AWS Snowball vs Azure NetApp Files comparison

Amazon Web Services (AWS) and NetApp are both solutions in the Cloud Migration category. Amazon Web Services (AWS) is ranked #13 with an average rating of 7.8, while NetApp is ranked #9 with an average rating of 8.0. Amazon Web Services (AWS) holds a 2.0% mindshare in CM, compared to NetApp’s 4.2% mindshare. Additionally, 90% of Amazon Web Services (AWS) users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 89% of NetApp users who would recommend it.

AWS Snowball

Read 10 AWS Snowball reviews

4,306 Views
517 Comparison Views

90% willing to recommend

Azure NetApp Files

Read 18 Azure NetApp Files reviews

4,300 Views
1,505 Comparison Views

89% willing to recommend

AWS Snowball

Azure NetApp Files

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 1, 2025

AWS Snowball and Azure NetApp Files compete in cloud data transfer and storage solutions. AWS Snowball is renowned for ease of use and swift customer service, while Azure NetApp Files is preferred for its expansive features and integration within the Azure ecosystem.

Features: AWS Snowball offers secure offline data transfer, end-to-end encryption, and edge computing support. Azure NetApp Files provides high-speed SQL backup, seamless Azure integration, and ultra-fast provisioning. Both products cater to different user priorities, with AWS focusing on offline capabilities and Azure on high-performance cloud integration.

Room for Improvement: AWS Snowball could enhance its software features, improve cloud integration, and diversify protocol support. Azure NetApp Files may improve its pricing transparency, reduce complexity in deployment, and expand support for hybrid clouds. Each product has unique opportunities to refine user experiences and broaden functionality.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: AWS Snowball is known for its straightforward hardware deployment and robust customer support. Azure NetApp Files offers flexible, cloud-based deployment with strong service support within Azure. While AWS shines with standalone implementation ease, Azure's strength lies in seamless Azure ecosystem integration.

Pricing and ROI: AWS Snowball presents a simple pricing model due to its physical nature, offering quick ROI through efficient data migrations. Azure NetApp Files, though complex in cost structure, promises higher ROI with extensive features and integration capabilities within Azure. AWS focuses on cost-effectiveness in data transfer, while Azure emphasizes the value of integrated cloud services.

To learn more, read our detailed AWS Snowball vs. Azure NetApp Files Report (Updated: August 2026).

Buyer's Guide

AWS Snowball vs. Azure NetApp Files

August 2026

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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

AWS Snowball

Ranking in Cloud Migration

13th

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

7.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Data Migration Appliances (1st)

Azure NetApp Files

Ranking in Cloud Migration

9th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.4

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Cloud Storage (12th), Public Cloud Storage Services (14th)

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2026, in the Cloud Migration category, the mindshare of AWS Snowball is 2.0%, up from 0.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Azure NetApp Files is 4.2%, down from 14.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Cloud Migration Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Azure NetApp Files	4.2%
AWS Snowball	2.0%
Other	93.8%

Cloud Migration

Featured Reviews

Kevin-Davis

Global CTO AWS Business Group at Eviden

Seamless data transfer and efficient migration with customizable storage sizes

I like that I can take data and send it straight to S3 when it loads in. The interface for getting my data onto the Snowball is so streamlined. I don't know if you've ever seen it before. It's really cool. I connect them to the backplane of our existing network. I'm able to address it quickly and move the data quickly inside my customers' data centers. There's a little screen on it, which changes the UPS codes and all that stuff. The label and everything AWS electronic, so I don't have to deal with shipping issues. It makes it super simple and easy to use from end to end.

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Rajat Wadhwa

Cloud Architect at IBM

Cross-region replication has delivered seamless disaster recovery for enterprise storage needs

In terms of improvement, I would say cost reservation; the cost is a bit high. If we compare Azure Files and Azure NetApp Files, I know that customers are using less of Azure NetApp due to the cost. If they bring the cost a little bit closer to what Azure Files offers, it can be a great product in the market and bring a lot of business to NetApp. Backup is quite critical. As of now, Azure NetApp Files requires you to use Azure NetApp Backup solution, which is in public preview at the moment. I would definitely expect NetApp to come up with that solution so that customers can start using it because they do not have confidence in backup as it is still in preview. They are still doing some testing and research on that product, which is not officially released for use by multiple customers.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The most valuable features of AWS Snowball for me are its security measures and its flexibility."

"I like that I can take data and send it straight to S3 when it loads in."

"AWS helps save time and costs, being a managed cloud provider with evolving services."

