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Azure NetApp Files vs Microsoft Azure Block Storage comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 1, 2024

Review summaries and opinions

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

ROI

Sentiment score
7.4
Azure NetApp Files boosts performance, eases deployment, reduces downtime, and optimizes costs, despite higher initial expenses than on-premises.
Sentiment score
2.6
Microsoft Azure Block Storage optimizes expenses with 90% cost reduction, ease of management, and ensures data protection against issues.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
7.4
Azure NetApp Files receives mixed feedback on support, praised for integration and ease, but some users seek more specialized assistance.
Sentiment score
5.5
Microsoft Azure Block Storage support varies; premium plans offer faster responses, while others face delays and inconsistent service.
They have top-notch people.
Cloud/Data/Database Manager at a government with 10,001+ employees
Support quality is good, but the main issue is the delay in handling tickets.
Cloud Engineer at a financial services firm with 11-50 employees
I had contacted them before and they replied rapidly.
System vice president at a non-tech company with 51-200 employees
Ours is a government enterprise organization, so we have a premium support agreement with Microsoft, and they give us the best support.
Solution Architect at a computer software company with 501-1,000 employees
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.6
Azure NetApp Files is scalable, flexible, and cost-effective for large setups, but pricing concerns exist for smaller setups.
Sentiment score
5.8
Microsoft Azure Block Storage is scalable, user-friendly, and suitable for all businesses, though scaling can increase costs.
The ability to scale is well-supported.
Sr. Cloud Engineer at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees
It is a significant advantage of the product.
Senior Consultant at a tech company with 501-1,000 employees
We are on a premium plan, which should handle scalability automatically.
Delivery Manager at a computer software company with 501-1,000 employees
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
8.4
Azure NetApp Files is rated highly for stability due to its reliability and consistency under increased workloads and migrations.
Sentiment score
7.6
Microsoft Azure Block Storage is highly rated for stability, despite occasional regional downtime and minor improvement suggestions.
I rate the stability as ten out of ten.
Lead DevOps and Release Engineer-L2 at ITWORX
It isn't as stable as sound storage systems in a premise environment.
Information Technology Business Partner and Enterprise Architecture Lead at a construction company with 10,001+ employees
The stability of block storage could be rated as nine out of ten.
Senior Consultant at a tech company with 501-1,000 employees
 

Room For Improvement

Azure NetApp Files needs improved features, cost efficiency, easier deployment, regional integration, and strengthened security to meet user demands.
Microsoft Azure Block Storage users face pricing, interface, and integration challenges, with additional needs for better security and scalability.
I would like for them to have more compression so that it can avoid using more storage.
Cloud/Data/Database Manager at a government with 10,001+ employees
Its compatibility with various platforms could be enhanced to allow for a seamless operation across different cloud environments.
Information Technology Business Partner and Enterprise Architecture Lead at a construction company with 10,001+ employees
Maybe they can integrate with the AI solution; the Microsoft AI solution is upcoming, and once we are able to integrate with it, we can do many things.
Solution Architect at a computer software company with 501-1,000 employees
Enabling SFTP on Microsoft Azure Block Storage didn’t allow us to get the IP address, as Azure doesn’t support it.
Delivery Manager at a computer software company with 501-1,000 employees
 

Setup Cost

Azure NetApp Files pricing is premium yet justified by features like management, scalability, and flexible licensing options.
Microsoft Azure Block Storage pricing is generally higher than competitors, but offers discounted rates through enterprise agreements.
It is expensive, especially with NetApp Ultra Storage.
Cloud/Data/Database Manager at a government with 10,001+ employees
For medium-sized companies, especially when discussing cost and scalability, it can be quite expensive.
Information Technology Business Partner and Enterprise Architecture Lead at a construction company with 10,001+ employees
The cost for Azure Data Factory, utilized for intensive data migration, was high but expected, as it's a one-time activity.
Delivery Manager at a computer software company with 501-1,000 employees
It is reasonable, however, it can be cheaper.
Senior Consultant at a tech company with 501-1,000 employees
 

