Amazon S3 Glacier vs Microsoft Azure Object Storage comparison

Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft are both solutions in the Public Cloud Storage Services category. Amazon Web Services (AWS) is ranked #2 with an average rating of 8.7, while Microsoft is ranked #9 with an average rating of 7.9. Amazon Web Services (AWS) holds a 17.4% mindshare in PCSS, compared to Microsoft’s 2.0% mindshare. Additionally, 90% of Amazon Web Services (AWS) users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 87% of Microsoft users who would recommend it.

Amazon S3 Glacier

Read 38 Amazon S3 Glacier reviews

4,392 Views
3,736 Comparison Views

90% willing to recommend

Microsoft Azure Object Storage

Read 52 Microsoft Azure Object Storage reviews

608 Views
541 Comparison Views

87% willing to recommend

Amazon S3 Glacier

Microsoft Azure Object Storage

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 1, 2024

Amazon S3 Glacier and Microsoft Azure Object Storage are two leading cloud storage solutions. Amazon S3 Glacier generally has the upper hand due to its cost-effectiveness and customer service, while Microsoft Azure Object Storage leads in features and integration capabilities.

Features: Amazon S3 Glacier offers cost-effective long-term data storage, easy integration with other AWS services, and robust support. Microsoft Azure Object Storage provides comprehensive data management capabilities, seamless integration with various Azure services, and an extensive feature set for complex storage needs.

Room for Improvement: Amazon S3 Glacier could benefit from improved retrieval speeds, more transparent pricing details, and enhanced user interface. Microsoft Azure Object Storage users desire simpler management tools, better documentation, and streamlined billing processes.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Amazon S3 Glacier is noted for its straightforward deployment process and responsive customer support. Microsoft Azure Object Storage, while easy to deploy, gets mixed reviews regarding support, with some users finding it less responsive compared to AWS.

Pricing and ROI: Amazon S3 Glacier is recognized for low setup costs and high ROI due to usage-based pricing and minimal maintenance requirements. Microsoft Azure Object Storage, though more expensive, offers higher ROI for users needing advanced features and integration capabilities, with reported benefits justifying the additional cost for scalable, feature-rich solutions.

To learn more, read our detailed Amazon S3 Glacier vs. Microsoft Azure Object Storage Report (Updated: January 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Amazon S3 Glacier vs. Microsoft Azure Object Storage

January 2025

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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 S3 Glacier

Ranking in Public Cloud Storage Services

2nd

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Microsoft Azure Object Storage

Ranking in Public Cloud Storage Services

9th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2025, in the Public Cloud Storage Services category, the mindshare of Amazon S3 Glacier is 17.4%, up from 15.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Azure Object Storage is 2.0%, down from 2.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Public Cloud Storage Services

Featured Reviews

Deepak Nagar

Manager, Strategic Alliances at Softcell Technologies Limited

A scalable, flexible, and user-friendly solution that is easy to maintain and handle

The solution's initial setup is straightforward and not complex. In the initial legacy, we used to put our servers in our data centers, look for storage, and give a path to that storage. In Amazon S3 Glacier, you can directly put your credentials for the portal login and upload your data.

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Akram Zabat

Consultant - Architecture Solution at Onepoint

Provides versatile data storage solutions with a simple setup and easy to use

It's similar to S3 for AWS. The ability to store everything inside Blob or Object storage and use it for archiving data is beneficial. For example, you can transform data from relational databases, flatten it, and store it in Object storage to save space within the databases. If I want to save data and do not require legacy access, it's a good solution, for instance, to migrate archives from databases to Object storage. This can also be used for business intelligence purposes. Having a storage solution for data makes it the best place to store it. Azure has its own solution for StatsQ Web Apps.

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 solution is great for storing data you don't usually need access to. It's also well-integrated with Amazon S3."

"I like creating buckets where data can be segregated at a high level and then routing the appropriate data to each designated bucket. In terms of value, I would say that the tool gets the job done in a simpler manner."

"The tool is simple to use and not very expensive."

"We use the solution for migration."

"It is a very comprehensive tool."

"Amazon S3 Glacier is an easy-to-use solution."

"The product is easy to use."

"The data archive feature is valuable."

More Amazon S3 Glacier pros

"Azure cloud services are quite an easy solution with many tools to operate, such as the CLI, software development kit, and the portal."

"Technical support has been excellent."

"Microsoft Azure Object Storage offers hassle-free usage. It is easy to configure."

"The file retention and object retention have been most valuable."

"The most valuable feature of Microsoft Azure Object Storage is that it is on the cloud."

"The ability to store everything inside Blob or Object storage and use it for archiving data is beneficial."

"It has helped with data management."

"The solution is stable. It works fine for us."

More Microsoft Azure Object Storage pros

Cons

"I am unsure if the product provides good integration capabilities. From an improvement perspective, I want the tool to provide easier integration features."

"The technical support has room for improvement."

"The solution's pricing is too expensive and could be improved."

"Although Amazon S3 Glacier is cheap, its data retrieval cost is very high compared to other solutions."

"Their pricing structure is always a big topic. It's so difficult to understand."

"The solution's cloud storage is very expensive, and users may not be able to afford cloud storage."

"Amazon S3 Glacier is a cheaper tool if you're running it on-prem, but it is expensive if deployed on the cloud."

"There is room for improvement in handling GDPR compliance better. GDPR is about personal data protection and retention. It would be great if S3 Glacier could handle compliance items related to this, especially with upcoming legislation like the California law, which restricts data storage time and allows users to request data deletion."

More Amazon S3 Glacier cons

"The tool should be a little bit cheaper."

"Technical support should be a little bit faster."

"The solution can be quite slow."

"The stability of the product is an area with certain shortcomings where improvements are required."

