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Azure Bastion vs Azure Web Application Firewall comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

Review summaries and opinions

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

ROI

Sentiment score
7.3
Organizations achieved 20% cost savings and faster admin tasks with Azure Bastion, streamlining infrastructure and supporting more environments.
Sentiment score
3.9
Azure Web Application Firewall offers cost-efficiency through reduced administration, AI enhancements, and competitive pricing compared to leading competitors.
We have noticed savings of approximately twenty percent by using Azure Bastion compared to VM pricing.
Lead Software Engineer at Glastechnische Industrie Peter LISEC GmbH
Recently, they have been under serious attack with major exploits, such as Log4j, affecting Fortinet and Palo Alto, and even Cisco and VMware.
Senior Solutions Architect at EQ2 Technology
AI-based recommendations save on time and money.
Head of Digital Engineering, Management Consultant at Stax Inc.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
7.2
Azure Bastion customer service is efficient and knowledgeable, with high satisfaction but some data transfer concerns.
Sentiment score
7.1
Microsoft support is generally satisfactory, with users preferring higher-tier options for faster response and clearer communication.
Support is satisfactory but with room for improvement, primarily concerning data transfer issues.
IT Manager at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
We usually get backup within two hours.
Lead Software Engineer at Glastechnische Industrie Peter LISEC GmbH
I hardly use Microsoft's paid subscription or maintenance services, however, whenever I send them a note, they have been responsive.
Head of Digital Engineering, Management Consultant at Stax Inc.
I would rate the technical support that Azure provides from Microsoft a seven.
Global IT Solutions Specialist at RELIEF INTERNATIONAL INC
I reached out to their support, and they helped me resolve the issue effectively.
Owner at ICAL S.A.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
6.7
Azure Bastion offers scalable enterprise solutions, though customization limits and concurrent user restrictions affect some user experiences.
Sentiment score
6.6
Azure Web Application Firewall offers flexible, highly-rated scalability, easily adapting to traffic changes and various workload needs across subscriptions.
It is designed to provide access over a private network without hitting the internet.
IT Manager at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
Some Azure applications, like the web application firewall, require a certain level of SKU for hosting setup.
Head of Digital Engineering, Management Consultant at Stax Inc.
For our company, Azure Web Application Firewall works effectively for scalability.
Global IT Solutions Specialist at RELIEF INTERNATIONAL INC
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
8.3
<p>Azure Bastion is stable and reliable, with few issues reported, benefiting from Microsoft's strong R&amp;D support.</p>
Sentiment score
7.1
Azure Web Application Firewall is highly stable, with minimal connectivity or performance issues and consistently earns high reliability ratings.
Azure Bastion is stable.
IT Manager at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
Very rarely do I see any latency issues.
Head of Digital Engineering, Management Consultant at Stax Inc.
 

Room For Improvement

Azure Bastion needs browser updates, better AI for connectivity, and improvements in file transfer, monitoring, and networking.
Azure Web Application Firewall needs better reporting, integration, cost plans, and process streamlining for enhanced management and support.
A storage solution must be created to transfer data, and this requires additional permissions like ACL or NFS.
IT Manager at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
I would like to see integrated AI features with Azure Bastion, especially for connectivity issues.
Lead Software Engineer at Glastechnische Industrie Peter LISEC GmbH
It would be nice to have the capability to cut and paste across desktops, similar to old-fashioned Remote Desktop emulation.
Owner at BNS
Upgrading the platform regularly is necessary for security, however, frequent updates every six months or year from Azure can be a maintenance overhead.
Head of Digital Engineering, Management Consultant at Stax Inc.
The pricing needs improvement, and I think for beginners it will be a little bit complicated, so the ease of use could be enhanced.
Global IT Solutions Specialist at RELIEF INTERNATIONAL INC
 

Setup Cost

Azure Bastion pricing is debated, balancing affordability and security with varied opinions compared to AWS and GCP costs.
Azure Web Application Firewall offers scalable pricing, valued functionality, and favorable terms, appealing compared to AWS and GCP.
Microsoft's pricing is on the higher side and could be more competitive.
IT Manager at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
The price is not necessarily cheaper, but it is acceptable.
Lead Software Engineer at Glastechnische Industrie Peter LISEC GmbH
It is even a lower cost compared to AWS and GCP.
Senior Solutions Architect at EQ2 Technology
Sometimes, when opting for a higher SKU, it's not the WAF itself that's costly but the additional requirements.
Head of Digital Engineering, Management Consultant at Stax Inc.
I would place Azure Web Application Firewall at an eight on a scale from one to 10, with one being cheap and 10 being expensive.
Global IT Solutions Specialist at RELIEF INTERNATIONAL INC
 

