AWS Snowball vs Nasuni comparison

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AWS Snowball

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 1, 2025

Nasuni and AWS Snowball are tools in the data management and migration space. Nasuni offers a competitive advantage with its continuous data protection and limitless storage capabilities, while AWS Snowball stands out for secure and cost-effective large data transfer to the cloud.

Features: Nasuni provides unlimited on-demand storage, global file locking, disaster recovery, and continuous file versioning, which ensures data is readily available and secure. AWS Snowball is advantageous for its secure, scalable data migration with strong encryption and end-to-end handling of large datasets, making it cost-effective compared to internet transfers.

Room for Improvement: Nasuni could enhance data replication speed, cross-platform functionalities, and cloud service support. Visibility of backend operations and improvements in single sign-on and mobile access could be beneficial. AWS Snowball could broaden connectivity options, improve international availability, and enhance security during data transit. Also, improving its user accessibility and support responsiveness could make it more beginner-friendly.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Nasuni supports hybrid, private, and public cloud environments, praised for ease of deployment and responsive customer support, though some delays exist during non-business hours. AWS Snowball is straightforward in public and hybrid cloud deployments with consistent, accessible support praised for quick responsiveness and resource availability.

Pricing and ROI: Nasuni offers cost-effective pricing based on data capacity, providing solid ROI by reducing infrastructure and labor costs with a predictable cost model. AWS Snowball supports varying organizational sizes with a pricing model facilitating labor reductions and operational improvements, gaining a favorable ROI particularly for large data transfers due to its efficient upfront pricing strategy.

To learn more, read our detailed AWS Snowball vs. Nasuni Report (Updated: June 2026).

AWS Snowball vs. Nasuni

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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

AWS Snowball

Ranking in Cloud Migration

13th

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

7.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Data Migration Appliances (1st)

Nasuni

Ranking in Cloud Migration

6th

Average Rating

8.8

Reviews Sentiment

7.4

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

File System Software (2nd), NAS (12th), Cloud Storage (14th), Cloud Backup (35th), Disaster Recovery (DR) Software (19th), Cloud Storage Gateways (4th)

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2026, in the Cloud Migration category, the mindshare of AWS Snowball is 1.9%, up from 0.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Nasuni is 5.9%, down from 11.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Cloud Migration Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Nasuni	5.9%
AWS Snowball	1.9%
Other	92.2%

Cloud Migration

Featured Reviews

Kevin-Davis

Global CTO AWS Business Group at Eviden

Seamless data transfer and efficient migration with customizable storage sizes

I like that I can take data and send it straight to S3 when it loads in. The interface for getting my data onto the Snowball is so streamlined. I don't know if you've ever seen it before. It's really cool. I connect them to the backplane of our existing network. I'm able to address it quickly and move the data quickly inside my customers' data centers. There's a little screen on it, which changes the UPS codes and all that stuff. The label and everything AWS electronic, so I don't have to deal with shipping issues. It makes it super simple and easy to use from end to end.

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reviewer1822371

Infrastructure Architect at a energy/utilities company with 10,001+ employees

Cloud data management that achieves cost efficiency with advanced data protection features

I am currently using Nasuni for seismic data. We have a huge data size, and we want to reduce costs. Nasuni acts as a caching solution, so we put some data into the cache, and the rest goes to the blob, which helps us save on costs. We use it for applications like Petrol and Tech Log, where 3D…

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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's a nice way of shipping a lot of data without using a network."

"The features I like best are the tool's high capacity, scalability, end-to-end encryption for data security, ease of use, durability, and cost-effectiveness. It's particularly cost-effective for transferring large amounts of data compared to high-speed internet transfers."

"We are a very large company with around 20 million users that include architects, developers, and admin staff, and it's a very nice service we would highly recommend."

"AWS helps save time and costs, being a managed cloud provider with evolving services."

"The solution is elastic."

"The way the data is moved is very clever. Also, the interface is very simple and user-friendly."

"The flexibility of AWS Snowball is valuable. Its security allows for the ability to move and secure data without concern if the device is lost and the option to trace it back to AWS data centers."

"AWS offers managed services which save time and reduce administrative overhead."

More AWS Snowball pros

"We have absolutely seen an ROI, and we are super happy with our ROI."

"Nasuni has replaced multiple data silos and toolsets with a single, global file system."

"The most valuable feature is disaster recovery. We can fully recover a site in two hours."

"Nasuni has helped to eliminate on-premises infrastructure. We were using about eight to 10 different types of vendors or small storage boxes for provisioning and shared access for users. We got rid of all those. That has eliminated operational overhead and footprint at our data center. We don't have to worry about any hardware or monitoring particular devices, and hundreds of devices have been decommissioned. Now, for provisioning, everything is on Nasuni. I assume this has made a big difference in costs."

"My clients are happy with Nasuni because the transmission is seamless, and it consolidates all the existing file servers into one location. Also, Nasuni has no boundaries. It's infinitely expandable. They don't have to rely on the service provider for backup and restoration. It's self-serve."

