IBM Cloud Private vs Microsoft Azure comparison

IBM and Microsoft are both solutions in the PaaS Clouds category. IBM is ranked #20 with an average rating of 6.3, while Microsoft is ranked #1 with an average rating of 8.4. IBM holds a 0.8% mindshare in PSP, compared to Microsoft’s 19.2% mindshare. Additionally, 60% of IBM users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 96% of Microsoft users who would recommend it.

IBM Cloud Private

Read 5 IBM Cloud Private reviews

505 Views
500 Comparison Views

60% willing to recommend

Microsoft Azure

Read 316 Microsoft Azure reviews

22,677 Views
13,833 Comparison Views

96% willing to recommend

IBM Cloud Private

Microsoft Azure

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 15, 2024

Microsoft Azure and IBM Cloud Private compete in the enterprise cloud services category. Microsoft Azure seems to have the upper hand due to its competitive pricing and customer support satisfaction.

Features: Microsoft Azure is known for its extensive integration options, scalable infrastructure, and broad service offerings including AI and analytics. IBM Cloud Private offers strong security, compliance, and data governance, providing a robust platform for managing private cloud environments.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Microsoft Azure offers a flexible deployment model with comprehensive customer service, catering to a variety of cloud environments. IBM Cloud Private provides a controlled deployment tailored to private settings with specialized assistance for complex configurations.

Pricing and ROI: Microsoft Azure typically offers competitive setup costs with flexible pricing models that enhance ROI through scalable solutions. IBM Cloud Private, while having higher initial setup costs, provides strong ROI for enterprises prioritizing data security and governance.

To learn more, read our detailed IBM Cloud Private vs. Microsoft Azure Report (Updated: July 2025).

Buyer's Guide

IBM Cloud Private vs. Microsoft Azure

July 2025

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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

IBM Cloud Private

Ranking in PaaS Clouds

20th

Average Rating

6.8

Reviews Sentiment

6.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Microsoft Azure

Ranking in PaaS Clouds

1st

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

316

Ranking in other categories

Infrastructure as a Service Clouds (IaaS) (1st)

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2025, in the PaaS Clouds category, the mindshare of IBM Cloud Private is 0.8%, up from 0.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Azure is 19.2%, down from 19.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

PaaS Clouds

Featured Reviews

CristianIriazabal

Architect of solutions at Gire S.A.

A solution that ranks in the top five and integrates well with API Connect

One issue with the solution is latency because there is lag time when we connect from Argentina to IBM's data centers in Washington and Dallas. It would be a benefit to have a data center in Latin America. The solution does not offer many routes over the cloud that are available with other solutions such as AWS which is a leader in the industry.

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SubodhThakar

Program Manager at eClerx

Integrates various functionalities and have good documentation but have high pricing

Cosmos DB offered better scalability. In Azure SQL, we had to carefully manage the storage tier, switching back and forth based on needs. But when we first implemented Cosmos DB, we had a good understanding of the required data volume over the past three months. This helped us select the appropriate tier because we had those figures. If we had done it the other way around, it would have been much harder to estimate the data accurately. While you can get a rough idea, whether it works out in practice is more of a hit-and-miss approach, which we have already experienced with Cosmos DB. We applied the knowledge gained from that exercise to build a similar solution over Azure SQL. On the DevOps side, our team consisted of five members, ranging from senior to junior roles. We would raise requests for specific services needed in the development environment. The process typically takes three to five business days, including all necessary approvals, from submitting the request to receiving the resources and verifying access.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Excellent technical support."

"The most valuable attribute is the platform's ability to consistently deliver high reliability."

"Our core banking process was monolithic. To address this, we transitioned to a microservices-based architecture. Leveraging Microsoft technologies, including Terminals version 23, we’ve revamped our banking operations. Not all services are microservices; some remain monolithic for simplicity. Containerization is pivotal, with OpenShift (based on Kubernetes and Docker) managing our microservices."

"The product's framework is good, it integrates well with API Connect, and the private cloud allows for use in any location."

"We have control of the ESXi."

"Microsoft Azure has a lot of useful features. They have databases, application services, PaaS solutions, such as platform and infrastructure services. The virtual machines' functions and services are good."

"In terms of computer resource management and reduced cost, it is very, very effective. In large environments, it gives you a lot of flexibility to provide different services, like disaster recovery and business continuity with simple and great options because you don't have to spend a lot of time for maintenance, upgrades, and security."

"Azure is stable. I don't have any problems with it."

"The platform as a service for MySQL and PostgreSQL have significantly improved our operational efficiency."

"I think Azure's level of automation to achieve efficiency or agility is valuable. I also like the change capability cadence, the showback capabilities, and understanding what our costs are."

"The monitoring features are very good."

"I like that it is user-friendly and flexible."

"The most valuable feature of Microsoft Azure is the Area feature. Additionally, the SQL Server DB as a serverless pool is useful, storage-wide external tables are helpful, and PolyBase is very good at reading external data. The capacity of Synapse to analyze in analytics is very good and it supports a range of data."

More Microsoft Azure pros

Cons

"lacking in multi-cloud management."

"One issue with the solution is latency because there is lag time when we connect."

"The support and pricing need to improve."

"Auto-scaling and managing pod scaling in the microservices architecture, a core feature of IBM Cloud Private, can pose challenges, especially when dealing with larger volumes of traffic."

"I've noticed that the satellite services layer requires some improvement compared to platforms like Azure or Microsoft. While it's in development, I believe the satellite layer has room for enhancement. Additionally, the DevOps layer could benefit from closer integrations, especially for using external applications like Jenkins."

"The scalability could improve."

"The interface is not easy to use. I'd like to see them develop a better interface, more graphical information about the resource and the consumer."

"Difficult to understand how it works and it's an expensive solution."

