Amazon EFS (Elastic File System) vs Amazon S3 comparison

The compared Amazon EFS (Elastic File System) and Amazon S3 solutions aren't in the same category. Amazon EFS (Elastic File System) is ranked #4 in CS , with an average rating of 8.0, and holds a 8.0% mindshare in the category. Amazon S3 is ranked #2 in PCSS , with an average rating of 8.7, and holds a 11.5% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Amazon EFS (Elastic File System) users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 98% of Amazon S3 users who would recommend it.

Amazon EFS (Elastic File Sy...

Read 15 Amazon EFS (Elastic File System) reviews

1,193 Views
1,029 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Amazon S3

Read 81 Amazon S3 reviews

5,148 Views
2,759 Comparison Views

98% willing to recommend

Amazon EFS (Elastic File Sy...

Amazon S3

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Amazon EFS (Elastic File System) and Amazon S3 based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out in this report how the two Cloud Storage solutions compare in terms of features, pricing, service and support, easy of deployment, and ROI.

To learn more, read our detailed Amazon EFS (Elastic File System) vs. Amazon S3 Report (Updated: March 2024).

Buyer's Guide

Amazon EFS (Elastic File System) vs. Amazon S3

March 2024

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Helped 847,862 peers since 2012

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

Amazon EFS (Elastic File Sy...

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.4

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Cloud Storage (4th), File and Object Storage (8th)

Amazon S3

Average Rating

8.8

Reviews Sentiment

7.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Public Cloud Storage Services (2nd)

Mindshare comparison

While both are Cloud Services solutions, they serve different purposes. Amazon EFS (Elastic File System) is designed for Cloud Storage and holds a mindshare of 8.0%, down 9.9% compared to last year.
Amazon S3, on the other hand, focuses on Public Cloud Storage Services, holds 11.5% mindshare, down 14.1% since last year.

Cloud Storage

Public Cloud Storage Services

Q&A Highlights

Jitendra Patel

Technology Lead, Global Database Services at Johnson & Johnson

Mar 31, 2022

What is the true cost of storing database backup to Amazon EFS (Elastic File System) vs Amazon S3?

It depends on the storage capacity you are looking for and expected data growth. You would need to ascertain these numbers before looking at backup volumes, and potential costs.

See all answers

Featured Reviews

MuhammadAzhar Khan

Senior DevOps Engineer at Alibaba Group

Auto-scaling capabilities enhance file management while reducing downtime

The most valuable feature of Amazon EFS is its auto-scaling capability. It's really easy to configure EFS by just creating it and running a command to directly configure it with my servers. It supports unlimited use, and charges are applied based on the file usage at the end of the month. The solution offers reduced downtime and increased durability through its auto-scaling features.

Read full review

Vagner Martins

Information Security Analyst at a financial services firm with 201-500 employees

Enhanced data security with seamless integration and static website capabilities

S3 is a great service offering numerous possibilities. It allows for storing objects and files of various types. I appreciate its capability to create static websites and integrate with services like CloudFront, EC2, and DynamoDB. Despite being focused on security, I leverage features such as cryptography and integration with CloudTrail.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"The platform is highly scalable."

"The solution is scalable."

"We haven't seen any downtime or challenges when using the services."

"The product's initial setup phase is easy, as per the configurations."

"Amazon EFS is extremely stable, as it is managed by AWS."

"Elastic File Systems allow me to share data, provision, and manage capacity and performance in AWS."

"The initial setup was straightforward."

More Amazon EFS (Elastic File System) pros

"The solution's peak-up time is good."

"An important feature of the Amazon S3's system is that it offers encryption while the files are at rest. This is crucial in ensuring the security of the files being restored and addressing potential security risks. That's what I would emphasize."

"We have cold storage here, and I think that's useful. When it comes to commercialization, it's cheaper to put data that you won't be using into the data storage. You only use a little bit of the data needed each day for your transition, so you pay less."

"Amazon S3 is very stable. I don't worry about data stored in the S3 bucket as it's safe."

"Cloud infrastructure is the most valuable feature."