"Using this solution has helped us to reduce the time it takes to recover data in the event of a disaster, lower our cost of operations, reduce our workload, and our savings through using Nasuni is approximately 35%."

"The biggest and most impressive thing for us is the operational recovery (OR) and disaster recovery (DR) capabilities that Nasuni has. If a filer goes down, or an ESX server goes down, then we can quickly recover."

"We have one platform to manage all of our data, to see it and to quickly access it, and that is huge."

More Nasuni pros

Cons

"It would be helpful if Snowball provided more kinds of connectivity. That will make it easier to add and move data."

"There's always room for improvement as you use the service more and gain expertise. Some challenges I've faced include the time factor (data transfer can be time-consuming), data validation after the transfer, risks associated with physical handling and shipping of the device, and ensuring data security during transit."

"I think AWS Snowball could improve by expanding its availability to more countries."

"If AWS Snowball is intercepted, there is a potential risk of unauthorized access to the data."

"It does have room for improvement. The ability to better ingest some of the big data."

"It's not an easy product to start using for a beginner, but If you're a professional, it's easy to understand."

"Snowball is not interesting and is a pain to deal with."

"It's not cheap."

More AWS Snowball cons

"We forecasted that the data at my client's organization would grow by about ten percent annually, but we are migrating more data because we are bringing in some servers that had not previously been within the scope of our license. We expected it would take us two years to reach a specific amount of data, but we hit that mark in one year. The licensing cost skyrocketed, so we need to renegotiate. It puts us in a bind because we are reliant on Nasuni for our service strategy. We can't deny our customers, but we also struggle to pay for that."

"Its interface design or the graphic user interface design can be slightly tweaked in some areas. Some built-in setup wizards would be very beneficial. Rather than having to go in and configure it by hand, there should be more setup wizards for onboarding new data shares and getting it set up the way you want. I don't know if these are on their roadmap, but I sat down and talked to them about some of the work concerns, some of the things that we liked, and some of the things that we didn't like. They are probably working on that."

"We've had some organizational changes that Nasuni has not been able to keep up with, mainly from a data or file system perspective. Moving a filer from one management console has been a challenge. It lacks the flexibility to move files in and out of the management console. We have six management consoles now, and we're constantly telling Nasuni, "Hey, please allow us to move a filer from management console A to B." They can't do that."

"We can recover if data and a Filer are lost because of a possible ransomware event, but even that takes time to recover."

"Customer support and response time on issues should be improved because their support can be hard to get in touch with and we have to wait for a long time to get a call back."

"I suggest Nasuni improve their syslog forwarders to support TCP protocol, as it's more secure than UDP, which is plain text and not protected at all."

"One thing to consider is that Nasuni will have the same limitations that a traditional file storage solution will have, although that is because they are taking the place of a traditional architectural model. For example, Office 365 supports collaboration on documents such as Excel files and Word documents, but because Nasuni is a traditional file server, in that sense, it can't make use of that functionality."

"The privilege settings need to be more granular, and alerts are an excellent example. If a user doesn't have access to them, they can't see them and access information such as what they may have done wrong, what's there, and when the last sync happened. However, the ability to view alerts also comes with permission to delete them, which is not good, so we need more customization options here."

More Nasuni cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It's not a cheap solution, but the price is right for the product."

"The tool's pricing depends on the type of Snowball device you choose, the amount of data you need to transfer, and the service fees involved. There’s a standard price for larger data transfers and a flat job fee, which includes the first ten days of on-site usage. Typically, there are no additional data transfer fees."

"The pricing is on par with everybody else, and fair."

"Nasuni should provide small-scale licenses, like a 20 TB license. Currently, the smallest is a 30 TB license."

"They could lower the cost, but it saves so much money when you go into it (by losing all the backup)."

"Our agreement is set up such that we pay annually per terabyte, and we buy a chunk of it at a time. Then if we run out of space, we go back to them and buy another chunk."

"It has a license fee as well as hardware costs, which we would incur if we want to use Nasuni Cloud Storage Gateway for upgrades."

"It's cheaper than a lot of alternatives but it's not cheap."

"I would not say it is economically priced, but it is affordable. If you can afford to pay for it, it is worth the money, but it is definitely not overpriced. It is priced about where it needs to be in the market. We were satisfied with the way they did their licensing and how they handled it. I believe they actually license by data size. It is based on how much data is being held on the machine and replicated, and that's completely understandable. So, for us, their pricing was as expected and affordable."

"Its pricing can get a tad expensive. When we first took Nasuni out, we were just paying for the service. We got storage at a reduced rate. It has now changed, and they're now more of an all-in-one type of thing. It can be quite expensive, but it works out. Apart from that, licensing-wise, it's very simple."

More Nasuni pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

14%

Computer Software Company

Manufacturing Company

Retailer

Computer Software Company

11%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Construction Company

10%

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	4
Midsize Enterprise	1
Large Enterprise	6

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	3
Midsize Enterprise	8
Large Enterprise	24

Questions from the Community

Which is better - Microsoft Azure Data Box or AWS Snowball?

