Microsoft Azure vs Scaleway

Essential Studio

GitHub

Microsoft Visual Studio

Syncfusion Essential Studio® is a UI development suite that offers 1,700+ software components and frameworks for developing web, mobile, and desktop applications. Essential Studio® supports ASP.NET, Javascript, Angular, React, Flutter, WinForms, WPF, and more.

GitHub is a place to share code with friends, co-workers, classmates, and complete strangers, helping individuals and teams to write faster, better code

Microsoft Visual Studio Online is a web based collaboration and project management application designed for software shipping and building. The  Online platform enables you to create software projects as well as track and manage programming processes to help identify bugs, new features and more.

Clinical Integration

The few times we’ve run into issues, the customer support has been incredibly helpful

Microsoft Azure is a cloud computing platform designed to help organizations run virtual desktops and applications in the cloud. It offers businesses with built-in migration tools, which enables administrators to migrate remote desktop services (RDS) and Windows server desktops to various devices.

Access Controls/Permissions

Active Directory Integration

Activity Dashboard

Activity Management

Activity Tracking

API Design

API Lifecycle Management

Application Management

Authentication

Automatic Backup

Backup and Recovery

BYOL Management

Change Management

Cloud Computing

Collaboration Tools

Compatibility Testing

Compliance Management

Configuration Management

Continuous Integration

DaaS

Dashboard

Data Capture and Transfer

Data Migration

Data Replication

Data Security

Data Visualization

Debugging

Deployment Management

Desktop/Application Virtualization

Desktop Virtualization

Developer Portal

Device Management

Disaster Recovery

Filtering

For Developers

Graphical User Interface

Integrated Development Environment

Issue Tracking

Load Balancing

Log Access

Mobile Development

Monitoring

Multi-Factor Authentication

Multiple User Accounts

Network Monitoring

Performance Monitoring

Policy Management

Projections

Real-Time Analytics

Real-Time Monitoring

Real-Time Notifications

Real-Time Reporting

Remote Access/Control

Remote Monitoring & Management

Remote Update/Installation

Reporting/Analytics

Resource Management

Scalability

Search/Filter

Secure Data Storage

Secure Login

Self Service Portal

Server Monitoring

Service Level Agreement (SLA) Management

Software Development

Source Control

Testing Management

Third-Party Integrations

Traffic Control

User Management

User Provisioning

Version Control

Virtual Machine Encryption

Virtual Machine Migration

Virtual Machine Monitoring

Virtual Server

Web App Development

By industry, Microsoft Azure reviewers are most commonly professionals in information technology and services (22%). The most frequent use case cited by reviewers is application development (41%).

Users and use cases

Reviewers appreciate Azure’s flexible pricing, free trials, and cost management tools, which they say help with budgeting and scaling. However, some reviewers feel the pricing structure is complex and unpredictable, especially for larger workloads.

Value for money

The Microsoft Azure integrations most frequently cited by reviewers are: Microsoft 365 (a document management product rated 4.9 out of 5 for its integration with Microsoft Azure), Citrix Workspace (a remote work product, 4.3), and GitHub (an application development product, 4.9).

Integrations

Microsoft Azure is a virtual machine solution with key features that include deployment management, secure data storage, access controls and permissions, backup and recovery, and cloud computing, among others.

Microsoft Azure

Web-based

iPad

Android

Linux

Windows

iPhone

Google Cloud

Amazon EC2

AWS Lambda

DigitalOcean

Jira

Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI)

IBM Cloud

Alibaba Cloud

Adobe Dreamweaver

WordPress

 Azure Virtual Machines

 Azure AI Services 

 Azure App Service

 Azure Storage

Challenging initial setup process

Marketing Manager

Complex setup for beginners, very difficult to get a handle on

Security Engineer

It is specifically designed for Administrators to use, and even me as an administrator I find it somehow difficult sometimes to find some settings.

49% of reviewers feel negative about Azure’s setup experience. Some users report that installation and configuration are confusing, especially for beginners or non-technical users. Reviewers indicate that documentation is often incomplete, and the abundance of configuration options can be overwhelming. Many say it’s difficult to find settings in the user interface, and network or advanced configurations require significant expertise. Users often need extra time or assistance to properly set up and optimize the platform.