"We appreciate that this solution is relatively easy to use, straightforward, and reliable."

"One of the benefits is being a global service, so it can be accessed from anywhere."

"Amazon S3 is easily accessible, fast and effective. Its performance is good."

More Amazon S3 pros

Cons

"There are challenges related to AWS, such as ensuring proper security measures with IMS code and encryption."

"The deployment is definitely not an easy process."

"Amazon EFS is more costly compared to other storage options available from AWS."

"Around 80 percent of the features of Amazon EFS (Elastic File System) are available on Linux and not in Windows, making it a major drawback of the product."

"It should be simplified. There are people who don't have cloud experience. It should be storage that we are able to just connect to."

"Its deployment process could be faster while installing the Python package directly into the environment."

"The product's stability has some shortcomings where improvements are required."

"It could be better in connecting with Windows Server instances."

More Amazon EFS (Elastic File System) cons

"Enhancements in security features might be beneficial."

"A feature that should be included is to find and provide a HIPPA compliant solution for the Presigned URL."

"The support is better than other cloud providers but sometimes it takes a while to have a resolution to our issues."

"I would also like S3 to have the ability to do dynamic websites without the need to do reconfigurations outside of S3. You should be able to switch on dynamic websites in S3, and then it works. I shouldn't need to go elsewhere within Amazon Web Services to get a dynamic website to work."

"You do need to get training on the setup process."

"The upload speed for data and documents is sometimes slow."

"The solution needs to improve test recognition."

"The query size in Amazon S3 has room for improvement because it's limited. Querying on Amazon S3 is also expensive with Amazon Athena, so that's another area for improvement in the solution."

More Amazon S3 cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The main challenge with EFS is its cost, which is slightly higher compared to EBS or S3. For one GB or ten GB of data, S3 is much cheaper. EFS could cost around $30 to $50 per month for similar usage."

"The solution's price is mid-ranged."

"I would rate the pricing 7 out of 10."

"It has flexible pricing. You are charged based on your storage."

"Amazon EFS (Elastic File System) offers a pay-as-you-go model, so whenever you use its services, you need to pay."

"The product's price depends on the services and the size and capacity at which it is used in a business environment."

"The product charges are based on the amount of data stored."

"It's worth the price considering its functionality."

"Not many products in the market beat the solution in terms of quality or price."

"I would rate the pricing a nine out of ten. Pricing depends on a particular class where you want save your objects. There are different classes when it comes to storage in S3."

"There is a license to use Amazon S3."

"The price of the Amazon S3 is low. The license model is based on what you use."

"The cost of Amazon S3 is low. For R & D purposes there is a free option available. There is a license needed to use the solution."

"The pricing for Amazon S3 is reasonable, so price-wise, it's a seven out of ten."

"The solution is cost-effective because it is based on a pay-as-you-go model, where I can purchase and use it according to my needs."

More Amazon S3 pricing and cost advice

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Answers from the Community

Jitendra Patel

Technology Lead, Global Database Services at Johnson & Johnson

Mar 31, 2022

What is the true cost of storing database backup to Amazon EFS (Elastic File System) vs Amazon S3?

Hi @Vipin Garg, @Oscar Mejia , @Shaban AL-Ahmad , @Nibrask Alambilat Kaniyat , @Marcelo Lucas and @Krishna Rao , Do you possibly have any answers to assist @Jitendra Patel with this question?

See 2 answers

goforitandy

IT Consultant at Woohoogeeks

Mar 22, 2022

It depends on the storage capacity you are looking for and expected data growth. You would need to ascertain these numbers before looking at backup volumes, and potential costs.

Read full answer

Evgeny Belenky

Director of Community at PeerSpot (formerly IT Central Station)

Mar 31, 2022

Hi @Vipin Garg, @Oscar Mejia , @Shaban AL-Ahmad , @Nibrask Alambilat Kaniyat , @Marcelo Lucas and @Krishna Rao , Do you possibly have any answers to assist @Jitendra Patel with this question?