Valuable Features

Azure NetApp Files enhances performance, scalability, and management with integrated features for backup, recovery, and seamless Azure integration.
Microsoft Azure Block Storage is reliable, scalable, secure, and affordable, with excellent data management and integration features.
The most valuable feature is that the sixty-terabyte database snapshot can be done in less than two to three minutes.
Cloud/Data/Database Manager at a government with 10,001+ employees
The world is now directed toward a centralized data platform or Fabric to build a data lake house for data engineering, which keeps all data in a centralized place that's beneficial for the governance layer and unified governance.
System vice president at a non-tech company with 51-200 employees
The tool allows me to download to my device, control access, and manage data with ease.
Senior Solutions Architect at EQ2 Technology
The encryption feature in Microsoft Azure Block Storage is very good, and the security is excellent.
Solution Architect at a computer software company with 501-1,000 employees
 

Categories and Ranking

Azure NetApp Files
Ranking in Public Cloud Storage Services
11th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.4
Number of Reviews
17
Ranking in other categories
Cloud Migration (7th), Cloud Storage (12th)
Microsoft Azure Block Storage
Ranking in Public Cloud Storage Services
12th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
5.9
Number of Reviews
67
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Public Cloud Storage Services category, the mindshare of Azure NetApp Files is 6.3%, down from 7.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Azure Block Storage is 1.9%, up from 0.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Public Cloud Storage Services Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Azure NetApp Files6.3%
Microsoft Azure Block Storage1.9%
Other91.8%
Public Cloud Storage Services
 

Featured Reviews

AjayKumar13 - PeerSpot reviewer
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.
Ajai Jayakumar - PeerSpot reviewer
Solution Architect at a computer software company with 501-1,000 employees
Has supported secure file sharing and data automation with minimal setup effort
The encryption feature in Microsoft Azure Block Storage is very good, and the security is excellent. It is easy to map the storage to the virtual servers and user desktops, which is also very beneficial. I can perform automations on the data, such as moving hot data and cold data, and I can select storage based on performance. The security provided by Microsoft around Microsoft Azure Block Storage is a very good function. The replication feature in Microsoft Azure Block Storage is a very good function. The analytic capabilities of Microsoft Azure Block Storage can help optimize resources. I usually work with a third-party tool; our data analytics team uses some custom-made tools for analytics data and dashboards, so we do not use the Microsoft dashboard; we are using a third-party dashboard. It is very easy to manage Microsoft Azure Block Storage. If you have good knowledge of it, it is very easy to manage. Microsoft Azure Block Storage service is a very good, 100% reliable service. It is highly scalable, and performance-wise and reliability-wise, it does not go down. It provides 99.9% uptime without downtime, so it is a very good feature. The backup and restoration efficiency of Microsoft Azure Block Storage is good.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
13%
Financial Services Firm
12%
Manufacturing Company
12%
Educational Organization
6%
Manufacturing Company
14%
Performing Arts
11%
Non Tech Company
10%
Healthcare Company
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business4
Midsize Enterprise2
Large Enterprise13
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business26
Midsize Enterprise14
Large Enterprise24
 

Questions from the Community

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 ...
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 ...
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.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft Azure Block Storage?
Our experience with pricing has been positive. The budget for Microsoft Azure services has been within expectations for the last couple of months. The cost for Azure Data Factory ( /products/azure-...
What needs improvement with Microsoft Azure Block Storage?
For improvement in Microsoft Azure Block Storage, they can provide tiered level storages, maybe low-cost storages for storing archive data, but it is already there. I do not think there is much to ...
 

Also Known As

NetApp ANF, ANF
MS Azure Block Storage
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

SAP, Restaurant Magic
Mazda, BlinkBox, Rakuten Showtime, Xbox One, Serko, ChronoDrive
Find out what your peers are saying about Azure NetApp Files vs. Microsoft Azure Block Storage and other solutions. Updated: December 2025.
879,853 professionals have used our research since 2012.