"Potential improvements to the price calculator tool"

"One key area for improvement is the Azure load balancer. Currently, it only supports virtual machines (VMs) running in the same virtual network (vNet) on the backend. They should definitely support machines or IPs running on-premises (prem) or in other Azure VNets. GCP and AWS already support that. So, Azure Load Balancer should support that as well"

"Improving transparency in billing is crucial for us. Understanding how billing works only becomes clear once we start using the services. A more accurate billing calculator would help us anticipate costs associated with using specific services."

"There is room for improvement in the pricing structure, user interface design (UI/UX), clear navigation, and documentation support of Microsoft Azure."

"Predictability and quality. Make sure things work predictable, as expected, and documented."

More Microsoft Azure cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"We pay annual licensing fees."

"I rate the tool's pricing an eight out of ten."

"The solution is expensive."

"In general, the cost is on the higher side."

"Keep to PaaS to gain the optimal benefits from an OPEX finance and resource perspective."

"It is similar to AWS, where it is on-demand and is billed monthly."

"I pay for a yearly subscription."

"Azure costing can be multi-layered."

"The cost is a little high and can be more competitive."

"The pricing is better than AWS."

"Most of the pricing from Microsoft is reasonable."

"The pricing model is subscription-based and it's not an expensive solution."

More Microsoft Azure pricing and cost advice

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Comparison Review

it_user8586

Engineer at a tech consulting company with 51-200 employees

Aug 14, 2013

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Recruiting/Hr Firm

17%

Real Estate/Law Firm

11%

Computer Software Company

11%

University

Educational Organization

19%

Financial Services Firm

12%

Computer Software Company

10%

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about IBM Cloud Private?

Our core banking process was monolithic. To address this, we transitioned to a microservices-based architecture. Leveraging Microsoft technologies, including Terminals version 23, we’ve revamped ou...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for IBM Cloud Private?

I rate the tool's pricing an eight out of ten.

See all answers

What needs improvement with IBM Cloud Private?

I've noticed that the satellite services layer requires some improvement compared to platforms like Azure or Microsoft. While it's in development, I believe the satellite layer has room for enhance...

See all answers

Which is preferable - IBM Public Cloud or Microsoft Azure?

IBM Public Cloud is IBM’s Platform-as-a-Service. It aims to provide organizations with a secure cloud environment to manage data and applications. One of the features we like is the cloud activity ...

See all answers

Which is better - SAP Cloud Platform or Microsoft Azure?

One of the best features of SAP Cloud Platform is that it is web-based and you can log in from anywhere in the world. SAP Cloud Platform is suitable for companies of any size; it works well with bo...

See all answers

How does Microsoft Azure compare to Google Firebase?

I would recommend Google Firebase instead of Microsoft Azure, simply for the array of features that it has to offer. In particular, the Firebase library grants you access to a shared data structure...

See all answers

Comparisons

Red Hat OpenShift vs IBM Cloud Private

Compared 82% of the time

More IBM Cloud Private Competitors

Alibaba Cloud vs Microsoft Azure

Compared 13% of the time

Pivotal Cloud Foundry vs Microsoft Azure

Compared 10% of the time

Red Hat OpenShift vs Microsoft Azure

Compared 9% of the time

SAP Cloud Platform vs Microsoft Azure

Compared 8% of the time

Amazon AWS vs Microsoft Azure

Compared 8% of the time

More Microsoft Azure Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

PaaS Clouds

June 2025

Download IBM Cloud Private product report

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Azure

December 2024

Download Microsoft Azure product report

Also Known As

ICP

Windows Azure, Azure, MS Azure

Overview

IBM Cloud Private is a private cloud platform for developing and running workloads locally. It is an integrated environment that enables you to design, develop, deploy and manage on-premises, containerized cloud applications behind your firewall. It includes the container orchestrator Kubernetes, a private image repository, a management console and monitoring frameworks.

IBM

Microsoft Azure integrates services and offers flexibility, ensuring compatibility with diverse environments. Its scalability, security, and cost-efficient features enhance deployment and management, making it ideal for infrastructure services and application hosting.

Azure provides a comprehensive suite of tools for application deployment, virtual machine management, and data analytics. It allows seamless integration with Power BI and offers a user-friendly interface supported by detailed documentation and technical support. Though users appreciate its capabilities, they sometimes face challenges with costs, setup, and interface complexity, alongside integration and performance issues. Frequent updates and a learning curve are also noted, though Azure's cloud-based security and scalability remain critical for disaster recovery and business continuity.

What are Azure's key features?

Integrated Services: Ensures compatibility with Microsoft and non-Microsoft environments.
Scalability: Supports growing business demands with flexible computing power.
Security: Offers robust cloud-based security features for data protection.
Cost Efficiency: Provides options that optimize costs for diverse requirements.
Application Deployment: Facilitates quick rollout of apps and services.

What benefits should users expect from Azure?

Operational Optimization: Allows companies to streamline processes effectively.
Innovative Efficiency: Empowers businesses to innovate with powerful tools.
Reliable Support: Backed by strong technical support and comprehensive documentation.
Flexible Cloud Solutions: Offers a range of options for cloud migrations and infrastructure management.

Microsoft Azure is widely implemented in industries like financial services, healthcare, and logistics for hosting enterprise applications and vital services. Companies utilize its capabilities for IoT applications, DevOps, and Kubernetes clusters, benefiting from its cloud migrations, data analytics, and active directory support.

Microsoft

Sample Customers

Ilmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Company

BMW, Toyota, easyJet, NBC Sports, HarperCollins, Aviva, TalkTalk Business, Avanade, and Telenor.

Buyer's Guide

IBM Cloud Private vs. Microsoft Azure

July 2025

Free Report: IBM Cloud Private vs. Microsoft Azure

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