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Head-to-head · Cloud File Storage Services

Amazon Elastic File System (EFS) vs Amazon FSx for OpenZFS

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 3 checks side by side
Higher score Amazon Elastic File System (EFS) #6 in Cloud File Storage Services 8.9/10 Paid ✓ 1 of 2 features Visit Amazon EFS
Amazon FSx for OpenZFS #8 in Cloud File Storage Services 8.7/10 From $0.09/mo ✓ 2 of 2 features Visit Amazon FSx

Amazon Elastic File System (EFS) leads on 0 checks, Amazon FSx for OpenZFS on 0, and 3 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 3 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreAmazon Elastic File System (EFS) · 8.9/10
  • Most featuresAmazon FSx for OpenZFS · 2 of 2

Amazon Elastic File System (EFS) scores higher on our rubric for cloud file storage services: 8.9 against 8.7 out of 10; our editors rank them #6 and #8.

On scaling model, Amazon FSx for OpenZFS gives you Provisioned where Amazon Elastic File System (EFS) offers Elastic.

Amazon Elastic File System (EFS) is the better fit for elastic AWS-native file storage. Amazon FSx for OpenZFS is the better fit for low-cost AWS NFS storage.

  • Amazon Elastic File System (EFS) fits best

    Elastic AWS-native file storage

  • Amazon FSx for OpenZFS fits best

    Low-cost AWS NFS storage

Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.

Side by side

Feature Amazon Elastic File System (EFS) 8.9/10 Visit ↗ Amazon FSx for OpenZFS 8.7/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 8.9 8.7
Ranking #6 in Cloud File Storage Services #8 in Cloud File Storage Services
Best for Elastic AWS-native file storage Low-cost AWS NFS storage
Pricing model Paid Paid
Starting price $0.30/GB/mo $0.09/mo
Free plan — Not checked yet
Free trial — —
Deployment Cloud Cloud
Platforms Web, Linux Web
Support Docs Tickets, Community, Docs
Integrations 11 integrations 7 integrations
Built for Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Amazon Elastic File System (EFS) 1/2 · Amazon FSx for OpenZFS 2/2
Snapshots Not checked yet ✓ (best)
Managed backups ✓ ✓
Specs
Supported protocols NFSv4.0, NFSv4.1 NFS v3, v4.0, v4.1, v4.2
Maximum capacity Not checked yet 512 TB
Availability zones Not checked yet 1 zones
Scaling model Elastic Provisioned
Our review
Pros
  • Automatic scaling to petabyte scale
  • Regional multi-Availability Zone deployment
  • NFS access across EC2, ECS, EKS, Fargate, and Lambda
  • NFS v3, 4.0, 4.1, and 4.2 access for shared file workloads
  • Snapshots, writable clones, backups, and AWS Backup integration
  • Single-AZ, Multi-AZ, SSD, and Intelligent-Tiering deployment choices
Cons
  • No permanent free plan
  • Designed around Linux workloads and NFS access
  • Costs vary by Region, storage class, throughput, and data protection use
  • Usage-based pricing varies by Region, deployment, storage class, and throughput
  • Focused on NFS rather than broader multiprotocol file access
  • Provisioned scaling requires capacity and throughput planning
Our verdict

Amazon Elastic File System (EFS) is a managed, shared cloud file system for Linux workloads. It provides NFSv4.0 and NFSv4.1 access for AWS compute services, including Amazon EC2, Amazon ECS, Amazon EKS, AWS Fargate, and AWS Lambda. EFS…

Read the review →

Amazon FSx for OpenZFS is a fully managed cloud file-storage service for workloads running on AWS or in on-premises environments. It provides shared file systems through NFS versions 3, 4.0, 4.1, and 4.2, with support for Linux, Windows,…

Read the review →
  1. Amazon Elastic File System (EFS)Cloud File Storage Services 8.9Paid
  2. Amazon FSx for OpenZFSCloud File Storage Services 8.7From $0.09/mo

Strengths and trade-offs

  • Amazon Elastic File System (EFS) — where it wins

    • Automatic scaling to petabyte scale
    • Regional multi-Availability Zone deployment
    • NFS access across EC2, ECS, EKS, Fargate, and Lambda

    Where it doesn't

    • No permanent free plan
    • Designed around Linux workloads and NFS access
    • Costs vary by Region, storage class, throughput, and data protection use

  • Amazon FSx for OpenZFS — where it wins

    • NFS v3, 4.0, 4.1, and 4.2 access for shared file workloads
    • Snapshots, writable clones, backups, and AWS Backup integration
    • Single-AZ, Multi-AZ, SSD, and Intelligent-Tiering deployment choices

    Where it doesn't

    • Usage-based pricing varies by Region, deployment, storage class, and throughput
    • Focused on NFS rather than broader multiprotocol file access
    • Provisioned scaling requires capacity and throughput planning

More comparisons

All cloud file storage services comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update