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Microsoft Azure Block Storage vs Microsoft Azure File Storage comparison

Microsoft Azure Block Storage and Microsoft Azure File Storage are both solutions in the Public Cloud Storage Services category. Microsoft Azure Block Storage is ranked #11 with an average rating of 8.4, while Microsoft Azure File Storage is ranked #4 with an average rating of 8.2. Microsoft Azure Block Storage holds a 0.8% mindshare in PCSS, compared to Microsoft Azure File Storage’s 10.8% mindshare. Additionally, 93% of Microsoft Azure Block Storage users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 97% of Microsoft Azure File Storage users who would recommend it.
Microsoft Azure Block Storage
Read 63 Microsoft Azure Block Storage reviews
  • 297 Views
  • 234 Comparison Views
93% willing to recommend
Microsoft Azure File Storage
Read 48 Microsoft Azure File Storage reviews
  • 3,050 Views
  • 2,577 Comparison Views
97% willing to recommend
 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 1, 2024

Microsoft Azure File Storage and Microsoft Azure Block Storage are essential storage solutions. Microsoft Azure Block Storage seems to have the upper hand in advanced features while Microsoft Azure File Storage is praised for user-friendly aspects and competitive pricing.

Features: Microsoft Azure File Storage is valued for ease of access, scalability, and integration with legacy systems. Microsoft Azure Block Storage is noted for performance, flexibility, and high IOPS.

Room for Improvement: Microsoft Azure File Storage users highlight the need for better performance, more robust security features, and improved management tools. Microsoft Azure Block Storage users suggest improved cost-efficiency, better integration options, and more straightforward management tools.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Microsoft Azure File Storage scores highly for its simple deployment process and responsive customer service. Microsoft Azure Block Storage, while more complex to deploy, has robust support channels.

Pricing and ROI: Microsoft Azure File Storage is considered more affordable with quicker ROI due to lower setup costs and maintenance. Microsoft Azure Block Storage, despite its higher investment, is perceived as offering good value through its high-performance capabilities.

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To learn more, read our detailed Microsoft Azure Block Storage vs. Microsoft Azure File Storage Report (Updated: March 2025).
Buyer's Guide
Microsoft Azure Block Storage vs. Microsoft Azure File Storage
March 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

Microsoft Azure Block Storage
Ranking in Public Cloud Storage Services
11th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
63
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Microsoft Azure File Storage
Ranking in Public Cloud Storage Services
4th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.4
Number of Reviews
48
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the Public Cloud Storage Services category, the mindshare of Microsoft Azure Block Storage is 0.8%, down from 1.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Azure File Storage is 10.8%, down from 13.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Public Cloud Storage Services
 

Featured Reviews

MatsHagberg Olsson2 - PeerSpot reviewer
Empowers secure data management with affordable tools and minimal hassle
The most valuable feature is that it's very affordable in comparison to competitors. The absolute best feature is the Azure Storage Explorer tool. The tool allows me to download to my device, control access, and manage data with ease. Additionally, the joint use of Azure portal further facilitates management depending on my location.
Read full review
PrashanthR - PeerSpot reviewer
Seamlessly streamlines document processing with advanced file storage and OCR integration
We need to store data over there. We process documents through Kofax Time is a major benefit, as well as ease of processing. With configuration, it happens quite easily, and we can finish tasks early. File storage is complemented by OCR with Azure Cognitive Service. This enhances the processing…
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

