Vision & documents
Amazon Rekognition vs Azure Face
Rekognition face APIs map to Azure Face.
Azure Face recognition is Limited Access, so you have to apply and be a Microsoft-managed customer or partner.
Side-by-side comparison
| Aspect | Amazon Web Services | Microsoft Azure |
|---|---|---|
| Service | Amazon Rekognition | Azure Face |
| Lifecycle | Streaming Events and Batch Image Content Moderation are in maintenance (Mar 31, 2026). Person Pathing was fully shut down Oct 31, 2025. | Limited Access. Face recognition requires a Microsoft intake form and is only available to Microsoft-managed customers and partners. Emotion and gender attributes are retired. |
| What it is | Prebuilt image and video analysis. Labels, text, moderation, face detection, comparison and search, celebrity recognition, and Face Liveness. | Face detection, verification, identification, and liveness. |
| Pricing model | Per image processed plus per stored face metadata per month. | Per transaction, tiered, plus per stored face per month. |
| Docs | Amazon Rekognition docs | Azure Face docs |
| Pricing page | Amazon Rekognition pricing | Azure Face pricing |
| Exams | AIF-C01 | AI-103 |
Key differences
- Azure has retired the emotion and gender attributes and restricts age, smile, facial hair, hair, and makeup attributes.
- Rekognition offers face collections, search, comparison, celebrity recognition, and Face Liveness without an approval process (subject to AWS policies).
Pricing summary
Pricing models only. No prices are quoted because they change by region and over time.
- AWS
- Per image processed plus per stored face metadata per month. Amazon Rekognition pricing →
- Azure
- Per transaction, tiered, plus per stored face per month. Azure Face pricing →
Certification exam mapping
| Exam | Provider | Level | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| AWS Certified AI Practitioner AIF-C01 | AWS | Foundational | current Italian and German versions retire after Oct 15, 2026 (per AWS cert page). |
| Microsoft Certified – Azure AI Apps and Agents Developer Associate AI-103 | Azure | Associate | current Generative AI and agentic solutions with Microsoft Foundry using Python. Successor in scope to the retired AI-102. |
Relevance is based on each exam's published scope, not a line-by-line objective match. Check the official study guide.
Verification notes
- "Without an approval process" for Rekognition reflects the docs reviewed. Some AWS Regions or use cases may carry additional terms.
FAQ
What is the Azure equivalent of Amazon Rekognition?
Rekognition face APIs map to Azure Face. Azure Face recognition is Limited Access, so you have to apply and be a Microsoft-managed customer or partner.
How does pricing compare between Amazon Rekognition and Azure Face?
AWS: Per image processed plus per stored face metadata per month. Azure: Per transaction, tiered, plus per stored face per month. Check the official pricing pages for current rates.
Which certification exams cover this topic?
AWS Certified AI Practitioner (AIF-C01); Microsoft Certified – Azure AI Apps and Agents Developer Associate (AI-103).