--- title: Azure Virtual Machines Reviews meta_title: 'Azure Virtual Machines Reviews 2026: Details, Pricing, & Features | G2' meta_description: Filter 393 reviews by the users' company size, role or industry to find out how Azure Virtual Machines works for a business like yours. aggregate_rating: rating_value: 4.4 review_count: 393 scale: '5' date_modified: '2026-07-17' parent_category: name: IT Infrastructure url: https://www.g2.com/categories/it-infrastructure --- # Azure Virtual Machines Reviews **Vendor:** Microsoft **Category:** [Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) Software](https://www.g2.com/categories/infrastructure-as-a-service-iaas) **Average Rating:** 4.4/5.0 **Total Reviews:** 393 ## About Azure Virtual Machines Azure Virtual Machines (VMs) are scalable, on-demand computing resources provided by Microsoft Azure, enabling users to deploy and manage virtualized Windows and Linux servers in the cloud. These VMs support a wide range of workloads, from simple web applications to complex enterprise solutions, offering flexibility and control over computing resources without the need for physical hardware maintenance. Key Features and Functionality: - Diverse VM Series: Azure offers various VM series tailored to specific needs: - General Purpose (D-series, B-series): Balanced CPU-to-memory ratio, suitable for web servers and small to medium databases. - Compute Optimized (F-series): High CPU-to-memory ratio, ideal for CPU-intensive tasks like batch processing. - Memory Optimized (E-series): High memory-to-CPU ratio, designed for in-memory applications and large databases. - Storage Optimized (L-series): High disk throughput and IOPS, perfect for big data and data warehousing. - GPU-enabled (N-series): Equipped with GPUs for graphics-intensive and machine learning workloads. - Operating System Support: Azure VMs support a broad range of operating systems, including various distributions of Linux and all supported versions of Windows Server. - Scalability and Availability: Features like Virtual Machine Scale Sets allow for automatic scaling of applications, and Availability Sets ensure high availability by distributing VMs across multiple physical servers. - Integrated Security: Built-in security features include Azure Security Center for threat detection and response, and compliance with various industry standards. - Cost Management: Options like Azure Reserved Virtual Machine Instances and Azure Hybrid Benefit help optimize costs, while Azure Spot Virtual Machines offer significant discounts for interruptible workloads. Primary Value and Solutions Provided: Azure Virtual Machines offer businesses the ability to quickly deploy and manage scalable computing resources without the overhead of maintaining physical hardware. This flexibility allows organizations to respond rapidly to changing demands, optimize costs through various pricing options, and ensure high availability and security for their applications. By leveraging Azure VMs, users can focus on developing and running their applications while Azure handles the underlying infrastructure, leading to increased operational efficiency and agility. ## Azure Virtual Machines Pros & Cons **What users like:** - Users appreciate the **ease of use** of Azure Virtual Machines, making cloud services accessible for beginners and seamless for businesses. (45 reviews) - Users appreciate the **useful cloud storage components** of Azure Virtual Machines, enhancing accessibility and efficiency for their teams. (29 reviews) - Users value the **flexibility and scalability** of Azure Virtual Machines, allowing quick resource deployment based on needs. (29 reviews) - Users appreciate the **global accessibility and security** of Azure Virtual Machines, enhancing productivity and user experience. (19 reviews) - Users enjoy the **flexibility** of Azure Virtual Machines, enabling seamless integration and access from anywhere globally. (19 reviews) - Security (19 reviews) - Users appreciate the **robust features** of Azure Virtual Machines, enhancing flexibility and efficiency for cloud-based solutions. (17 reviews) - Users find Azure Virtual Machines' **seamless integration** with databases and MS services greatly enhances their workflow efficiency. (16 reviews) - Services (12 reviews) - Users praise the **excellent customer support** of Azure Virtual Machines, with prompt resolutions within 24 hours. (10 reviews) **What users dislike:** - Users find Azure Virtual Machines to have a **complex architecture** that complicates solution design and service integration. (26 reviews) - Users express concerns over **cost issues** , highlighting the need for reduced pricing and better cost management strategies. (23 reviews) - Users find the **pricing for Azure Virtual Machines to be high** , particularly when scaling multiple instances for long-term workloads. (19 reviews) - Users experience a **learning difficulty** with Azure Virtual Machines, requiring time and practice to master its interface and features. (13 reviews) - Users find Azure Virtual Machines have **poor customer support** , leading to frustrations and unmet expectations during use. (10 reviews) - Users experience **slow performance** with Azure Virtual Machines, impacting productivity and creating frustration during usage. (9 reviews) - Complex Pricing (8 reviews) - Service Downtime (7 reviews) - Small Businesses (6 reviews) - Difficult Learning (5 reviews) ## Azure Virtual Machines Reviews ### 1. Azure VMs: Flexible Configurations and Fast, Simple Deployment **Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Bibhishan D. | QA Lead, Information Technology and Services, Enterprise (> 1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** May 23, 2026 **What do you like best about Azure Virtual Machines?