"Storing and then retrieving data are the most valuable features of Microsoft Azure Block Storage."
"The solution's most valuable feature revolves around the security-wise functionalities of the tool our company gets from using SAS keys."
"The tool is pretty easy to use."
"The solution is stable."
"I like the product’s versioning and file share features. The file share feature is most useful when we are connecting on-premises services. Azure file share helps to migrate small data amounts from on-premises to the cloud."
"The most valuable features of Microsoft Azure Block Storage are it stores different types of data traditional data and connectivity through FTP. Additionally, we do not need a high-speed fetching system for operations and filesharing works well for us."
"Overall, I rate the solution as ten out of ten."
"The public access with more security available is valuable."
More Microsoft Azure Block Storage pros
"The storage in this solution is excellent."
"The most valuable feature of Microsoft Azure File Storage is the cloud file storage capability."
"Implementing Microsoft Azure has meant that we are using the same solution as our customers who use Azure Public Cloud. This allows us to integrate our application, as well as provide the solution to them."
"The most significant aspect of Microsoft Azure File Storage is its life cycle functionality, which enables us to transfer files to various storage options, such as hot storage, full storage, and archive. This feature is crucial since we can apply a life cycle method to files that have not been in use for an extended period, and then move them to a cheaper cold storage option to save costs. Since the newest files are stored in the hot storage, it met our specific requirements. Consequently, older files can be transferred to archive and cold storage."
"My client had zero data loss while using the solution for backups and file security."
"File storage is complemented by OCR with Azure Cognitive Service."
"I recommend Microsoft Azure File Storage for medium and above-sized companies."
"The product can integrate with all platforms. My team also does data visualization, and Power BI can directly connect with those nodes. We can very conveniently connect with multiple tools for our database. The benefit here is that by utilizing the same storage application, my application is linked with their application through the same server. This setup provides real analytics and data for a holistic purpose, which is advantageous."
More Microsoft Azure File Storage pros
 

Cons

"We don't delete the other tools from the folder directly. There's no folder deletion option in Azure Block Storage. It would be nice if they could update this."
"Azure Block Storage could use more capacity."
"The pricing or the trial period could be improved. They could try offering free storage for a longer period."
"The initial setup of Microsoft Azure Block Storage is more complex than Google Drive, but it is still not too difficult."
"The solution could have better archival policies and localization of data."
"Uploading of data could be improved. Currently, the only way you can upload your data is by using their storage explorer. You need to use a command line to do that. Then, maybe you can go online and you can use their explorer to check to see if it's there. If they had a third-party application to handle the upload, it would be better. Many people aren't familiar with command lines for uploading data. It makes it more difficult for many users."
"The solution's downside is related to its documentation, which I believe can be difficult to navigate because it is hidden between or within other pages of the product's manual."
"The initial setup isn’t straightforward, whether on-premise or on the cloud. It involves considerable planning and dependencies, unlike conventional systems where a straightforward CIFS connection might suffice."
More Microsoft Azure Block Storage cons
"The way retention policies are applied could be more optimized."
"Sometimes it takes very long to refresh the information."
"Lacks integration with other platforms."
"Importing and exporting data needs to have a bit more documentation."
"The storage account key could be a security issue."
"Microsoft Azure File Storage needs more integrations. In the future, I also want to see GRC added to the portal. If you enroll or sign up for Azure services, your country may not have GRC available in the portal, so you may have to choose a strange country, for example, Kenya, to activate credit."
"Maybe Microsoft can make it more economical because it is a costly affair."
"The provider needs to collect more information about the products."
More Microsoft Azure File Storage cons
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Microsoft Azure Block Storage is an expensive solution and I pay monthly."
"Microsoft Azure Block Storage is expensive. Its licensing costs are monthly."
"I would rate Azure a three out of ten for pricing."
"I rate the product price as seven on a scale of one to ten, where one means low price and ten means high price. The tool is expensive. There are no additional costs attached to the product, so it is available at a fixed price."
"We pay around $300 to $400 a month for some scenarios where consumption is limited. However, going forward, we're seeing the likelihood of the cost coming to around $2,000 as consumption rises."
"The price of Microsoft Azure Block Storage could be less expensive."
"The pricing for Microsoft Azure Block Storage is high because of MSA and SBA contracts, where Microsoft takes care of the security aspects, apart from the maintenance, and Microsoft has service level agreements with the customers."
"On a scale from one to ten, where one is cheap, and ten is expensive, I rate the solution's pricing a six or seven out of ten."
More Microsoft Azure Block Storage pricing and cost advice
"The price is comparable to other competitive solutions."
"Microsoft Azure File Storage is expensive."
"The product must improve its price."
"The product's pricing need improvement."
"The pricing could be more flexible."
"For one terabyte of data, we are spending about 150 Euro every month."
"I think the pricing of the product can be reduced."
"The pricing is usually dependent on your storage requirements. Overall, I believe Microsoft Azure File Storage's price is reasonable."
More Microsoft Azure File Storage pricing and cost advice
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
19%
Financial Services Firm
15%
Manufacturing Company
14%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Computer Software Company
16%
Financial Services Firm
11%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Government
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Microsoft Azure Block Storage?
We use the solution to develop SaaS platforms on Azure. We utilize various Microsoft components like block storage and databases for this purpose.
See all answers
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft Azure Block Storage?
Pricing could be rated as eight out of ten. It is reasonable, however, it can be cheaper.
See all answers
What needs improvement with Microsoft Azure Block Storage?
At the moment, I do not have anything specific in mind for improvements. The most important thing for me is accessibility and easy provisioning to multiple servers with different vendors.
See all answers
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 Microsoft Azure File Storage?
The product is a reliable cloud solution.
See all answers
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft Azure File Storage?
The price is almost the same as the competition. I would rate it three or three and a half out of ten on the pricing scale.
See all answers
 

