{"id":4848,"date":"2020-12-06T02:24:38","date_gmt":"2020-12-05T22:24:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.msp360.com\/blog\/?p=4848"},"modified":"2025-01-24T18:18:32","modified_gmt":"2025-01-24T14:18:32","slug":"amazon-s3-azure-and-google-cloud-prices-compare","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.msp360.com\/resources\/blog\/amazon-s3-azure-and-google-cloud-prices-compare\/","title":{"rendered":"Amazon S3, MS Azure and Google Cloud Storage Pricing Comparison"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>When it comes to choosing professional cloud storage, pricing may become the deciding point. To help you better navigate the ever-changing cloud storage market, we prepared a short article comparing prices for three of the most popular solutions: Microsoft Azure, Google Storage, and Amazon S3 cloud storage services.<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p>Mind you, we will not only compare the price figures but will also help you to understand the specifics behind the price of these cloud storage services.<\/p>\n<h2>Storage Classes<\/h2>\n<p>In this article, we focus on the regional default pricing for each <a href=\"https:\/\/www.msp360.com\/resources\/blog\/3-steps-to-choosing-a-cloud-storage-provider\/\">cloud storage provider<\/a>, which are:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>US Standard region for Amazon S3<\/li>\n<li>US East for Microsoft Azure<\/li>\n<li>US region for Google Cloud<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>To learn about pricing in other regions, visit the <a href=\"http:\/\/aws.amazon.com\/s3\/pricing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">AWS<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.windowsazure.com\/en-us\/pricing\/details\/storage\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Azure<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/cloud.google.com\/products\/cloud-storage\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Google Cloud <\/a>websites, respectively.<\/p>\n<p>To compare the different classes of cloud storage in AWS, MS Azure, and Google Cloud, we have grouped all storage services into three tiers:<\/p>\n<p><b>HOT<\/b> \u2014\u00a0durable, available performance object storage for frequently accessed data.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Amazon <a href=\"https:\/\/www.msp360.com\/resources\/blog\/amazon-s3-storage-classes-guide\/\">S3 Standard<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Microsoft Azure Hot Blob Storage<\/li>\n<li>Google Cloud Storage standard<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>COOL<\/b>\u00a0\u2014\u00a0storage class for data that is accessed less frequently, but requires rapid access when needed.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Amazon S3 Standard I\/A and\u00a0S3 Standard Z-I\/A<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.msp360.com\/resources\/blog\/azure-cool-blob-storage\/\">Microsoft Azure Cool\u00a0Blob Storage<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Google Cloud Storage Nearline<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p id=\"last\"><b>COLD<\/b>\u00a0\u2014 secure, durable, and low-cost storage service for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.msp360.com\/resources\/blog\/data-archiving-explained\/\">data archiving<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div id=\"slidebox\"><a class=\"close\">\u00a0<\/a><!--HubSpot Call-to-Action Code --><span class=\"hs-cta-wrapper hs-cta-deferred\" id=\"hs-cta-wrapper-aa07fdb8-7776-46a5-9fa0-ec6e93f0f0a6\" data-portal=\"5442029\" data-id=\"aa07fdb8-7776-46a5-9fa0-ec6e93f0f0a6\"><span class=\"hs-cta-node hs-cta-aa07fdb8-7776-46a5-9fa0-ec6e93f0f0a6\" id=\"hs-cta-aa07fdb8-7776-46a5-9fa0-ec6e93f0f0a6\"><!--[if lte IE 8]><div id=\"hs-cta-ie-element\"><\/div><![endif]--><a href=\"https:\/\/cta-redirect.hubspot.com\/cta\/redirect\/5442029\/aa07fdb8-7776-46a5-9fa0-ec6e93f0f0a6\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"hs-cta-img\" id=\"hs-cta-img-aa07fdb8-7776-46a5-9fa0-ec6e93f0f0a6\" style=\"border-width:0px;\" src=\"https:\/\/no-cache.hubspot.com\/cta\/default\/5442029\/aa07fdb8-7776-46a5-9fa0-ec6e93f0f0a6.png\" alt=\"CTA\"><\/a><\/span><\/span><!-- end HubSpot Call-to-Action Code --><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<ul>\n<li>Amazon S3 Glacier* (<!--HubSpot Call-to-Action Code --><span class=\"hs-cta-wrapper hs-cta-deferred\" id=\"hs-cta-wrapper-19273f9a-59e0-4890-a7c3-9edc4119e6f9\" data-portal=\"5442029\" data-id=\"19273f9a-59e0-4890-a7c3-9edc4119e6f9\"><span class=\"hs-cta-node hs-cta-19273f9a-59e0-4890-a7c3-9edc4119e6f9\" id=\"hs-cta-19273f9a-59e0-4890-a7c3-9edc4119e6f9\"><!--[if lte IE 8]><div id=\"hs-cta-ie-element\"><\/div><![endif]--><a href=\"https:\/\/cta-redirect.hubspot.com\/cta\/redirect\/5442029\/19273f9a-59e0-4890-a7c3-9edc4119e6f9\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"hs-cta-img\" id=\"hs-cta-img-19273f9a-59e0-4890-a7c3-9edc4119e6f9\" style=\"border-width:0px;\" src=\"https:\/\/no-cache.hubspot.com\/cta\/default\/5442029\/19273f9a-59e0-4890-a7c3-9edc4119e6f9.png\" alt=\"CTA\"><\/a><\/span><\/span><!