Try our new research platform with insights from 80,000+ expert users

Amazon EFS (Elastic File System) vs Azure Data Lake Storage comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 17, 2024

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...
Ranking in Cloud Storage
4th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.4
Number of Reviews
15
Ranking in other categories
File and Object Storage (8th)
Azure Data Lake Storage
Ranking in Cloud Storage
11th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.4
Number of Reviews
24
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the Cloud Storage category, the mindshare of Amazon EFS (Elastic File System) is 8.0%, down from 9.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Azure Data Lake Storage is 0.9%, up from 0.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Cloud Storage
 

Featured Reviews

MuhammadAzhar Khan - PeerSpot reviewer
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.
Chetan Jayatheertha - PeerSpot reviewer
Provides valuable features such as access keys, container strings, lifecycle management, audit logs, and the soft delete option
Data Lake Storage provides valuable features such as access keys, container strings, lifecycle management, audit logs, and the soft delete option. These features help in cost-saving and provide an excellent mechanism for backing up data. Furthermore, Data Lake Storage can interact with any other Azure resources, providing seamless integration and connectivity.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Elastic File Systems allow me to share data, provision, and manage capacity and performance in AWS."
"The platform is highly scalable."
"Amazon EFS is extremely stable, as it is managed by AWS."
"Amazon EFS is extremely stable, as it is managed by AWS."
"The solution is scalable."
"The most beneficial feature of the product for data storage stems from the fact that it serves as a shared file storage."
"We can run code and deploy it whenever we want."
"Its elasticity and flexible pricing are the most valuable. For Amazon EFS, you are charged based on the storage. It is also very fast and stable with a very simple and intuitive interface."
"The solution's most valuable feature is its simplicity of configuration and setup."
"It's a cloud-based tool within the Microsoft ecosystem, offering many benefits for data handling."
"Azure Data Lake itself doesn't have built-in features for handling data on its own. It's used as a collection of data. Tools you can use with it include Azure Data Factory and Databricks."
"Azure Data Lake Storage offers comprehensive integration with a variety of Azure tools, such as SQL servers and the Azure DevOps platform."
"The tool's most valuable feature is security access policies."
"Storage within Azure Data Lake is cheaper, which is one of the reasons we moved to it."
"The response time and quality offered by the support team are good."
"I would recommend Azure Data Lake Storage because it is straightforward to set up and versatile for various projects, especially AI solutions requiring document storage."
 

Cons

"The product's stability has some shortcomings where improvements are required."
"There are challenges related to AWS, such as ensuring proper security measures with IMS code and encryption."
"The initial setup requires prior experience and technical skills."
"Specifically, when it comes to the file system for the learning system, we encountered performance issues with both Azure and AWS."
"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."
"Elastic File Systems can be expensive due to the nature of data transfer costs, using services like SSTP, and potentially being costly in a rate-shift context."
"The platform's connectivity could be improved to be more comparable to S3 buckets, which offer better API availability."
"When we faced some issues, the support team took a lot of time to resolve them."
"The scalability is limited. However, it's easy to set up."
"Some terminology is not easy to understand when using some interfaces."
"When you store your files manually, you can't ensure complete data integrity, which can impact data security."
"One improvement I'd suggest is the out-of-the-box conversion of input data, like spreadsheet or table data, to various formats. We'll be using Parquet, which enables transactional integrity."
"Currently, Azure Data Lake Storage has blob, table, and file share, but no vector feature."
"The solution needs to improve APIs and make them more accessible."
"Improvement is needed in the migration process from Lakehouse to Enterprise Data Lake (EDL). Currently, migration is only one-way possible, and it would be beneficial if this aspect could be improved."
"It would be beneficial if some AI features were added."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The product charges are based on the amount of data stored."
"Amazon EFS (Elastic File System) offers a pay-as-you-go model, so whenever you use its services, you need to pay."
"It has flexible pricing. You are charged based on your storage."
"The product's price depends on the services and the size and capacity at which it is used in a business environment."
"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."
"I would rate the pricing 7 out of 10."
"The solution's price is mid-ranged."
"The tool's licensing model is pay-as-you-go. Regarding pricing, there's always competition between Azure Data Lake Storage and AWS. They're quite similar, but to attract more customers, Azure Data Lake Storage could consider adjusting its pricing to be more competitive with AWS. This might make Azure Data Lake Storage a more appealing option for users."
"The tool is cheap, depending on the services and requirements you need."
"I rate the product price as two or three, where one is high, and ten is low. The product's price is really high."
"From one to ten, where one is cheap and ten is expensive, I rate the product price as five."
"Pricing is tricky because it depends on the solution you're building and the type of Data Lake storage you use—hot or cold."
"It's a pay-as-you-go model. Your charges are based on the amount of data you store."
"Compared to other options we've explored, I would rate the pricing a seven out of ten, with ten being expensive."
"It costs just a few dollars per terabyte per month."
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Cloud Storage solutions are best for your needs.
846,617 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Educational Organization
17%
Computer Software Company
14%
Financial Services Firm
12%
Manufacturing Company
8%
No data available
 

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...
What do you like most about Amazon EFS (Elastic File System)?
The product's initial setup phase is easy, as per the configurations.
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.
What do you like most about Azure Data Lake Storage?
The tool's most valuable feature is security access policies.
What needs improvement with Azure Data Lake Storage?
Maybe the solution could be a bit more user-friendly.
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Arcesium, Atlassian, Seeking Alpha, Zend
Information Not Available
Find out what your peers are saying about Amazon EFS (Elastic File System) vs. Azure Data Lake Storage and other solutions. Updated: April 2025.
846,617 professionals have used our research since 2012.