Comparisons

Amazon EBS (Elastic Block Store) vs Microsoft Azure Block Storage Logo
Amazon EBS (Elastic Block Store) vs Microsoft Azure Block Storage
Compared 69% of the time
Azure NetApp Files vs Microsoft Azure Block Storage Logo
Azure NetApp Files vs Microsoft Azure Block Storage
Compared 31% of the time
More Microsoft Azure Block Storage Competitors
Amazon EFS (Elastic File System) vs Microsoft Azure File Storage Logo
Amazon EFS (Elastic File System) vs Microsoft Azure File Storage
Compared 48% of the time
Azure NetApp Files vs Microsoft Azure File Storage Logo
Azure NetApp Files vs Microsoft Azure File Storage
Compared 20% of the time
Wasabi vs Microsoft Azure File Storage Logo
Wasabi vs Microsoft Azure File Storage
Compared 15% of the time
Amazon S3 vs Microsoft Azure File Storage Logo
Amazon S3 vs Microsoft Azure File Storage
Compared 7% of the time
Amazon S3 Glacier vs Microsoft Azure File Storage Logo
Amazon S3 Glacier vs Microsoft Azure File Storage
Compared 6% of the time
More Microsoft Azure File Storage Competitors
 

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide
Microsoft Azure Block Storage
March 2025
Microsoft Azure Block Storage reportDownload Microsoft Azure Block Storage product report
Buyer's Guide
Microsoft Azure File Storage
March 2025
Microsoft Azure File Storage reportDownload Microsoft Azure File Storage product report
 

Also Known As

MS Azure Block Storage
MS Azure File Storage
 

Overview

Massively scalable cloud storage for your applications

Store and help protect your data. Get durable, highly available data storage across the globe and pay only for what you use.

Microsoft

Fully managed file shares that use the standard SMB 3.0 protocol

Key scenarios:

  • Share data across on-premises and cloud servers
  • Migrate file share-based applications to the cloud with no code changes
  • Integrate modern applications with File storage
  • Simplify hosting for high availability workload data
Microsoft
 

Sample Customers

Mazda, BlinkBox, Rakuten Showtime, Xbox One, Serko, ChronoDrive
Talon, Camden
Buyer's Guide
Microsoft Azure Block Storage vs. Microsoft Azure File Storage
March 2025
Free Report: Microsoft Azure Block Storage vs. Microsoft Azure File Storage
Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft Azure Block Storage vs. Microsoft Azure File Storage and other solutions. Updated: March 2025.
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We monitor all Public Cloud Storage Services reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.