-- end HubSpot Call-to-Action Code -->)<\/li>\n<li>Microsoft Azure Blob Archive Storage<\/li>\n<li>Google Cloud Storage Coldline<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><em>*AWS also has Amazon Glacier Deep Archive, a subclass for the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.msp360.com\/resources\/blog\/amazon-s3-glacier\/\">Amazon Glacier storage<\/a>. With the price for storing 1GB\/month starting at $0.00099, it is the cheapest storage solution on the market.<\/em><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>MSP360 Managed Backup is a reliable <a class=\"ring-ui-link_c238\" href=\"https:\/\/www.msp360.com\/solutions\/amazon-s3-backup\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" data-pos=\"2730\">software for S3 backup<\/a> that meets all standards and requirements. It offers advanced features such as object lock (immutability) to protect against data loss and ransomware, user-defined encryption for enhanced security, and seamless integration with IAM roles for secure access management. With MSP360 Managed Backup, you can automate and simplify your S3 backups, ensuring your critical data is protected.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<div class=\"call-to-action\">\n<div class=\"call-to-action__left\" style=\"width: 65%;\">\n<div class=\"call-to-action__tag\">FREE WHITEPAPER<\/div>\n<div class=\"call-to-action__title\">Archiving to the Cloud: Cold Storage<\/div>\n<div class=\"call-to-action__text\">\n<p>How to use cold storage cost-effectively and efficiently? Find out in our whitepaper:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<!--HubSpot Call-to-Action Code --><span class=\"hs-cta-wrapper hs-cta-deferred\" id=\"hs-cta-wrapper-87c13c37-bf67-436c-8ca8-de28e54e32d7\" data-portal=\"5442029\" data-id=\"87c13c37-bf67-436c-8ca8-de28e54e32d7\"><span class=\"hs-cta-node hs-cta-87c13c37-bf67-436c-8ca8-de28e54e32d7\" id=\"hs-cta-87c13c37-bf67-436c-8ca8-de28e54e32d7\"><!--[if lte IE 8]><div id=\"hs-cta-ie-element\"><\/div><![endif]--><a href=\"https:\/\/cta-redirect.hubspot.com\/cta\/redirect\/5442029\/87c13c37-bf67-436c-8ca8-de28e54e32d7\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"hs-cta-img\" id=\"hs-cta-img-87c13c37-bf67-436c-8ca8-de28e54e32d7\" style=\"border-width:0px;\" src=\"https:\/\/no-cache.hubspot.com\/cta\/default\/5442029\/87c13c37-bf67-436c-8ca8-de28e54e32d7.png\" alt=\"CTA\"><\/a><\/span><\/span><!-- end HubSpot Call-to-Action Code -->\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"call-to-action__right\" style=\"width: 35%;\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.msp360.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Archiving-to-Cold-Storage-icon.png\" alt=\"Cold Storage WP icon\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2><a name=\"pricing\"><\/a>Amazon S3 vs Azure vs Google Cloud Storage\u00a0Pricing<\/h2>\n<p>The table below shows the monthly prices per GB for Amazon S3, MS Azure, and Google Cloud Storage for the first 1TB stored.<\/p>\n<h3>Monthly per-GB Prices for the First TB Stored<\/h3>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: right;\"><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Amazon Web Services<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Microsoft Azure<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Google Cloud Storage<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: right;\">HOT<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">$0.023<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">$0.0184 (LRS) \/$0.023 (ZRS) \/ $0.0368 (GRS)<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">$0.026<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: right;\">COOL<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">$0.0125\/$0.01*<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">$0.01 (LRS) \/$0.0125 (ZRS) \/ $0.02 (GRS)<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">$0.007<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: right;\">COLD<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">$0.004\/$0.00099**<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">$0.00099 (LRS) \/ N\/A (ZRS) \/ $0.00299 (GRS)<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">$0.004<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>* Amazon S3 Standard I\/A \/ Amazon S3 Standard Z-I\/A<\/p>\n<p>** Amazon S3 Glacier \/ Amazon S3 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.msp360.com\/resources\/blog\/amazon-s3-glacier-deep-archive-support-in-msp360-backup-and-explorer\/\">Glacier Deep Archive<\/a><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>By default, data in AWS is stored in three data centers in the same region, and this is called an Availability Zone. In Microsoft, the equivalent is Zone Redundant Storage (ZRS). For the Microsoft <a href=\"https:\/\/www.msp360.com\/resources\/blog\/azure-archive-blob-storage\/\">Azure archive<\/a> tier, Microsoft does not have a ZRS Therefore, we indicate the prices for LRS and GRS. LRS means three copies of the file in one data center. GRS is three copies of a file in two different regions.