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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
9th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.5
Number of Reviews
16
Ranking in other categories
File and Object Storage (10th)
Azure Data Lake Storage
Ranking in Cloud Storage
10th
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 June 2025, in the Cloud Storage category, the mindshare of Amazon EFS (Elastic File System) is 7.2%, down from 9.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Azure Data Lake Storage is 1.0%, up from 0.1% 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

"I appreciate Amazon's extensive range of services, which makes it a favorable choice."
"There are huge money savings, as we can save more than half of our costs."
"We can run code and deploy it whenever we want."
"The first valuable thing is it is scalable."
"The most beneficial feature of the product for data storage stems from the fact that it serves as a shared file storage."
"The solution's technical support is good."
"Amazon EFS offers the flexibility of scaling as needed without requiring pre-provisioned storage."
"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."
"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."
"The most valuable feature of Azure Data Lake Storage is the ability to partition data into various datasets using a directory hierarchy. This folder structure is key for any delivery. Currently, we're not doing much with the data in the tool, but when Databricks comes along, we'll convert it to Parquet format. It's a two-step process: raw data is moved to Parquet, which Databricks can manipulate easily."
"Microsoft is quite good when it comes to integration. They have multiple connectors available and different ingestion and integration processes available."
"Data Lake Storage provides valuable features such as access keys, container strings, lifecycle management, audit logs, and the soft delete option."
"The hierarchical structure allows us to create multiple hierarchies inside, such as storage containers, directories, and subdirectories."
"The tool's best feature is that it can store different types of data - structured, unstructured, and semi-structured—in one lake. We can use the required data for analytics and dashboard design."
"Storage within Azure Data Lake is cheaper, which is one of the reasons we moved to it."
 

Cons

"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."
"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 user activity needs to be more connected."
"There are challenges related to AWS, such as ensuring proper security measures with IMS code and encryption."
"Their response was not prompt, and it took them a while to figure out solutions. While the time to respond was good, the time to resolve was not optimal, as it took more than a week."
"The deployment is definitely not an easy process."
"I don't have notes on improvements."
"When we faced some issues, the support team took a lot of time to resolve them."
"Simple migrations from one data lake to another take too much time and could be improved."
"Pricing is always a factor. It could be more affordable."
"Currently, Azure Data Lake Storage has blob, table, and file share, but no vector feature."
"Maybe the solution could be a bit more user-friendly."
"Microsoft Fabric costs more since we are charged for all the components."
"When you store your files manually, you can't ensure complete data integrity, which can impact data security."
"Azure Data Lake Storage should support other formats apart from the Data Lake format, such as the Iceberg format."
"The high price of the product is an area of concern where improvements are required."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Amazon EFS (Elastic File System) offers a pay-as-you-go model, so whenever you use its services, you need to pay."
"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."
"The product charges are based on the amount of data stored."
"The product's price depends on the services and the size and capacity at which it is used in a business environment."
"It has flexible pricing. You are charged based on your storage."
"I would rate the pricing 7 out of 10."
"The solution's price is mid-ranged."
"It's a pay-as-you-go model. Your charges are based on the amount of data you store."
"I rate the product price as two or three, where one is high, and ten is low. The product's price is really high."
"Compared to other options we've explored, I would rate the pricing a seven out of ten, with ten being expensive."
"One of the most affordable products from the vendor"
"It costs just a few dollars per terabyte per month."
"From one to ten, where one is cheap and ten is expensive, I rate the product price as five."
"On a scale from one to ten, where one is cheap and ten is expensive, I rate the solution's pricing a seven out of ten."
"The tool is cheap, depending on the services and requirements you need."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
15%
Financial Services Firm
12%
Educational Organization
10%
Manufacturing Company
9%
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?
The speed of support response needs to improve, especially for critical, high-priority issues. Having a quick SLA response time is crucial.
 

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: June 2025.
859,129 professionals have used our research since 2012.