Microsoft Azure Databox is a 45-pound, super rugged, tamper-resistant, human-managed hardware appliance that can transfer up to 100TB of data capacity to copy, store, then send to the Azure cloud. ...

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for AWS Snowball?

Depending of what is your priority; UseAWS Snowball if you are heavily invested in AWS or need edge computing features Choose Azure Data Box for smooth integration with Azure and potentially lower ...

What needs improvement with AWS Snowball?

It's difficult to make a comparison and it depends on the customer. When analyzing costs, I must see how the customer uses AWS, Azure, or Google. Google is particularly interesting, for example, fo...

Does Nasuni have a good pricing model?

Based on the experience of my organization, Nasuni is definitely worth the money, since it gives you an all-in-one solution where you'd usually need several programs. About the cost, there isn't a ...

Is it easy to restore files with Nasuni?

As someone who has used this feature of Nasuni I can tell you - yes, it's good for file recovery and you'll definitely benefit from very quick times. I can't tell you if it's the best one because I...

What features and services does Nasuni offer?

Hi, if you pick Nasuni, you'll be benefiting from many services for a good price. Well, it's a personalized price you get after an agreement with the company but in my organization's case, it is a ...

Google Transfer Appliance vs AWS Snowball

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Compared 9% of the time

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Compared 6% of the time

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Compared 4% of the time

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Compared 3% of the time

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Product Reports

AWS Snowball

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Also Known As

Amazon AWS Snowball, Amazon Snowball, Snowball

No data available

Overview

AWS Snowball is an efficient tool providing high-speed data transfers, end-to-end encryption, and scalability to organizations in need of reliable data migration and integration with AWS infrastructure.

AWS Snowball offers robust data transfer capabilities, ensuring efficient management of large data volumes. It provides end-to-end encryption and tamper-evident features, enhancing data security. The interface is user-friendly and supports seamless integration within AWS. Its scalability and flexible integration options make it a valuable choice for managing complex data migrations. Despite the need for improved connectivity and broader geographical availability, continuous innovations and managed services optimize resources and time.

What are the key features of AWS Snowball?

High-Speed Data Transfer: Facilitates quick migration of large data volumes.
User-Friendly Interface: Simplifies the process of data management.
End-to-End Encryption: Ensures data security during transfers.
Scalability: Easily integrates with AWS systems.
Edge Computing: Provides on-site processing capabilities.
Physical Durability: Designed for reliable data transport.

What benefits can users expect when implementing AWS Snowball?

Cost Efficiency: Reduces expenses associated with large-scale data transfers.
Time Optimization: Saves time in data migration processes.
Resource Optimization: Managed services enhance resource efficiency.
Seamless Integration: Supports on-premises to cloud migrations.
Security: Protects data with encryption during transfer.

Organizations across various industries utilize AWS Snowball for efficient cloud migrations and disaster recovery. In fields where bandwidth is limited, Snowball provides a solution for large-scale data transfers. Financial institutions use it for ETL processes and integrating analytical layers over current data warehouses. Industries with data validation requirements appreciate its secure data transfer features and the ability to reduce dependency on internet connections. Its edge computing capabilities address diverse environmental needs, ensuring data accuracy during migrations.

Amazon Web Services (AWS)

Nasuni provides a robust platform for seamless global file storage, offering unified file management, data protection, and cost-effective scalability.

Nasuni's approach integrates a unified file system with high-level security features, ensuring seamless data access and synchronization. Despite its strong capabilities in data replication and storage, Nasuni faces challenges in integration and small file performance. Users appreciate its scalability and cost reduction but call for enhancements in cloud mirroring, automated load balancing, and multi-factor authentication. Better content visibility, mobile access tools, and refined monitoring are desired to enhance user experience. Organizations utilize Nasuni for global file sharing, disaster recovery, and collaborative data management across distributed teams, effectively replacing older systems.

What are Nasuni's Key Features?

Seamless Data Transmission: Enables efficient data flow across locations.
Unified File System: Centralizes file management for ease of access.
Unlimited Storage Capacity: Offers scalable options with global access.
Data Protection: Continuous versioning and ransomware protection.
Single Management Console: Streamlines administrative tasks.

What Benefits Can Users Expect from Nasuni?

Cost Efficiency: Reduces infrastructure expenses by leveraging scalable architecture.
Data Accessibility: Enhances sync and access across multiple sites.
Improved Collaboration: Supports teamwork across dispersed teams.
Confidence in Data Security: Comprehensive encryption and private key management.

Nasuni is adeptly used in industries requiring robust data management such as finance, healthcare, and media, where file synchronization and disaster recovery are critical. Enterprises deploy it to replace outdated file-sharing systems, enhancing workflow efficiency and data reliability.

Sample Customers

Wazee Digital, Craftsy, Live Nation, Essess

American Standard, CBRE, Cushman & Wakefield, E*TRADE, Ithaca Energy, McLaren Construction, Morton Salt, Movado, Urban Outfitters, Western Digital

AWS Snowball vs. Nasuni