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Google Cloud Storage Nearline vs Microsoft Azure Object 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:
 

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
10
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Microsoft Azure Object Storage
Ranking in Public Cloud Storage Services
11th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.0
Number of Reviews
54
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 Object Storage is 1.9%, down from 2.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Public Cloud Storage Services
 

Featured Reviews

AmitKumar36 - PeerSpot reviewer
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.
Akram Zabat - PeerSpot reviewer
Provides versatile data storage solutions with a simple setup and easy to use
It's similar to S3 for AWS. The ability to store everything inside Blob or Object storage and use it for archiving data is beneficial. For example, you can transform data from relational databases, flatten it, and store it in Object storage to save space within the databases. If I want to save data and do not require legacy access, it's a good solution, for instance, to migrate archives from databases to Object storage. This can also be used for business intelligence purposes. Having a storage solution for data makes it the best place to store it. Azure has its own solution for StatsQ Web Apps.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"I find the flexibility in storing documents or data and the ease of retrieval valuable with this solution."
"The most valuable aspect of Google Cloud Storage Nearline is its integration with the wider Google Cloud ecosystem."
"It provides the necessary support and flexibility to manage data storage effectively, especially during times of variable data flow."
"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."
"Nearline is highly stable."
"The best part of Nearline storage is the ability to take backups at optimal costs and its availability across multiple regions."
"Google is always introducing new features and tends to have a new release every month."
"The most valuable aspect of Google Cloud Storage Nearline is its integration with the wider Google Cloud ecosystem."
"Azure cloud services are quite an easy solution with many tools to operate, such as the CLI, software development kit, and the portal."
"Object Storage's best features are the soft delete option and the retention period."
"It is easy to use, and we use it for backup and remote desktop access. It is working fine."
"Microsoft Azure Object Storage offers hassle-free usage. It is easy to configure."
"The benefits of using Microsoft Azure Object Storage include being able to keep all unstructured data in the storage, allowing users to access it from anywhere by configuring the storage explorer in their system, based on the policies we apply during the implementation."
"Object Storage's best feature is that it's easy to deploy."
"The metadata that the solution provides is quite valuable for us. If we need to analyze the latest data from a particular department or particular user, we can simply query through the metadata we store in Azure Object Storage and simply fetch those records which are maybe one day or one month old. this metadata storage is really handy for us."
"The features of Microsoft Azure Object Storage that are most valuable are the ones providing encryption. Access is more controlled using private endpoints and SaaS token keys. Many access control features exist."
 

Cons

"One area that needs improvement is the documentation, which I find to be disorganized and not user-friendly."
"The pricing is quite high."
"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."
"Nearline security could be better. The solution could integrate better with SEIM tools."
"One area that needs improvement is the documentation, which I find to be disorganized and not user-friendly."
"They need a better, more visual, user interface for folders and files."
"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."
"The interface for managing file storage in the buckets could be improved."
"Microsoft Azure Object Storage has had a number of failures last week due to the lack of hardware available to support the resources. However, it was only for a short time, approximately two days."
"I think if the tool puts features that only exist in the easy copying area through Azure Storage Explorer, so introducing such features in Microsoft Azure Object Storage can make it more user-friendly."
"Technical support should be a little bit faster."
"One of the things that are currently important is consistency. To achieve this, another database called Cosmos DB is available. We want to have a similar consistency to the one in Cosmos DB but at a cheaper price."
"Our current Azure setup faces challenges with API connectivity, particularly due to misconfigurations related to changes in Azure Graph."
"Improvements should be made as per customer requirements."
"Object Storage's integration with other backup software could be improved."
"Currently, the Microsoft Azure Storage Explorer is just a Windows app. I don't know if it's available on mobile, such as iOS or Android. I don't know if the app is mobile-friendly. It should be mobile-friendly."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"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."
"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."
"You can download the application from Microsoft free of charge."
"The cost of this solution is high compared to others, although there are no costs in addition to the standard licensing fees."
"For the cloud, you get charges every day if you are going to download anything, besides the cost for storage those charges are always there."
"The tool has a pay-per-use pricing model...There is no need to pay extra money for the licensing costs since the price is based on the storage you consume."
"Currently, it is a flexible price policy."
"The price will be more competitive when we increase the time spent using the tool. For our company's size range, I think the price is okay."
"The tool's licensing costs are annual. It should be made reasonable."
"Microsoft Azure Object Storage is not expensive."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
19%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Computer Software Company
23%
Manufacturing Company
13%
Real Estate/Law Firm
10%
Retailer
7%
 

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.
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.
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.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft Azure Object Storage?
I can't share a lot about the costs. I am focused on the technical aspect. It's a pay-per-use solution and a good idea for proof of concept and value. If I want to test a product before deploying i...
What needs improvement with Microsoft Azure Object Storage?
In terms of compliance and security, everything is fine. I do not know of any immediate needs for improvement. However, one potential area for improvement is the replication process. Some clients c...
 

Also Known As

No data available
Microsoft Azure Blob Storage, Azure Object Storage, MS Azure Object Storage
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
Umbraco, Xbox, Radioshack, 343 Industries, McKesson
Find out what your peers are saying about Google Cloud Storage Nearline vs. Microsoft Azure Object Storage and other solutions. Updated: June 2025.
859,129 professionals have used our research since 2012.