Azure Virtual Machines VS VMware vSphere
As of 30 October 2026, VMware vSphere is named by 839 companies and Azure Virtual Machines by 143; Azure Virtual Machines skews to companies under 200 people (34% vs 36%), VMware vSphere to companies over 1,000 (38% vs 40%).
As of 30 October 2026 · refreshed daily · counts move as websites, DNS and career sites are re-read.
The website-and-DNS footprint is not comparable between a marketing suite and a CRM: Azure Virtual Machines's script and mail records show on hundreds of thousands of small sites, VMware vSphere rarely leaves a trace outside its own apps. Compare on the job-posting numbers; use the footprint for reach.
- Azure Virtual Machines: 2–200 employees
- 34%
- VMware vSphere: 2–200 employees
- 36%
- Azure Virtual Machines: 1,000+ employees
- 40%
- VMware vSphere: 1,000+ employees
- 38%
- Postings per company, 90 days
- 2.4 · 2.8
- Website or DNS footprint
- 0 · 0
Who chooses which
Share of each tool's companies in every segment. "Leans" marks a gap of more than two points.
| Segment | Azure Virtual Machines | share | VMware vSphere | share | Leans |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Self-employed | 3 | 2% | 4 | 0% | even |
| 2-10 employees | 3 | 2% | 33 | 4% | even |
| 11-50 employees | 17 | 12% | 87 | 10% | even |
| 51-200 employees | 29 | 20% | 178 | 21% | even |
| 201-500 employees | 18 | 13% | 134 | 16% | VMware vSphere |
| 501-1000 employees | 16 | 11% | 83 | 10% | even |
| 1001-5000 employees | 25 | 17% | 156 | 19% | even |
| 5001-10000 employees | 11 | 8% | 49 | 6% | even |
| 10,001+ employees | 21 | 15% | 115 | 14% | even |
| Segment | Azure Virtual Machines | share | VMware vSphere | share | Leans |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Technology & software | 66 | 46% | 371 | 44% | even |
| Business & finance services | 30 | 21% | 122 | 15% | Azure Virtual Machines |
| Manufacturing & industry | 13 | 9% | 158 | 19% | VMware vSphere |
| Public, community & associations | 6 | 4% | 22 | 3% | even |
| Consumer services & leisure | 6 | 4% | 18 | 2% | Azure Virtual Machines |
| Utilities & infrastructure | 6 | 4% | 26 | 3% | even |
| Health care | 4 | 3% | 31 | 4% | even |
| Property & construction | 4 | 3% | 14 | 2% | even |
| Automotive | 2 | 1% | 16 | 2% | even |
| Media & content | 2 | 1% | 15 | 2% | even |
| Agriculture & forestry | 1 | 1% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| Commerce & trade | 1 | 1% | 19 | 2% | even |
| Transport, logistics & rental | – | – | 19 | 2% | outside top 12 |
| Segment | Azure Virtual Machines | share | VMware vSphere | share | Leans |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 82 | 57% | 499 | 59% | VMware vSphere |
| United Kingdom | 17 | 12% | 49 | 6% | Azure Virtual Machines |
| Canada | 9 | 6% | 22 | 3% | Azure Virtual Machines |
| India | 7 | 5% | 10 | 1% | Azure Virtual Machines |
| Germany | 5 | 3% | 89 | 11% | VMware vSphere |
| Netherlands | 3 | 2% | 11 | 1% | even |
| Brazil | 2 | 1% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| France | 2 | 1% | 25 | 3% | even |
| Sweden | 2 | 1% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| United Arab Emirates | 1 | 1% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| Australia | 1 | 1% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| Belgium | 1 | 1% | 11 | 1% | even |
| Italy | – | – | 15 | 2% | outside top 12 |
| Switzerland | – | – | 10 | 1% | outside top 12 |
| Austria | – | – | 9 | 1% | outside top 12 |
| Poland | – | – | 8 | 1% | outside top 12 |
| Segment | Azure Virtual Machines | share | VMware vSphere | share | Leans |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IT operations & business systems | 284 | 59% | 2,138 | 64% | VMware vSphere |
| Software engineering | 88 | 18% | 268 | 8% | Azure Virtual Machines |
| Data & AI | 12 | 2% | 6 | 0% | Azure Virtual Machines |
| Engineering (non-software) | 12 | 2% | 262 | 8% | VMware vSphere |
| Customer service & success | 8 | 2% | 44 | 1% | even |
| Product, program & project management | 5 | 1% | 52 | 2% | even |
| Education & training | 2 | 0% | 23 | 1% | even |
| Hospitality and food service | 2 | 0% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| Quality, safety & environment | 2 | 0% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| Administration & office | 1 | 0% | 2 | 0% | even |
| Construction and civil | 1 | 0% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| General management & consulting | 1 | 0% | 6 | 0% | even |
| Sales | – | – | 42 | 1% | outside top 12 |
| Skilled trades and field service | – | – | 14 | 0% | outside top 12 |
| Arts media and entertainment | – | – | 2 | 0% | outside top 12 |
The companies behind each column
Companies using Azure Virtual Machines →
Companies using VMware vSphere →
virtualization vdi ranked →
Quote the sentence with the date and the link. The numbers change daily; the link always shows the current ones.
VMware vSphere is named by 839 companies in job postings and Azure Virtual Machines by 143; 20 name both. (Breaknorm, 30 October 2026, https://breaknorm.co/compare/azure-virtual-machines-vs-vmware-vsphere)
Read from the source, not self-reported
Every number on this page can be traced to a page we crawled or a posting we read. Full methodology →
- Job postingsRead hourly from career sites. A tool counts when the employer's own text names it as the team's system; both tools can count for one company.
- Website and DNSScripts and embeds on the company's pages, plus SPF, DKIM, MX and CNAME records of its domain that point at the vendor.
- SegmentsCountry, size and industry from the company profile built from its website.
- Not a reviewNo ratings, prices or feature claims. For those, read the vendors.
Azure Virtual Machines vs VMware vSphere: questions
Which is more used, Azure Virtual Machines or VMware vSphere?
By companies naming it in their own job postings, VMware vSphere (839) over Azure Virtual Machines (143). By website-and-DNS footprint, VMware vSphere (0 vs 0), because its scripts and mail records sit on many small company sites.
Who chooses Azure Virtual Machines?
34% of Azure Virtual Machines companies have 2 to 200 employees, against 36% for VMware vSphere. 40% of Azure Virtual Machines companies have over 1,000 employees, against 38% for VMware vSphere.
Do companies run both?
20 companies name both in their postings, usually Azure Virtual Machines in marketing and VMware vSphere in sales, or during a migration.
Where do these numbers come from?
From the employer's own text in job postings read hourly from career sites, and from scripts found on company websites in our crawl. No vendor data, no surveys.
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