Valuable Features

Azure Bastion ensures secure, efficient VM access with centralized control, eliminating public IP exposure and enhancing network integration.
Azure Web Application Firewall offers robust security, seamless Azure integration, automatic rule management, and scalable, user-friendly deployment with minimal downtime.
Azure Bastion eliminates the need for a jump server by providing secure access to servers without hitting the public network.
IT Manager at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
The security is the main reason we use Azure Bastion because it is integrated with Azure Active Directory, ensuring that access is secure.
Owner at BNS
We use Azure AD integration to specify who has access and what they can do.
Lead Software Engineer at Glastechnische Industrie Peter LISEC GmbH
With Microsoft, everything is within a single suite, making it easier to configure and plan.
Head of Digital Engineering, Management Consultant at Stax Inc.
It is almost impossible to access these assets from outside, requiring a very skilled attacker to obtain asset tokens of a customer using Azure.
Senior Solutions Architect at EQ2 Technology
It integrates effectively with things such as Sentinel and Defender for Cloud, so mostly it's the analytics and now the AI capabilities that have been introduced with Co-pilot.
Global IT Solutions Specialist at RELIEF INTERNATIONAL INC
 

Categories and Ranking

Azure Bastion
Ranking in Microsoft Security Suite
26th
Average Rating
8.8
Reviews Sentiment
7.3
Number of Reviews
12
Ranking in other categories
Network Monitoring Software (52nd), Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM) (12th)
Azure Web Application Firewall
Ranking in Microsoft Security Suite
19th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.6
Number of Reviews
16
Ranking in other categories
Web Application Firewall (WAF) (13th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2026, in the Microsoft Security Suite category, the mindshare of Azure Bastion is 2.0%, up from 1.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Azure Web Application Firewall is 1.9%, down from 1.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Microsoft Security Suite Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Azure Web Application Firewall1.9%
Azure Bastion2.0%
Other96.1%
Microsoft Security Suite
 

Featured Reviews

AB
Lead Software Engineer at Glastechnische Industrie Peter LISEC GmbH
Have improved security with role segregation and accessibility
The most valuable feature of Azure Bastion is its security, which I find to be the best part. We use Azure AD integration to specify who has access and what they can do. We can segregate roles, allowing some to execute commands while others cannot. Additionally, we are using it internally to connect to our secured AKS Cluster.
RJ
Global IT Solutions Specialist at RELIEF INTERNATIONAL INC
Offers robust analytics and seamless cloud integration with minor room for user interface improvement
The Microsoft support and the analytics are what I appreciate about Azure Web Application Firewall. It integrates effectively with things such as Sentinel and Defender for Cloud, so mostly it's the analytics and now the AI capabilities that have been introduced with Co-pilot. It helps when looking for threats. It reduces issues significantly because the filtering capabilities are high. Given that it's a cloud solution, we have very minimal downtime, especially because we have Microsoft support. On a scale of one to 10, I would give it an eight.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
11%
Financial Services Firm
11%
Comms Service Provider
10%
Educational Organization
8%
Manufacturing Company
12%
Financial Services Firm
11%
Outsourcing Company
7%
Computer Software Company
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business5
Midsize Enterprise2
Large Enterprise6
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business6
Large Enterprise12
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Azure Bastion?
Microsoft's pricing is on the higher side and could be more competitive. Startups and small organizations often prefer AWS ( /products/amazon-aws-reviews ) or GCP due to their lower costs, while la...
What needs improvement with Azure Bastion?
Azure Bastion could be improved with more granular session monitoring, rich audit capabilities, and deeper integration with security operation workflows. We would also appreciate enhanced reporting...
What is your primary use case for Azure Bastion?
Azure Bastion serves as our primary solution for providing secure administrative access to Azure VPNs and VMs without exposing RDP or SSH ports to the internet. From a cybersecurity perspective, it...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Azure Web Application Firewall?
I would place Azure Web Application Firewall at an eight on a scale from one to 10, with one being cheap and 10 being expensive.
What needs improvement with Azure Web Application Firewall?
The pricing needs improvement, and I think for beginners it will be a little bit complicated, so the ease of use could be enhanced. I've worked with Fortinet and Cisco, and I think the UI is a litt...
What is your primary use case for Azure Web Application Firewall?
Because we mostly operate in the cloud and because we're a Microsoft environment, it was the best option in the scenario. The options were limited in terms of wanting to be an only Microsoft enviro...
 

Overview

Find out what your peers are saying about Azure Bastion vs. Azure Web Application Firewall and other solutions. Updated: June 2026.
909,725 professionals have used our research since 2012.