Difficult and confusing navigation

Marketing Communications Specialist

The admin dashboard is comprehensive, but it does not allow for much modification, resulting in a congested dashboard that requires many clicks to dive down to frequently accessed information and settings.

Senior Associate

It is complex and difficult to navigate, particularly for those who are new to cloud computing.

48% of reviewers feel negative about Azure’s navigation. Users say the interface is complex, with menus and dashboards that are hard to navigate, especially for newcomers. Reviewers mention that frequently accessed settings are buried under multiple layers, and the horizontal scrolling or blade UI can be cumbersome. Some find the search functionality inadequate and the overall layout overwhelming, leading to frustration when trying to locate resources or complete tasks efficiently.

Complex and unpredictable billing

IT Consultant / Owner

So, so - again it does the job; you need a degree to use it, but the billing methodology is scary - leaving the end client with an open cheque book.

54% of reviewers feel negative about Azure’s billing processes. Reviewers indicate the pricing model is confusing, with multiple factors like usage, storage, and data transfer affecting costs. Some users say it’s difficult to estimate or track expenses, and unexpected charges can occur if resources aren’t closely monitored. They find the billing dashboard and invoices hard to interpret, and note that support for billing issues is often slow or unhelpful. Many express frustration with hidden fees and complicated subscription management.

Frequent bugs and reliability concerns

Data Engineer

Microsoft has the tendency of not replying to issues or replying with answers that are not helpful at all, so you're basically stuck waiting for another user to discover a proper solution or finding it out yourself.

66% of reviewers feel negative about Azure’s bugs and issues. Some users report recurring glitches, crashes, and synchronization problems, especially after major updates or when integrating legacy systems. Reviewers indicate troubleshooting can be difficult, with unclear error messages and limited helpful documentation. Many mention that customer support is often slow or lacks technical expertise, leaving them to resolve problems independently. Users say these reliability concerns can disrupt workflows and require repeated actions to complete tasks.

High and unclear pricing structure

Software Developer

One potential con of Microsoft Azure is that it can be expensive for some users, especially if they require a large amount of computing resources or if they use certain specialized services.

51% of reviewers feel negative about Azure’s pricing. Users think costs can rise quickly, especially for businesses needing large-scale resources or specialized services. Reviewers say the pricing structure is complex and hard to predict, making budgeting challenging. Some mention that certain features and backup options are expensive, and that cost estimators are not always accurate. Many compare Azure’s pricing unfavorably to other cloud providers, noting that smaller businesses may find it particularly prohibitive.

Flexible resource scaling options

Manager

Azure's scalability allows users to easily scale their resources up or down based on demand, providing flexibility and cost optimization.

97% of reviewers feel positive about Azure’s scalability. Reviewers indicate they can easily scale resources up or down to match business needs, whether for small startups or large enterprises. They appreciate features like auto-scaling, load balancing, and global infrastructure, which help manage fluctuating workloads and seasonal demands. Some users say this flexibility allows them to optimize costs and focus on customer-facing tasks instead of backend management. Many find that scaling is nearly instantaneous, supporting rapid growth and innovation without major code changes or infrastructure overhauls.

Robust and secure data storage

Manager Admin and Facility

The security features offered, such as encryption and access controls, provide users with peace of mind when it comes to storing and managing sensitive data.

93% of reviewers feel positive about Azure’s data storage solutions. Users say the global network of data centers ensures high availability and performance, allowing them to store and process large volumes of data close to their customers. Reviewers appreciate advanced security features like encryption and access controls, as well as seamless integration with other Microsoft products. Some users highlight the ease of scaling storage, backup, and recovery, and value tools for analytics and data management that support business growth and decision-making.

Comprehensive development environment

Software Engineer

As an app developer, I use the Microsoft Azure Power Apps service a lot to develop mobile and web applications with low code.

95% of reviewers feel positive about Azure’s development capabilities. Users think the platform offers a wide range of tools and languages, supporting everything from AI to web and mobile app development. Some reviewers appreciate integrated features like source control, agile planning, and debugging, which streamline project workflows. They find it easy to manage full development, testing, and production environments with minimal IT staff. Many say the active developer community and free resources help them quickly start and efficiently manage projects of any size.

Admin

It offers a robust and flexible cloud platform with a wide range of services, making it ideal for businesses of all sizes. While the learning curve and pricing can be challenging at first, the reliability and integration with other Microsoft tools make it highly valuable.

