Azure NetApp Files vs NetApp ONTAP comparison

The compared Azure NetApp Files and NetApp ONTAP solutions aren't in the same category. Azure NetApp Files is ranked #7 in CM , with an average rating of 7.2, and holds a 7.4% mindshare in the category. NetApp ONTAP is ranked #1 in SS , with an average rating of 8.6, and holds a 27.8% mindshare. Additionally, 88% of Azure NetApp Files users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 98% of NetApp ONTAP users who would recommend it.

Azure NetApp Files

Read 17 Azure NetApp Files reviews

2,313 Views
763 Comparison Views

88% willing to recommend

NetApp ONTAP

Read 92 NetApp ONTAP reviews

1,506 Views
1,130 Comparison Views

98% willing to recommend

Azure NetApp Files

NetApp ONTAP

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Azure NetApp Files and NetApp ONTAP based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

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Buyer's Guide

Cloud Migration

December 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:

ROI

Sentiment score

7.4

Azure NetApp Files boosts performance, eases deployment, reduces downtime, and optimizes costs, despite higher initial expenses than on-premises.

Sentiment score

7.6

NetApp ONTAP enhances cost efficiency by optimizing storage through compression and deduplication, improving performance and reducing hardware expenses.

No quotes available

For more quotes and insights, download the Azure NetApp Files report

In the long run, we can see a 10% to 20% return on investment.

Allan Otonglo

Systems and Network Administrator at a university with 1,001-5,000 employees

This needs to be evaluated by the business, especially considering that NetApp phases out technology after some years and introduces newer technology.

Best Kifi

Senior Storage Engineer at Shell

For more quotes and insights, download the NetApp ONTAP report

Customer Service

Sentiment score

7.4

Azure NetApp Files receives mixed feedback on support, praised for integration and ease, but some users seek more specialized assistance.

Sentiment score

5.9

NetApp ONTAP support is knowledgeable and quick, but initial responses vary, necessitating escalation for effective resolutions.

They have top-notch people.

AjayKumar13

Cloud/Data/Database Manager at a government with 10,001+ employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Azure NetApp Files report

This includes disk replacement, firmware upgrades, and NetApp ONTAP upgrades, which we handle locally in Nigeria.

Best Kifi

Senior Storage Engineer at Shell

The support is top-notch.

Allan Otonglo

Systems and Network Administrator at a university with 1,001-5,000 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the NetApp ONTAP report

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score

7.6

Azure NetApp Files is scalable, flexible, and cost-effective for large setups, but pricing concerns exist for smaller setups.

Sentiment score

7.6

NetApp ONTAP offers flexible scalability, supporting seamless expansion and integration, enhancing capacity for organizations worldwide, despite minor high-scale limitations.

No quotes available

For more quotes and insights, download the Azure NetApp Files report

No quotes available

For more quotes and insights, download the NetApp ONTAP report

Stability Issues

Sentiment score

8.4

Azure NetApp Files is rated highly for stability due to its reliability and consistency under increased workloads and migrations.

Sentiment score

8.1

NetApp ONTAP is praised for high stability, effective bug mitigation, strong support, and reliable performance, enhancing user confidence.

No quotes available

For more quotes and insights, download the Azure NetApp Files report

Both stability and scalability are a 10 out of 10.

Allan Otonglo

Systems and Network Administrator at a university with 1,001-5,000 employees

If we have a fail-disk, it provides HA, and due to the failover capability, we have not experienced issues recently.

Best Kifi

Senior Storage Engineer at Shell

For more quotes and insights, download the NetApp ONTAP report

Room For Improvement

Azure NetApp Files needs improved features, cost efficiency, easier deployment, regional integration, and strengthened security to meet user demands.

NetApp ONTAP needs better cloud integration, security, APIs, deduplication, interfaces, performance, power support, and cost efficiency improvements.

I would like for them to have more compression so that it can avoid using more storage.

AjayKumar13

Cloud/Data/Database Manager at a government with 10,001+ employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Azure NetApp Files report

The support response needs improvement, especially for P1 cases. When critical cases are raised, they should ensure they call the customer and follow up properly.

Best Kifi

Senior Storage Engineer at Shell

The interface is very intuitive, and the solution is robust.

Allan Otonglo

Systems and Network Administrator at a university with 1,001-5,000 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the NetApp ONTAP report

Setup Cost

Azure NetApp Files pricing is premium yet justified by features like management, scalability, and flexible licensing options.

NetApp ONTAP's high price offers significant value with feature-rich capabilities and cost-efficiency, benefiting larger organizations despite complex licensing.

It is expensive, especially with NetApp Ultra Storage.

AjayKumar13

Cloud/Data/Database Manager at a government with 10,001+ employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Azure NetApp Files report

It is cost-effective for the benefits you get.

