Backup Storage Prices

Amazon S3 vs Azure Blob Storage: which costs less for backups

Prices checked

On a 10 TB backup, Amazon S3 costs less in every month we priced, from a quiet month to restoring all 10 TB, by $14.64 to $47.19 a month. Each vendor is priced on its cheapest class for each month, however long that class takes to read; the bills below keep the class each one names.

Both sides use the same numbers, and the bills follow as you type. Files, requests, download speed and restore deadlines use the calculator defaults.

Amazon S3

S3 Glacier Instant Retrieval · US East (N. Virginia)

$170.01Normal month Cheaper

$1,297.60Restore month

Ready at once
Storage $37.25Requests $30.00Downloads (egress) $74.82Retrieval and restored copy $27.94Fixed fees $0.00

Azure Blob Storage

Cold LRS · East US

$170.83Normal month

$1,347.23Restore month

Ready at once
Storage $33.53Requests $29.00Downloads (egress) $78.30Retrieval and restored copy $30.00Fixed fees $0.00

Three standard backups, both bills

Amazon S3 and Azure Blob Storage on 1, 10 and 50 TB
Backup keptAmazon S3, normal monthAzure Blob Storage, normal monthAmazon S3, month you restoreAzure Blob Storage, month you restore
1 TB $6.46S3 Glacier Deep Archive$9.25Cold LRS $103.56S3 One Zone-IA$105.65Hot LRS
10 TB $139.39S3 Glacier Deep Archive$170.83Cold LRS $1,116.59S3 One Zone-IA$1,131.23Hot LRS
50 TB $450.03S3 Glacier Deep Archive$596.44Cold LRS $5,193.33S3 One Zone-IA$5,290.65Hot LRS

Each bill is the vendor's cheapest class with a complete total for that month. 1 TB, 10 TB and 50 TB kept; a tenth, a tenth and a twentieth downloaded in a normal month; everything downloaded in the month you restore. The lower bill in each pair of columns is underlined.

What decides it besides the price

Amazon S3

  • Downloads: the first 100 GB of downloads free each month.
  • Minimums: S3 Standard, S3 Intelligent-Tiering, S3 Express One Zone, no minimum; S3 Standard-IA, S3 One Zone-IA, 30-day minimum per object; S3 Glacier Instant Retrieval, S3 Glacier Flexible Retrieval, 90-day minimum per object; S3 Glacier Deep Archive, 180-day minimum per object.
  • Where the data sits: United States (Northern Virginia), Germany (Frankfurt).
  • Object Lock: supported.

Azure Blob Storage

  • Downloads: the first 100 GB of downloads free each month.
  • Minimums: Hot LRS, no minimum; Cool LRS, 30-day minimum per object; Cold LRS, 90-day minimum per object; Archive LRS, 180-day minimum per object.
  • Where the data sits: United States (East US), Netherlands (West Europe).

Price both on your own workload, with your region, an Object Lock requirement or a restore deadline.

Fixed example: 10 TB, line by line

These bills are for the standard 10 TB workload and do not follow the controls above. Prices checked .

Amazon S3: S3 Glacier Instant Retrieval, US East (N. Virginia)

Normal month $170.01
Normal-month bill, line by lineAmazon S3 Glacier Instant Retrieval US East (N. Virginia), priced per GB, normal month
Storage $37.25Requests $30.00Downloads (egress) $74.82Retrieval and restored copy $27.94Fixed fees $0.00
Normal month total$170.01

Calculated from the provider's listed rates.

Month you restore $1,297.60
Restore-month bill, line by lineAmazon S3 Glacier Instant Retrieval US East (N. Virginia), priced per GB, month you restore
Storage $37.25Requests $40.00Downloads (egress) $913.01Retrieval and restored copy $307.34Fixed fees $0.00
Month you restore total$1,297.60

Calculated from the provider's listed rates.

Azure Blob Storage: Cold LRS, East US

Normal month $170.83
Normal-month bill, line by lineAzure Blob Storage Cold LRS East US, priced per GB, normal month
Storage $33.53Requests $29.00Downloads (egress) $78.30Retrieval and restored copy $30.00Fixed fees $0.00
Normal month total$170.83

Calculated from the provider's listed rates.

Month you restore $1,347.23
Restore-month bill, line by lineAzure Blob Storage Cold LRS East US, priced per GB, month you restore
Storage $33.53Requests $39.00Downloads (egress) $944.70Retrieval and restored copy $330.00Fixed fees $0.00
Month you restore total$1,347.23

Calculated from the provider's listed rates.

Price both on your own workload, including the day you restore.