VMware NSX vs Azure Virtual Network Manager

VMware NSX9.3Visit Azure Virtual Network Manager8.2Visit

Higher score VMware NSX #1 in Software-Defined Networking Software 9.3/10 Pricing on request ✓ 2 of 2 features Visit VMware NSX

vs

Azure Virtual Network Manager #8 in Software-Defined Networking Software 8.2/10 Paid ✓ 2 of 2 features Visit Microsoft

• VMware NSX fits best

  Virtualized and hybrid-cloud networking

• Azure Virtual Network Manager fits best

  Azure virtual-network governance

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Side by side

Feature	VMware NSX 9.3/10 Visit ↗	Azure Virtual Network Manager 8.2/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.3	8.2
Ranking	#1 in Software-Defined Networking Software	#8 in Software-Defined Networking Software
Best for	Virtualized and hybrid-cloud networking	Azure virtual-network governance
Pricing model	Paid	Paid
Starting price	Pricing on request	—
Free plan	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Cloud, Self-hosted	Cloud
Platforms	Web	Web
Support	Docs	Docs
Integrations	9 integrations	6 integrations
Built for	Mid-market, Enterprise	Mid-market, Enterprise
Features VMware NSX 2/2 · Azure Virtual Network Manager 2/2
Policy segmentation	✓	✓
Northbound API	✓	✓
Specs
Deployment model	Hybrid	Cloud
Control-plane model	Hybrid	Centralized
Supported protocols	GENEVE, VLAN, VXLAN, REST, HTTPS, IPFIX, Syslog, IPsec, BGP, OSPF, IS-IS, IPv4, IPv6	TCP, UDP, ICMP, ESP, AH, Any protocols
Managed device limit	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Our review
Pros	Combines overlays, routing, firewalls, VPN, NAT, DHCP, and load balancing Micro-segmentation isolates workloads through centralized, policy-based controls Integrates with VMware, OpenStack, AWS, Azure, Ansible, and Terraform	Centralizes hub-and-spoke, mesh, routing, and security policies Supports management across subscriptions, tenants, and regions Works with Azure CLI, PowerShell, Bicep, Terraform, and REST API
Cons	Contact-sales pricing makes direct cost comparison difficult Closed-source software is not suited to open-source-first teams Its broad enterprise scope may exceed simpler networking requirements	Cloud-only deployment limits use outside Azure environments Usage-based billing spans subscriptions, virtual networks, and active IPs Advanced capabilities add separate billing dimensions
Our verdict	VMware NSX is a software-defined networking and security platform for enterprise data centers, private clouds, and public-cloud workloads. It provides logical Layer 2 overlay networking with GENEVE, distributed and gateway firewalls,… Read the review →	Azure Virtual Network Manager is a centralized cloud service for organizing, configuring, deploying, and managing Azure virtual networks. It is designed for organizations that need consistent connectivity and security policies across… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• VMware NSX — where it wins

  • Combines overlays, routing, firewalls, VPN, NAT, DHCP, and load balancing
  • Micro-segmentation isolates workloads through centralized, policy-based controls
  • Integrates with VMware, OpenStack, AWS, Azure, Ansible, and Terraform

  Where it doesn't

  • Contact-sales pricing makes direct cost comparison difficult
  • Closed-source software is not suited to open-source-first teams
  • Its broad enterprise scope may exceed simpler networking requirements

• Azure Virtual Network Manager — where it wins

  • Centralizes hub-and-spoke, mesh, routing, and security policies
  • Supports management across subscriptions, tenants, and regions
  • Works with Azure CLI, PowerShell, Bicep, Terraform, and REST API

  Where it doesn't

  • Cloud-only deployment limits use outside Azure environments
  • Usage-based billing spans subscriptions, virtual networks, and active IPs
  • Advanced capabilities add separate billing dimensions

• VMware NSX9.3/10 · Pricing on request

  A broad hybrid-cloud networking and security platform with contact-sales pricing.

  Visit VMware NSXFull verdict →
• Azure Virtual Network Manager8.2/10 · Paid

  A centralized Azure control plane for network grouping, policy, routing, and verification.

  Visit MicrosoftFull verdict →