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Hitachi ShadowImage vs NetApp SnapMirror comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 1, 2025

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

Hitachi ShadowImage
Ranking in Data Replication
7th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
2
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
NetApp SnapMirror
Ranking in Data Replication
1st
Average Rating
8.8
Reviews Sentiment
5.5
Number of Reviews
27
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2026, in the Data Replication category, the mindshare of Hitachi ShadowImage is 3.9%, down from 6.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of NetApp SnapMirror is 7.2%, down from 17.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Data Replication Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
NetApp SnapMirror7.2%
Hitachi ShadowImage3.9%
Other88.9%
Data Replication
 

Featured Reviews

Bratislav Petkovic - PeerSpot reviewer
Team Lead for Core Infrastructure at Raiffeisen bank Serbia
Efficient replication and helpful for improving data processing and management
The technology behind Hitachi ShadowImage has been around for a long time, and while it works correctly, it does have some issues. We have experienced problems with it, even though Hitachi provides good hardware. Technical support could also be improved, as it sometimes takes a few days to resolve issues.
GP
Storage IT Specialist at a tech vendor with 201-500 employees
Achieves seamless business continuity with robust scalability
The features of NetApp SnapMirror that I have found most valuable include the possibility to stop synchronization in case of high network latency and to limit the bandwidth throttle. This means limiting bandwidth when less connectivity occurs or opening wide the throttling to use the full speed of network connectivity, which we can adjust according to our needs or the needs of our customers. All of this is done without limiting business continuity, so business continuity is always guaranteed. NetApp SnapMirror's data replication feature supports disaster recovery strategies, as it is incorporated into the business continuity feature. SnapMirror is strictly related to snapshot features, a core part of ONTAP, so it's very flexible. It allows us to start with just two snapshots as a simple backup and then use them as a replication point or base for both backup and business continuity. There is no right or wrong answer, it just depends on how it works for specific needs.

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 feature of Hitachi ShadowImage is high-speed data transfer from one server to another. Other solutions would have problems with transferring 50 TB of data. I also like that Hitachi ShadowImage is easy to use."
"To me, the most valuable feature of Hitachi ShadowImage is high-speed data transfer from one server to another."
"The most valuable features are its ability to handle large databases efficiently and the asynchronous replication capability."
"The performance and stability are valuable features. It seems to fulfill all the requirements."
"It has been 100% stable."
"Overall, the product is very good. It's an easy to use tool."
"NetApp is one of the best products in this field of storage solutions."
"My understanding is that the technical support is good, but we don't need much support because it's working fine."
"Having real-time replication gives us the capability to recover from any data loss as quickly as possible."
"A NetApp storage solution allows a company to architect a disaster recovery plan that protects all company data."
"This solution is easy to implement and easy to use."
 

Cons

"API and script configuration in Hitachi ShadowImage is sometimes complicated, so this is an area for improvement. Another area for improvement is that the Hitachi ShadowImage interface isn't as user-friendly."
"We have experienced problems with it, even though Hitachi provides good hardware."
"API and script configuration in Hitachi ShadowImage is sometimes complicated, so this is another area for improvement."
"Compression and deduplication could be improved."
"The price could be cheaper."
"The solution's dashboard and reporting could be improved."
"At the moment, we are not using the synchronous mirror, but we can implement the synchronous mirror. The only thing is that it needs another license. This is the same issue we have with business continuity. It needs another license to be implemented. You need too many separate licenses for the features. They should add some of the aspects of the premium bundle into the basic bundle. Sometimes our customers choose other replication services because of the initial cost of the licenses."
"In the next release, I would like to see Data reduction included and WAN optimization."
"The user interface could be simplified. They might want to have fewer options on it, to make it less complicated. There are a lot of options we never use ourselves. They're often very specialized and don't apply to us."
"It is not as efficient as it needs to be. It doesn't compress the data really well when it is forwarded to a secondary site."
"In the next release, I would like to get an active IP number solution."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I don't have pricing information for Hitachi ShadowImage because my manager handled it."
"The cost is low compared to different vendors."
"SnapMirror is extremely expensive. We had a hard time adjusting to our budget. If rated on a scale of one to ten, with ten being the most expensive, I would definitely rate it ten out of ten."
"It's part of the NetApp Firewall, so it's free."
"The solution has monthly and yearly licensing options."
"The pricing could be improved."
"The product price is reasonable."
"It's a highly cost-effective solution"
"The pricing can be improved."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
No data available
Financial Services Firm
11%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Construction Company
9%
Performing Arts
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business7
Midsize Enterprise10
Large Enterprise10
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Hitachi ShadowImage?
The pricing of Hitachi ShadowImage is reasonable, especially when you purchase Hitachi storage, as ShadowImage and Thin Image are part of the protector. The protector includes several components li...
What needs improvement with Hitachi ShadowImage?
The technology behind Hitachi ShadowImage has been around for a long time, and while it works correctly, it does have some issues. We have experienced problems with it, even though Hitachi provides...
What is your primary use case for Hitachi ShadowImage?
We use Hitachi ShadowImage for data replication processes. It is a practical tool for copying data from one LUN disk to another within the same storage. In our bank, we utilize it for making tests ...
What needs improvement with NetApp SnapMirror?
Some areas of NetApp SnapMirror that could be improved or enhanced include synchronous SnapMirror, which needs improvement as it suffers significantly from network latency. In particular, synchrono...
What is your primary use case for NetApp SnapMirror?
I can elaborate on how I am using NetApp SnapMirror for server migration for one of my clients. We create a cluster, establish intercluster connectivity for the server migration, and then create cl...
 

Also Known As

No data available
SnapMirror
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

K&H, NCF, Aokang Group
University at Albany, City of Houston, Yahoo Japan, Washington Employment Security Department, DG Khan Cement Co. Ltd., AmTrust Financial Services, Sheridan College
Find out what your peers are saying about Hitachi ShadowImage vs. NetApp SnapMirror and other solutions. Updated: April 2026.
893,221 professionals have used our research since 2012.