IBM Db2 on Cloud vs Microsoft Azure SQL Database comparison

IBM and Microsoft are both solutions in the Database as a Service (DBaaS) category. IBM is ranked #13 with an average rating of 8.0, while Microsoft is ranked #2 with an average rating of 8.6. IBM holds a 1.7% mindshare in DS, compared to Microsoft’s 13.0% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of IBM users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 96% of Microsoft users who would recommend it.

IBM Db2 on Cloud

Read 2 IBM Db2 on Cloud reviews

274 Views
271 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Microsoft Azure SQL Database

Read 118 Microsoft Azure SQL Database reviews

3,204 Views
3,172 Comparison Views

96% willing to recommend

IBM Db2 on Cloud

Microsoft Azure SQL Database

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Aug 12, 2024

Microsoft Azure SQL Database and IBM Db2 on Cloud are leading cloud database solutions with distinct strengths. Users are more satisfied with the pricing and support of Microsoft Azure SQL Database, while IBM Db2 on Cloud is praised for its robust features, making it a preferred choice for complex database requirements.

Features: Microsoft Azure SQL Database impresses users with its scalability, automated backups, and advanced security features. IBM Db2 on Cloud is highly valued for its seamless integration capabilities, powerful analytics, and high availability. The main difference lies in IBM Db2 on Cloud's superior data analytics and integration.

Room for Improvement: Users of Microsoft Azure SQL Database desire better query performance optimization and more comprehensive documentation. For IBM Db2 on Cloud, users request more intuitive configuration options and enhanced customer support. Both products could improve their user education and support services.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Microsoft Azure SQL Database is commended for its straightforward deployment and reliable customer support. IBM Db2 on Cloud offers strong deployment options but occasionally falls short in timely customer service responses. Microsoft Azure SQL Database is preferred for its ease of use.

Pricing and ROI: Microsoft Azure SQL Database is praised for its cost-effectiveness and good ROI, especially for small to medium enterprises. IBM Db2 on Cloud, while more expensive, is seen as worth the investment for larger organizations needing advanced features. Microsoft Azure SQL Database offers better initial value, whereas IBM Db2 on Cloud provides long-term benefits for specific use cases.

To learn more, read our detailed IBM Db2 on Cloud vs. Microsoft Azure SQL Database Report (Updated: September 2025).

Buyer's Guide

IBM Db2 on Cloud vs. Microsoft Azure SQL Database

September 2025

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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

IBM Db2 on Cloud

Ranking in Database as a Service (DBaaS)

13th

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Microsoft Azure SQL Database

Ranking in Database as a Service (DBaaS)

2nd

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.1

Number of Reviews

118

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of September 2025, in the Database as a Service (DBaaS) category, the mindshare of IBM Db2 on Cloud is 1.7%, up from 0.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Azure SQL Database is 13.0%, down from 18.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Database as a Service (DBaaS) Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Microsoft Azure SQL Database	13.0%
IBM Db2 on Cloud	1.7%
Other	85.3%

Database as a Service (DBaaS)

Featured Reviews

FarhanFarhan

Database Engineer at Meezan Bank

Multi-node architecture and it is good from a security point of view

I would rate the stability a seven out of ten. Most of the issues we faced during troubleshooting were due to specific bugs in the environment, and the only solution was to upgrade the database environment or services. But it is not easy to upgrade the database level when third-party applications are involved, as they are not always comfortable with upgrading. There should be some cumulative solution provided by IBM for their customers, just like other vendors. Upgrading to a certain version doesn't always resolve the issue. It might get resolved at the database level, but what about the other applications integrated with that database that are only compatible with older versions?

Read full review

Charley Hanania

Data Platform Specialist at QS2 AG - Quality Software Solutions

It is very easy to implement, manage, and offers great insights into what is happening inside the engine

Microsoft Azure SQL Database is integrated into other Azure capabilities and has a great foundation being on SQL Server with a long history of security, performance, and usability from a DBA perspective. Once you've set up a server, adding databases is easy. There's a minor challenge with having data in separate databases that you want to connect like we do on premises. I'm looking forward to using some of these new AI-driven functions that have come out around vectorization. Having the data closer to my transactional databases or data makes it easy to augment and enhance the Database and applications I currently use. It's great that Azure SQL now seamlessly integrates with Microsoft Fabric. It's a first-tier service in the cloud that connects to web applications and other databases. The data transformation orchestration capabilities within Database Factory and similar capabilities make it effortless to move that stuff forward.

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

"The reliability is the most valuable feature. It is also user-friendly."

"Multiple business departments rely on reports and predictive analysis to make decisions for future business based on their data warehouse and Db2 network analytics tool. It helps our business department make decisions."

"They have good documentation. It's concentrated information."

"The ease of scaling the server up and down by simply pressing a few buttons in a dropdown menu has made our lives significantly more comfortable, especially as we aim to process more data this year by utilizing the cloud."

"I prefer using Microsoft SQL Server because I like the experience and the way Microsoft handles the query tuning and security."

"The most valuable feature from the infra point of view is you don't have to keep any on-prem infrastructure, it is available all the time whenever you want to access it."

"The automated scalability feature of SQL Azure has proven to be highly beneficial, particularly when deployed in the cloud."

