Google Cloud Storage Nearline vs Microsoft Azure File Storage comparison

Google and Microsoft are both solutions in the Public Cloud Storage Services category. Google is ranked #9 with an average rating of 7.5, while Microsoft is ranked #5 with an average rating of 8.5. Google holds a 6.1% mindshare in PCSS, compared to Microsoft’s 8.2% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Google users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 98% of Microsoft users who would recommend it.

Google Cloud Storage Nearline

Read 10 Google Cloud Storage Nearline reviews

1,582 Views
1,566 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Microsoft Azure File Storage

Read 53 Microsoft Azure File Storage reviews

5,355 Views
1,874 Comparison Views

98% willing to recommend

Google Cloud Storage Nearline

Microsoft Azure File Storage

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 1, 2024

Google Cloud Storage Nearline and Microsoft Azure File Storage both offer cloud storage solutions with distinct advantages. Google Cloud Storage Nearline seems to have the upper hand in cost-effectiveness for less frequently accessed data, while Microsoft Azure File Storage excels in versatility and integration with Windows environments.

Features: Google Cloud Storage Nearline provides cost-effective storage for infrequently accessed data, seamless integration with Google Cloud services, and robust data reliability. Microsoft Azure File Storage offers strong file sharing capabilities, SMB access, and easy integration with Windows environments.

Room for Improvement: Google Cloud Storage Nearline could improve its retrieval times, offer more comprehensive documentation, and enhance customer support. Microsoft Azure File Storage could better support larger-scale deployments, reduce latency periods, and simplify deployment in non-Windows environments.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Google Cloud Storage Nearline offers straightforward deployment processes but needs better customer service support. Microsoft Azure File Storage provides smooth deployment within Windows-based systems and reliable customer service, although it faces complexities in non-Windows environments.

Pricing and ROI: Google Cloud Storage Nearline has a highly competitive pricing model, making it ideal for cold data storage. Microsoft Azure File Storage, priced higher, delivers better ROI through its array of features and integration capabilities, justifying the cost for organizations needing these functionalities.

To learn more, read our detailed Google Cloud Storage Nearline vs. Microsoft Azure File Storage Report (Updated: December 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Google Cloud Storage Nearline vs. Microsoft Azure File Storage

December 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

Google Cloud Storage Nearline

Ranking in Public Cloud Storage Services

9th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Microsoft Azure File Storage

Ranking in Public Cloud Storage Services

5th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

6.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2026, in the Public Cloud Storage Services category, the mindshare of Google Cloud Storage Nearline is 6.1%, down from 9.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Azure File Storage is 8.2%, down from 12.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Public Cloud Storage Services Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Microsoft Azure File Storage	8.2%
Google Cloud Storage Nearline	6.1%
Other	85.7%

Public Cloud Storage Services

Featured Reviews

reviewer2662839

Works

Seamless integration with cloud services improves workflows but documentation needs enhancement

One area that needs improvement is the documentation, which I find to be disorganized and not user-friendly. The lack of comprehensive walkthrough guides for specific use cases makes it difficult to follow. To enhance the experience, more detailed examples, guides, and tutorials from start to finish would be beneficial. Additionally, the cost compared to other providers like Amazon could be regarded as a downside.

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Karthik-A

Senior Manager at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees

Has simplified customer data management and improved file transfer workflows

We are using AWS as well, and the main difference is that Microsoft Azure File Storage is more user-friendly for configuration-related and admin-related activities. We do not have to perform many complex activities, making it simpler compared to AWS. Security-wise, there are some concerns because it is in the cloud. The customers need to double-check, and they are not giving complete approval when it comes to security. I would rate Microsoft Azure File Storage's security compliance features seven or eight out of ten. It is secure, but since it is in the cloud, we have to convince customers when providing solutions. Many questions were raised while providing the architecture and solution for this file transfer management system. We convinced them because we have the feature and showed a demo, but it is still a prototype. We have to get approval before starting the work. The data redundancy options in Microsoft Azure File Storage are good. I am facing some challenges in convincing customers, and additional information would be helpful to address these challenges. Microsoft Azure File Storage saves time compared to AWS. We tried the prototype in AWS as well, but Azure is easier. Regarding cost, it is slightly less compared to AWS. The functionality of Microsoft Azure File Storage does not pose any issues, though basic users find it complex and require training. Regarding stability, I would rate Microsoft Azure File Storage 8.5 to 9. Scalability in Microsoft Azure File Storage is impressive. We recently handled a huge transaction during an iPhone launch without any problems.

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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

"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."

"It can isolate files and stop them from corrupting other files."

"Google is always introducing new features and tends to have a new release every month."

"Nearline is highly stable."

