harbor for Docker containers to build from our GitLab CI/CD pipeline. This pipeline then automatically pushes to our Harbor instance. We are still working on storing Helm charts in the Harbor instance as well Harbor has improved our organization's security and stability in our container…

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Azure Container Registry is an easy-to-install, easy-to-configure, and easy-to-deploy solution."
"It's running behind a big financial and legal customer, who runs Service Fabric behind a front door, servicing local banking containers on an ISV solution developed internally."
"The whole package is valuable as it allows for easy application cloning and deployment."
"The scanning of Docker images is the most valuable feature."
"The solution has built-in resiliency and replication zone availability so it is very stable."
"The continuity screen is a valuable feature."
"The solution allows you to isolate standard containers, which is its most valuable feature. Azure Container Registry does what it's supposed to do and gives you visibility into the Docker images, the logs, information on pulling and pushing the data, etc."
"Specific tokens can be used to set folder structure or restrict things like read or write access."
"The most valuable feature of Harbor is its security scanning capability."
"Right now this is the leading product in this category."
 

Cons

"Implementation needs improvement. We have a lot of open, online sources. Doing a deployment is easy for us. The only issue is when we have VPN connections and we try to pull the images from Container images to the local Dockers, it slows down."
"The setup process is mildly complex. There is no straightforward management platform, so there's a level of complexity to it."
"The setup for Azure Container Registry was a bit complex. Still, the main problem was that whenever a new image was generated, that new Docker image needed to be updated in Azure Container Registry."
"The deployment is an area that needs improvement, as it can take some time to deploy."
"The security, dashboards, and monitoring system could be improved."
"We have found that it is sometimes difficult to pull images from the host application."
"It's not an open source, and we pay per hour to Microsoft Azure."
"The solution could always improve its security measures with regard to access."
"There is a need for more support for public repositories, like the Google Cloud GTR, which is not as integrated as desired."
"The product should integrate better with other storage options."
"The GUI needs to improve."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Azure Container Registry, has no cost, but you pay for storage service."
"Azure is a bit expensive."
"The Premium version includes some enhancements but is still quite okay with regard to pricing."
"I have no information on how much Azure Container Registry costs. I know it's the only solution my institution can use, so the cost was approved."
"I would rate the pricing four out of ten."
"When using Azure Container Registry, it was $1.5 or $1.6 per day, but I'm unsure how much it costs today."
"The product is competitively priced."
"The cost of the product is free."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
17%
Computer Software Company
13%
Healthcare Company
7%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Computer Software Company
16%
Financial Services Firm
14%
Manufacturing Company
12%
Comms Service Provider
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Azure Container Registry?
Azure Container Registry is an easy-to-install, easy-to-configure, and easy-to-deploy solution.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Azure Container Registry?
The pricing is on the lower side and not costly. Customers usually pay approximately $500 USD monthly, though this includes multiple services, not just the Azure Container Registry.
What needs improvement with Azure Container Registry?
While downtime is uncommon, there are occasional server errors like '404 not found' and '504 server not found'. Viewing server logs is not a reliable approach, and improving log visibility would he...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Harbor?
Harbor is open source and part of the graduated Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) landscape, making it a cost-effective solution.
What needs improvement with Harbor?
There is a need for more support for public repositories, like the Google Cloud GTR, which is not as integrated as desired. Additionally, more example implementations for installation using Ansible...
What is your primary use case for Harbor?
We use Harbor for Docker containers to build from our GitLab CI/CD pipeline. This pipeline then automatically pushes to our Harbor instance. We are still working on storing Helm charts in the Harbo...
 

Also Known As

Microsoft Azure Container Registry
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

DNV GL, Alaska Airlines, Finastra
AXA, Talking Data
Find out what your peers are saying about Azure Container Registry vs. Harbor and other solutions. Updated: March 2025.
842,296 professionals have used our research since 2012.