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Azure Stack HCI Reviews

Vendor: Microsoft
3.9 out of 5
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What is Azure Stack HCI?

Azure Stack HCI efficiently integrates software-defined networking and Azure Kubernetes Service, offering a streamlined hybrid setup for VM management while maintaining top performance.

Get the Azure Stack HCI Buyer's Guide and find out what your peers are saying about Azure Stack HCI, VMware vSAN, VxRail and more!
Azure Stack HCI is the #13 ranked solution in HCI Software. PeerSpot users give Azure Stack HCI an average rating of 7.8 out of 10. Azure Stack HCI is most commonly compared to VMware vSAN: Azure Stack HCI vs VMware vSAN. Azure Stack HCI is popular among the large enterprise segment, accounting for 60% of users researching this solution on PeerSpot. The top industry researching this solution are professionals from a computer software company, accounting for 16% of all views.
Buyer's Guide
Azure Stack HCI
September 2025
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Azure Stack HCI mindshare

As of September 2025, the mindshare of Azure Stack HCI in the HCI category stands at 3.7%, up from 0.7% compared to the previous year, according to calculations based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
HCI Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Azure Stack HCI3.7%
VxRail16.1%
VMware vSAN14.0%
Other66.2%
HCI

PeerResearch reports based on Azure Stack HCI reviews

TypeTitleDate
CategoryHCISep 14, 2025Download
ProductReviews, tips, and advice from real usersSep 14, 2025Download
ComparisonAzure Stack HCI vs VxRailSep 14, 2025Download
ComparisonAzure Stack HCI vs VMware vSANSep 14, 2025Download
ComparisonAzure Stack HCI vs Dell PowerFlexSep 14, 2025Download
Suggested products
TitleRatingMindshareRecommending
VMware vSAN4.214.0%87%232 interviewsAdd to research
VxRail4.316.1%94%133 interviewsAdd to research
 
 
Key learnings from peers

Valuable Features

Azure Stack HCI offers software-defined networking, efficient VM management, and seamless AKS deployment in data centers. Organizations benefit from Azure Site Recovery, integration with Azure Arc, and cost reduction using existing Microsoft licenses. High performance with NVMe and enhanced Kubernetes environment are highlighted. The platform provides a cloud experience on-premises, supporting infrastructure as code via Azure DevOps and management through Azure Arc. Users experience challenges with VM migration from VMware due to specific configuration complexities.
  • "The scalability is extremely good."
  • "The integration with Azure using Azure Arc is excellent."
  • "The features of Azure Stack HCI that have proven to be the most beneficial for optimizing our company's data center operations revolve around its performance."

Room for Improvement

Azure Stack HCI faces challenges in software-defined networking and operational complexity. Improvements are needed in deployment processes, stability, and integration with Microsoft Azure Portal and Azure Arc. The current setup is complex, demanding enhancements in virtualization and storage architectures. Stretched cluster technology’s removal causes limitations. There's a call for better multi-cluster management and team training for broader support. Users find the Arc integration clunky, with discrepancies in managing VMs, impacting operational visibility and consistency.
  • "Hyper V seems to lag behind compared to VMware."
  • "A little bit of the storage architecture could be improved."
  • "The biggest challenge with the tool is not being able to manage everything from Microsoft Azure Portal."

ROI

Azure Stack HCI generates positive financial outcomes by enhancing business efficiency, reducing reliance on technical support, and offering cost savings, especially with Microsoft Software Assurance. Many highlight the value in terms of time usability and footprint reduction. Other users appreciate the performance and comprehensive features. Businesses involved discuss new technical and management learning aspects and enjoy licensing benefits, particularly when comparing to VMware. This results in significant advantages from both technical and business perspectives.

Pricing

Azure Stack HCI users emphasize that while the overall pricing is aligned with expectations, licensing costs can be high, particularly due to the hardware maintenance and design factors. Setup costs include OS and OEM licenses, and support expenses need consideration. At €10 per core monthly, some find the pricing competitive, especially if renting Windows Server Datacenter where the stack is free. However, they suggest pricing is high when directly focusing on licenses.
  • "The pricing is high compared to other tools."
  • "The main licenses are the OS licenses, the OEM licenses, and so on. They are very much aligned with the cost of expectations. We never had any challenges with the licensing at all."

Popular Use Cases

Azure Stack HCI is used for keeping services within data centers while leveraging cloud benefits, managing VMs, providing high computing and network requirements, replacing VMware for primary production environments, and integrating local computing with cloud services. It suits clients needing on-premises infrastructure due to regulations or cost preferences, supports on-premises Azure Kubernetes Services, Virtual Desktops, and SQL Managed Instances, and offers Azure cloud service experience for users transitioning from Hyper-V.

Service and Support

Azure Stack HCI's customer service receives mixed feedback. Some find it effective, giving high ratings for technical assistance, while others face delays due to limited expertise and additional steps involving value-added resellers. Standard support isn't reliable without advanced options, requiring clients to often resolve issues independently. Though engineers are gaining proficiency, current stages reflect initial adoption challenges. Users recommend engaging with Premier or Unified Support for comprehensive solutions.

Deployment

Many found Azure Stack HCI's initial setup complex, mainly due to engineer implementation causing confusion. Complexity varies with setup knowledge; experienced teams finish in a day, while beginners may take a week. Successful setup requires attention to prerequisites like IP addresses and network cables. Despite initial setup challenges, maintenance is straightforward unless bugs are present. Some rate the setup an eight out of ten, indicating it is fairly simple yet not the easiest.

