Google Cloud Storage Nearline vs Microsoft Azure Block Storage comparison

Google and Microsoft are both solutions in the Public Cloud Storage Services category. Google is ranked #8 with an average rating of 7.6, while Microsoft is ranked #12 with an average rating of 8.4. Google holds a 10.3% mindshare in PCSS, compared to Microsoft’s 0.9% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Google users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 93% of Microsoft users who would recommend it.

Google Cloud Storage Nearline

Read 10 Google Cloud Storage Nearline reviews

1,675 Views
1,417 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Microsoft Azure Block Storage

Read 64 Microsoft Azure Block Storage reviews

274 Views
137 Comparison Views

93% willing to recommend

Google Cloud Storage Nearline

Microsoft Azure Block Storage

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Download the report

Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 1, 2024

Google Cloud Storage Nearline and Microsoft Azure Block Storage are two leading cloud storage solutions. Azure Block Storage offers superior features and customer deployment experience, while Nearline is more affordable based on pricing.

Features: Google Cloud Storage Nearline integrates seamlessly with Google’s ecosystem and offers excellent scalability. Microsoft Azure Block Storage provides advanced security features and robust disaster recovery solutions. Azure Block Storage outperforms in security and recovery, whereas Nearline excels in integration and scalability.

Room for Improvement: Google Cloud Storage Nearline needs faster data retrieval speeds and enhanced data management tools. Microsoft Azure Block Storage requires improvements in user guidance and cost transparency. Nearline could benefit from performance enhancements, and Azure from clearer cost and user guidance.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Google Cloud Storage Nearline is easy to deploy but has mixed reviews on customer service responsiveness. Microsoft Azure Block Storage offers comprehensive deployment support and higher customer service ratings. Azure leads in deployment support and service quality compared to Nearline’s fewer deployment issues.

Pricing and ROI: Google Cloud Storage Nearline offers lower entry costs and good ROI for small to medium-sized enterprises. Microsoft Azure Block Storage, despite higher setup costs, is seen as providing better long-term ROI due to advanced features. Nearline is budget-friendly, while Azure presents better value in the long run.

To learn more, read our detailed Google Cloud Storage Nearline vs. Microsoft Azure Block Storage Report (Updated: June 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Google Cloud Storage Nearline vs. Microsoft Azure Block Storage

June 2025

Download the complete report

Helped 856,873 peers since 2012

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

Google Cloud Storage Nearline

Ranking in Public Cloud Storage Services

8th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Microsoft Azure Block Storage

Ranking in Public Cloud Storage Services

12th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.7

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2025, in the Public Cloud Storage Services category, the mindshare of Google Cloud Storage Nearline is 10.3%, up from 5.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Azure Block Storage is 0.9%, down from 1.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Public Cloud Storage Services

Featured Reviews

AmitKumar36

Solution Architect at HCL Technologies

Flexible, seamless, and scalable document storage with AI and analytics integration, providing reliable support

The solution is very flexible in terms of scalability. It is an online service, so we can scale it anytime with some pre-planning. I rate the scalability a nine out of ten. As for the users using this solution in our organization, that varies according to what time of the day and what day it is, but it goes around 2,000 to 3,000 users. The maximum is about 3,000. On average, it stays somewhere between 2,000 and 1,800.

Read full review

MatsHagberg Olsson2

Senior Solutions Architect at EQ2 Technology

Empowers secure data management with affordable tools and minimal hassle

The most valuable feature is that it's very affordable in comparison to competitors. The absolute best feature is the Azure Storage Explorer tool. The tool allows me to download to my device, control access, and manage data with ease. Additionally, the joint use of Azure portal further facilitates management depending on my location.

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 most valuable feature of Nearline is the access. It's helpful to move data that is generated once a month, such as salary information, to Nearline."

"It can isolate files and stop them from corrupting other files."

"The most valuable aspect of Google Cloud Storage Nearline is its integration with the wider Google Cloud ecosystem."

"Google is always introducing new features and tends to have a new release every month."

"The data structure and the types of data that are supported are very good."

"I find the flexibility in storing documents or data and the ease of retrieval valuable with this solution."

"The capacity and space on offer are excellent."

"It provides the necessary support and flexibility to manage data storage effectively, especially during times of variable data flow."

More Google Cloud Storage Nearline pros

"The ability to increase and scale out is really easy, allowing us to manage a large amount of data with reduced dependency on scalability issues."

"Its integration is very easy."

"It has easy versioning. The versioning is amenable to any changes. It also has great security. It can only be accessed through an API, and only the requested users can access it. It is optimized for data lakes and comprehensive data management."

"Microsoft Azure Block Storage has high-security features and is very reliable. Its maintenance is done through the cloud, which reduces costs."

"We use this solution for backup storage on our on-premise backup."

"The most helpful features of Microsoft Azure Block Storage are the many use cases. Additionally, it can be locked down well and has two-factor authentication."

"The solution's most valuable feature revolves around the security-wise functionalities of the tool our company gets from using SAS keys."

"The ease of setup is the primary reason we use Azure Block Storage. The setup takes one or two days, and we had help from Microsoft. We had five people on our team."

More Microsoft Azure Block Storage pros

Cons

"The suggestion for improvement primarily revolves around cost efficiency."

"The solution needs to offer better System Information and Event Management (SEIM). I'd like to discover how we could implement something like that within Google's cloud."

"They should provide more options or flexibility in terms of pricing."

