S3 vs Azure Blob vs Cloud Storage — Object Storage Compared
Compare AWS S3, Azure Blob Storage, and Google Cloud Storage for object storage. Pricing tiers, features, and cost optimization strategies.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Amazon S3 | Azure Blob Storage | Google Cloud Storage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Storage tiers | 6 classes | 4 tiers | 4 classes |
| Auto-tiering | Intelligent-Tiering | Lifecycle management | Autoclass |
| Cheapest archive | Glacier Deep Archive ($0.00099/GB) | Archive ($0.00099/GB) | Archive ($0.0012/GB) |
| Free egress | 100 GB/mo | 100 GB/mo | 100 GB/mo |
| In-place query | S3 Select, Athena | Azure Synapse | BigQuery external tables |
Service Details
Amazon S3
The industry standard for object storage. Six storage classes, mature lifecycle policies, and the deepest integration ecosystem.
- Most storage tiers for cost optimization
- Intelligent-Tiering automates class selection
- S3 Select for in-place querying
- Most mature lifecycle management
- Request pricing adds up at scale
- Egress fees are highest among the three
- Complex pricing with many variables
Azure Blob Storage
Azure's object storage with Hot, Cool, Cold, and Archive tiers. Strong enterprise features with Azure AD integration.
- Competitive per-GB pricing
- Azure AD integration for access management
- Lifecycle management with tier auto-transition
- Immutable storage for compliance
- Fewer storage tiers than S3
- Early deletion penalties on Cool/Archive
- Less mature lifecycle automation than S3
Google Cloud Storage
GCP's unified object storage with automatic class transitions via Autoclass. Simpler pricing model than competitors.
- Autoclass automatically optimizes storage tiers
- Competitive egress pricing
- Simple, predictable pricing
- Strong analytics integration (BigQuery)
- Fewer features than S3
- Smaller ecosystem of tools
- Less granular access controls than S3
When to Use Which
Choose S3 for the most storage tiers and mature ecosystem. Choose Azure Blob for competitive pricing with enterprise Azure integration. Choose Cloud Storage for the simplest pricing and Autoclass automatic optimization.
Storage often accounts for 20-35% of cloud costs. CloudExpat identifies unoptimized storage tiers, forgotten snapshots, and oversized volumes — typically saving 25-40% on storage costs.
Optimize Your Cloud Costs Across All Providers
CloudExpat works with AWS, Azure, and GCP. Connect in 30 seconds and see where you're overspending.