Read full answer

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Educational Organization

16%

Computer Software Company

14%

Financial Services Firm

12%

Manufacturing Company

Educational Organization

76%

Computer Software Company

Financial Services Firm

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

Which file storage system is better - Amazon EFS (elastic file storage) or Azure File Storage?

Amazon EFS is easy to set up: you can use the AWS management console, API, or command-line. Amazon EFS can grow to petabytes and deliver consistent low latencies and high levels of throughput. This...

See all answers

What do you like most about Amazon EFS (Elastic File System)?

The product's initial setup phase is easy, as per the configurations.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Amazon EFS (Elastic File System)?

Amazon EFS is more costly compared to other storage options available from AWS.

See all answers

What do you like most about Amazon S3?

We can easily connect to the AWS resources.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Amazon S3?

S3 is a pay-as-you-go service. I pay based on the data volume I am using.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Amazon S3?

There is a limitation with the data upload size, such as the five terabytes restriction. I would like to see an increase in the data upload limit, similar to DynamoDB, where there is no data limit.

See all answers

Comparisons

Microsoft Azure File Storage vs Amazon EFS (Elastic File System)

Compared 54% of the time

NetApp Cloud Volumes ONTAP vs Amazon EFS (Elastic File System)

Compared 11% of the time

Google Cloud Storage vs Amazon EFS (Elastic File System)

Compared 9% of the time

Amazon S3 Glacier vs Amazon EFS (Elastic File System)

Compared 8% of the time

Red Hat Ceph Storage vs Amazon EFS (Elastic File System)

Compared 5% of the time

More Amazon EFS (Elastic File System) Competitors

NetApp Cloud Volumes ONTAP vs Amazon S3

Compared 21% of the time

Oracle Cloud Object Storage vs Amazon S3

Compared 15% of the time

Google Cloud Storage vs Amazon S3

Compared 13% of the time

Microsoft Azure File Storage vs Amazon S3

Compared 12% of the time

Rackspace Cloud Files vs Amazon S3

Compared 7% of the time

More Amazon S3 Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Amazon EFS (Elastic File System)

April 2025

Download Amazon EFS (Elastic File System) product report

Buyer's Guide

Amazon S3

April 2025

Download Amazon S3 product report

Also Known As

No data available

S3, Simple Storage Service

Overview

Amazon Elastic File System (Amazon EFS) provides simple, scalable file storage for use with Amazon EC2 instances in the AWS Cloud. Amazon EFS is easy to use and offers a simple interface that allows you to create and configure file systems quickly and easily. With Amazon EFS, storage capacity is elastic, growing and shrinking automatically as you add and remove files, so your applications have the storage they need, when they need it.

When mounted to Amazon EC2 instances, an Amazon EFS file system provides a standard file system interface and file system access semantics, allowing you to seamlessly integrate Amazon EFS with your existing applications and tools. Multiple Amazon EC2 instances can access an Amazon EFS file system at the same time, allowing Amazon EFS to provide a common data source for workloads and applications running on more than one Amazon EC2 instance.

It’s designed for high availability and durability, and provides performance for a broad spectrum of workloads and applications, including Big Data and analytics, media processing workflows, content management, web serving, and home directories.

Amazon Web Services (AWS)

Amazon Simple Storage Service is storage for the Internet. It is designed to make web-scale computing easier for developers.

Amazon S3 has a simple web services interface that you can use to store and retrieve any amount of data, at any time, from anywhere on the web. It gives any developer access to the same highly scalable, reliable, fast, inexpensive data storage infrastructure that Amazon uses to run its own global network of web sites. The service aims to maximize benefits of scale and to pass those benefits on to developers.

Amazon Web Services (AWS)

Sample Customers

Arcesium, Atlassian, Seeking Alpha, Zend

Netflix, Airbnb, Thomson Reuters, Zillow, Alert Logic

Buyer's Guide

Amazon EFS (Elastic File System) vs. Amazon S3

March 2024

Free Report: Amazon EFS (Elastic File System) vs. Amazon S3

Find out what your peers are saying about Amazon EFS (Elastic File System) vs. Amazon S3 and other solutions. Updated: March 2024.

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See our Amazon EFS (Elastic File System) vs. Amazon S3 report.

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