Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) vs SUSE Rancher comparison

Microsoft and SUSE are both solutions in the Container Security category. Microsoft is ranked #19 with an average rating of 7.8, while SUSE is ranked #34 with an average rating of 7.0. Microsoft holds a 0.8% mindshare in Container Security, compared to SUSE’s 0.4% 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

2,378 Views
785 Comparison Views

95% willing to recommend

SUSE Rancher

Read 2 SUSE Rancher reviews

421 Views
417 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: July 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) vs. SUSE Rancher

July 2025

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Helped 867,349 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

19th

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

34th

Average Rating

7.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of September 2025, in the Container Security category, the mindshare of Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) is 0.8%, up from 0.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SUSE Rancher is 0.4%, up from 0.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Container Security Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)	0.8%
SUSE Rancher	0.4%
Other	98.8%

Container Security

Featured Reviews

Shaijith KB

Senior System Specialist 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

"It is easy to deploy."

"AKS is easy to use. We can scale up and down as needed with AKS, which saves us money on our cloud costs."

"I found the Helm deployment feature of the solution valuable."

"It is appealing to us due to its complexity, which aligns well with our requirements."

"The tool is budget-friendly."

"AKS as a service is very good when you need to leverage applications or functions with much variability in their usage because you're trying to be as efficient as you can with resources."

"Its support team resolves technical issues accurately."

"The integration with Azure's security capabilities is very good. The Azure-managed identity and integration with the Azure application gateway for App Ingress are valuable features. Additionally, it is a very stable tool."

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."

"AKS has the potential to enhance pricing by enabling us to explore ways to increase cost transparency. However, it's important to note that this refers to computation costs rather than client costs. Our objective is to optimize efficiency and minimize unnecessary expenses. Therefore, we aim to identify which services within the platform can benefit from improved consumption patterns. This is the focus of our ongoing research, with the goal of maximizing computational power within the cluster. We aim to avoid situations where resources are reserved but not utilized effectively. Additionally, our strong emphasis on security ensures that we adhere to all relevant compliance standards, bolstering our overall trustworthiness."

"The solution is not particularly user-friendly for novice administrators, making it challenging to understand certain aspects."

"Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) is more flexible but more complex to maintain."

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

"Unfortunately, when a microservice fails, Azure can take up to 60 seconds to broadcast an alert to the monitoring agents."

"The costs could be optimized in some way."

"This is a fairly expensive solution, which can make it prohibitive for smaller organizations."

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

"The product is expensive."

"The product is expensive in terms of scalability."

"It is not expensive."

"It is an expensive solution."

"Azure Kubernetes Service offers a pay-as-you-go licensing model."

"You pay for what you use."

"The price of AKS is expensive. We pay approximately $10,000 monthly."

"It is expensive compared to other vendors."

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

11%

Manufacturing Company

Government

Financial Services Firm

16%

Computer Software Company

15%

Transportation Company

Comms Service Provider

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	15
Midsize Enterprise	6
Large Enterprise	22

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)?

Could you please tell what areas of Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) you think could be improved or enhanced? It doesn't necessarily have to be something advanced. Perhaps there are some minor things...

See all answers

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

Could you please describe your customers' usual use cases for Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)?

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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 8% of the time

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Compared 5% of the time

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Compared 3% of the time

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Compared 3% of the time

More Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) Competitors

SUSE NeuVector vs SUSE Rancher

Compared 23% of the time

Prisma Cloud by Palo Alto Networks vs SUSE Rancher

Compared 18% of the time

Red Hat Advanced Cluster Security for Kubernetes vs SUSE Rancher

Compared 17% of the time

More SUSE Rancher Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)

September 2025

Download Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) product report

Buyer's Guide

Container Security

August 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

July 2025

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

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