NetApp StorageGRID vs Pure Storage FlashBlade comparison

NetApp and Pure Storage are both solutions in the File and Object Storage category. NetApp is ranked #9 with an average rating of 8.0, while Pure Storage is ranked #8 with an average rating of 8.8. NetApp holds a 5.9% mindshare in FaOS, compared to Pure Storage’s 5.8% mindshare. Additionally, 88% of NetApp users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 94% of Pure Storage users who would recommend it.

NetApp StorageGRID

Read 16 NetApp StorageGRID reviews

3,010 Views
3,010 Comparison Views

88% willing to recommend

Pure Storage FlashBlade

Read 38 Pure Storage FlashBlade reviews

5,410 Views
3,679 Comparison Views

94% willing to recommend

NetApp StorageGRID

Pure Storage FlashBlade

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 4, 2024

Pure Storage FlashBlade and NetApp StorageGRID compete in the storage solutions category. FlashBlade appears to have the upper hand in speed and performance, whereas StorageGRID is favored for its effective storage management and cost-efficiency in larger deployments.

Features: Pure Storage FlashBlade is known for its high throughput, low latency, and easy scalability, making it suitable for environments demanding rapid data access. Customers appreciate its replication features and simple management interface. In contrast, NetApp StorageGRID is recognized for deduplication, compression, and robust data security. Customers value its storage management capabilities and object storage solutions.

Room for Improvement: Pure Storage FlashBlade could enhance its cloud integration and deduplication capabilities. Users recommend improvements in API support and lowering licensing costs. Additionally, there's a call for quicker resolution of issues by support teams. For NetApp StorageGRID, users highlight integration difficulties with Active Directory and suggest better pricing and marketing strategies. Improved metadata management and visibility are also suggested.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Both Pure Storage FlashBlade and NetApp StorageGRID offer on-premises and private cloud deployment options. FlashBlade stands out for proactive support but has noted a decline in support quality. Meanwhile, StorageGRID provides consistent customer satisfaction with quick support response times.

Pricing and ROI: Pure Storage FlashBlade is considered expensive but delivers excellent ROI due to performance and simplicity in storage management. It is viewed as a valuable investment for its powerful features. NetApp StorageGRID is competitively priced within its market but is seen as mid-range to high in cost. While it achieves effective cost reductions, only some users note significant ROI.

To learn more, read our detailed NetApp StorageGRID vs. Pure Storage FlashBlade Report (Updated: June 2025).

Buyer's Guide

NetApp StorageGRID vs. Pure Storage FlashBlade

June 2025

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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

NetApp StorageGRID

Ranking in File and Object Storage

9th

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

6.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Pure Storage FlashBlade

Ranking in File and Object Storage

8th

Average Rating

8.8

Reviews Sentiment

7.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

All-Flash Storage (16th), Software Defined Storage (SDS) (8th)

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2025, in the File and Object Storage category, the mindshare of NetApp StorageGRID is 5.9%, up from 4.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Pure Storage FlashBlade is 5.8%, down from 6.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

File and Object Storage

Featured Reviews

Mir Gulzar Ahmed

IT Manager at Synergy Computers

Object-based storage and offers intuitive management tools, making it easy to configure and maintain

The only thing missing is flexibility in configuration to cater to specific customer requirements. Another area of improvement is marketing. NetApp's marketing of StorageGRID isn't optimal. They should present it more effectively, especially in regions like Pakistan. Here, I haven't seen any marketing campaigns from NetApp for StorageGRID or the Solid State Platform (SSP). While StorageGRID is a globally recognized product, I haven't seen any marketing efforts from NetApp in Pakistan. Even competitors are promoting object storage solutions here, but NetApp seems less efficient in selling StorageGRID. There might be one or two customers, but even as a NetApp partner, I'm not aware of any major sales. I've been trained on StorageGRID, and it is a good product. I'm unsure why it hasn't gained traction in Pakistan compared to other countries. So, I just recommend improving the marketing campaigns in Pakistan. I'm pretty confident that if we have one example of successful StorageGRID implementation in Pakistan, other customers will follow suit.

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Eric Black

Solutions Architect at Recovery Point Systems

The ability to leverage multi-tenancy along with immutability is a huge benefit for us

The only thing I feel FlashBlade is missing is the SOS API. If it had SOS API, that would put it well over the top. Veeam Backup specifically has started to streamline their API, and they are doing that with SOS API. They have optimized it. Any of the S3 devices out there that support this SOS API can have far more API calls at once. On our side, that translates to better restoration. With SOS API, it can leverage far more restorations at a single given time or read from the device in simple terms. That results in maximizing the output and throughput from the device itself.

