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Amazon EFS (Elastic File System) vs Google Cloud 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
6th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.3
Number of Reviews
13
Ranking in other categories
File and Object Storage (9th)
Google Cloud Storage
Ranking in Cloud Storage
2nd
Average Rating
8.8
Reviews Sentiment
7.3
Number of Reviews
77
Ranking in other categories
Public Cloud Storage Services (3rd)
 

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.
Naresh Kumar - PeerSpot reviewer
Offers great reliability to users
Protection is an area in the product where improvements are required. If big companies want to use the tool for protection purposes, like security, which is a big thing people are looking for nowadays. Sometimes, the tool's user interface automatically puts all the files in a different place, making it a bit difficult to go deep and figure out in which folder a file is present. I need to search for a file and drill down to be able to find it. There are a few bugs in the tool, as with all content management tools, since the solution is usually used to deal with huge amounts of content. If the flow of the documents is huge, the tool might get slow for the end users, or when the data is being migrated or imported into the tools.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"We are not that big of a cloud user. We just use it for the storage of our bytes. The most valuable aspect is the storage."
"The first valuable thing is it is scalable."
"The product's initial setup phase is easy, as per the configurations."
"The platform is highly scalable."
"Amazon EFS is extremely stable, as it is managed by AWS."
"The solution's technical support is good."
"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."
"We can run code and deploy it whenever we want."
"From an availability perspective it's fantastic; from a security perspective it's fantastic."
"The most valuable feature of Google Cloud Storage is that the backup feature is always on."
"The solution offers versioning, which lets us work together efficiently on a single document. What I like most about Google Cloud Storage is its ease of use and the integration of all Google services. It's very efficient for work."
"It’s very stable."
"Google Cloud Storage includes Docs, calendar, Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Meet."
"The responses from the technical team are fast...It is a stable product...We do have plans to increase the number of users since it is a scalable product."
"It's user-friendly. We find it to be very easy to use."
"Everything I store in the solution is available on all of my devices."
 

Cons

"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."
"Its deployment process could be faster while installing the Python package directly into the environment."
"When we faced some issues, the support team took a lot of time to resolve them."
"The deployment is definitely not an easy process."
"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."
"The lack of transparency in the costs attached to the product is an area of concern where improvements are required."
"The main challenge with EFS is its cost, which is slightly higher compared to EBS or S3."
"There are challenges related to AWS, such as ensuring proper security measures with IMS code and encryption."
"A lower cost, lower-end solution for a shared file system is missing."
"Additional cost for more storage"
"The solution is good, however, it would benefit from increased storage without the additional cost."
"Could be improved from a storage perspective and a cost perspective."
"Sometimes, I'm not too fond of privacy policies, especially when using certain features like Gemini AI, where agreeing to the terms might mean losing access to your history. One area for improvement is document retrieval—sometimes, it's hard to find documents because the file names aren't always recognizable, and the preview feature could be more efficient. Maintenance for Google Cloud Storage is minimal, but it would be helpful to have a tool that automatically removes duplicate versions of files to save space. The file management in Google Cloud and Workspace isn't very straightforward, which could be improved."
"The storage could be improved to manage it a bit better. Google Cloud Storage could be more secure, but the security features are okay."
"It is stable, but it can always be more stable."
"The solution only allows so much space for free."
 

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."
"Amazon EFS (Elastic File System) offers a pay-as-you-go model, so whenever you use its services, you need to pay."
"I would rate the pricing 7 out of 10."
"The solution's price is mid-ranged."
"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 product charges are based on the amount of data stored."
"I pay monthly for Google Cloud Storage. It could be cheaper, but for now, it's okay."
"It's an inexpensive product."
"Regarding the cost of the solution, Google offers its users a pay-as-you-go model pricing."
"The price of the license could be cheaper. We are on an annual subscription."
"There is no license to use Google Cloud Storage."
"The tool is not expensive."
"The product is not expensive. If you are in India, the tool charges around six to eight USD if I consider the discounts offered by the product."
"The solution is very cheap."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Educational Organization
19%
Computer Software Company
14%
Financial Services Firm
11%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Educational Organization
74%
Computer Software Company
4%
Financial Services Firm
2%
Comms Service Provider
2%
 

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)?
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.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Google Cloud Storage?
Depending on your setup, Google Cloud Storage is economical, especially if you do not need high stability and scalability. We use it for backup, so the storage that is not used often is affordable.
What needs improvement with Google Cloud Storage?
So far, when it comes to security, it meets our needs and requirements, so I have nothing to say about improvements to their services. I do not find any areas needing improvement currently.
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Arcesium, Atlassian, Seeking Alpha, Zend
1. Adobe 2. Airbnb 3. Amazon 4. Apple 5. AT&T 6. Baidu 7. Cisco 8. Coca-Cola 9. Dell 10. eBay 11. Facebook 12. Ford 13. Google 13. HP 14. IBM 15. Intel 16. JPMorgan Chase 17. LinkedIn 18. Lyft 19. Microsoft 20. Netflix 21. Nike 22. Oracle 23. PayPal 24. Pinterest 25. Qualcomm 26. SAP 27. Spotify 28. Tesla 29. Toyota 30. Twitter 31. Visa 32. Walmart 33. WeWork
Find out what your peers are saying about Amazon EFS (Elastic File System) vs. Google Cloud Storage and other solutions. Updated: January 2025.
831,158 professionals have used our research since 2012.