Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) vs SUSE Rancher comparison

Microsoft and SUSE are both solutions in the Container Security category. Microsoft is ranked #17 with an average rating of 8.1, while SUSE is ranked #32 with an average rating of 7.0. Microsoft holds a 0.7% mindshare in Container Security, compared to SUSE’s 0.3% mindshare. Additionally, 95% of Microsoft users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of SUSE users who would recommend it.

Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)

Read 40 Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) reviews

839 Views
276 Comparison Views

95% willing to recommend

SUSE Rancher

Read 2 SUSE Rancher reviews

393 Views
207 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)

SUSE Rancher

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) and SUSE Rancher based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out in this report how the two Container Security solutions compare in terms of features, pricing, service and support, easy of deployment, and ROI.

To learn more, read our detailed Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) vs. SUSE Rancher Report (Updated: June 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) vs. SUSE Rancher

June 2025

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Helped 856,873 peers since 2012

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 Kubernetes Service (AKS)

Ranking in Container Security

17th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.4

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

SUSE Rancher

Ranking in Container Security

32nd

Average Rating

7.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2025, in the Container Security category, the mindshare of Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) is 0.7%, down from 1.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SUSE Rancher is 0.3%, down from 0.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Container Security

Featured Reviews

Shaijith KB

Senior System Engineer at General Directorate of Residence and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA)

Professional services boost confidence but pricing and user-friendliness need attention

We have multiple solutions such as SimpliVity, Nutanix, and DXRail, which are all part of our Ansible-based system. It gives us more confidence and we can control our groups effectively. The solution is not particularly user-friendly for novice administrators, making it challenging to understand certain aspects. Templates are not readily available, requiring users to build their own worksheets and everything from scratch. This is a main decentralization we observe compared to VMware. We have tested various solutions including Rancher, RHEL, Canonical from SUSE, and the bare metal version from RHEL direct. Since pricing is not a major concern, we chose the best fit for our application, which was specifically designed for this particular platform.

Read full review

Sachin Deorah

Technical Architect at BORN Group

Enables seamless local Kubernetes development and quick deployment to the cloud

Rancher Desktop provides support for Kubernetes setup on local machines. It allows us to run Kubernetes as per our requirement, and the desktop application offers a good UI. We use Rancher Desktop for local development, testing APIs locally, and it helps to seamlessly publish to the cloud. This makes it a valuable tool for developers.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Has a good management feature monitored by the cloud service provider."

"The platform's high scalability is one of its biggest advantages."

"We find the container orchestration tool that this solution provides to be very valuable."

"The solution's technical support is excellent."

"The Front Door and Service Bus are the most vital features"

"The product has built-in functionality that checks whether the service is available or not. In case the service is down, the tool will create a new instance by default. Hence, the web API will be always up irrespective of the server or the situation."

"The setup was straightforward and it took one hour to deploy."

"The advantage of AKS is somewhat greater than that of Kubernetes, such as those provided by Google Cloud or AWS. However, the unique benefit offered by Microsoft is its robust CI/CD capabilities, along with the Azure feature for building workflows. When you combine the entire ecosystem, AKS becomes an excellent choice, particularly for enterprise applications."

More Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) pros

"The most valuable features of SUSE Rancher include the user interface and the display features."

"Rancher Desktop provides support for Kubernetes setup on local machines."

Cons

"We would like to see the addition of a service report from the server for this solution, so that we can monitor the health of server operations."

"The costs could be optimized in some way."

"It can be tough to access the servers when onboarding."

"The application firewall is lacking some features and there is room for enhancement."

"The initial setup is complex."

"There is room for improvement in automation processes, as well."

"The solution's cost could be cheaper."

"The setup process could be more user-friendly, and additional documentation would be beneficial."

More Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) cons

"Some initial setup and configuration were required by the admin side for enabling security policies, which were not supported initially."

"Additional features for a paid solution should be included, such as more detailed insights, better graphics, and an improved user interface."

"Some initial setup and configuration were required by the admin side for enabling security policies, which were not supported initially."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"We could spend as little as $25 or $30 a month on Kubernetes Services, compared to the typical $100 a month expenditure for a virtual machine."

"It is expensive compared to other vendors."

"We are facing a significant challenge regarding OEM licensing. The issue arises from the fact that certain licenses required for our own purposes are not provided by Microsoft's licensing. Consequently, we are unsure about the most suitable mobile license provisioning model offered by third-party providers."

"It is a cost-effective solution."

"The product is expensive in terms of scalability."

"As you scale your operations, AKS becomes more cost-effective."