"The UI could be a little bit more effective."

"One area that needs improvement is the documentation, which I find to be disorganized and not user-friendly."

"The interface for managing file storage in the buckets could be improved."

"Nearline security could be better. The solution could integrate better with SEIM tools."

"From a storage standpoint, it would be beneficial if the retrieval cost could be optimized, as it is comparatively higher than storage costs in Nearline."

More Google Cloud Storage Nearline cons

"The initial setup isn’t straightforward, whether on-premise or on the cloud. It involves considerable planning and dependencies, unlike conventional systems where a straightforward CIFS connection might suffice."

"One thing that needs improvement is authentication. They need to improve the integrated Azure Active Directory for the enterprise level. For single sign-on, we can try any authentication or portal for Block Azure Function AKS. For example, if you're an administrator or user contributor, you will generate a token, then your internal middleware connects to any Azure Cloud service. You need to generate different credentials for each service. We cannot use the same token."

"I want to see my region added to the data center. I'm in Africa, and if a data center is specifically added under Central Africa, that will reduce data latency when accessing data."

"We have not had the best experience with customer service and support."

"Technical support needs improvement."

"At the moment, I do not have anything specific in mind for improvements."

"There is a drawback or limitation to the GRS storage feature because depending on the amount of data, it could take a lot of time."

"The solution needs a direct connection to visualization."

More Microsoft Azure Block Storage cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Right now, for the number of servers and the storage that I have, I would say I'm charged between $125 and $150 per month."

"Google Cloud Storage Nearline is very inexpensive. It costs us less than $50 a month to store our files. We use approximately 10 terabytes. Overall, I would rate the product a five out of five for affordability."

"The cost of procuring storage depends on the customer's license availability."

"In terms of pricing, Azure is quite cheaper than AWS. However, I have recently read that Oracle Cloud Generation 2 storage is quite cheaper than Azure. I haven't used it yet. We need to look at a customer's requirements, and, based on that, we can suggest the storage. You can save at least 20% with Azure as compared to AWS, which is quite costly."

"I rate the product price as seven on a scale of one to ten, where one means low price and ten means high price. The tool is expensive. There are no additional costs attached to the product, so it is available at a fixed price."

"I would rate the pricing as five out of ten."

"The price could be more flexible, and it can be expensive."

"The price of Microsoft Azure Block Storage has a fair price. However, the price could be lower."

"The solution is affordable, and we only pay for what we use."

"Microsoft Azure Block Storage is an expensive solution and I pay monthly."

More Microsoft Azure Block Storage pricing and cost advice

See which vendors are best for you

Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Public Cloud Storage Services solutions are best for your needs.

See recommendations

856,873 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

18%

Financial Services Firm

Comms Service Provider

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

15%

Computer Software Company

15%

Manufacturing Company

12%

Healthcare Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Google Cloud Storage Nearline?

The most valuable feature of Nearline is the access. It's helpful to move data that is generated once a month, such as salary information, to Nearline.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Google Cloud Storage Nearline?

The storage and access cost of Nearline are considered optimal compared to other cloud storage solutions, although I lack a clear view of other cloud storage costs.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Google Cloud Storage Nearline?

From a storage standpoint, it would be beneficial if the retrieval cost could be optimized, as it is comparatively higher than storage costs in Nearline.

See all answers

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.

See all answers

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-...

See all answers

What needs improvement with Microsoft Azure Block Storage?

We encountered an issue where enabling SFTP on Microsoft Azure Block Storage didn’t allow us to get the IP address, as Azure ( /products/microsoft-azure-reviews ) doesn’t support it. We had to set ...

See all answers

Comparisons

Amazon S3 Glacier vs Google Cloud Storage Nearline

Compared 97% of the time

Amazon S3 vs Google Cloud Storage Nearline

Compared 3% of the time

More Google Cloud Storage Nearline Competitors

Amazon EBS (Elastic Block Store) vs Microsoft Azure Block Storage

Compared 68% of the time

Azure NetApp Files vs Microsoft Azure Block Storage

Compared 32% of the time

More Microsoft Azure Block Storage Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Google Cloud Storage Nearline

June 2025

Download Google Cloud Storage Nearline product report

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Azure Block Storage

May 2025

Download Microsoft Azure Block Storage product report

Also Known As

No data available

MS Azure Block Storage

Overview

A low-cost, highly-durable and highly available storage service for infrequently accessed data, data archiving, online backup and disaster recovery. Data is available instantly, not within hours or days. With sub-second average response times and 1 cent per GB/month pricing, Cloud Storage Nearline gives you terrific performance at a low cost.

Google

Massively scalable cloud storage for your applications

Store and help protect your data. Get durable, highly available data storage across the globe and pay only for what you use.

Microsoft

Sample Customers

Information Not Available

Mazda, BlinkBox, Rakuten Showtime, Xbox One, Serko, ChronoDrive

Buyer's Guide

Google Cloud Storage Nearline vs. Microsoft Azure Block Storage

June 2025

Free Report: Google Cloud Storage Nearline vs. Microsoft Azure Block Storage

Find out what your peers are saying about Google Cloud Storage Nearline vs. Microsoft Azure Block Storage and other solutions. Updated: June 2025.

DOWNLOAD NOW

856,873 professionals have used our research since 2012.

See our Google Cloud Storage Nearline vs. Microsoft Azure Block Storage report.

See our list of best Public Cloud Storage Services vendors.

We monitor all Public Cloud Storage Services reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.