Azure OpenAI
Short answer
Azure OpenAI delivers OpenAI models (GPT-5.5, GPT-5.4, embeddings, etc.) through Microsoft's enterprise cloud — same token prices as OpenAI direct, but with Azure governance, regional deployment, and private networking.
For GPT-class models, Azure OpenAI and OpenAI direct list identical token prices on the headline numbers — Azure inherits OpenAI's per-token rates. The decision between them is operational, not financial:
- Choose Azure OpenAI if you need Microsoft enterprise compliance, private networking, regional data residency, or unified billing with other Azure services.
- Choose OpenAI direct if you want the simplest onboarding and typically earlier access to new models and features.
Quotas and rate limits differ: Azure limits are tied to the deployment and region you provision; OpenAI direct limits are tied to your account tier.