** What makes Azure VMs stand out for our team is the sheer flexibility in configuration. Whether we need a small B-series VM for lightweight dev workloads or a compute-optimized instance for heavier processing tasks, the right option is always available. The deployment process is remarkably simple — we can spin up a new VM within minutes, which has been a huge productivity boost for our team. **What do you dislike about Azure Virtual Machines?** We've had a few surprise bills early on before we set up proper cost alerts and budgets. Costs can also be difficult to predict upfront, especially when you factor in storage, networking, and data egress charges on top of compute costs. **What problems is Azure Virtual Machines solving and how is that benefiting you?** Azure VMs have been central to our strategy of moving away from on-premises infrastructure. We use them to host internal applications, run test environments for QA, and support development workloads that need isolated, configurable environments. Overall, it has reduced our dependency on physical hardware, shortened our deployment timelines, and given our engineers much more flexibility ### 2. Easy VM Provisioning with Great Value, Performance, and Reliable Azure Support **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Vishal L. | Graduate Trainee, Enterprise (> 1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** May 21, 2026 **What do you like best about Azure Virtual Machines?** What I like best about Azure Virtual Machines is how easy and convenient it is to spin up a new VM with just a few clicks. The process of selecting machine types, configuring resources, and assigning resource groups is very straightforward. I also find the ability to create new virtual machines from existing VM images especially useful, as it saves time and ensures consistency. From a pricing perspective, Azure VMs provide great value with solid performance and a wide range of integrations. Additionally, Azure’s support and SLA commitments are reliable and meet industry standards. **What do you dislike about Azure Virtual Machines?** One thing I dislike about Azure Virtual Machines is that pricing can become confusing when additional services like storage, networking, and backups are included, sometimes making cost estimation difficult. Initial configuration and permission management can also feel overwhelming for new users. Additionally, occasional performance tuning and resource optimization are needed to avoid unnecessary costs. **What problems is Azure Virtual Machines solving and how is that benefiting you?** Azure Virtual Machines solve the problem of quickly provisioning scalable computing resources without the need to invest in or manage physical infrastructure. One of the biggest benefits for me is that I don’t have to worry about hardware setup, maintenance, or upgrades—I can simply spin up a VM and focus on development instead of infrastructure management. It also allows me to easily create environments based on project needs, scale resources when required, and deploy systems using existing VM images. This saves time, improves flexibility, and helps maintain consistency across environments. ### 3. Cloud computing that is dependable and can grow with your needs **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** William Adrian C. | Consultor TI AZURE , Computer & Network Security, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** August 10, 2025 **What do you like best about Azure Virtual Machines?** Recently, I’ve appreciated the improvements in Azure Virtual Machines around automation and integration with other Azure services. Features like automatic scaling, improved monitoring through Azure Monitor, and easier integration with security tools such as Microsoft Defender for Cloud make it much simpler to manage workloads in production environments. I also like how flexible VM deployment has become through infrastructure-as-code tools like ARM templates and Terraform, which helps streamline deployments and maintain consistent environments. **What do you dislike about Azure Virtual Machines?** While Azure Virtual Machines are very powerful, cost management can still be challenging if resources are not monitored closely. It would be helpful to have even clearer cost optimization recommendations directly within the VM management experience. Additionally, simplifying some networking and configuration options could make the platform easier for teams that are newer to Azure infrastructure. **What problems is Azure Virtual Machines solving and how is that benefiting you?** With Azure Virtual Machines, we can quickly set up and grow infrastructure without having to buy actual hardware. ### 4. Scalable and Reliable Cloud Virtual Machines **Rating:** 3.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Sambhav J. | SDE 2, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** January 29, 2026 **What do you like best about Azure Virtual Machines?** What I like best about Azure Virtual Machines is the flexibility and scalability it offers. It’s easy to quickly spin up VMs with different configurations based on workload needs, and it integrates seamlessly with other Azure services like Azure Networking, Storage, and Backup. The reliability, security features, and global availability of data centers make it suitable for both development and production workloads. Additionally, the pay-as-you-go pricing model helps optimize costs while maintaining performance. **What do you dislike about Azure Virtual Machines?