"Microsoft Azure Object Storage needs to improve stability and cloud user interface."

"Microsoft Azure Object Storage needs to increase its response time from 25,000 per second to 40,000 or 50,000."

"The initial setup could be more straightforward. It would be best if you had a little bit of training or an understanding of the concepts. It's important because if you don't do that, then you might end up not following the best practices. Then you will learn it the hard way by making mistakes and then know that you shouldn't have done this or that. It's better to attend workshops and take a hands-on approach."

"The solution needs to improve the custom domain integration with static web pages. Even though Blog Storage is providing the static content hosting feature, due to the custom domain availability, the integration is not available. In most cases, we withdraw from that service and use our app service to host our static data feeds."

More Microsoft Azure Object Storage cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Customers prefer Amazon S3 Glacier because it is a cheap and pay-as-you-go solution."

"Amazon S3 Glacier has a good pricing point, and you pay for what's being used."

"I've operated with Amazon S3 Glacier in two modes. Firstly, there's the trial mode, where I experimented with the platform, learned its functionalities, and applied it to my work. Secondly, there's the corporate account mode, where my team handles the operations, and I receive billing reports."

"Amazon S3 Glacier is a little expensive solution."

"The pricing is average and reasonable. It varies depending on the region."

"We don't pay for licenses. We pay based on consumption data, considering how much data is stored."

"There is no license, you pay for what you use."

"Amazon S3 Glacier is very cheap, but the cost becomes a concern when you have a very large amount of data."

More Amazon S3 Glacier pricing and cost advice

"Object Storage is cost-effective, and our license fees are about $200 per month."

"The tool's licensing costs are annual. It should be made reasonable."

"The cost of this solution is high compared to others, although there are no costs in addition to the standard licensing fees."

"The pricing is competitive."

"Encryption feature is an add-on."

"Pricing is always confusing for all Microsoft products. For this solution, they do provide the estimates, but it is not easy to guess the exact amount that we will be billed."

"The cost should be reduced to make it more competitive."

"Currently, it is a flexible price policy."

More Microsoft Azure Object Storage pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Educational Organization

35%

Computer Software Company

11%

Financial Services Firm

Comms Service Provider

Computer Software Company

21%

Retailer

12%

Manufacturing Company

11%

Financial Services Firm

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

Which is better - Amazon's S3 Glacier or EBS (Elastic Block Store)?

Our organization ran comparison tests to determine whether Amazon's S3 Glacier or Elastic Block Store data storage software was the better fit for us. We decided to go with Amazon's S3 Glacier, whi...

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What do you like most about Amazon S3 Glacier?

I like creating buckets where data can be segregated at a high level and then routing the appropriate data to each designated bucket. In terms of value, I would say that the tool gets the job done ...

See all answers

What needs improvement with Amazon S3 Glacier?

I would like to see improvements in the transfer rate as it takes quite a long time to retrieve data from Glacier compared to standard S3 storage. Additionally, improvements in configuration manage...

See all answers

What do you like most about Microsoft Azure Object Storage?

The layout of Microsoft is professional.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft Azure Object Storage?

I can't share a lot about the costs. I am focused on the technical aspect. It's a pay-per-use solution and a good idea for proof of concept and value. If I want to test a product before deploying i...

See all answers

What needs improvement with Microsoft Azure Object Storage?

In terms of compliance and security, everything is fine. I do not know of any immediate needs for improvement. However, one potential area for improvement is the replication process. Some clients c...

See all answers

Comparisons

Google Cloud Storage Nearline vs Amazon S3 Glacier

Compared 54% of the time

Google Cloud Storage vs Amazon S3 Glacier

Compared 15% of the time

Amazon EFS (Elastic File System) vs Amazon S3 Glacier

Compared 8% of the time

Wasabi vs Amazon S3 Glacier

Compared 8% of the time

Microsoft Azure File Storage vs Amazon S3 Glacier

Compared 7% of the time

More Amazon S3 Glacier Competitors

Oracle Cloud Object Storage vs Microsoft Azure Object Storage

Compared 49% of the time

Amazon S3 vs Microsoft Azure Object Storage

Compared 36% of the time

Wasabi vs Microsoft Azure Object Storage

Compared 15% of the time

More Microsoft Azure Object Storage Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Amazon S3 Glacier

February 2025

Download Amazon S3 Glacier product report

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Azure Object Storage

February 2025

Download Microsoft Azure Object Storage product report

Also Known As

Amazon Glacier

Microsoft Azure Blob Storage, Azure Object Storage, MS Azure Object Storage

Overview

Amazon Glacier is a secure, durable, and extremely low-cost cloud storage service for data archiving and long-term backup. Customers can reliably store large or small amounts of data for as little as $0.007 per gigabyte per month, a significant savings compared to on-premises solutions. To keep costs low, Amazon Glacier is optimized for infrequently accessed data where a retrieval time of several hours is suitable.

Amazon Web Services (AWS)

REST-based object storage for unstructured data in the cloud

Store infrequently accessed data in a low-cost cool storage tier
Store frequently accessed application data in a hot storage tier
Stream video, audio, and other media to web, mobile, or desktop applications
Power big data analytics
Access your data more securely, both over the wire and at rest

Microsoft

Sample Customers

King Cpunty, Illumina, Backupify, Nearmap.com, Scribd, Baylor College of Medicine, SoundCloud

Umbraco, Xbox, Radioshack, 343 Industries, McKesson

Buyer's Guide

Amazon S3 Glacier vs. Microsoft Azure Object Storage

January 2025

Free Report: Amazon S3 Glacier vs. Microsoft Azure Object Storage

Find out what your peers are saying about Amazon S3 Glacier vs. Microsoft Azure Object Storage and other solutions. Updated: January 2025.

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