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Microsoft Azure Block Storage vs Microsoft Azure File 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

Microsoft Azure Block Storage
Ranking in Public Cloud Storage Services
11th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
64
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Microsoft Azure File Storage
Ranking in Public Cloud Storage Services
4th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.4
Number of Reviews
48
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2025, in the Public Cloud Storage Services category, the mindshare of Microsoft Azure Block Storage is 0.8%, down from 1.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Azure File Storage is 10.3%, down from 13.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Public Cloud Storage Services
 

Featured Reviews

MatsHagberg Olsson2 - PeerSpot reviewer
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.
PrashanthR - PeerSpot reviewer
Seamlessly streamlines document processing with advanced file storage and OCR integration
We need to store data over there. We process documents through Kofax Time is a major benefit, as well as ease of processing. With configuration, it happens quite easily, and we can finish tasks early. File storage is complemented by OCR with Azure Cognitive Service. This enhances the processing…

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The solution has introduced cool-tier storage that allows us to store and save data."
"We use Microsoft Azure Block Storage to store, upload and download data. We can also use it as a backup."
"Overall, I rate the solution as ten out of ten."
"Storing and then retrieving data are the most valuable features of Microsoft Azure Block Storage."
"The solution's most valuable feature revolves around the security-wise functionalities of the tool our company gets from using SAS keys."
"The most valuable features of this solution are the ease with which you connect and use it."
"The price is decent. I rate Azure Block Storage eight out of 10 for affordability."
"The stability seems to be very reliable."
"Very user-friendly and intuitive."
"The security features and the ease of integration are good."
"Integration with the entire Azure platform."
"I like that we can copy and download data using Azure. It's not just for file storage; we can also use it for large data sets or to host static web applications."
"The most valuable aspect of Azure File Storage is that all the features are available in one place."
"The most valuable feature of Microsoft Azure File Storage is the cloud file storage capability."
"First of all, the solution is very secure. Secondly, the solution is very fast. It is reliable and available all the time."
"File storage is complemented by OCR with Azure Cognitive Service."
 

Cons

"At the moment, I do not have anything specific in mind for improvements."
"Microsoft Azure Block Storage can improve the configuration to be more user-friendly."
"Technical support needs improvement."
"The scalability of the product is an area of concern where improvements are required."
"It is also costly and not cheap compared to Internet-based networks."
"The cache issue needs to be addressed to ensure that the correct file is downloaded, especially when it's done manually into the local storage."
"Microsoft Azure Block Storage could improve by having integration with Amazon AWS. The file transfer could be easier."
"The solution can be improved by including quicker hard drive access and larger bandwidth as part of the standard licensing fee."
"Microsoft Azure File Storage is not that easy to use."
"It’s a challenge to find the right support person."
"If the file is large, there may be a delay in download time."
"Sometimes it takes very long to refresh the information."
"The transparency of cost should be improved."
"They can improve the ability to assign permissions to different groups or users."
"Importing and exporting data needs to have a bit more documentation."
"I would like to see more updates around File Storage."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"We pay around $300 to $400 a month for some scenarios where consumption is limited. However, going forward, we're seeing the likelihood of the cost coming to around $2,000 as consumption rises."
"For the first 50DB, they cost around $50. It's an open solution for everybody. Anybody can go to the Microsoft website and they can get the pricing for it. But the first 50GB of data is a default rate and then it increases for the next 500GB or something like that. It is a pay as you go solution. The more you use, the more you pay. That's normally how you pay for any cloud solutions."
"Microsoft Azure Block Storage is expensive. Its licensing costs are monthly."
"The pricing for Microsoft Azure Block Storage is high because of MSA and SBA contracts, where Microsoft takes care of the security aspects, apart from the maintenance, and Microsoft has service level agreements with the customers."
"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."
"Microsoft Azure Block Storage is not an expensive tool. I'm subscribed to the Microsoft Learn Student Ambassadors program, so Microsoft gives me between $120 to $150 credit each month."
"The cost of procuring storage depends on the customer's license availability."
"I would rate Azure a three out of ten for pricing."
"Microsoft Azure File Storage is expensive."
"I give the pricing of the solution a seven out of ten."
"The product's pricing need improvement."
"The solution is a bit pricey compared to AWS and Google."
"The price is comparable to other competitive solutions."
"For one terabyte of data, we are spending about 150 Euro every month."
"The price of Microsoft Azure File Storage is expensive, we do not know exactly how the price is calculated."
"There are fewer hidden costs involved compared to other solutions, and when our customer is already a Microsoft partner, they typically have access to more affordable fees."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
18%
Financial Services Firm
16%
Manufacturing Company
14%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Computer Software Company
16%
Financial Services Firm
11%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Government
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

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?
Pricing could be rated as eight out of ten. It is reasonable, however, it can be cheaper.
What needs improvement with Microsoft Azure Block Storage?
At the moment, I do not have anything specific in mind for improvements. The most important thing for me is accessibility and easy provisioning to multiple servers with different vendors.
Which file storage system is better - Amazon EFS (elastic file storage) or Azure File Storage?
Amazon EFS is easy to set up: you can use the AWS management console, API, or command-line. Amazon EFS can grow to petabytes and deliver consistent low latencies and high levels of throughput. This...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft Azure File Storage?
The pricing for Microsoft Azure File Storage is five out of ten, not so expensive and not so low.
 

Also Known As

MS Azure Block Storage
MS Azure File Storage
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Mazda, BlinkBox, Rakuten Showtime, Xbox One, Serko, ChronoDrive
Talon, Camden
Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft Azure Block Storage vs. Microsoft Azure File Storage and other solutions. Updated: April 2025.
850,028 professionals have used our research since 2012.