** What I dislike about Azure Virtual Machines is that connecting to the VM—especially through the Azure portal—can sometimes take longer than expected. Initial startup times, RDP/SSH connection delays, and occasional networking or authentication latency can slow down workflows. Troubleshooting connection issues is not always straightforward and may require navigating multiple Azure services, which can be time-consuming for users who need quick access. **What problems is Azure Virtual Machines solving and how is that benefiting you?** Azure Virtual Machines solves the problem of on-demand infrastructure provisioning by eliminating the need for physical servers and upfront hardware investment. It allows us to quickly deploy, scale, and manage virtual servers based on changing workload requirements. This benefits us by improving operational agility, reducing infrastructure costs, enabling faster development and testing cycles, and ensuring high availability and security through Azure’s global cloud infrastructure. ### 5. Flexible, Scalable Azure Virtual Machines with Strong Reliability and Ecosystem Integration **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Saikumar P. | Cloud Engineer, Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** March 17, 2026 **What do you like best about Azure Virtual Machines?** Azure Virtual Machines provide excellent flexibility and scalability for running workloads in the cloud. One of the biggest advantages is the ability to quickly deploy Windows or Linux virtual machines with customizable CPU, memory, and storage configurations. Integration with other services in the Microsoft Azure ecosystem makes it easy to manage networking, security, monitoring, and backups in one place. Another major benefit is the reliability and global availability of Azure data centers, which helps ensure high uptime and performance. Features like auto-scaling, load balancing, and easy snapshot backups make it simple to maintain production environments. The platform is also very useful for testing, development, and running enterprise applications without needing physical hardware. **What do you dislike about Azure Virtual Machines?** One challenge with Azure Virtual Machines is that the pricing structure can become complex, especially when additional services such as storage, networking, backups, and bandwidth are included. Without careful monitoring, costs can increase quickly. Another downside is that the initial setup and configuration may feel complicated for beginners who are new to cloud infrastructure. Managing networking rules, virtual networks, and security groups can require a learning curve. Additionally, some advanced features and troubleshooting may require deeper knowledge of the Azure platform and documentation. **What problems is Azure Virtual Machines solving and how is that benefiting you?** Azure Virtual Machines help us solve the challenge of managing physical infrastructure and maintaining on-premise servers. By using virtual machines in the cloud, we can quickly deploy and scale servers without investing in expensive hardware or worrying about maintenance. With Microsoft Azure Virtual Machines, we are able to run applications, host services, and perform development or testing in a flexible environment. It allows our team to scale resources up or down depending on workload demand, which improves performance while controlling infrastructure costs. Additionally, Azure provides reliable uptime, security features, and integration with other Azure services, making it easier to manage workloads, backups, and system monitoring. This helps our organization focus more on development and business operations instead of infrastructure management. ### 6. Secure, Flexible Azure Virtual Machines with Fast OS Deployment and Easy Scaling **Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Jeevanandham R. | Systems Engineer, Information Technology and Services, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** April 10, 2026 **What do you like best about Azure Virtual Machines?** Azure Virtual Machines is one of the best options for security-focused companies. The main reason is that there’s no need to manage on-premises infrastructure, electricity, server temperature, and other related overhead. With Azure Virtual Machines, I can deploy almost any OS within a minute, and I can scale up or down easily when needed. **What do you dislike about Azure Virtual Machines?** After a few months, I noticed the performance of our Azure virtual machines was slightly down. Sometimes the VM restarts automatically, which has been disruptive. **What problems is Azure Virtual Machines solving and how is that benefiting you?** We needed an on-premises DNS server, so I created a VM in Azure running Windows Server. After creating the VM, I installed and configured DNS on the Azure VM. In the VM server i installed Entra connect also so i can easily integrate Azure AD. ### 7. Reliable, Well-Integrated Azure Infrastructure with Professional Support **Rating:** 4.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Angelos C. | Co-Founder, Non-Profit Organization Management, Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** March 11, 2026 **What do you like best about Azure Virtual Machines?** High-quality infrastructure with very reliable performance. The services are well integrated with the rest of the Azure ecosystem, and the support is very professional when you need help. **What do you dislike about Azure Virtual Machines?** The pricing can be quite high compared to other providers, especially for smaller projects or long-running virtual machines. **What problems is Azure Virtual Machines solving and how is that benefiting you?