Microsoft Azure vs Rackspace Technology Comparison
Compare Microsoft Azure vs Rackspace Technology features, pricing, and more.
Last updated: November 2026
Microsoft Azure
6.9/10
Microsoft's public cloud platform offering virtual machines, containers, serverless, databases, storage and AI services on pay-as-you-go pricing for businesses of all sizes.
Rackspace Technology
6.3/10
Rackspace Technology provides managed multicloud operations, VMware-based private cloud, and the auction-priced Rackspace Spot Kubernetes service, mainly for mid-market and enterprise IT teams.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Feature | | |
|---|---|---|
| Scores | ||
| Overall Rating | 6.9/10 | 6.3/10 |
| Integration | 9/10 | 8/10 |
| Analytics | 8/10 | 5/10 |
| Customization | 9/10 | 8/10 |
| Ease of Use | 4/10 | 5/10 |
| Support | 5/10 | 5/10 |
| Cost | 4/10 | 5/10 |
| Scalability | 9/10 | 8/10 |
| Security | 9/10 | 6/10 |
| Pricing | ||
| Free plan | Yes | No |
| Cheapest paid plan | Contact for pricing | Contact for pricing |
| Estimated cost for 10 users | Free Azure free account | Contact for pricing |
| Features | ||
| Managed Databases | Not listed | |
| Multiple Regions | ||
| Object Storage | Not listed | |
| Serverless Functions | Not listed | |
| Managed Kubernetes | ||
| VPS Hosting | Not listed | |
| Cloud Compute | ||
| Content Delivery Network | Not listed | |
| Shared Hosting | Not listed | |
| Free SSL Certificates | Not listed | |
| API and CLI | Not listed | |
| Dedicated Servers | Not listed | |
Microsoft Azure vs Rackspace Technology cost by team size
| Team size | Microsoft Azure | Rackspace Technology |
|---|---|---|
| 1 user | FreeAzure free account | Contact for pricing |
| 5 users | FreeAzure free account | Contact for pricing |
| 10 users | FreeAzure free account | Contact for pricing |
| 25 users | FreeAzure free account | Contact for pricing |
| 50 users | FreeAzure free account | Contact for pricing |
The plan that fits each team size, billed monthly, before add-ons and usage charges. Each cost opens that tool's pricing calculator for the team size.
Which One Should You Choose?
Why choose Microsoft Azure
- Has a free plan (Rackspace Technology does not)
- Higher Analytics score (8/10 vs 5/10)
- Higher Security score (9/10 vs 6/10)
Why choose Rackspace Technology
- Higher Ease of Use score (5/10 vs 4/10)
- Higher Cost score (5/10 vs 4/10)
Pros & Cons
Microsoft Azure
Pros
- Free account includes a 200 USD credit plus always-free allowances such as 1 million Functions requests and Azure DevOps for 5 users.
- Close integration with Microsoft products such as Entra ID and Power BI is repeatedly praised by reviewers.
- Very broad catalogue covering compute, Kubernetes, serverless, databases, storage and AI services.
- Global footprint of over 400 datacenters across 70 regions as of fiscal 2025.
- Reviewers credit built-in identity management and security.
Cons
- Reviewers on Capterra and TrustRadius say monthly bills are hard to understand and predict.
- Steep learning curve, with many services carrying similar names.
- Some PeerSpot reviewers report support tickets taking weeks or months to resolve.
- Paid support is extra, from 29 to 1,000 USD per month beyond the free Basic plan.
- Integration with non-Microsoft platforms and documentation for new releases draw criticism.
Rackspace Technology
Pros
- Rackspace Spot's auction pricing starts at $0.01 per node-hour, and the free managed Kubernetes control plane makes it cheap for workloads that can tolerate preemption.
- It manages all three major hyperscalers (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud) plus VMware private cloud, so one partner can run a hybrid estate.
- Spot can be automated through a Terraform provider, a Go SDK, the spotctl CLI, and an MCP server.
- Enterprise reviewers on Gartner Peer Insights and TrustRadius rate it about 4.5 out of 5, and G2 reviewers praise its uptime.
Cons
- Trustpilot reviews average about 1.2 out of 5, with repeated complaints about billing, price increases, and cancellation handling.
- Managed service, migration, and private cloud pricing is not published and needs a sales quote.
- The 2022 Hosted Exchange security incident, which forced customers to move to Microsoft 365, still weighs on its reputation for reliability.
- Its finances are under pressure: net losses in 2024 and 2025 and a 2026 layoff of about 15 percent of staff could affect service delivery.
Not sold on either?
Frequently Asked Questions
Microsoft Azure scores higher on our AI Software criteria: 6.9/10 against 6.3/10 for Rackspace Technology. The largest gap is in Analytics: 8/10 for Microsoft Azure and 5/10 for Rackspace Technology.
Microsoft Azure has a free plan; Rackspace Technology does not list one.