"The pricing of the solution is dependent on the choice of virtual machines, specifically the amount of memory required. There are various options available, ranging from around twenty-five to even more choices to select from. This flexibility allows you to customize the pricing based on your specific needs. From my perspective, virtual machines in the cloud tend to be slightly more expensive compared to virtual machines offered directly by data centers. However, this cost is offset by the benefits of a managed service. Taking the overall picture into account, the managed service approach is advantageous. The pricing for the platform can vary, typically ranging from three hundred euros per month to two thousand euros per month, depending on the specific requirements and setup you choose."

"The product follows a pay-as-you-go pricing model which is good for small enterprises. You need to pay only for the services that you use."

More Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) pricing and cost advice

Information not available

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

25%

Computer Software Company

12%

Manufacturing Company

Government

Computer Software Company

16%

Financial Services Firm

11%

Manufacturing Company

11%

Comms Service Provider

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)?

The platform's high scalability is one of its biggest advantages.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)?

One improvement I'd like to see is a better user interface for developers, enabling easier operation without relying heavily on command lines.

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)?

My primary use case is building and deploying solutions using multiple Azure services. I combine these services to build systems on Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS). Since I work mainly as a back-end...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for SUSE Rancher?

Rancher is free of cost for us as it is open source. However, there might be costs involved when using Kubernetes on cloud services.

See all answers

What needs improvement with SUSE Rancher?

I believe additional features for a paid solution should be included, such as more detailed insights, better graphics, and an improved user interface.

See all answers

What is your primary use case for SUSE Rancher?

My primary use case for SUSE Rancher is managing Kubernetes clusters, allocating them to different users, and monitoring workloads. I manage all cluster-related activities through Rancher.

See all answers

Comparisons

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Compared 75% of the time

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Compared 9% of the time

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Compared 4% of the time

Orca Security vs Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)

Compared 3% of the time

Wiz vs Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)

Compared 3% of the time

More Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) Competitors

SUSE NeuVector vs SUSE Rancher

Compared 25% of the time

Red Hat Advanced Cluster Security for Kubernetes vs SUSE Rancher

Compared 21% of the time

Prisma Cloud by Palo Alto Networks vs SUSE Rancher

Compared 13% of the time

More SUSE Rancher Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)

June 2025

Download Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) product report

Buyer's Guide

Container Security

May 2025

Download SUSE Rancher product report

Overview

Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) is a fully managed container orchestration service provided by Microsoft Azure. It simplifies the deployment, management, and scaling of containerized applications using Kubernetes. With AKS, developers can focus on building applications while Azure takes care of the underlying infrastructure. It offers features like automatic scaling, monitoring, and security, ensuring high availability and reliability. AKS integrates seamlessly with other Azure services, enabling easy integration with existing workflows. It also provides a flexible and open-source environment, allowing developers to use their preferred tools and frameworks. With AKS, organizations can accelerate their application development and deployment processes, while reducing operational overheads.

Microsoft

SUSE Rancher manages and deploys Kubernetes clusters, simplifies container orchestration, and enhances DevOps practices, supporting multi-cloud environments and facilitating application scalability and monitoring.

SUSE Rancher provides robust Kubernetes cluster management and seamless integration with different tools and platforms, making it valuable for complex cloud infrastructures. It aids in automating workflows, ensuring consistent application performance across environments, and enhancing security with reliable RBAC. It simplifies operations with automated updates and comprehensive monitoring tools, supporting multiple Kubernetes distributions. SUSE Rancher offers centralized management of clusters with an intuitive experience, though it may benefit from better stability, performance optimizations, and improved documentation clarity.

What are the important features?

Robust Kubernetes Cluster Management: Centralized management for multiple Kubernetes clusters.
Seamless Integration: Smooth integration with different tools and platforms.
Scalability: Facilitates application scalability across environments.
Automated Updates: Simplifies operations with automated updates.
Monitoring Tools: Comprehensive tools for monitoring clusters.
Security: Enhanced security features with reliable RBAC.
Extensive Documentation: Well-documented support and community resources.

What benefits and ROI should users look for?

Improved Efficiency: Automates workflows, reducing manual tasks.
Consistent Performance: Ensures consistent application performance across environments.
Centralized Management: Simplifies the management of complex cloud infrastructures.
Enhanced Security: Provides robust security with RBAC.
Scalability: Supports scalable application deployments in multi-cloud environments.

SUSE Rancher is implemented in various industries where managing Kubernetes clusters and ensuring application scalability are critical. It supports complex cloud infrastructures, automating workflows, and integrating seamlessly with different tools, enhancing overall operational efficiency and security. In industries needing consistent performance and centralized management, SUSE Rancher proves to be an invaluable tool.

SUSE

Buyer's Guide

Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) vs. SUSE Rancher

June 2025

Free Report: Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) vs. SUSE Rancher

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