"The capacity and space on offer are excellent."

"The best part of Nearline storage is the ability to take backups at optimal costs and its availability across multiple regions."

More Google Cloud Storage Nearline pros

"It was easy to set up."

"It was quick to synchronize back from Azure to the on-premise server."

"It helps us with geo-redundancy."

"I like that Microsoft Azure File Storage works fine and is quick to deploy. It's also easy to connect to it, particularly when connecting it with my on-premise file servers."

"It's a stable product."

"General user familiarity with Office 365 products make adopting this solution easy to adopt in production."

"The profile management option is another valuable feature that allows us to manage the profiles and secure them."

"It is a good service for file storage."

More Microsoft Azure File Storage pros

Cons

"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."

"They need a better, more visual, user interface for folders and files."

"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."

"The pricing is quite high."

"The UI could be a little bit more effective."

"The suggestion for improvement primarily revolves around cost efficiency."

"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."

More Google Cloud Storage Nearline cons

"Some chunking logics need to be better to address issues with processing bigger files. It should allow better methods for handling large files."

"I have used the file storage explorer in multiple systems, and it seems a bit cumbersome and not very efficient, particularly with authentication. It can be tricky to set it up."

"It would be helpful if we could remove data that we don't frequently access to reduce the cost of the storage."

"The integration of the site storage with SQL was not completely seamless."

"The initial setup is complex. Unless you have done it a few times it, it is going to be hard."

"They can improve the ability to assign permissions to different groups or users."

"Maybe Microsoft can make it more economical because it is a costly affair."

"It's a bit complex to set up. Other than that, there is nothing to improve."

More Microsoft Azure File Storage cons

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."

"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."

"Microsoft Azure File Storage has a reasonable price."

"The licensing cost for Microsoft Azure File Storage comes with an agreement from Microsoft."

"The product must improve its price."

"I give the pricing of the solution a seven out of ten."

"The pricing is usually dependent on your storage requirements. Overall, I believe Microsoft Azure File Storage's price is reasonable."

"One of the major benefits for AWS is that they have a very large customer representative base where clients can be picked from, they offer large discounts and credit. We were not able to receive the same kind of offers from Microsoft Azure File Storage. We tried to approach Azure while hiring for our disaster recovery discussion, but we didn't receive anything from Azure."

"For one terabyte of data, we are spending about 150 Euro every month."

More Microsoft Azure File Storage pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

15%

Comms Service Provider

University

Financial Services Firm

Computer Software Company

13%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Financial Services Firm

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	5
Midsize Enterprise	1
Large Enterprise	2

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	18
Midsize Enterprise	8
Large Enterprise	25

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.

See all answers

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.

See all answers

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...

See all answers

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...

See all answers

What do you like most about Microsoft Azure File Storage?

The product is a reliable cloud solution.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft Azure File Storage?

The cost of Microsoft Azure File Storage depends on the storage account, whether it is premium or standard; there is a cost difference, with the cost being higher for premium and lower for standard...

See all answers

Comparisons

Amazon S3 Glacier vs Google Cloud Storage Nearline

Compared 79% of the time

Amazon S3 vs Google Cloud Storage Nearline

Compared 13% of the time

Microsoft Azure Block Storage vs Google Cloud Storage Nearline

Compared 3% of the time

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Amazon EFS (Elastic File System) vs Microsoft Azure File Storage

Compared 80% of the time

Azure NetApp Files vs Microsoft Azure File Storage

Compared 4% of the time

Wasabi vs Microsoft Azure File Storage

Compared 3% of the time

Amazon S3 Glacier vs Microsoft Azure File Storage

Compared 3% of the time

Oracle Database Backup Service vs Microsoft Azure File Storage

Compared 0% of the time

More Microsoft Azure File Storage Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Google Cloud Storage Nearline

January 2026

Download Google Cloud Storage Nearline product report

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Azure File Storage

January 2026

Download Microsoft Azure File Storage product report

Also Known As

No data available

MS Azure File Storage

Overview

A low-cost, highly-durable and highly available storage service for infrequently accessed data, data archiving, online backup and disaster recovery. Data is available instantly, not within hours or days. With sub-second average response times and 1 cent per GB/month pricing, Cloud Storage Nearline gives you terrific performance at a low cost.

Google

Fully managed file shares that use the standard SMB 3.0 protocol

Key scenarios:

Share data across on-premises and cloud servers
Migrate file share-based applications to the cloud with no code changes
Integrate modern applications with File storage
Simplify hosting for high availability workload data

Microsoft

Sample Customers

Information Not Available

Talon, Camden

Buyer's Guide

Google Cloud Storage Nearline vs. Microsoft Azure File Storage

December 2025

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