NetApp Data Migrator vs RackTop GHOST

NetApp Data Migrator9.4Visit RackTop GHOST8.3Visit

Higher score NetApp Data Migrator #1 in Storage Migration Software 9.4/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 4 of 4 features Visit NetApp

vs

RackTop GHOST #9 in Storage Migration Software 8.3/10 Pricing on request ✓ 4 of 4 features Visit RackTop

• NetApp Data Migrator fits best

  Free enterprise NAS migrations

• RackTop GHOST fits best

  Near-zero-downtime SMB/NFS migrations

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Side by side

Feature	NetApp Data Migrator 9.4/10 Visit ↗	RackTop GHOST 8.3/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.4	8.3
Ranking	#1 in Storage Migration Software	#9 in Storage Migration Software
Best for	Free enterprise NAS migrations	Near-zero-downtime SMB/NFS migrations
Pricing model	Free	Paid
Starting price	Free plan	Pricing on request
Free plan	✓ (best)	—
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Cloud, Self-hosted	Self-hosted
Platforms	Web, Windows, Linux	Windows, Linux
Support	Email, Docs	Email, Phone, Tickets, Docs · 24/7
Built for	Enterprise, Mid-market	Mid-market, Enterprise
Features NetApp Data Migrator 4/4 · RackTop GHOST 4/4
Metadata preservation	✓	✓
Access preservation	✓	✓
Cutover orchestration	✓	✓
Migration reporting	✓	✓
Specs
Workload scope	File	File
Migration mode	Both	Continuous
Supported platforms	Any NAS server, including Dell Isilon, ONTAP, Vanilla Linux, Windows, and Cloud Volumes ONTAP; destinations include Azure NetApp Files, Google Cloud NetApp Volumes, Amazon FSx for NetApp ONTAP, and Cloud Volumes ONTAP; protocols include NFS 4.1/3.0 and SMB 3.1/3.0/2.0	Any SMB or NFS share; NetApp, Dell, Windows file servers, and Linux NFS servers
Our review
Pros	Supports NFS and SMB migrations with incremental synchronization Preserves permissions, ACLs, identities, and file timestamps Provides cutover workflows and checksum-validated custody reports	Cut over before content transfer while users keep working Preserves permissions, timestamps, ownership, and file attributes Reconciliation reports include hashes, timestamps, and provenance
Cons	Runs on user-managed virtual machines and worker nodes Destinations focus on NetApp cloud storage services Professional services are priced separately	Supports SMB and NFS rather than a broader protocol range Pricing requires contacting RackTop or an authorized reseller GHOST is in beta, with general availability planned for Q3 2026
Our verdict	NetApp Data Migrator is software for moving unstructured file data from on-premises or third-party NAS storage to NetApp cloud storage services. It supports NFS and SMB workloads, including sources such as Dell Isilon, ONTAP, Vanilla… Read the review →	RackTop GHOST is a NAS migration capability built into BrickStor SP for organizations moving file workloads from SMB or NFS environments. It supports NAS platforms, Windows file servers, and Linux NFS servers, and is aimed at teams that… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• NetApp Data Migrator — where it wins

  • Supports NFS and SMB migrations with incremental synchronization
  • Preserves permissions, ACLs, identities, and file timestamps
  • Provides cutover workflows and checksum-validated custody reports

  Where it doesn't

  • Runs on user-managed virtual machines and worker nodes
  • Destinations focus on NetApp cloud storage services
  • Professional services are priced separately

• RackTop GHOST — where it wins

  • Cut over before content transfer while users keep working
  • Preserves permissions, timestamps, ownership, and file attributes
  • Reconciliation reports include hashes, timestamps, and provenance

  Where it doesn't

  • Supports SMB and NFS rather than a broader protocol range
  • Pricing requires contacting RackTop or an authorized reseller
  • GHOST is in beta, with general availability planned for Q3 2026

• NetApp Data Migrator9.4/10 · Free plan

  A free, migration-focused option for enterprise NAS moves into NetApp cloud storage.

  Visit NetAppFull verdict →
• RackTop GHOST8.3/10 · Pricing on request

  A continuous SMB/NFS migration workflow for near-zero-downtime file moves.

  Visit RackTopFull verdict →