Amazon S3 Glacier vs Azure Archive Storage vs Google Archive – Cold Storage Deep Dive
Cold storage services are essential for long-term data retention, compliance archiving, and backup strategies. These storage classes offer low-cost, highly durable solutions optimized for infrequent access. The leading cloud vendors provide specialized offerings:
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Amazon S3 Glacier & Glacier Deep Archive
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Azure Archive Storage
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Google Cloud Archive Storage
This Level 500 comparison examines their architecture, durability, cost structures, latency models, and ideal use cases.
Architecture & Durability
| Feature | Amazon S3 Glacier / Deep Archive | Azure Archive Storage | Google Archive Storage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Data Model | S3 Object-based | Blob storage (Block Blob) | Object-based (Cloud Storage) |
| Durability | 99.999999999% (11 9s) | 99.999999999% | 99.999999999% |
| Availability | Low (asynchronous restore) | Low (asynchronous restore) | Low (asynchronous restore) |
| Retrieval Latency | Minutes to hours | Hours | Hours |
| Storage Redundancy | Standard or One Zone | LRS, ZRS | Multi-regional, regional |
Key Features
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Amazon S3 Glacier:
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Multiple retrieval tiers: Expedited, Standard, Bulk
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Deep Archive: lowest cost, retrieval in 12+ hours
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Integrated with S3 Lifecycle policies
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Azure Archive:
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Integrated with Azure Blob tiers and lifecycle
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Supports rehydration priority
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Blob Indexing and Search even in archived tier
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Google Archive:
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Simplified tiering with smart lifecycle transitions
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Strong integration with BigQuery and AI tools
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Uniform bucket access with detailed IAM policies
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Use Case Scenario: Financial Data Compliance Archiving
A global banking firm needs to archive 100 TB of transaction records annually for 10 years:
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Amazon Glacier Deep Archive: Offers the lowest storage cost with audit trails, compliance-grade retention, and vault lock policies.
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Azure Archive: Integrated with Azure Data Lake for periodic rehydration, searchable archive indexing, and ADLS Gen2 compatibility.
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Google Archive: Enables seamless archive-to-analytics flow using BigQuery with predictable cost and automatic class transitions.
Security & Compliance
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Amazon Glacier: Vault Lock policies, KMS encryption, compliance with PCI-DSS, HIPAA, FedRAMP
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Azure Archive: RBAC, Private Endpoints, customer-managed keys, ISO/IEC 27001, SOC 1/2/3
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Google Archive: VPC Service Controls, CMEK, IAM Conditions, meets GDPR, CCPA, ISO 27001
Cost Analysis
| Service | Storage Cost (per GB/month) | Retrieval Cost | Retrieval Time |
| Amazon Glacier | $0.004 | Based on tier (Expedited+) | Minutes to hours |
| Amazon Glacier Deep Arch | $0.00099 | Very low | 12–48 hours |
| Azure Archive | $0.002 | Moderate | 6–15 hours |
| Google Archive | $0.0012 | Minimal | ~12 hours |
Integration & Ecosystem Fit
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Amazon Glacier: Integrated with AWS Backup, Athena, Macie, AWS SDKs
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Azure Archive: Tightly coupled with Azure Backup, Azure Site Recovery
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Google Archive: Strong interoperability with Vertex AI, BigQuery, and Dataproc
Best Fit By Scenario
| Scenario | Recommended Service |
| Lowest long-term archival cost | Amazon Glacier Deep Archive |
| Searchable archives for compliance | Azure Archive Storage |
| AI/ML-driven insights on cold data | Google Archive Storage |
Cloud Cost Optimization & Cold Storage Strategy
Navigating archive storage can be complex. Our experts help organizations:
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Design data lifecycle policies
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Minimize restore costs through strategic tiering
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Choose between archival tiers based on access patterns
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Forecast total cost of ownership for 3, 5, or 10-year periods
Whether you're modernizing backups or pursuing compliance readiness, we tailor a cold storage blueprint that fits your budget and risk posture.
Reach out now for a no-cost cloud cold storage review tailored to AWS, Azure, or Google.
Disclaimer
This article is independently developed and not affiliated with or endorsed by Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, or Google Cloud Platform (GCP). All service names, prices, and descriptions are based on publicly available sources as of June 2025 and may change.
