Microsoft Azure vs RTK-DC: Complete Comparison (2026)
An in-depth comparison of Microsoft Azure and RTK-DC to help you choose the right tool for your business.
Last updated: November 2026
Microsoft Azure
7.1/10
Microsoft's public cloud platform offering virtual machines, containers, serverless, databases, storage and AI services on pay-as-you-go pricing for businesses of all sizes.
RTK-DC
5.9/10
RTK-DC is Rostelecom's data center and cloud subsidiary. It offers colocation, public cloud IaaS, Kubernetes, managed databases and GPU capacity to Russian businesses.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Feature | | |
|---|---|---|
| Scores | ||
| Overall Rating | 7.1/10 | 5.9/10 |
| Integration | 9/10 | 5/10 |
| Support | 5/10 | 6/10 |
| Cost | 4/10 | 4/10 |
| Customization | 9/10 | 6/10 |
| Security | 9/10 | 7/10 |
| Reliability | 8/10 | 7/10 |
| Ease of Use | 4/10 | 5/10 |
| Analytics | 8/10 | 5/10 |
| Scalability | 9/10 | 7/10 |
| Pricing | ||
| Free plan | Yes | No |
| Cheapest paid plan | Contact for pricing | Contact for pricing |
| Estimated cost for 10 users | Free Azure free account | Contact for pricing |
| Features | ||
| Cloud Compute | ||
| Managed Databases | ||
| Managed Kubernetes | ||
| Multiple Regions | ||
| Automatic Backups | Not listed | |
| Content Delivery Network | Not listed | |
| DDoS Protection | Not listed | |
| Free SSL Certificates | Not listed | |
| Object Storage | Not listed | |
| Serverless Functions | Not listed | |
| Shared Hosting | Not listed | |
| VPS Hosting | Not listed | |
Microsoft Azure vs RTK-DC cost by team size
| Team size | Microsoft Azure | RTK-DC |
|---|---|---|
| 1 user | FreeAzure free account | Contact for pricing |
| 5 users | FreeAzure free account | Contact for pricing |
| 10 users | FreeAzure free account | Contact for pricing |
| 25 users | FreeAzure free account | Contact for pricing |
| 50 users | FreeAzure free account | Contact for pricing |
The plan that fits each team size, billed monthly, before add-ons and usage charges. Each cost opens that tool's pricing calculator for the team size.
Which One Should You Choose?
Why choose Microsoft Azure
- Has a free plan (RTK-DC does not)
- Higher Integration score (9/10 vs 5/10)
- Higher Customization score (9/10 vs 6/10)
- Better fit for startups (6/10 vs 3/10)
Why choose RTK-DC
- Higher Support score (6/10 vs 5/10)
- Higher Ease of Use score (5/10 vs 4/10)
Pros & Cons
Microsoft Azure
Pros
- Free account includes a 200 USD credit plus always-free allowances such as 1 million Functions requests and Azure DevOps for 5 users.
- Close integration with Microsoft products such as Entra ID and Power BI is repeatedly praised by reviewers.
- Very broad catalogue covering compute, Kubernetes, serverless, databases, storage and AI services.
- Global footprint of over 400 datacenters across 70 regions as of fiscal 2025.
- Reviewers credit built-in identity management and security.
Cons
- Reviewers on Capterra and TrustRadius say monthly bills are hard to understand and predict.
- Steep learning curve, with many services carrying similar names.
- Some PeerSpot reviewers report support tickets taking weeks or months to resolve.
- Paid support is extra, from 29 to 1,000 USD per month beyond the free Basic plan.
- Integration with non-Microsoft platforms and documentation for new releases draw criticism.
RTK-DC
Pros
- One of Russia's largest commercial data center networks, with about 25 Tier III sites cited in 2025
- Covers colocation through managed Kubernetes and six managed database engines from a single provider
- Offers GPU capacity on NVIDIA H200 for AI workloads
- A single cloud.rt.ru portal manages both colocation requests and cloud resources
Cons
- No public pricing, so every service needs a quote
- Focused on Russia, with little English-language documentation
- The company websites blocked automated access during research, which limited verification
- Little independent user review coverage on G2 or Capterra
Not sold on either?
Frequently Asked Questions
Microsoft Azure scores higher on our Hosting & Infrastructure criteria: 7.1/10 against 5.9/10 for RTK-DC. The largest gap is in Integration: 9/10 for Microsoft Azure and 5/10 for RTK-DC.
Microsoft Azure has a free plan; RTK-DC does not list one.
Microsoft Azure is the better fit for startups: we rate it 6/10 for them, against 3/10 for RTK-DC.
