AWS Snowball vs Nasuni comparison

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AWS Snowball

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 1, 2025

Nasuni and AWS Snowball are tools in the data management and migration space. Nasuni offers a competitive advantage with its continuous data protection and limitless storage capabilities, while AWS Snowball stands out for secure and cost-effective large data transfer to the cloud.

Features: Nasuni provides unlimited on-demand storage, global file locking, disaster recovery, and continuous file versioning, which ensures data is readily available and secure. AWS Snowball is advantageous for its secure, scalable data migration with strong encryption and end-to-end handling of large datasets, making it cost-effective compared to internet transfers.

Room for Improvement: Nasuni could enhance data replication speed, cross-platform functionalities, and cloud service support. Visibility of backend operations and improvements in single sign-on and mobile access could be beneficial. AWS Snowball could broaden connectivity options, improve international availability, and enhance security during data transit. Also, improving its user accessibility and support responsiveness could make it more beginner-friendly.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Nasuni supports hybrid, private, and public cloud environments, praised for ease of deployment and responsive customer support, though some delays exist during non-business hours. AWS Snowball is straightforward in public and hybrid cloud deployments with consistent, accessible support praised for quick responsiveness and resource availability.

Pricing and ROI: Nasuni offers cost-effective pricing based on data capacity, providing solid ROI by reducing infrastructure and labor costs with a predictable cost model. AWS Snowball supports varying organizational sizes with a pricing model facilitating labor reductions and operational improvements, gaining a favorable ROI particularly for large data transfers due to its efficient upfront pricing strategy.

To learn more, read our detailed AWS Snowball vs. Nasuni Report (Updated: June 2026).

AWS Snowball vs. Nasuni

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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)

Nasuni

Ranking in Cloud Migration

6th

Average Rating

8.8

Reviews Sentiment

7.4

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

File System Software (2nd), NAS (12th), Cloud Storage (14th), Cloud Backup (35th), Disaster Recovery (DR) Software (19th), Cloud Storage Gateways (4th)

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2026, in the Cloud Migration category, the mindshare of AWS Snowball is 1.9%, up from 0.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Nasuni is 5.9%, down from 11.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Cloud Migration Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Nasuni	5.9%
AWS Snowball	1.9%
Other	92.2%

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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reviewer1822371

Infrastructure Architect at a energy/utilities company with 10,001+ employees

Cloud data management that achieves cost efficiency with advanced data protection features

I am currently using Nasuni for seismic data. We have a huge data size, and we want to reduce costs. Nasuni acts as a caching solution, so we put some data into the cache, and the rest goes to the blob, which helps us save on costs. We use it for applications like Petrol and Tech Log, where 3D…

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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

"We are a very large company with around 20 million users that include architects, developers, and admin staff, and it's a very nice service we would highly recommend."

"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 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."

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

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

"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."

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

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

More AWS Snowball pros

"My advice for anybody who is considering this product is that it works great."

"The most valuable feature is the simplicity of the backup and restore functions."

"This solution has done a fantastic job of meeting all our needs."

"With Nasuni, the simplicity of management is light-years ahead of our previous processes because the old backup and recovery was so slow, and we had to keep growing the SAN as the business grew."

"We have absolutely seen an ROI, and we are super happy with our ROI."

"The snapshot functionality and the unified file system are definitely the most valuable features for us. The UFS allows everybody across the organization to see the exact same data at the same time, instead of having different file servers with different structures on them, and that's mission-critical. We have different branches throughout our organization that have to act on that data."

"The most valuable feature is the storage in that it only keeps the last-used data locally, while everything else is backed up to the cloud. That way, we never really have to worry about file space in each office or the replication to the other file servers for DR."

"The global file locking feature is valuable. The ability to quickly deploy new sites is also valuable."

More Nasuni pros

Cons

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

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

"There's always room for improvement as you use the service more and gain expertise. Some challenges I've faced include the time factor (data transfer can be time-consuming), data validation after the transfer, risks associated with physical handling and shipping of the device, and ensuring data security during transit."

"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."

"AWS support could be more responsive."

"It's not cheap."

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

More AWS Snowball cons

"The Nasuni file storage platform doesn't work well when there are a high number of small files."

"The performance monitoring could be improved."

"Its interface design or the graphic user interface design can be slightly tweaked in some areas. Some built-in setup wizards would be very beneficial. Rather than having to go in and configure it by hand, there should be more setup wizards for onboarding new data shares and getting it set up the way you want. I don't know if these are on their roadmap, but I sat down and talked to them about some of the work concerns, some of the things that we liked, and some of the things that we didn't like. They are probably working on that."

"I suggest Nasuni improve their syslog forwarders to support TCP protocol, as it's more secure than UDP, which is plain text and not protected at all."