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Also, we have compared the volume-discounted price \u2014 here is the chart for the HOT storage class (Google does not offer volume discounts).<\/p>\n<h3>Volume Discounts for HOT Storage Class<\/h3>\n<table style=\"height: 189px;\" width=\"539\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: right;\"><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Amazon Web Services<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Microsoft Azure<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Google Cloud Storage<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: right;\">2\u201350 TB\/month<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">$0.023<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">\u00a0$0.0184 (LRS) \/$0.023 (ZRS) \/ $0.0368 (GRS)<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">$0.026<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: right;\">50\u2013500 TB\/month<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">$0.022<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">\u00a0$0.0177 (LRS) \/$0.0221 (ZRS) \/ $0.0354 (GRS)<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">$0.026<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: right;\">500+ TB\/month<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">$0.021<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">\u00a0\u00a0$0.017 (LRS) \/$0.0212 (ZRS) \/ $0.0339 (GRS)<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">$0.026<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<blockquote><p>There are no volume discounts for COOL and COLD storage tiers.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h2>Conclusion<\/h2>\n<p>At this point, we can see an interesting trend \u2014 all major cloud storage providers have significantly changed their pricing policy over the past year. Google and Microsoft have the same COOL storage tier pricing, while AWS is slightly more expensive.<\/p>\n<p>In the COLD storage tier market, things are even more interesting. Google Cloud announced <a href=\"https:\/\/www.msp360.com\/resources\/blog\/google-cloud-nearline-storage-vs-coldline-vs-standard\/\">Coldline storage<\/a>, forcing Amazon to lower prices. Microsoft has publicly released its Microsoft Azure Archive Blob Storage, starting at $0.001 per GB per month. However, keep in mind that not only do the basic price tags differ but also many other features, so check carefully before choosing a storage provider for your needs.<\/p>\n<p>Use the <a href=\"http:\/\/calculator.s3.amazonaws.com\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">AWS Simple Monthly Calculator<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/azure.microsoft.com\/en-us\/pricing\/calculator\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Azure Pricing Calculator<\/a>, or <a href=\"https:\/\/cloud.google.com\/products\/calculator\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Google Cloud Platform Pricing Calculator.<\/a> to calculate estimated storage costs for your data set.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When it comes to choosing professional cloud storage, pricing may become the deciding point. To help you better navigate the ever-changing cloud storage market, we prepared a short article comparing prices for three of the most popular solutions: Microsoft Azure, Google Storage, and Amazon S3 cloud storage services.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":26949,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[883,877],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4848","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-backup-and-dr-articles","category-blog-articles"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.msp360.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4848","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.msp360.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.msp360.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.msp360.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.msp360.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4848"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.msp360.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4848\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":59440,"href":"https:\/\/www.msp360.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4848\/revisions\/59440"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.msp360.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26949"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.msp360.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4848"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.msp360.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4848"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.msp360.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4848"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}