IT Service Desk Analyst

Microsoft Azure stands out for its breadth of services, reliable global infrastructure, and seamless integration with existing Microsoft tools, which makes building, deploying, and scaling applications feel remarkably smooth.

Owner

I enjoy using Azure to stand up and host infrastructure because it provides a flexible and scalable platform that aligns well with modern cloud design principles.

The platform’s robust security features, including built‑in compliance and threat detection, inspired confidence when handling sensitive workloads.

Team Lead

It allows easier extension to existing authentication and permissions, and policies can be remodeled into the cloud rather than recreating entirely from scratch.

Commercial Director

In my capacity as a Commercial Director, it is crucial to be able to make our digital sales catalogs and pricing portals online at all times.

Even so, once you get familiar with the environment, Azure proves to be a flexible, secure, and highly capable cloud platform that supports everything from small projects to large‑scale enterprise workloads.

IT Administrator

Inability to integrate with some edr and xdr and if not configured properly might generate false positive alerts

Director of Research and Development

We use microsoft azure at our company to run almost all of our infrastructure because of the security aspect.

The feature I like the most about Microsoft Azure is its real time analytics which gives real time data of apps and also its premade code templates which saves a lot of time.

Data Scientist

It offers many services from storage to AI solutions which have proven powerful for my development projects, especially with its seamless integration with other Microsoft tools.

Servicenow consultant

The platform offers a comprehensive suite of cloud services that support a wide range of use cases, from basic virtual machines to advanced AI and machine learning tools.

One of its greatest strengths is its deep integration with Microsoft products like Active Directory, Visual Studio, and Office 365, which makes it incredibly convenient for enterprises already in the Microsoft ecosystem.

Microsoft Azure offers a vast range of services that cater to almost every cloud need—from virtual machines and app services to AI, machine learning, and DevOps tools.

Senior QA Analyst

Supports both Microsoft and Non Microsoft stacks, works well with Linus and open-sources databases.

Senior Software Tester

The services I find more useful (apart virtual machines) are Application Insights and Docker Image Registries, two components that tipically take a lot of effort to set up on premises.

Technical Support Engineer

What I enjoy the most about Microsoft Azure is that it offers a lot of customizations and features.

Additionally, the seamless integration with other Microsoft tools, such as Office 365 and Dynamics 365, has further enhanced productivity and collaboration across our organization.

Often times, clicking back brings you to the top level login of the site (portal.azure.com) instead of the previous menu.

intern

I used Microsoft Azure when in One of my project I got a requirement where I had to integrate services like Excel, Word so as they are also product of Microsoft, So I choose azure instead of other cloud platforms.

IT Coordinator

Microsoft's weakest points continue to be their customer service and changes that they make to the admin portals; one new change breaks or replaces good things that they had going.

VP of Finance and Operations

Microsoft Azure is a very powerful cloud platform, but it was more than we needed and became difficult and expensive to manage over time.

VP, IT

Microsoft Azure stands out for its versatility, security, and seamless integration with other Microsoft products. Whether you’re a small business or a large enterprise, Azure offers the tools and services needed to innovate and grow.

Strong security and infrastructure options and scales well for complex or enterprise‑level environments.  

Manager IT

We as a company use at for running business applications and that really help us to save good amount of cost and deliver services to end users with good cost efficiency.

Operations Manager

Support can be slow and unhelpful, and there are way too many services with similar names that make things confusing.

Migration from on premise to Azure CSP is professional oriented not only includes just the overall migration plan; It covers all perspectives like compliance , governance and infra recommendations.

IT Support Supervisor

Depending on clients needs, licensing can be very expensive but worth the features it offers. Since it is cloud based sometimes it can take a while to deploy polices and sometimes there may be bugs on certain device configurations.

With that in mind however, as with all of the major cloud providers, its ecosystem is vast and easy to mismanage if you don't keep a strict eye on resource cost and configurations.

Frequent platform changes increase the administrative burden thus requires significant technical expertise to manage properly.  

Finally, support quality can vary depending on the plan, which sometimes makes troubleshooting slower than ideal.

Microsoft Azure vs Scaleway Comparison (2026)

Microsoft Azure

Scaleway

Overview

Video & Screenshots

Pricing

User reviews

Key features

Integrations

Alternatives