** Azure Virtual Machines solve the need for reliable cloud VPS infrastructure, allowing me to deploy and run servers on a stable, high-quality platform. The only downside is that the pricing is relatively high compared to other providers. ### 8. Flexible, Reliable, and Seamless VM Management in Azure **Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Dhaval S. | Sr IT Architect, Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** December 11, 2025 **What do you like best about Azure Virtual Machines?** Azure Virtual Machines offer great flexibility, stability, and integration across the entire Azure ecosystem. Creating VMs is extremely easy, and templates/SKU options help in optimizing cost vs performance. Features like Availability Sets, Scale Sets, Azure Backup, Update Management, and Azure Monitor make lifecycle management smooth and automated. Performance has been very consistent, especially with newer VM families. Integration with Azure AD and RBAC improves security and governance. **What do you dislike about Azure Virtual Machines?** Pricing can become confusing, especially with storage, network bandwidth, and licensing components. Support for issues sometimes takes longer than expected. Additionally, importing/exporting large VMs between regions can be time-consuming. **What problems is Azure Virtual Machines solving and how is that benefiting you?** Hosting production workloads with high uptime Running Windows/Linux application servers Scaling resources on demand Easy disaster recovery using Azure Backup & Site Recovery centralized monitoring and policy-driven governance ### 9. Easy Implementation, Fair Resource-Based Pricing, and Modern Stack Integrations **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Martynas R. | Software Engineer, Enterprise (> 1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** April 28, 2026 **What do you like best about Azure Virtual Machines?** Easy implementation, fair pricing because of used resources calculation, good integration possibilities with newest stack **What do you dislike about Azure Virtual Machines?** Not an easy setup for beginners, also, due to different roles, it could be difficult to track, what's the permissions and who's responsible for what **What problems is Azure Virtual Machines solving and how is that benefiting you?** Orchestration and scaling of virtual environments in the organization ### 10. Effortless Scaling with Azure Virtual Machines **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** ANKIT S. | Executive IT, Enterprise (> 1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** April 10, 2026 **What do you like best about Azure Virtual Machines?** Azure Virtual Machines provides easily scale resources (CPU, RAM, storage) up or down based on workload demands, which is ideal for dynamic environments. **What do you dislike about Azure Virtual Machines?** VM startup and deployment time often feels slower compared to container-based or serverless solutions **What problems is Azure Virtual Machines solving and how is that benefiting you?** It eliminates the need for heavy upfront investment in physical servers, data center space, and hardware maintenance. This allows us to quickly provision virtual machines as per business requirements and scale them dynamically based on workload demand ## Azure Virtual Machines Discussions - [Azure VM](https://www.g2.com/discussions/36714-azure-vm) - 1 comment, 1 upvote - [What is Azure Virtual Machines used for?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/what-is-azure-virtual-machines-used-for) - 2 comments - [What is virtual machine in Azure portal?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/what-is-virtual-machine-in-azure-portal) - 1 comment - [What operating systems does an Azure virtual machine support?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/what-operating-systems-does-an-azure-virtual-machine-support) - 2 comments - [What are Azure virtual machines used for?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/what-are-azure-virtual-machines-used-for) - 2 comments - [View Azure Virtual Machines pricing details and edition comparison](https://www.g2.com/products/azure-virtual-machines/reviews/azure-virtual-machines-review-4490700?section=pricing&secure%5Bexpires_at%5D=2026-07-20+19%3A10%3A36+-0500&secure%5Bsession_id%5D=2789f666-7f9c-4897-b178-acf8576e3b60&secure%5Btoken%5D=e63f5cc6e3b0d3db0726f056491cd057c81a403fdfddc08152bc8870419a58ca&format=llm_user) ## Azure Virtual Machines Integrations - [Azure Active Directory Domain Services](https://www.g2.com/products/azure-active-directory-domain-services/reviews) - [CheckPoint](https://www.g2.com/products/checkpoint/reviews) - [Kubernetes](https://www.g2.com/products/kubernetes/reviews) - [Microsoft Entra ID](https://www.g2.com/products/microsoft-entra-id/reviews) - [VMware ESXi](https://www.g2.com/products/vmware-esxi/reviews) - [VPN Server - Using OpenVPN](https://www.g2.com/products/vpn-server-using-openvpn/reviews) ## Azure Virtual Machines Features **Infrastructure Provision** - Public Cloud - Private Cloud - Hybrid Cloud - Bare Metal - High-Performance Computing (HPC) - Virtual Machines (VMs) - Edge Computing - Virtual Networks **Performance** - Scalability - Portability - Data Recovery **Management** - Pay by Usage - Usage Tracking - Performance Tracking **Functionality** - OS Integration - Resource Saving - Performance Management - Security **Functionality** - Resource Auto-Scaling **Agentic AI - Server Virtualization** - Autonomous Task Execution - Multi-step Planning - Cross-system Integration - Adaptive Learning - Proactive Assistance - Decision Making ## Top Azure Virtual Machines Alternatives - [Google Compute Engine](https://www.g2.com/products/google-compute-engine/reviews) - 4.5/5.0 (875 reviews) - [VMware vSphere](https://www.g2.com/products/vmware-vsphere/reviews) - 4.5/5.0 (746 reviews) - [Amazon EC2](https://www.g2.com/products/amazon-ec2/reviews) - 4.6/5.0 (1,142 reviews)