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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

"It has awesome scalability. We consume it with storage appliance nodes, then we just plug and play as we need more."

"The implementation with NetApp went smoothly. It is a 'setup and forget' type of appliance."

"The backup features are valuable. I've heard from our backup and data protection people that our clients are very satisfied with the performance in junction with the backup, which they archive on this type of object storage."

"The technical support team is reliable and responsive."

"The speed of the disks removed the bottleneck from our storage."

"NetApp StorageGRID is a great alternative to AWS S3 buckets."

"Duplication, interface and the manageability is good and simple."

"The features or capabilities of NetApp StorageGRID that I have found the most valuable include scalability, interoperability, and integration options."

More NetApp StorageGRID pros

"The performance of FlashBlade is excellent. It does not necessarily leverage the SOS API that some of the newer products leverage, but I found its speed pretty much on par and comparable. It is fast, and it does what it is supposed to do."

"What I like best about Pure Storage FlashBlade is its object storage functionality, plus it has fast underlying hardware. Pure Storage FlashBlade is also very stable. I find its stability one of its valuable features."

"The solution is able to handle workloads and is easy to use. It allows us to actually manage the boxes in less time."

"The solution provides many controllers."

"The most valuable features include the ease of implementation, ease of use and the speed that you can do backup and recovery on."

"The tool's most valuable feature is its fast performance, especially in handling snapshots. It helps during power outages when we need to quickly move data between different data centers. It ensures efficient replication and helps maintain our data centers' uptime."

"I like its size. It is smaller than the other competitors. We can plug in many blades, and we can have data up to one terabyte."

"It has absolutely simplified our storage because the dashboards on the consoles show a clear understanding of where you are, and it is also very easy to provision. This been a big help for our teams."

More Pure Storage FlashBlade pros

Cons

"There was a small amount of confusion when working with StorageGRID and Active Directory for access. We had to do things three to four times resulting in our engineer troubleshooting a couple of things. The location of the menu, along with what is inside the menu: configurations, settings, etc., is not straightforward to users. Most users are Windows-based. So, when make logical changes to the menu which are not similar to Windows, users and administrators get confused."

"The processes around installation and upgrade need improvement."

"They can enhance the deduplication and compression features, which are crucial for saving more disk space."

"Improvements need to be made in the support area."

"The price is something that NetApp could improve, as with most companies. NetApp is known for not being the cheapest storage option, which is also valid for StorageGRID. There are other storage options on the market which we are aware of and have done proofs of concept for, but you cannot really compare the list prices because, as a big user of NetApp storages, we have totally different prices than some list prices. Still, the price information we got for other options are almost always less expensive than StorageGRID."

"The redundancy and reliability are great, but I also see room for improvement there. I would like to see more efficiency in the storage and dedupe/compression solutions."

"The user interface of NetApp StorageGRID might need some tweaks, and configuration is maybe a little bit confusing for those who are not so experienced."

"It's quite complex, which is a disadvantage; it's enterprise-level, it's complicated to set up, and you need external support."

More NetApp StorageGRID cons

"It usually comes down to just what you hit and the value you're getting when you spend the money and license the products. I would always go, "If you want to make things better, lower your price and make your licensing simpler." There's always an opportunity around that."

"They need better integration with public clouds along with a better hybrid solution."

"The only thing I feel FlashBlade is missing is the SOS API. If it had SOS API, that would put it well over the top."

"Compared to, for example, Hitachi NAS, the solution is not mature at all. It's just in its infancy as far as technology goes."

"An area for improvement in Pure Storage FlashBlade is its price. It could be reduced. The technical support for Pure Storage FlashBlade also needs improvement. It used to be good, with more experienced engineers. Nowadays, it isn't, and it takes longer for support to solve problems."

"In terms of technical support, the experience has been mixed. The support is done through email and is not that great, making it a very problematic area I've been dealing with for over four years."

"To improve FlashBlade, some analysts suggest enhancing its handling of relational database management systems and SQL queries."

"File storage needs a lot of improvement. Mainframe connectivity also needs improvement because it requires additional components to be integrated with Pure Storage FlashBlade. If you want to keep your backup data, then this becomes an even more expensive solution because Pure Storage FlashBlade will not be able to meet your backup needs."

More Pure Storage FlashBlade cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It is very cost-effective."

"We save money on storage costs from this solution since it allows us to have a source of revenue from customers consuming the service."