"The support team's awesome, and they've always been very responsive."

"If you have a large amount of data, it's a perfect way to move it to the cloud."

"From our point of view, one of the most important features are the ability to combine, to mesh data together, and the ability to have them compute out of AWS rather than buying our own infrastructure."

"The way the data is moved is very clever. Also, the interface is very simple and user-friendly."

"The features I like best are the tool's high capacity, scalability, end-to-end encryption for data security, ease of use, durability, and cost-effectiveness. It's particularly cost-effective for transferring large amounts of data compared to high-speed internet transfers."

More AWS Snowball pros

"The most valuable features of the solution is replication to another region and the performance. The solution is stable. The solution is scalable. The initial setup is straightforward."

"The performance has improved by about 30 percent, and the solution’s combination of ease of use, simplicity, and reduction in IT management versus the cost has helped a lot."

"This solution definitely makes us more efficient in being able to provide storage quickly to our customers in the Azure Cloud."

"It all depends on the requirement; if the customer is an enterprise customer wanting a disaster recovery solution without manual efforts to migrate or replicate data from one Azure region to another, then Azure NetApp Files is a seamless solution."

"The critical features of this solution are SnapMirror for replication, data protection, and SnapLock."

"It's elastic, so it scales with our demands. We can start small, then with the addition of customer loads, we can expand on-the-fly without the need to reprovision something."

"Azure NetApp Files has been stable."

"Azure NetApp Files gives our clients better options."

More Azure NetApp Files pros

Cons

"If AWS Snowball is intercepted, there is a potential risk of unauthorized access to the data."

"AWS support could be more responsive."

"Snowball is not interesting and is a pain to deal with."

"The stability of the solution isn't ideal and should be improved."

"It's not cheap."

"It's not an easy product to start using for a beginner, but If you're a professional, it's easy to understand."

"I think AWS Snowball could improve by expanding its availability to more countries."

"It does have room for improvement. The ability to better ingest some of the big data."

More AWS Snowball cons

"Azure NetApp Files could improve by being more diverse to integrate better with other solutions, such as Splunk and the on-premise version. There are some use cases that are not covered natively by Azure. It is not the best solution because it is not external from the cloud which for me is the best type of solution."

"The initial setup was not straightforward. We had help from the NetApp team."

"It is expensive in small environments, which could be better. The reason is the four terabyte minimum."

"The pricing definitely needs to be improved."

"This solution would be improved with more innovation."

"The main hurdle in promoting this solution is the price. Its price definitely requires an improvement. It is more expensive than other options, so customers go for a cheaper option."

"I would like to see multi-zone redundancy so that I don't have to worry about it. I just back up my data to that one SMB share and I know that it's replicated to a different region."

"We would like for the files which are coming in that we can version them. So, if a file is accidentally deleted, there should have a recycle bin option where we can go back, and at least once, clean it up."

More Azure NetApp Files cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The tool's pricing depends on the type of Snowball device you choose, the amount of data you need to transfer, and the service fees involved. There’s a standard price for larger data transfers and a flat job fee, which includes the first ten days of on-site usage. Typically, there are no additional data transfer fees."

"It's not a cheap solution, but the price is right for the product."

"The price of Azure NetApp Files could be better."

"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."

"In the cloud, pricing depends on how you manage it. It's not necessarily cheap, but it's all about optimizing charges and showing the cost back. So, it's more about managing the expenses rather than being inherently expensive or cheap."

"NetApp is a premium offering, so it's not a cheap product, but it is well-priced. It combines a couple of properties which customers like us are willing to pay. Could it be cheaper? Yes, but if you combine fully supported, fully managed, easily provisioned, scalable, and quick all in one product, it's a good selling point. You can ask a lot of money for all these. If you have a use case like we do, it's a perfect match. It's like the Porsche of storage solutions in the cloud. It is totally worth the cost."

"Its price is double the price of the premium disks, which is the main reason why customers don't go for this solution in the end."

"We are currently on a pay-as-you-go model with the storage that we use."

"The solution’s combination of the ease of use, simplicity, and reduction in IT management versus the cost has helped a lot. It is very fast to deploy. It's very easy to maintain. You don't have to do a lot in the cloud to maintain this thing, so it gives good performance. It's fast to deploy, easy to maintain, and it gives a better performance. These are the most basic three criteria for any application. This saves cost because the manpower you need to deploy is going down. You're getting better performance and not buying new resources. You have resources available in the cloud. It's just a couple of clicks, then you're good to go."

"The licensing fees for this solution vary, ranging from a single shelf to a full suite."

