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Google Cloud Storage Nearline vs Microsoft Azure Block 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
9th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.3
Number of Reviews
10
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Microsoft Azure Block Storage
Ranking in Public Cloud Storage Services
10th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
5.9
Number of Reviews
67
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of March 2026, in the Public Cloud Storage Services category, the mindshare of Google Cloud Storage Nearline is 6.5%, down from 10.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Azure Block Storage is 2.2%, up from 0.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Public Cloud Storage Services Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Google Cloud Storage Nearline6.5%
Microsoft Azure Block Storage2.2%
Other91.3%
Public Cloud Storage Services
 

Featured Reviews

Optimized cost solutions boost long-term data retention across multiple regions
The best part of Nearline storage is the ability to take backups at optimal costs and its availability across multiple regions. It has 99.99% availability, which is extremely good. It provides an ideal storage solution for data that needs to be kept for thirty days or longer. Each storage class, such as Standard for daily data, Nearline, Coldline, and Archive, serves a specific purpose. Coldline is for ninety days, and Archive is for three hundred and sixty-five days.
Ajai Jayakumar - PeerSpot reviewer
Solution Architect at a computer software company with 501-1,000 employees
Has supported secure file sharing and data automation with minimal setup effort
The encryption feature in Microsoft Azure Block Storage is very good, and the security is excellent. It is easy to map the storage to the virtual servers and user desktops, which is also very beneficial. I can perform automations on the data, such as moving hot data and cold data, and I can select storage based on performance. The security provided by Microsoft around Microsoft Azure Block Storage is a very good function. The replication feature in Microsoft Azure Block Storage is a very good function. The analytic capabilities of Microsoft Azure Block Storage can help optimize resources. I usually work with a third-party tool; our data analytics team uses some custom-made tools for analytics data and dashboards, so we do not use the Microsoft dashboard; we are using a third-party dashboard. It is very easy to manage Microsoft Azure Block Storage. If you have good knowledge of it, it is very easy to manage. Microsoft Azure Block Storage service is a very good, 100% reliable service. It is highly scalable, and performance-wise and reliability-wise, it does not go down. It provides 99.9% uptime without downtime, so it is a very good feature. The backup and restoration efficiency of Microsoft Azure Block Storage is good.

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 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 capacity and space on offer are excellent."
"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."
"The most valuable aspect of Google Cloud Storage Nearline is its integration with the wider Google Cloud ecosystem."
"It can isolate files and stop them from corrupting other files."
"The data structure and the types of data that are supported are very good."
"The best part of Nearline storage is the ability to take backups at optimal costs and its availability across multiple regions."
"The tool is pretty easy to use."
"The solution has a valuable gearing feature."
"Microsoft Azure Block Storage is cost-effective and has multiple plans such as hot and cold storage with read and write options."
"RBAC, access control, soft delete, hard delete, and cool and hot storage tiers are some of the features I have found valuable in Azure Block storage."
"Microsoft Azure Block Storage has the same features as other solutions, but I like that its implementation process is straightforward."
"Microsoft Azure Block Storage has high-security features and is very reliable. Its maintenance is done through the cloud, which reduces costs."
"The ability to increase and scale out is really easy."
"We use Microsoft Azure Block Storage to store, upload and download data. We can also use it as a backup."
 

Cons

"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."
"The pricing is quite high."
"The interface for managing file storage in the buckets could be improved."
"One area that needs improvement is the documentation, which I find to be disorganized and not user-friendly."
"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."
"They need a better, more visual, user interface for folders and files."
"Technical support needs improvement."
"Customer support could be improved, it can be difficult getting appropriate support."
"It should be easier to deploy."
"The solution could have better archival policies and localization of data."
"The performance could be improved, but all the services in the cloud are improved every week."
"If the documentation could be improved then it would be very good. Right now, if you face a question, you have to guess how it works or you have to test your hypothesis."
"The stability of Microsoft Azure Block Storage is good but could improve."
"There have been problems with integration, but it's getting better."
 

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."
"On a scale from one to ten, where one is cheap, and ten is expensive, I rate the solution's pricing a six or seven out of ten."
"I use Microsoft Azure Block Storage's free version."
"Microsoft Azure Block Storage is an expensive solution and I pay monthly."
"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."
"I rate the solution's pricing a seven out of ten."
"The price of Microsoft Azure Block Storage could be less expensive."
"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 storage part costs us $223. That's on a monthly basis for 20TB of data storage."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
15%
University
11%
Comms Service Provider
9%
Financial Services Firm
7%
Marketing Services Firm
19%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Performing Arts
9%
Non Tech Company
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business5
Midsize Enterprise1
Large Enterprise2
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business26
Midsize Enterprise14
Large Enterprise24
 

Questions from the Community

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 primary use case for Google Cloud Storage Nearline?
I mostly use Google Cloud Storage Nearline ( /products/google-cloud-storage-nearline-reviews ) for backing up data that is not needed for daily activities. It is ideal for files that need to be sto...
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?
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-...
What needs improvement with Microsoft Azure Block Storage?
For improvement in Microsoft Azure Block Storage, they can provide tiered level storages, maybe low-cost storages for storing archive data, but it is already there. I do not think there is much to ...
 

Also Known As

No data available
MS Azure Block Storage
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
Mazda, BlinkBox, Rakuten Showtime, Xbox One, Serko, ChronoDrive
Find out what your peers are saying about Google Cloud Storage Nearline vs. Microsoft Azure Block Storage and other solutions. Updated: March 2026.
884,933 professionals have used our research since 2012.