"Buying the solution is expensive, but it saves you money down the line when you factor in the logistics of not having to buy tapes."

"The pricing is quite flexible and depends on the specific customer requirements. The initial cost is primarily based on the desired capacity, so it's not a fixed price."

"The pricing of StorageGRID falls within the typical range for enterprise-grade solutions and is comparable to other vendors such as Dell, NetApp, and Pure Storage."

"The licensing that the S3 service provides them from a FabricPool standpoint is more attractive than the licensing from AWS or Azure."

"With respect to pricing, it is okay. This product is mid-range."

"The price is attractive."

More NetApp StorageGRID pricing and cost advice

"I have seen ROI. It has allowed me to increase the density of my VMs without having to purchase anything additional."

"The price of this solution could be made more affordable."

"It is within reason for what you get. From what we have found comparing it to other vendors, it is in the same range as others. Given the choice, we would definitely redeploy it based on the cost."

"Support is a separate line item. Support is a different cost, but whatever your support is now, that's what you're going to pay forever. If your support's $100 today, six years from now it's $100. It doesn't fluctuate unless you upgrade it, or change it, etc."

"I understand that it is competitively priced compared to other brands."

"The price is a little high."

"Licensing fees are paid yearly."

"The pricing for FlashBlade is between cheap and moderate."

More Pure Storage FlashBlade pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

21%

Manufacturing Company

19%

Computer Software Company

16%

Government

Computer Software Company

14%

Financial Services Firm

11%

Educational Organization

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about NetApp StorageGRID?

The management portals have most significantly improved our data retrieval times. They've made it much easier to restore data compared to our previous methods.

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for NetApp StorageGRID?

It would definitely be more on the expensive side, especially if you compare it with open source solutions like Ceph.

See all answers

What needs improvement with NetApp StorageGRID?

If I could change anything in NetApp StorageGRID, that would be pricing. In terms of functionality, reliability, and scalability, we are satisfied with NetApp. It's quite complex, which is a disadv...

See all answers

What do you like most about Pure Storage FlashBlade?

The tool's most valuable feature is its fast performance, especially in handling snapshots. It helps during power outages when we need to quickly move data between different data centers. It ensure...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Pure Storage FlashBlade?

The pricing of Pure Storage FlashBlade is expensive compared to other products I used from other companies in the past, but one benefit is that they have built-in ransomware protection. Approximate...

See all answers

What needs improvement with Pure Storage FlashBlade?

I believe there is not much improvement needed because they have everything we need, but the interface is a little bit complex to understand. You have to understand it more deeply because it's hard...

See all answers

Comparisons

MinIO vs NetApp StorageGRID

Compared 26% of the time

Red Hat Ceph Storage vs NetApp StorageGRID

Compared 25% of the time

Dell ECS vs NetApp StorageGRID

Compared 22% of the time

Scality RING vs NetApp StorageGRID

Compared 6% of the time

VAST Data vs NetApp StorageGRID

Compared 3% of the time

More NetApp StorageGRID Competitors

Dell PowerScale (Isilon) vs Pure Storage FlashBlade

Compared 20% of the time

Red Hat Ceph Storage vs Pure Storage FlashBlade

Compared 11% of the time

MinIO vs Pure Storage FlashBlade

Compared 11% of the time

VAST Data vs Pure Storage FlashBlade

Compared 10% of the time

Supermicro SuperBlade vs Pure Storage FlashBlade

Compared 2% of the time

More Pure Storage FlashBlade Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

NetApp StorageGRID

June 2025

Download NetApp StorageGRID product report

Buyer's Guide

Pure Storage FlashBlade

June 2025

Download Pure Storage FlashBlade product report

Also Known As

Storage GRID

No data available

Overview

Store and manage unstructured data at scale using NetApp StorageGRID for secure, durable object storage. Place content in the right location, at the right time, and on the right storage tier, optimizing workflows and reducing overall costs for globally distributed rich media.

NetApp

FlashBlade is the industry’s most advanced scale-out storage for unstructured data, powered by a modern, massively parallel architecture to consolidate complex data silos (like backup appliances and data lakes) and accelerate tomorrow’s discoveries and insights.

Pure Storage

Sample Customers

ASE, DARZ GmbH

ServiceNow, Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport, Dominos, Man AHL

Buyer's Guide

NetApp StorageGRID vs. Pure Storage FlashBlade

June 2025

Free Report: NetApp StorageGRID vs. Pure Storage FlashBlade

Find out what your peers are saying about NetApp StorageGRID vs. Pure Storage FlashBlade and other solutions. Updated: June 2025.

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