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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
6.9
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 July 2025, in the Container Registry category, the mindshare of Azure Container Registry is 11.4%, up from 10.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Harbor is 26.7%, down from 28.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Container Registry
 

Featured Reviews

Chris Badenhorst - PeerSpot reviewer
Offers horizontal scaling and auto-scaling capabilities
We are a Microsoft partner with solutions designations and specializations in Azure. We have about one thousand customers running on Azure, to whom we provide managed services through our local Microsoft arrangement in EMEA. We do have extensive experience in Azure networking, infrastructure platforms, and data analytics. We have three teams covering application and data analytics, storage configuration, networking, public endpoints, and the like. We manage Service Fabric for two customers. We have more experience with Service Fabric than pure containers on AKS or IPS.
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

"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."
"The whole package is valuable as it allows for easy application cloning and deployment."
"The solution allows you to isolate standard containers, which is its most valuable feature. Azure Container Registry does what it's supposed to do and gives you visibility into the Docker images, the logs, information on pulling and pushing the data, etc."
"The scanning of Docker images is the most valuable feature."
"One of the benefits of this solution is that it's private and secure."
"The most valuable feature is that it's easy to download, install and manage."
"Azure Container Registry can be used to detect vulnerabilities in your image."
"The solution has built-in resiliency and replication zone availability so it is very stable."
"The most valuable feature of Harbor is its security scanning capability."
"Right now this is the leading product in this category."
 

Cons

"It's not an open source, and we pay per hour to Microsoft Azure."
"Lacks the option of having access keys stored in a master key vault."
"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 security, dashboards, and monitoring system could be improved."
"We have found that it is sometimes difficult to pull images from the host application."
"There is a need for a graphical interface instead of writing code in Visual Studio to create images."
"The solution could always improve its security measures with regard to access."
"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."
"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."
"The product should integrate better with other storage options."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Azure Container Registry, has no cost, but you pay for storage service."
"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."
"The product is competitively priced."
"The Premium version includes some enhancements but is still quite okay with regard to pricing."
"Azure is a bit expensive."
"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."
"The cost of the product is free."
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860,825 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
16%
Computer Software Company
12%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Healthcare Company
7%
Computer Software Company
15%
Financial Services Firm
13%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Comms Service Provider
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
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?
While downtime is uncommon, there are occasional server errors like '404 not found' and '504 server not found'. Viewing server logs is not a reliable approach, and improving log visibility would he...
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: June 2025.
860,825 professionals have used our research since 2012.