Vision & documents
Amazon Rekognition vs Azure AI Video Indexer
Amazon Rekognition Video maps to Azure AI Video Indexer.
Video Indexer is a broader "insights" application (transcripts, translation, topics, generative summaries) rather than a low-level detection API.
Side-by-side comparison
| Aspect | Amazon Web Services | Microsoft Azure |
|---|---|---|
| Service | Amazon Rekognition | Azure AI Video Indexer |
| Lifecycle | Streaming Events and Batch Image Content Moderation are in maintenance (Mar 31, 2026). Person Pathing was fully shut down Oct 31, 2025. | Generally available |
| What it is | Prebuilt image and video analysis. Labels, text, moderation, face detection, comparison and search, celebrity recognition, and Face Liveness. | Video and audio insights (transcription, translation, faces, objects, OCR, topics, generative summaries). Available cloud-based or at the edge through Azure Arc, including live-stream analysis. |
| Pricing model | Per minute of video analyzed, by feature. | Per minute of video/audio indexed, by preset. |
| Docs | Amazon Rekognition docs | Azure AI Video Indexer docs |
| Pricing page | Amazon Rekognition pricing | Azure AI Video Indexer pricing |
| Exams | AIF-C01 | AI-103 |
Key differences
- Rekognition Video Streaming Events entered maintenance on Mar 31, 2026, and Person Pathing was shut down on Oct 31, 2025.
- Video Indexer can run at the edge as an Azure Arc extension, including live video analysis.
- For GenAI video understanding, AWS also offers TwelveLabs models and Nova on Bedrock, and Bedrock Data Automation. On Azure, Content Understanding handles video.
Pricing summary
Pricing models only. No prices are quoted because they change by region and over time.
- AWS
- Per minute of video analyzed, by feature. Amazon Rekognition pricing →
- Azure
- Per minute of video/audio indexed, by preset. Azure AI Video Indexer 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.
FAQ
What is the Azure equivalent of Amazon Rekognition?
Amazon Rekognition Video maps to Azure AI Video Indexer. Video Indexer is a broader "insights" application (transcripts, translation, topics, generative summaries) rather than a low-level detection API.
How does pricing compare between Amazon Rekognition and Azure AI Video Indexer?
AWS: Per minute of video analyzed, by feature. Azure: Per minute of video/audio indexed, by preset. 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).