Microsoft Foundry (formerly Azure AI Studio) vs Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform (formerly Vertex AI)

Microsoft Foundry (formerly Azure AI Studio) and Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform (formerly Vertex AI) are both AI Infrastructure & Deployment tools (Cloud AI Platforms). Below: what each costs, what it does well, its biggest catches, and who should pick which, all from public sources rather than our own testing.

Renamed: Azure AI Studio was renamed Azure AI Foundry, and is now Microsoft Foundry. Sources: [1]

Renamed: Google renamed Vertex AI to Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform in April 2026. Sources: [1]

Side by side

Microsoft Foundry (formerly Azure AI Studio) RenamedGemini Enterprise Agent Platform (formerly Vertex AI) Renamed
CategoryEnterprise AI Platforms · AI Development SuiteEnterprise AI Platforms · Cloud ML Platform
PricingConsumption-based. The platform is free, services are billed separately. (checked Oct 11, 2026)Usage-based. Up to $300 new-customer credits. Agent Compute free up to 50 hrs/mo, then $0.085/hr. (checked Oct 11, 2026)
Pros
  • Microsoft's managed platform for building and deploying AI apps and agents
  • Free to explore, pay only for the services you use
  • Enterprise security and compliance on Azure
  • Google Cloud's full ML and agent platform, with Gemini and third-party models
  • New customers get up to $300 in credits, and some APIs are free for 90 days
  • Free Agent Compute up to 50 hours a month
Catches
  • Renamed twice (Azure AI Studio, then Azure AI Foundry, then Microsoft Foundry), so docs and tutorials are confusing
  • Costs spread across tokens, compute/PTUs, storage, fine-tuning and connectors
  • Provisioned throughput is billed hourly whether you use it or not
  • Renamed from Vertex AI in April 2026, so older docs and tutorials use the old name
  • Usage-based billing across compute, memory, storage and services is complex
  • Built for cloud engineers, not casual users
Best forEnterprises already on Azure.Teams building production AI on Google Cloud.
Skip it ifYou want simple, flat pricing.You just want a chatbot or simple API key.

Which should you pick?

Pick Microsoft Foundry (formerly Azure AI Studio) if…

you fit this: enterprises already on Azure.

But not if: you want simple, flat pricing.

Watch out for: Renamed twice (Azure AI Studio, then Azure AI Foundry, then Microsoft Foundry), so docs and tutorials are confusing.

Pick Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform (formerly Vertex AI) if…

you fit this: teams building production AI on Google Cloud.

But not if: you just want a chatbot or simple API key.

Watch out for: Renamed from Vertex AI in April 2026, so older docs and tutorials use the old name.

More options

Sources

Microsoft Foundry (formerly Azure AI Studio)

Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform (formerly Vertex AI)

Pros, catches and prices are compiled from public sources (official pricing and docs pages, published reviews, user reports), not hands-on testing. Prices change often, so check the vendor page before you buy.