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Azure Container Registry vs Harbor comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on May 21, 2025

Review summaries and opinions

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

Categories and Ranking

Azure Container Registry
Ranking in Container Registry
4th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
21
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Harbor
Ranking in Container Registry
3rd
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
5.9
Number of Reviews
2
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of September 2025, in the Container Registry category, the mindshare of Azure Container Registry is 11.9%, up from 10.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Harbor is 26.4%, down from 29.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Container Registry Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Harbor26.4%
Azure Container Registry11.9%
Other61.7%
Container Registry
 

Featured Reviews

Soumen Dey - PeerSpot reviewer
The whole package is valuable as it allows for easy application cloning and deployment
There is a need for a graphical interface instead of writing code in Visual Studio to create images. Currently, it requires using PowerShell scripts or YAML files, which means needing to know scripting languages. A single product combining Kubernetes service with Azure Container Registry could improve usability, making actual operations smoother. However, I haven't found any bottlenecks or problems with it.
reviewer2584182 - PeerSpot reviewer
Enhance security with automated vulnerability detection and private registry support
We use Harbor for Docker containers to build from our GitLab CI/CD pipeline. This pipeline then automatically pushes to our Harbor instance. We are still working on storing Helm charts in the Harbor instance as well Harbor has improved our organization's security and stability in our container…

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The scanning of Docker images is the most valuable feature."
"It's running behind a big financial and legal customer, who runs Service Fabric behind a front door, servicing local banking containers on an ISV solution developed internally."
"What I like best about Azure Container Registry is that it's fast. It also has 24 x 7 reliability. I didn't face any downtime issues using Azure Container Registry. I also like how secure the solution is, especially as it's from Microsoft."
"Feature-wise, the security model and access controls are pretty straightforward and valuable"
"Azure Container Registry can be used to detect vulnerabilities in your image."
"It's great for storing images on containers."
"Specific tokens can be used to set folder structure or restrict things like read or write access."
"The whole package is valuable as it allows for easy application cloning and deployment."
"Right now this is the leading product in this category."
"The most valuable feature of Harbor is its security scanning capability."
 

Cons

"There is a need for a graphical interface instead of writing code in Visual Studio to create images."
"It should be easier to use. It can have more graphical interfaces to manage containers. At present, the handling or management of the containers is very basic."
"The solution has become more popular in the last few years but I find that the technical support has not increased their knowledge base, so more knowledgeable support staff can help improve the solution."
"They can improve their scalability."
"The building of images on the container is quite cumbersome."
"The setup for Azure Container Registry was a bit complex. Still, the main problem was that whenever a new image was generated, that new Docker image needed to be updated in Azure Container Registry."
"Implementation needs improvement. We have a lot of open, online sources. Doing a deployment is easy for us. The only issue is when we have VPN connections and we try to pull the images from Container images to the local Dockers, it slows down."
"The security, dashboards, and monitoring system could be improved."
"The product should integrate better with other storage options."
"There is a need for more support for public repositories, like the Google Cloud GTR, which is not as integrated as desired."
"The GUI needs to improve."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Azure Container Registry, has no cost, but you pay for storage service."
"The product is competitively priced."
"I have no information on how much Azure Container Registry costs. I know it's the only solution my institution can use, so the cost was approved."
"I would rate the pricing four out of ten."
"When using Azure Container Registry, it was $1.5 or $1.6 per day, but I'm unsure how much it costs today."
"Azure is a bit expensive."
"The Premium version includes some enhancements but is still quite okay with regard to pricing."
"The cost of the product is free."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
14%
Computer Software Company
13%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Comms Service Provider
6%
Computer Software Company
14%
Financial Services Firm
13%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Comms Service Provider
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business6
Midsize Enterprise6
Large Enterprise10
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Azure Container Registry?
Azure Container Registry is an easy-to-install, easy-to-configure, and easy-to-deploy solution.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Azure Container Registry?
The pricing is on the lower side and not costly. Customers usually pay approximately $500 USD monthly, though this includes multiple services, not just the Azure Container Registry.
What needs improvement with Azure Container Registry?
The essential tools such as the VMs and Azure Container Registry meet our needs. We have not explored geo-replication features.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Harbor?
Harbor is open source and part of the graduated Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) landscape, making it a cost-effective solution.
What needs improvement with Harbor?
There is a need for more support for public repositories, like the Google Cloud GTR, which is not as integrated as desired. Additionally, more example implementations for installation using Ansible...
What is your primary use case for Harbor?
We use Harbor for Docker containers to build from our GitLab CI/CD pipeline. This pipeline then automatically pushes to our Harbor instance. We are still working on storing Helm charts in the Harbo...
 

Also Known As

Microsoft Azure Container Registry
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

DNV GL, Alaska Airlines, Finastra
AXA, Talking Data
Find out what your peers are saying about Azure Container Registry vs. Harbor and other solutions. Updated: July 2025.
867,676 professionals have used our research since 2012.