Amazon FSx for NetApp ONTAP vs Amazon FSx for Windows File Server

Amazon FSx for NetApp ONTAP9.4Visit Amazon FSx for Windows File Server8.8Visit

Higher score Amazon FSx for NetApp ONTAP #1 in Cloud File Storage Services 9.4/10 Paid ✓ 2 of 2 features Visit AWS

vs

Amazon FSx for Windows File Server #7 in Cloud File Storage Services 8.8/10 Paid ✓ 2 of 2 features Visit Amazon FSx

• Amazon FSx for NetApp ONTAP fits best

  AWS multiprotocol enterprise storage

• Amazon FSx for Windows File Server fits best

  Low-cost Windows-compatible file shares

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Side by side

Feature	Amazon FSx for NetApp ONTAP 9.4/10 Visit ↗	Amazon FSx for Windows File Server 8.8/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.4	8.8
Ranking	#1 in Cloud File Storage Services	#7 in Cloud File Storage Services
Best for	AWS multiprotocol enterprise storage	Low-cost Windows-compatible file shares
Pricing model	Paid	Paid
Starting price	Not checked yet	$0.01/GB/mo
Free plan	Not checked yet	—
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Cloud	Cloud
Platforms	Web	Web
Support	Community, Docs	Docs, Community
Integrations	8 integrations	8 integrations
Built for	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Amazon FSx for NetApp ONTAP 2/2 · Amazon FSx for Windows File Server 2/2
Snapshots	✓	✓
Managed backups	✓	✓
Specs
Supported protocols	NFS, SMB, iSCSI, NVMe-over-TCP	SMB
Maximum capacity	Not checked yet	64 TB
Availability zones	Not checked yet	1 zones
Scaling model	Auto_scaling	Provisioned
Our review
Pros	Supports NFS, SMB, iSCSI, and NVMe-over-TCP access Combines snapshots, backups, replication, and file restoration Adds tiering, deduplication, compaction, and FlexClone cloning	SMB access with Microsoft Active Directory integration Daily and on-demand backups plus Windows shadow copies AWS integrations including Backup, CloudWatch, and CloudFormation
Cons	Usage-based pricing requires separate cost considerations Deployment choices vary between Single-AZ and Multi-AZ Best suited to workloads that need broad protocol support	Core protocol coverage is limited to SMB The entry plan uses Single-AZ HDD storage Pricing varies with region, deployment, capacity, and data transfer
Our verdict	Amazon FSx for NetApp ONTAP is a fully managed cloud storage service for shared file and block storage. It is designed for AWS and on-premises workloads that need access through NFS, SMB, iSCSI, or NVMe-over-TCP. Single-AZ and Multi-AZ… Read the review →	Amazon FSx for Windows File Server is a fully managed cloud file system for shared Windows-compatible storage in AWS. It serves Windows applications, Linux and macOS clients, and AWS services over SMB. Its fit is strongest for business… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Amazon FSx for NetApp ONTAP — where it wins

  • Supports NFS, SMB, iSCSI, and NVMe-over-TCP access
  • Combines snapshots, backups, replication, and file restoration
  • Adds tiering, deduplication, compaction, and FlexClone cloning

  Where it doesn't

  • Usage-based pricing requires separate cost considerations
  • Deployment choices vary between Single-AZ and Multi-AZ
  • Best suited to workloads that need broad protocol support

• Amazon FSx for Windows File Server — where it wins

  • SMB access with Microsoft Active Directory integration
  • Daily and on-demand backups plus Windows shadow copies
  • AWS integrations including Backup, CloudWatch, and CloudFormation

  Where it doesn't

  • Core protocol coverage is limited to SMB
  • The entry plan uses Single-AZ HDD storage
  • Pricing varies with region, deployment, capacity, and data transfer

• Amazon FSx for NetApp ONTAP9.4/10 · Paid

  A broad AWS storage service for enterprise file and block workloads.

  Visit AWSFull verdict →
• Amazon FSx for Windows File Server8.8/10 · Paid

  A low-cost AWS file share for Windows workloads that need SMB and Active Directory.

  Visit Amazon FSxFull verdict →