More Azure NetApp Files pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

15%

Computer Software Company

Manufacturing Company

Comms Service Provider

Financial Services Firm

11%

Computer Software Company

11%

Manufacturing Company

11%

Educational Organization

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	4
Midsize Enterprise	1
Large Enterprise	6

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	4
Midsize Enterprise	2
Large Enterprise	14

Questions from the Community

Which is better - Microsoft Azure Data Box or AWS Snowball?

Microsoft Azure Databox is a 45-pound, super rugged, tamper-resistant, human-managed hardware appliance that can transfer up to 100TB of data capacity to copy, store, then send to the Azure cloud. ...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for AWS Snowball?

Depending of what is your priority; UseAWS Snowball if you are heavily invested in AWS or need edge computing features Choose Azure Data Box for smooth integration with Azure and potentially lower ...

See all answers

What needs improvement with AWS Snowball?

It's difficult to make a comparison and it depends on the customer. When analyzing costs, I must see how the customer uses AWS, Azure, or Google. Google is particularly interesting, for example, fo...

See all answers

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 ...

See all answers

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

On pricing, I would rate it around eight. It's highly priced, and there's no cost reservation option available compared to Azure Files. If NetApp could bring that kind of model for customers to sav...

See all answers

What needs improvement with Azure NetApp Files?

See all answers

Comparisons

Google Transfer Appliance vs AWS Snowball

Compared 56% of the time

Microsoft Azure Data Box vs AWS Snowball

Compared 10% of the time

Cloudwick Amorphic Data Platform vs AWS Snowball

Compared 8% of the time

Palantir Foundry vs AWS Snowball

Compared 5% of the time

IBM Cloud Mass Data Migration vs AWS Snowball

Compared 5% of the time

More AWS Snowball Competitors

Amazon S3 vs Azure NetApp Files

Compared 11% of the time

NetApp Cloud Volumes ONTAP vs Azure NetApp Files

Compared 10% of the time

Microsoft Azure File Storage vs Azure NetApp Files

Compared 9% of the time

Amazon EFS (Elastic File System) vs Azure NetApp Files

Compared 7% of the time

Nasuni vs Azure NetApp Files

Compared 5% of the time

More Azure NetApp Files Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

AWS Snowball

August 2026

Download AWS Snowball product report

Buyer's Guide

Azure NetApp Files

August 2026

Download Azure NetApp Files product report

Also Known As

Amazon AWS Snowball, Amazon Snowball, Snowball

NetApp ANF, ANF

Overview

AWS Snowball is an efficient tool providing high-speed data transfers, end-to-end encryption, and scalability to organizations in need of reliable data migration and integration with AWS infrastructure.

AWS Snowball offers robust data transfer capabilities, ensuring efficient management of large data volumes. It provides end-to-end encryption and tamper-evident features, enhancing data security. The interface is user-friendly and supports seamless integration within AWS. Its scalability and flexible integration options make it a valuable choice for managing complex data migrations. Despite the need for improved connectivity and broader geographical availability, continuous innovations and managed services optimize resources and time.

What are the key features of AWS Snowball?

High-Speed Data Transfer: Facilitates quick migration of large data volumes.
User-Friendly Interface: Simplifies the process of data management.
End-to-End Encryption: Ensures data security during transfers.
Scalability: Easily integrates with AWS systems.
Edge Computing: Provides on-site processing capabilities.
Physical Durability: Designed for reliable data transport.

What benefits can users expect when implementing AWS Snowball?

Cost Efficiency: Reduces expenses associated with large-scale data transfers.
Time Optimization: Saves time in data migration processes.
Resource Optimization: Managed services enhance resource efficiency.
Seamless Integration: Supports on-premises to cloud migrations.
Security: Protects data with encryption during transfer.

Organizations across various industries utilize AWS Snowball for efficient cloud migrations and disaster recovery. In fields where bandwidth is limited, Snowball provides a solution for large-scale data transfers. Financial institutions use it for ETL processes and integrating analytical layers over current data warehouses. Industries with data validation requirements appreciate its secure data transfer features and the ability to reduce dependency on internet connections. Its edge computing capabilities address diverse environmental needs, ensuring data accuracy during migrations.

Amazon Web Services (AWS)

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

Sample Customers

Wazee Digital, Craftsy, Live Nation, Essess

SAP, Restaurant Magic

Buyer's Guide

AWS Snowball vs. Azure NetApp Files

August 2026

Free Report: AWS Snowball vs. Azure NetApp Files

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