Allan Otonglo

Systems and Network Administrator at a university with 1,001-5,000 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the NetApp ONTAP report

Valuable Features

Azure NetApp Files enhances performance, scalability, and management with integrated features for backup, recovery, and seamless Azure integration.

NetApp ONTAP offers high availability, data replication, deduplication, ease of use, and integrates well for efficient data management.

The most valuable feature is that the sixty-terabyte database snapshot can be done in less than two to three minutes.

AjayKumar13

Cloud/Data/Database Manager at a government with 10,001+ employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Azure NetApp Files report

NetApp ONTAP has improved our organization through speed, efficiency, and data availability, which ensures business continuity.

Best Kifi

Senior Storage Engineer at Shell

It lets you know if you have issues early enough so that you can plan around resolving and mitigating future issues.

Allan Otonglo

Systems and Network Administrator at a university with 1,001-5,000 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the NetApp ONTAP report

Categories and Ranking

Azure NetApp Files

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.4

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Cloud Migration (7th), Cloud Storage (12th), Public Cloud Storage Services (11th)

NetApp ONTAP

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Storage Software (1st)

Mindshare comparison

Azure NetApp Files and NetApp ONTAP aren’t in the same category and serve different purposes. Azure NetApp Files is designed for Cloud Migration and holds a mindshare of 7.4%, down 14.5% compared to last year.
NetApp ONTAP, on the other hand, focuses on Storage Software, holds 27.8% mindshare, down 44.1% since last year.

Cloud Migration Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Azure NetApp Files	7.4%
NetApp Cloud Volumes ONTAP	7.4%
Nasuni	6.3%
Other	78.9%

Cloud Migration

Storage Software Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
NetApp ONTAP	27.8%
DataCore SANsymphony	23.9%
Dell PowerPath	15.4%
Other	32.89999999999999%

Storage Software

Q&A Highlights

Netanya Carmi

Content Manager at PeerSpot

Nov 01, 2021

How does Azure NetApp Files compare to NetApp ONTAP?

Azure NetApp Files is a Microsoft Azure file storage service built on NetApp technology. The platform combines the file capabilities of Azure and NetApp to move critical file-based applications to the cloud. Azure NetApp Files provides high-performance computing at high-speed and is SAP and HIPAA certified. Azure NetApp Files helps for cloud-based workloads that need low latency and high performance. When you need to access a large volume of data, other features we like are its elasticity and the support for multiple protocols. One downside of Azure NetApp Files is that it is not available in the Azure Free tier. Also, it is relatively more expensive than other Azure options like file storage. NetApp Cloud Volumes ONTAP is an enterprise-level storage management solution. NetApp gives you not only storage management but data protection too. NetApp ONTAP supports multiple use cases, like block-level storage serving NAS and SAN, backup, archive, DevOps, databases, and disaster recovery. We like having the same consistent storage experience on Azure, AWS, and Google Cloud. Other features we like from ONTAP are the dynamic mapping of storage devices and the central management of storage components. The solution provides compression and deduplication. NetApp Cloud Volumes enables our administrators to design, configure, and deploy storage in a hybrid cloud environment. You can also scale the issues easily. Integration with third-party tools is limited, though. Migrating storage workloads between cloud service providers can also be a hassle. From the three major providers, its integration with AWS is the best. The documentation is a bit poor. You can not manage storage across hybrid and multiple cloud environments. ONTAP is more suited for organizations with large storage volumes or that need high performance for their cloud environment. Conclusions It will depend on the use case. Cloud Volumes ONTAP is specifically designed to manage large storage volumes. If you can afford the extra cost, Azure NetApp Files can provide a more comprehensive solution for smaller organizations.

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Featured Reviews

AjayKumar13

Cloud/Data/Database Manager at a government with 10,001+ employees

Fast, reliable, and helps meet our SLAs

The most valuable feature is that the sixty-terabyte database snapshot can be done in less than two to three minutes. It is faster. It is quicker. It is reliable. You don't need to take the snapshot. Snapshots are compressed. It doesn't take storage from the back end. It takes three minutes to do sixty terabytes of the database. You don't have to go to the tape and store it outside, which takes hours and hours. It also uses a lot less of the storage. It's very easy to restore or copy the snapshots to other locations for disaster recovery. There are a lot of benefits. In terms of the snapshot's rapid restore capability, we were testing the load of performance testing, and we needed to rebuild the DR site. If I need to rebuild the DR for a standby database, it takes sixty terabytes to copy onto the another site, which will take at least a day. Now, the snapshot is easy. We just copy the snapshots, and then we do the cross-region application. The snapshots came along with that, and that's where we were able to build the DR site within a few hours rather than days. All together, instead of a four-day process, instead of a day.

