Microsoft Azure
Together AI
| Feature | Microsoft Azure | Together AI |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free / from $0/mo | Free only |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4.4 / 5 | 4.4 / 5 |
| Best For | enterprises, microsoft-shops, hybrid-cloud, ai-ml-teams | ai-developers, startups, cost-conscious-teams, open-source-advocates |
| Founded | 2010 | 2022 |
| Virtual Machines | ✓ | ✗ |
| Azure Functions | ✓ | ✗ |
| Cosmos Db | ✓ | ✗ |
| Azure Devops | ✓ | ✗ |
| Active Directory | ✓ | ✗ |
| Openai Service | ✓ | ✗ |
| Kubernetes Aks | ✓ | ✗ |
| Inference Api | ✗ | ✓ |
| Fine Tuning | ✗ | ✓ |
| Custom Models | ✗ | ✓ |
| Openai Compatibility | ✗ | ✓ |
| Batch Processing | ✗ | ✓ |
| Embeddings | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ Microsoft Azure Pros
- Best integration with Microsoft ecosystem (365, AD, Teams)
- Strong hybrid cloud support with Azure Arc
- Enterprise-grade compliance and security
- Excellent AI/ML services including OpenAI partnership
✗ Microsoft Azure Cons
- Portal can be confusing with inconsistent UX
- Documentation quality varies across services
- Pricing complexity rivals AWS
✓ Together AI Pros
- Fast inference speeds
- OpenAI-compatible API
- Cheaper than OpenAI for many models
- Custom model fine-tuning
✗ Together AI Cons
- Only open-source models
- Limited compared to full cloud providers
- Newer platform
The Verdict
Microsoft Azure is built for enterprises and microsoft shops, with a focus on virtual-machines and azure-functions. Together AI targets ai developers and startups and leads with inference-api and fine-tuning.
Together AI uses custom enterprise pricing, while Microsoft Azure starts at $0/mo — a tangible advantage for teams with a fixed budget.
Both offer free plans, so you can test each with your real workflow before committing to a subscription.
Feature-wise, Microsoft Azure offers broader built-in capabilities (7 features vs 6), while Together AI takes a more focused approach — which can mean a simpler, faster onboarding experience.
This is a genuinely close comparison. If you can, sign up for both free trials (where available) and run a one-week test with your actual team tasks before deciding.