"I rate Microsoft Azure SQL Database 10 out of 10."

"SQL Azure is reliable and scales well."

"We appreciate that Microsoft Azure SQL Database supplies reliability and efficiency with its infrastructure, which is very beneficial to our organization."

More Microsoft Azure SQL Database pros

Cons

"I would give their support a ten if they had more tutorials available."

"In other environments like Oracle or Teradata, they provide their own solutions for troubleshooting issues. They provide built-in AI services or autonomous databases, which I don't see in the Db2 environment."

"It's not a feature, but the solution only offers a certain amount of memory and that's limiting. The scalability should be extended to more than two terabytes."

"I think that the cost management in SQL is not clear because we may use some tax to identify products, but in some cases identifying the transactions in SQL is not easy for some financial cost centers."

"Pricing could be improved to make Microsoft Azure SQL Database more accessible."

"Lack of flexibility for developers in terms of performance assistance."

"We need improvement in the latency between availability zones. The managed SQL MI does not allow us to control the zone it runs in, which affects latency."

"The way it has been designed, in the on-premises deployments, the underlying Windows OS is highly scalable but has a very large resource requirement. A lot of power-related and memory-related things are there, which I have not seen in the RHEL and Oracle. I have not tried SQL on RHEL EXEC. On Windows, infrastructure-wise, a very large workload is running on the SQL. This issue is related to Windows, not SQL."

"SQL Azure could improve the feature set. They are catching up to Microsoft SQL Server."

"One area for improvement is data virtualization. Companies use different data sources, creating a separate data virtualization layer, and there are more data sources behind that layer. For example, we have different data layers for Excel, SQL Server, PostgreSQL, etc. Creating a data virtualization layer would help because you retain the metadata of your source data."

More Microsoft Azure SQL Database cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available

"The price could be slightly cheaper."

"It is reasonable."

"It is expensive for us. We are looking for something less expensive and thinking of migrating the whole system."

"Microsoft services are costly, which is the only problem we face. So, pricing is an area of improvement."

"From a licensing benefit standpoint, we have clients who are coming with their own SQL licensing with Software Assurance, and they are able to use those licenses for their Azure SQL and reduce costs."

"I have an annual spend number, and it is in the hundred thousand dollar range. There are no additional costs to the standard licensing fees. Even though you have to look at the cost numbers of what you're going to be charged on a monthly basis, what you have to also remember is that your application may need a lot of rewriting and things like that. You get charged not just for the monthly costs but also for the transactions that occur. If your access to the data layer is not so efficient, your costs will go up because you're pulling far more data than you potentially need. These are hidden costs that nobody ever considers. If your application is not written very efficiently, you may actually increase your costs over on-prem versus cloud."

"SQL Azure is an expensive solution."

"We have had some issues with the licensing of the solution."

More Microsoft Azure SQL Database pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

No data available

Financial Services Firm

14%

Computer Software Company

11%

Manufacturing Company

Healthcare Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	55
Midsize Enterprise	15
Large Enterprise	50

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with IBM Db2 on Cloud?

In other environments like Oracle or Teradata, they provide their own solutions for troubleshooting issues. They provide built-in AI services or autonomous databases, which I don't see in the Db2 e...

See all answers

What advice do you have for others considering IBM Db2 on Cloud?

Since I have worked with almost every product, including IBM, Teradata is far better than any other data warehouse product. It's a separate database with its own features, architecture, and working...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for IBM Db2 on Cloud?

It's a multi-node logical database clustered in three physical nodes. We use a lot of services already provided in our private cloud environment. It's a multi-node architecture.

See all answers

What do you like most about SQL Azure?

The automated scalability feature of SQL Azure has proven to be highly beneficial, particularly when deployed in the cloud.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for SQL Azure?

The pricing of Microsoft Azure SQL Database is not cheap, affecting user uptake. A gradual reduction in price could improve accessibility and user numbers, making it easier for users to adopt the s...

See all answers

What needs improvement with SQL Azure?

I have used the Microsoft Azure SQL Database for two years now, and I don't find it satisfactory. It's slow and expensive. The Microsoft Azure SQL Database is not the latest version of Microsoft SQ...

See all answers

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Database as a Service (DBaaS)

August 2025

Download IBM Db2 on Cloud product report

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Azure SQL Database

August 2025

Download Microsoft Azure SQL Database product report

Overview

A fully-managed cloud SQL database. Powered by a turbo-charged Db2 engine.

IBM

Microsoft Azure SQL Database is a relational database-as-a-service that delivers predictable performance, scalability, business continuity, data protection, and near-zero administration to cloud developers and solution architects. This is the deep technical library for Azure SQL Database.

Microsoft

Sample Customers

Owens-Illinois, KONE Corp., Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue, Canon Europe, Delhaize America, Wimbledon

adnymics GmbH, LG CNS, Centrebet, netfabb GmbH, MedPlast, Accelera Solutions, Sochi Organizing Committee, realzeit GmbH

Buyer's Guide

IBM Db2 on Cloud vs. Microsoft Azure SQL Database

September 2025

Free Report: IBM Db2 on Cloud vs. Microsoft Azure SQL Database

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