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Best Kifi

Senior Storage Engineer at Shell

Data management and availability improve operations, but cost and support need attention

For snapshots, there should be something similar to a recycle bin. When someone mistakenly deletes a snapshot, it should be stored for about two days before disappearing from the system. Regarding storage optimization, when purchasing a 10 terabyte disk, after formatting, you can only use approximately 8 terabytes. They should improve this so users can utilize 90% instead of 80% of the disk space. The support response needs improvement, especially for P1 cases. When critical cases are raised, they should ensure they call the customer and follow up properly. Comparing NetApp ONTAP to other solutions such as EMC, the cost of contract renewals and warranties is relatively expensive. They should extend their renewal window beyond the current six months to one year options. A longer warranty period of two years for new systems, controllers, or filers would be beneficial. Overall, they should reduce subscription costs for businesses.

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

13%

Financial Services Firm

12%

Manufacturing Company

12%

Educational Organization

Manufacturing Company

22%

Computer Software Company

University

Transportation Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	4
Midsize Enterprise	2
Large Enterprise	13

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	11
Midsize Enterprise	13
Large Enterprise	66

Questions from the Community

How does Azure NetApp Files compare to NetApp ONTAP?

See all answers

What do you like most about Azure NetApp Files?

The availability is good, meaning downtime or network issues rarely occur. The system also offers flexibility, allowing for increases in data volume, IOPS, and other capabilities without requiring ...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Azure NetApp Files?

It is expensive, especially with NetApp Ultra Storage.

See all answers

What do you like most about NetApp ONTAP?

We do not face any glitches or downtime.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for NetApp ONTAP?

It is cost-effective for the benefits you get.

See all answers

What needs improvement with NetApp ONTAP?

For me, it is an ideal solution. There isn't any area that needs urgent improvements because the interface is very intuitive, and the solution is robust. However, if the integration with legacy app...

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Comparisons

Microsoft Azure File Storage vs Azure NetApp Files

Compared 21% of the time

NetApp Cloud Volumes ONTAP vs Azure NetApp Files

Compared 21% of the time

Amazon FSx vs Azure NetApp Files

Compared 8% of the time

Amazon EFS (Elastic File System) vs Azure NetApp Files

Compared 7% of the time

HPE Alletra Storage MP B10000 vs Azure NetApp Files

Compared 3% of the time

More Azure NetApp Files Competitors

DataCore SANsymphony vs NetApp ONTAP

Compared 38% of the time

Dell PowerPath vs NetApp ONTAP

Compared 29% of the time

Cloudian HyperStore vs NetApp ONTAP

Compared 9% of the time

StorONE Storage-as-a-Service vs NetApp ONTAP

Compared 9% of the time

More NetApp ONTAP Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Azure NetApp Files

December 2025

Download Azure NetApp Files product report

Buyer's Guide

NetApp ONTAP

December 2025

Download NetApp ONTAP product report

Also Known As

NetApp ANF, ANF

No data available

Overview

Azure NetApp Files offers flexibility, speed, and tight Active Directory integration, making it versatile. Its scalability, rapid response time, and replication capabilities like SnapMirror enhance its value, along with SEC compliance through SnapLock and efficient database management.

Azure NetApp Files is a robust service for unstructured data storage within Microsoft Azure and on-premises environments. It supports NFS and CIFS protocol testing, SQL backups, SAP virtualization, Azure Virtual Desktop, and event collection. This service facilitates seamless provisioning, non-disruptive resizing, and fast snapshots for disaster recovery. Known for high availability and cost-effective throughput, its ease of use and security make it preferred by users. Issues with high pricing and support highlight areas for enhancement, alongside desires for expanded regional availability, better security, and integration with diverse solutions.

What are the key features of Azure NetApp Files?

Flexibility: Supports diverse applications with robust Active Directory integration.
Scalability: Easily adjusts to increased performance demands.
Fast Snapshotting: Enhances disaster recovery capabilities.
SnapMirror: Provides effective replication features.
SnapLock: Ensures SEC compliance.

What benefits and ROI should users look for?

High Availability: Delivers reliable performance.
Cost-effective Throughput: Balances performance with expenditure.
Ease of Use: Simplifies data management tasks.
Non-disruptive Resizing: Facilitates seamless storage adjustments.
Enhanced Security: Protects sensitive data effectively.

In educational contexts, Azure NetApp Files shines by offering seamless data handling and high IOPS performance, supporting high-demand environments like research facilities. For enterprises, it aids legacy system migrations and optimizes virtual environments while enhancing data protection and file share performance.

NetApp

NetApp is the data authority for hybrid cloud. We provide a full range of hybrid cloud data services that simplify management of applications and data across cloud and on-premises environments to accelerate digital transformation. Together with our partners, we empower global organizations to unleash the full potential of their data to expand customer touchpoints, foster greater innovation and optimize their operations.

NetApp

Sample Customers

SAP, Restaurant Magic

1&1 IONOS, Acıbadem Healthcare Group, Adder Technologies, Aero Vodochody Aerospace

Find out what your peers are saying about Hewlett Packard Enterprise, NetApp, Nasuni and others in Cloud Migration. Updated: December 2025.

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