Azure Blob Storage vs Wasabi

Updated November 2026 · AppBreakup editorial

Azure Blob Storage

Microsoft Azure's object storage for unstructured data, backups, archives and data lakes.

Paid

Visit Azure Blob Storage Azure Blob Storage profile

Wasabi

S3-compatible cloud object storage with flat per-terabyte pricing and no egress or API fees.

Paid

Visit Wasabi Wasabi profile

The short answer

Azure Blob Storage suits organisations already on Microsoft's cloud that want storage tiers, Entra ID access control and analytics in one place. Wasabi suits teams storing backups and archives who want a predictable bill: a flat per-terabyte rate with no egress or API fees. The biggest difference is pricing model: Azure charges for storage, operations and transfer by tier, while Wasabi charges only for capacity.

Azure Blob Storage or Wasabi: our take

Azure Blob Storage is part of Microsoft Azure. It offers five access tiers (Premium, Hot, Cool, Cold and Archive), with lifecycle rules that move data between them, and Data Lake Storage adds a hierarchical namespace for analytics engines. Access is managed through Entra ID and role-based access control, which matters to companies that already run identity on Microsoft. Wasabi does one thing: a single always-hot tier of S3-compatible object storage, with object lock for immutable backup copies and support from backup tools such as Veeam, Commvault and Rubrik.

The pricing approaches are very different. Wasabi starts at $7.99 per TB/month and charges nothing for egress or API requests, so the bill is easy to forecast. The catches are a 90-day minimum storage duration on pay-as-you-go and a minimum monthly charge equal to 1 TB. Azure bills per gigabyte stored, per operation and per gigabyte transferred out, with costs that vary by tier; reserved capacity lowers the rate (for example $18540 a year for 100 TB of Hot LRS in US West 2). Archive can be far cheaper for data you rarely touch, but reading it back is slower and adds charges. New Azure accounts get a $200 credit for 30 days; Wasabi offers a time-limited trial and no permanent free tier.

Compatibility is another divide. Wasabi speaks the S3 API, so most S3 tools work by changing an endpoint and keys. Azure Blob is not S3-compatible, so S3 tools and SDKs need adapting, though it plugs into the rest of Azure natively.

Pick Azure Blob Storage if your apps, identity and analytics already live on Azure, or if you need deep archive tiers. Pick Wasabi if you mainly need a backup or archive target, frequently download what you store, or want storage costs that don't depend on access patterns.

Choose Azure Blob Storage if…

Organisations on Microsoft Azure that want object storage tied into Entra ID and Azure analytics.
Five access tiers from Premium down to Archive
Entra ID and role-based access control built in

Choose Wasabi if…

Businesses storing backups or archives that want predictable S3-compatible storage bills
No fees for egress or API requests
Works with S3 tools and most backup software

What is Azure Blob Storage?

Azure Blob Storage is Microsoft's object storage service, holding files of any kind as blobs inside storage accounts. You choose an access tier per object or account: Premium for low-latency workloads, Hot for frequently used data, Cool and Cold for infrequent access, and Archive for long-term retention at the lowest price, with lifecycle rules moving data between them. Data Lake Storage adds a hierarchical file namespace on top for analytics engines. Access can be controlled with Microsoft Entra ID and role-based access control, and data is encrypted at rest. It is used for app uploads, media, backups, tape replacement and analytics pipelines, and integrates with the rest of Azure. Billing is pay-as-you-go per gigabyte stored, operations and data transfer, with reserved capacity discounts; new accounts can try Azure free for a limited period. It suits organisations already invested in Microsoft's cloud and identity tools.

What is Wasabi?

Wasabi Hot Cloud Storage is an object storage service that speaks the Amazon S3 API, so most tools that write to S3 can use it by changing an endpoint and keys. Its selling point is billing: you pay a flat monthly rate per terabyte stored, with no separate charges for downloading data or for API requests, which makes costs easier to predict than on the big cloud providers. All data sits in a single always-available tier, with no cold storage and no retrieval delays. It is widely used as a backup target for tools like Veeam, Commvault and Rubrik, with object lock for immutable, ransomware-resistant copies, and also for media archives and AI datasets. Wasabi runs storage regions in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. Pricing is pay-as-you-go or reserved capacity bought for one to five years, and there is a free trial. Note the 90-day minimum storage duration and a minimum monthly charge tied to 1 TB on pay-as-you-go.

Side by side

Attribute	Azure Blob Storage	Wasabi
Pricing	Paid	Paid
Open source	No	No
Self-hostable	No	No
Platforms	Web	Web
Best for	Organisations on Microsoft Azure that want object storage tied into Entra ID and Azure analytics.	Businesses storing backups or archives that want predictable S3-compatible storage bills
Status	Active	Active

Verified facts, compared

Facts both apps publish, checked on each vendor's own site.

Fact	Azure Blob Storage	Wasabi
Free trial	$200 credit for 30 days	100 GB for 30 days (company email)