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NetApp StorageGRID vs Pure Storage FlashBlade comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 4, 2024

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

ROI

Sentiment score
1.0
NetApp StorageGRID lowers costs by eliminating tape libraries and improving efficiency, offering scalability and revenue-generating opportunities for customers.
Sentiment score
8.5
Pure Storage FlashBlade boosts ROI by reducing costs, enhancing efficiencies, increasing VM density, and saving 20%-85% in time.
It does not require much management once you set up correctly, so it saves time, allowing an admin to focus on other work.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
7.2
NetApp StorageGRID support is efficient but has mixed reviews due to expertise gaps and reliance on self-support in small markets.
Sentiment score
7.0
Pure Storage FlashBlade support is praised for responsiveness and knowledge but criticized for slower responses and occasional language barriers.
When evaluating the technical support of NetApp StorageGRID, I would give it an eight out of ten.
I would rate the support for NetApp StorageGRID as eight out of 10.
That's due to the fact that we haven't implemented all the technical support facilities in NetApp.
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.
I would rate them an eight out of ten.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.3
NetApp StorageGRID is commended for seamless, non-disruptive scalability and effective handling of large data volumes in enterprise environments.
Sentiment score
8.8
Pure Storage FlashBlade is praised for scalability, ease of expansion, and support, despite some areas needing improvement.
The scalability of NetApp StorageGRID has been proven as we've expanded twice.
The scalability of NetApp StorageGRID rates an eight or nine out of ten.
Pure Storage FlashBlade is scalable.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
8.3
NetApp StorageGRID is valued for its reliable performance, redundancy, and effective support, with stability ratings of eight to nine.
Sentiment score
8.8
Pure Storage FlashBlade is praised for its impressive stability and reliability, with minimal disruptions and consistent uptime even during upgrades.
My impression of the stability of NetApp StorageGRID is quite high; from one to ten, I would rate it a nine.
We experienced very little stability issues.
In case there is any issue with any blade, the data is moved to another.
 

Room For Improvement

NetApp StorageGRID's interface is complex, integration and pricing need improvement, and marketing and automated management require enhancement.
Users seek better cloud integration, enhanced deduplication, improved support, protocol enhancements, simpler configuration, and a more intuitive interface.
They need to focus on a better upgrade path with easier and more resilient upgrades.
It would be great if it could fix internal issues itself without manual intervention.
In terms of functionality, reliability, and scalability, we are satisfied with NetApp.
Technical support definitely needs significant improvement.
Its configuration should be easier.
 

Setup Cost

NetApp StorageGRID is expensive yet cost-effective for large-scale storage, with flexible initial investment and negotiable annual licensing.
Pure Storage FlashBlade offers high performance and features, justifying its cost with no extra software fees and fixed support costs.
I'd rate the pricing eight out of ten.
It would definitely be more on the expensive side, especially if you compare it with open source solutions like Ceph.
From what I understood, it was cheaper than EMC ECS, though this was over seven years ago.
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.
 

Valuable Features

NetApp StorageGRID offers S3 access, rapid backup, deduplication, scalability, management ease, and integration, enhancing usability and data retrieval.
Pure Storage FlashBlade offers fast, scalable, and user-friendly storage with efficient integration, analytics, and versatility for diverse needs.
The feature of NetApp StorageGRID that has significantly improved data storage management for my customers is the value of the S3 API because it allows developers who are not infrastructure-oriented to use it and write code against it.
NetApp StorageGRID is a great alternative to AWS S3 buckets.
The positive aspect is that it didn't take down the entire environment. The environment remained functional on two different versions.
The best features of Pure Storage FlashBlade include better throughput and better performance.
We can plug in many blades, and we can have data up to one terabyte.
 

Categories and Ranking

NetApp StorageGRID
Ranking in File and Object Storage
9th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.0
Number of Reviews
17
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
38
Ranking in other categories
All-Flash Storage (15th), Software Defined Storage (SDS) (8th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2025, in the File and Object Storage category, the mindshare of NetApp StorageGRID is 5.8%, up from 4.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Pure Storage FlashBlade is 5.7%, down from 6.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
File and Object Storage Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Pure Storage FlashBlade5.7%
NetApp StorageGRID5.8%
Other88.5%
File and Object Storage
 

Featured Reviews

Michael Lopez - PeerSpot reviewer
Has reduced storage costs and improved snapshot management for large data workloads
The advanced features of NetApp StorageGRID which our upper management wouldn't agree to use, include the S3 feature. We are heavy into AWS, and my thoughts were to develop a small dev environment or even a POC environment on-prem. That's still up in the air as we continue on. Currently, AI has taken over everything with a focus on AI. The upgrades of NetApp StorageGRID present a challenge. It's a rolling upgrade, node by node. At one point, one node would not upgrade. The positive aspect is that it didn't take down the entire environment. The environment remained functional on two different versions. The scalability of NetApp StorageGRID has been proven as we've expanded twice. We started with six or seven nodes and have grown to 15 nodes. It does take time for synchronization to complete. From what I've seen, it took a couple of months for it all to sync up once adding nodes. However, it was transparent. It captured the addition and performed effectively, all happening in the background, steadily and surely.
Parul-Patel - PeerSpot reviewer
High performance and throughput enhance IT backup management
The multi-dimensional scale-out design feature of Pure Storage FlashBlade is not in use in our environment. Regarding data reduction technologies, we don't get much deduplication because the data is already deduplicated from our FlashArray before we get to backup, so there is no benefit of deduplication. Regarding the integration with cloud-native ecosystem tools, we are not on cloud; we are strictly an on-premises solution. Pure Storage FlashBlade is not used by any end-user; it's used only for IT backup, with only about four people in our group managing it. I cannot recommend Pure Storage FlashBlade to other users depending upon their financial situation because it's an expensive solution, and the cost is very high, including licensing and renewal every year. I rate Pure Storage FlashBlade an eight out of ten.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
20%
Manufacturing Company
18%
Computer Software Company
15%
University
6%
Computer Software Company
12%
Financial Services Firm
11%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Government
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business5
Midsize Enterprise4
Large Enterprise11
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business11
Midsize Enterprise11
Large Enterprise20
 

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.
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.
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...
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...
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...
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...
 

Also Known As

Storage GRID
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

ASE, DARZ GmbH
ServiceNow, Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport, Dominos, Man AHL
Find out what your peers are saying about NetApp StorageGRID vs. Pure Storage FlashBlade and other solutions. Updated: September 2025.
868,759 professionals have used our research since 2012.