File Storage · head to head
IDrive e2 vs Nasuni
IDrive e2
File Storage
Low cost S3-compatible object storage with egress included up to a multiple of what you store
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
Nasuni
File Storage
Cloud file storage that keeps the authoritative copy in object storage and caches it at each site
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only IDrive e2 has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: IDrive e2 the included egress is capped as a multiple of stored data, so a small bucket that serves a lot of traffic exhausts the allowance quickly and the economics stop looking cheap exactly where a CDN backed store would still be free.; Nasuni subscription is based on managed capacity, so cold data that would cost almost nothing in an archive tier keeps paying the full platform rate, and there is limited incentive structure to delete.
- They diverge on capability: IDrive e2 covers S3-compatible endpoints, Nasuni covers Edge caching appliances.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which IDrive e2 and Nasuni actually diverge.
Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (File Storage).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in IDrive e2
- S3-compatible endpoints
- Included egress allowance
- Object lock
- Versioning
- Regional endpoints
- Cross region replication
Only in Nasuni
- Edge caching appliances
- Object storage back end
- Continuous versioning
- Global file lock
- Rapid site recovery
- Ransomware detection
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
IDrive e2
- The offsite copy in a three two one backup chain driven by Veeam, restic or a NAS backup clientnot Nasuni
- Replacing an S3 bucket whose cost is dominated by storage rather than by requestsnot Nasuni
- Small teams who want predictable monthly object storage billing with no request line itemsnot Nasuni
- Archiving media or logs that must stay accessible without a retrieval delaynot Nasuni
Nasuni
- Consolidating file servers across many branch offices onto one namespace without shipping data between sitesnot IDrive e2
- Replacing a NAS plus backup plus offsite replication stack with a single recovery modelnot IDrive e2
- Engineering or media teams in different regions who need to work on the same large project filesnot IDrive e2
- An organisation that has been hit by ransomware on file shares and needs version level rollback rather than tape restoresnot IDrive e2
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
IDrive e2
- The included egress is capped as a multiple of stored data, so a small bucket that serves a lot of traffic exhausts the allowance quickly and the economics stop looking cheap exactly where a CDN backed store would still be free.
- The region list is short compared with the hyperscalers, so data residency requirements outside the main markets are hard to satisfy and multi region designs have fewer options.
- S3 compatibility covers the common calls but not the long tail, so software that relies on less common features can fail in ways that are hard to diagnose against a provider with thin public documentation.
- Support is organised around a consumer and small business backup product rather than a platform engineering organisation, so escalating a storage layer problem takes longer than it would with a specialist provider.
- IDrive publishes far less about the underlying architecture, durability engineering and incident history than its competitors, so due diligence on the storage layer is largely taking the vendor at its word.
Nasuni
- Subscription is based on managed capacity, so cold data that would cost almost nothing in an archive tier keeps paying the full platform rate, and there is limited incentive structure to delete.
- Every site needs an appliance, virtual or physical, which is a footprint and a patching obligation at locations that previously had only a file server or nothing.
- A read that misses the local cache is fetched from object storage, so the first access to a cold large file is at cloud latency and users experience it as the system being slow at random.
- Global file lock serialises access across regions, so genuinely collaborative editing of the same large files still involves waiting for another site to release the lock rather than merging.
- The object storage underneath is your contract, so API transaction and egress charges from Azure or AWS land on your cloud bill and are not covered by the Nasuni subscription you were quoted against.
Pricing, plan by plan
IDrive e2
Free- FreeFree
- 10 GB stored
- S3 API access
- Egress within the included allowance
- Pay as you go$4/month
- Roughly 4 USD per terabyte stored per month
- Egress included up to a multiple of stored data
- No per operation charge on standard usage
Nasuni
On request- Nasuni File Data Platform$undefined/year
- Subscription based on managed capacity
- Edge appliances at each site
- Continuous versioning and rapid recovery
Which should you pick?
Choose IDrive e2 if
- You need s3-compatible endpoints.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, API.
- You also want included egress allowance.
Choose Nasuni if
- You need edge caching appliances.
- You work on Web, Windows, VMware, Hyper-V, AWS, Azure.
- You also want object storage back end.
Questions people ask
- Is IDrive e2 or Nasuni better?
- Neither clearly leads. IDrive e2 starts at Free and Nasuni at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, IDrive e2 or Nasuni?
- IDrive e2 has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for IDrive e2 and On request for Nasuni.
- Does IDrive e2 or Nasuni run on more platforms?
- IDrive e2 runs on Web, API. Nasuni runs on Web, Windows, VMware, Hyper-V, AWS, Azure.
- Can I use IDrive e2 for free?
- Yes. IDrive e2 has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Nasuni starts at On request.
- What is IDrive e2 best used for?
- IDrive e2 is most often used for the offsite copy in a three two one backup chain driven by veeam, restic or a nas backup client, replacing an s3 bucket whose cost is dominated by storage rather than by requests, small teams who want predictable monthly object storage billing with no request line items, archiving media or logs that must stay accessible without a retrieval delay. Of those, the offsite copy in a three two one backup chain driven by veeam, restic or a nas backup client and replacing an s3 bucket whose cost is dominated by storage rather than by requests are not what Nasuni is typically brought in for.
- What can IDrive e2 do that Nasuni cannot?
- IDrive e2 covers S3-compatible endpoints, Included egress allowance, Object lock, Versioning. Nasuni covers Edge caching appliances, Object storage back end, Continuous versioning, Global file lock.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
IDrive e2: Is the egress genuinely free?
It is included up to an allowance tied to how much you store, not unlimited. Read heavy workloads on a small bucket will exceed it.
Nasuni: Do I still need a backup product?
That is the pitch: continuous versioning in object storage replaces the backup schedule for file data. Databases and virtual machines still need their own tooling.
IDrive e2: Does it work with Veeam and restic?
Yes, both treat it as a standard S3 endpoint, and object lock is supported for immutable backup chains.
Nasuni: Who owns the storage account?
You do. Nasuni writes into object storage you contract for, which also means the cloud provider bills you directly for it.
IDrive e2: Is there a minimum retention period?
No fixed minimum retention charge on standard storage, which is a real difference from providers that bill ninety days on early deletion.
Nasuni: How fast is recovery of a whole site?
An appliance can be serving files within hours because data is pulled on demand, but performance stays degraded while the cache refills.
IDrive e2: How does it compare with Backblaze B2?
The rates are close. B2 is the better documented and more widely integrated service; e2 is cheaper at list and has a different egress allowance model.
Nasuni: Is pricing published?
No. Nasuni sells through quotes based on managed capacity and site count, so comparisons need a real proposal rather than a list price.
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