Brandwave

Cloudflare vs Microsoft Azure:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Cloudflare had more branded searches than Microsoft Azure among cloud hosting platforms worldwide. Cloudflare had about 4.1 million branded searches, while Microsoft Azure had 1.2 million. Cloudflare made up 31.2% of all cloud hosting platform searches we track, and Microsoft Azure accounted for 9.3%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about cloud hosting platforms, Microsoft Azure appeared in four of the five answers and Cloudflare in two. Microsoft Azure was mentioned before Cloudflare in three out of four answers that named either.

Among cloud hosting platforms worldwide in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Cloudflare, about 3 searches for every 1 for Microsoft Azure

Cloudflare 4.1M searchesMicrosoft Azure 1.2M searches

Who does AI mention more?

Microsoft Azure, mentioned in 4 of 5 answers, Cloudflare in 2

Microsoft Azure in 4 of 5Cloudflare in 2 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

Microsoft Azure, named ahead of Cloudflare in 3 of 4 answers

Microsoft Azure first in 3Cloudflare first in 1

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Top cloud hosting platforms in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Microsoft Azure was mentioned in four out of five: in all three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Cloudflare was mentioned in two out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers, but not in either of the two Google AI Overviews. Microsoft Azure was listed before Cloudflare in three out of four answers that named either.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. Amazon Web Services1st
  2. Google Cloud2nd
  3. Microsoft Azure3rd
  4. Vercel4th
  5. Cloudways5th
  6. DigitalOcean6th
  7. Cloudflare7th
  8. Linode–

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • Google Cloud5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Amazon Web Services5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Microsoft Azure4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • DigitalOcean4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Vercel3 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Cloudflare2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Cloudways2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Linode0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about cloud hosting platforms

5 answers

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 19, 2026.

Is Cloudflare or Microsoft Azure more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Cloudflare and Microsoft Azure by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all eight cloud hosting platforms we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.

Cloudflare and Microsoft Azure among cloud hosting platforms worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for Cloudflare, Microsoft Azure. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthCloudflareVercelGoogle CloudAmazon Web ServicesMicrosoft AzureLinodeCloudwaysDigitalOcean
Oct 202516.2%8.8%16.4%44.2%13.2%0.65%0.53%<0.01%
Nov 202555.3%7.4%13.7%13.6%9.1%0.45%0.45%<0.01%
Dec 202538%11.3%21.1%17%11.3%0.69%0.69%<0.01%
Jan 202627.4%15%22.7%18.3%15%0.74%0.74%<0.01%
Feb 202626.9%18%24%18%12%0.49%0.73%<0.01%
Mar 202627%18%23.7%18%12.1%0.4%0.73%<0.01%
Apr 202627.9%22.8%22.7%15.2%10.2%0.41%0.75%<0.01%
May 202629.7%19.8%22.2%16.2%10.8%0.44%0.8%0%
Jun 202629.3%19.6%23.2%16%10.7%0.53%0.65%0%
Jul 202630%20%21.5%16.4%10.9%0.54%0.66%<0.01%
Aug 202632.3%21.6%20.9%14.5%9.6%0.48%0.58%0%
Sep 202631.2%20.9%20.2%17.1%9.3%0.69%0.57%<0.01%

How has the Cloudflare and Microsoft Azure comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings

How did search popularity change for cloud hosting platforms worldwide in September 2026?

2 changes

  1. In September 2026, Cloudflare lost share of searches among cloud hosting platforms worldwide, from 32.3% to 31.2%.

  2. Estimated monthly branded searches for Microsoft Azure worldwide fell 33.3% over 12 measured months, from 1.8M to 1.2M in September 2026.

How are branded searches counted?

2 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Cloudflare’s and Microsoft Azure’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.

Cloudflare

1 branded search term

  • cloudflare

Microsoft Azure

1 branded search term

  • azure

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among cloud hosting platforms

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