"Some applications may not be suited for the Nasuni environment. You may need something with better performance. Otherwise, if you want to run daily operations or some file system, it's a good bet."

"Some of their cross-platform features are really good, but it could always use more."

"It would be helpful to have more built-in analytics tools to compare the storage costs between the various cloud providers. I would also like some graphing capabilities. We had a tool called Grafana that we used for graphing. I think some more visual analytics like that would be nice."

"The only thing that I'd like to see is more support for platforms like OneDrive or Box.com."

More Nasuni 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."

"There are cheaper forms of storage, but Nasuni is fairly priced for the functionality it offers. I can get basic file shares provisioned in Azure and pay for the storage and the CPU. The overall cost would be much less than Nasuni, but I would need to build the management console and encryption process, so it would cost a lot to develop that kind of functionality."

"The pricing is on par with everybody else, and fair."

"I would not say it is economically priced, but it is affordable. If you can afford to pay for it, it is worth the money, but it is definitely not overpriced. It is priced about where it needs to be in the market. We were satisfied with the way they did their licensing and how they handled it. I believe they actually license by data size. It is based on how much data is being held on the machine and replicated, and that's completely understandable. So, for us, their pricing was as expected and affordable."

"Our agreement is set up such that we pay annually per terabyte, and we buy a chunk of it at a time. Then if we run out of space, we go back to them and buy another chunk."

"Its price is fair and reasonable. I don't have anything negative about its pricing and licensing. For us, there is also the cost of monitoring. We are monitoring through Xenos and not through Nasuni. That is another cost for us from the monitoring perspective, but as far as Nasuni goes, we don't have any other cost apart from the licensing fee."

"The pricing is fair. It's an enterprise-level solution so it's not inexpensive... The cost is pretty stable year over year."

"The cost of licensing is negotiated and billed annually per terabyte."

"The cost is based on the capacity, which is approximately $100 USD per terabyte."

More Nasuni pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

14%

Computer Software Company

Manufacturing Company

Retailer

Computer Software Company

11%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Construction Company

10%

Manufacturing Company

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	3
Midsize Enterprise	8
Large Enterprise	24

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. ...

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 ...

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...

Does Nasuni have a good pricing model?

Based on the experience of my organization, Nasuni is definitely worth the money, since it gives you an all-in-one solution where you'd usually need several programs. About the cost, there isn't a ...

Is it easy to restore files with Nasuni?

As someone who has used this feature of Nasuni I can tell you - yes, it's good for file recovery and you'll definitely benefit from very quick times. I can't tell you if it's the best one because I...

What features and services does Nasuni offer?

Hi, if you pick Nasuni, you'll be benefiting from many services for a good price. Well, it's a personalized price you get after an agreement with the company but in my organization's case, it is a ...

Google Transfer Appliance vs AWS Snowball

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Compared 6% of the time

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Compared 4% of the time

Qumulo vs Nasuni

Compared 3% of the time

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Product Reports

AWS Snowball

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Also Known As

Amazon AWS Snowball, Amazon Snowball, Snowball

No data available

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)

Nasuni provides a robust platform for seamless global file storage, offering unified file management, data protection, and cost-effective scalability.

Nasuni's approach integrates a unified file system with high-level security features, ensuring seamless data access and synchronization. Despite its strong capabilities in data replication and storage, Nasuni faces challenges in integration and small file performance. Users appreciate its scalability and cost reduction but call for enhancements in cloud mirroring, automated load balancing, and multi-factor authentication. Better content visibility, mobile access tools, and refined monitoring are desired to enhance user experience. Organizations utilize Nasuni for global file sharing, disaster recovery, and collaborative data management across distributed teams, effectively replacing older systems.

What are Nasuni's Key Features?

Seamless Data Transmission: Enables efficient data flow across locations.
Unified File System: Centralizes file management for ease of access.
Unlimited Storage Capacity: Offers scalable options with global access.
Data Protection: Continuous versioning and ransomware protection.
Single Management Console: Streamlines administrative tasks.

What Benefits Can Users Expect from Nasuni?

Cost Efficiency: Reduces infrastructure expenses by leveraging scalable architecture.
Data Accessibility: Enhances sync and access across multiple sites.
Improved Collaboration: Supports teamwork across dispersed teams.
Confidence in Data Security: Comprehensive encryption and private key management.

Nasuni is adeptly used in industries requiring robust data management such as finance, healthcare, and media, where file synchronization and disaster recovery are critical. Enterprises deploy it to replace outdated file-sharing systems, enhancing workflow efficiency and data reliability.

Sample Customers

Wazee Digital, Craftsy, Live Nation, Essess

American Standard, CBRE, Cushman & Wakefield, E*TRADE, Ithaca Energy, McLaren Construction, Morton Salt, Movado, Urban Outfitters, Western Digital

AWS Snowball vs. Nasuni