Scalability

Azure Stack HCI impresses with excellent scalability, supporting up to thousands of VMs per node and allowing vertical and horizontal scaling. Users appreciate its automation and cloud integration, highlighting its ability to provide continuous application availability even if multiple nodes fail. Adoption varies, with VMs ranging from 60 to hundreds across organizations. There's confidence in its capacity to handle extensive workloads without noticeable performance degradation.

Stability

Azure Stack HCI is generally stable due to its foundation on Hyper-V technology, which has been used for over two decades. Users appreciate its scalability with up to 16 nodes. Some note it is not fully mature with certain imperfections and documentation gaps. Rated stability as seven out of ten, it performs comparably to VMware. Stability is affirmed, though maturation areas remain.
These insights are based on the in-depth reviews provided by peers to help you make a better buying decision.
Download our Azure Stack HCI Buyer's Guide for additional reliable information.

Review data by company size

By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business4
Midsize Enterprise1
Large Enterprise2
By reviewers
By visitors reading reviews
Company SizeCount
Small Business79
Midsize Enterprise35
Large Enterprise170
By visitors reading reviews

Top industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
16%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Government
8%
Healthcare Company
7%
University
7%
Comms Service Provider
6%
Energy/Utilities Company
6%
Retailer
6%
Construction Company
4%
Real Estate/Law Firm
3%
Educational Organization
2%
Legal Firm
2%
Non Profit
2%
Media Company
1%
Recreational Facilities/Services Company
1%
Wholesaler/Distributor
1%
Logistics Company
1%
Performing Arts
1%
Transportation Company
1%
Consumer Goods Company
1%
Pharma/Biotech Company
1%
Insurance Company
1%
Outsourcing Company
1%
Aerospace/Defense Firm
1%
Hospitality Company
1%

Compare Azure Stack HCI with alternative products

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Learn more about Azure Stack HCI

Azure Stack HCI enhances data center operations with high-end processors and storage, optimal Kubernetes support, and integration with Azure Arc and Azure Site Recovery. High application density in four-node configurations improves both time and infrastructure efficiency. Despite its strengths, the platform can improve in areas like software-defined networking, operational management, and simplifying deployments, which currently rely on PowerShell. Users often desire better training and integration with Microsoft Azure Portal, along with multi-cluster capabilities and storage architecture enhancements. Improvements in Hyper V virtualization are also needed to match competitors like VMware.

What are the key features of Azure Stack HCI?
  • Software-defined Networking: Streamlines network management and enhances hybrid setups.
  • Azure Kubernetes Service: Superior support for container orchestration in hybrid environments.
  • Azure Arc Integration: Expands management capabilities across hybrid clouds.
  • Azure Site Recovery: Increases resilience and disaster recovery options.
  • High-end Processors and Storage: Delivers peak performance for demanding tasks.
What are the potential benefits of Azure Stack HCI?
  • Performance Efficiency: Reduces server needs while maintaining application performance.
  • Scalability: Supports high application counts with improved resource utilization.
  • Time Efficiency: Streamlines infrastructure management for quicker deployments.
  • Enhanced Operations: Benefits from high IOPS and comprehensive VM management.

In sectors like government, Azure Stack HCI is crucial for running secure on-premise services with selectable Azure features to ensure data privacy. Businesses leverage the platform for VM creation, management, and monitoring through Windows Center, alongside Kubernetes production environments. Connectivity with Azure allows for smoother cloud transitions, appreciated for its dashboard manageability and substantial network capacity.

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Product Categories

Product Categories
HCI

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Azure Stack HCI Reviews Summary
Author infoRatingReview Summary
IT Solution Architect at a educational organization with 11-50 employees3.5We transitioned from VMware to Azure Stack HCI to cut costs using existing Microsoft licenses. It's stable and performs well, though it lacks maturity, has migration challenges, and inconsistent Azure Arc integration hampers management.
Solution Architect DC at Natilik3.5I use Azure Stack HCI for local computing with cloud integration, enjoying Azure Site Recovery, efficient storage, and Azure Arc. While there's ROI in time savings and reduced footprint, the storage architecture and Hyper V need improvement compared to VMware.
Business Solutions Sales Manager at Fortevento3.5I found Azure Local ideal for clients needing on-premises infrastructure with cloud integration, though deployment is harder with more nodes. It's affordable, especially with Windows Server, and Microsoft Fabric enhances analytics. Support varies but is better with advanced plans.
AG at SIS.4.0We chose Azure Stack HCI for its high computing power, latest processor, SSD, and 25 GB network, which outperform other tools in Kubernetes environments. Despite stability issues needing more version updates, the ROI is still favorable compared to alternatives like VxRail.
Cloud solution architect at 04.0In my experience with Azure Stack HCI, I value its software-defined networking and the capability to run Azure Kubernetes Service on-premises. However, improvements in operational complexity and deployment processes are needed for greater efficiency.
Engineering Technologist at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees4.0I recommend Azure Stack HCI for its strong data center performance, especially with NVMe solutions. While management through Microsoft Azure Portal is limited, it offers cost-effective licensing, particularly for users with Microsoft Software Assurance compared to VMware.
AVP at a computer software company with 501-1,000 employees4.5I use Azure Stack HCI in my company for VM creation and management. Its most valuable feature is its ability to manage VMs efficiently, though the initial setup can be complex. I've experienced a return on investment with this solution.