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 #12 with an average rating of 8.2, while NetApp is ranked #7 with an average rating of 7.3. Amazon Web Services (AWS) holds a 0.7% mindshare in CM, compared to NetApp’s 15.5% mindshare. Additionally, 90% of Amazon Web Services (AWS) users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 88% of NetApp users who would recommend it.

AWS Snowball

Read 10 AWS Snowball reviews

36 Views
11 Comparison Views

90% willing to recommend

Azure NetApp Files

Read 17 Azure NetApp Files reviews

1,170 Views
70 Comparison Views

88% 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: June 2025).

Buyer's Guide

AWS Snowball vs. Azure NetApp Files

June 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

AWS Snowball

Ranking in Cloud Migration

12th

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

7th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.4

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Cloud Storage (8th), Public Cloud Storage Services (9th)

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2025, in the Cloud Migration category, the mindshare of AWS Snowball is 0.7%, up from 0.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Azure NetApp Files is 15.5%, down from 18.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

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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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.

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

"It's a nice way of shipping a lot of data without using a network."

"You are able to scale the solution vertically. It's very scalable."

"The flexibility of AWS Snowball is valuable. Its security allows for the ability to move and secure data without concern if the device is lost and the option to trace it back to AWS data centers."

"The solution is elastic."

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

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

"The solution is elastic."

More AWS Snowball pros

"You can change it non-disruptively. You can increase the size and decrease the size online, which is a huge benefit compared to Azure disks. It just works seamlessly. You don't need to stop the instances."

"I think the easiest part is, when you do a comparison, it is the throughput versus the cost. And it's much easier to set up."

"It has saved a lot of time. Because in the older, conventional hardware system, they need to raise a ticket to go to storage engineering, then storage engineering would increased the size. Now, it's dynamic. You don't have to do anything. This improved the time by more than 50 percent."

"It is faster. It is quicker. It is reliable."

"I think the easiest part is, when you do a comparison, it is the throughput versus the cost. And it's much easier to set up."

"Since we have NetApp's internally, we use the SnapMirror predominantly for this process in the cloud which is beneficial."

"The most valuable feature of this solution is its flexibility."

"Azure NetApp Files has been stable."

More Azure NetApp Files pros

Cons

"The costs of services the customer needs also matter, such as storage requirements and whether storage is rational."

"AWS support could be more responsive."

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

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

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

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

"It would be helpful if Snowball provided more kinds of connectivity. That will make it easier to add and move data."

"24/7 support is more expensive on AWS compared to Azure."

More AWS Snowball cons

"This solution would be improved with more innovation."

"The solution needs to improve it's ABS environment."

"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."

"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."

"I have a hunch that storage could be now the most expensive portion of our monthly bill. So I can imagine that, not this year, but next year we will be talking about looking deeper into ways how we can optimize the cost."

"The pricing definitely needs to be improved."

"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."

"Reserved Instances for Azure NetApp Files would improve more use cases, making them more valuable in Azure as the cost would be reduced."

More Azure NetApp Files cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

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

"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."

"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."

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

"This solution is very expensive compared to the alternatives."

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

"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."

"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."

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

More Azure NetApp Files pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

15%

Financial Services Firm

14%

Government

Manufacturing Company

Educational Organization

17%

Financial Services Firm

13%

Manufacturing Company

12%

Computer Software Company

11%

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

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 do you like most about AWS Snowball?

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

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

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 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

Comparisons

Google Transfer Appliance vs AWS Snowball

Compared 49% of the time

Microsoft Azure Data Box vs AWS Snowball

Compared 42% of the time

IBM Cloud Mass Data Migration vs AWS Snowball

Compared 5% of the time

Palantir Foundry vs AWS Snowball

Compared 3% of the time

AWS Snowball Edge vs AWS Snowball

Compared 1% of the time

More AWS Snowball Competitors

Microsoft Azure File Storage vs Azure NetApp Files

Compared 36% of the time

NetApp Cloud Volumes ONTAP vs Azure NetApp Files

Compared 30% of the time

Amazon EFS (Elastic File System) vs Azure NetApp Files

Compared 8% of the time

Amazon FSx vs Azure NetApp Files

Compared 7% of the time

Nasuni vs Azure NetApp Files

Compared 7% of the time

More Azure NetApp Files Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

AWS Snowball

June 2025

Download AWS Snowball product report

Buyer's Guide

Azure NetApp Files

June 2025

Download Azure NetApp Files product report

Also Known As

Amazon AWS Snowball, Amazon Snowball, Snowball

NetApp ANF, ANF

Overview

Snowball is a petabyte-scale data transport solution that uses devices designed to be secure to transfer large amounts of data into and out of the AWS Cloud. Using Snowball addresses common challenges with large-scale data transfers including high network costs, long transfer times, and security concerns. Customers today use Snowball to migrate analytics data, genomics data, video libraries, image repositories, backups, and to archive part of data center shutdowns, tape replacement or application migration projects. Transferring data with Snowball is simple, fast, more secure, and can be as little as one-fifth the cost of transferring data via high-speed Internet.

Amazon Web Services (AWS)

Azure NetApp Files is designed for unstructured data, virtualized SAP systems, SQL backups, NFS and CIFS protocols, Azure Virtual Desktop storage, and optimizing file share services. It supports high performance and networking integration in Microsoft Azure.

Azure NetApp Files offers features such as SnapMirror for data protection, rapid provisioning, elastic scaling, and ultra-fast SQL backup and restore. It provides a seamless experience with fast snapshotting, high availability, security, and ease of setup. Users benefit from significant performance improvements and the ability to manage substantial workload migrations effortlessly. This service is ideal for environments like Azure Kubernetes Service and cloud EPM platforms, where speed, flexibility, and performance are crucial.

What are the key features?

Flexibility: Adaptable to diverse storage needs.
Rapid response time: Ensures quick data access and operations.
SnapMirror: Provides replication and data protection.
SEC compliance: SnapLock ensures regulatory adherence.
Ultra-fast SQL backup: Quicker backup and restore operations.
Elastic scaling: Easily adjusts resources based on demand.
Fast snapshotting: Enables quick data snapshots.
High availability: Ensures consistent data access.
Security: Robust measures for data protection.

What are the expected benefits and ROI?

Performance: Notable improvement in processing speeds.
Simplicity of setup: Easy deployment and configuration.
Scalable management: Handles significant workload migrations with ease.
Cost efficiency: Allows comparing throughput versus cost effectively.

Azure NetApp Files is implemented in various industries requiring robust file storage solutions, from educational environments where performance boosts are critical to businesses leveraging Azure Kubernetes Service for containerized applications. It supports high-demand environments, optimizing data management and improving efficiency.

NetApp

Sample Customers

Wazee Digital, Craftsy, Live Nation, Essess

SAP, Restaurant Magic

Buyer's Guide

AWS Snowball vs. Azure NetApp Files

June 2025

Free Report: AWS Snowball vs. Azure NetApp Files

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