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File Storage · head to head

Nasuni vs Panzura

Nasuni logo

Nasuni

File Storage

Cloud file storage that keeps the authoritative copy in object storage and caches it at each site

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Panzura logo

Panzura

File Storage

Global file system putting one namespace over object storage across sites

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: 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.; Panzura cloud egress charges apply whenever data is read from the object store into a site that has not cached it, and organisations routinely discover this during a restore or a new site rollout rather than during procurement.
  • They diverge on capability: Nasuni covers Edge caching appliances, Panzura covers Global file system.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Nasuni and Panzura actually diverge.

Attributes where Nasuni and Panzura differ
AttributeNasuniPanzura
PlatformsWeb, Windows, VMware, Hyper-V, AWS, AzureLinux, Windows, Web

Identical on both: starting price (On request), pricing model (quote), free tier (No), 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 Nasuni

  • Edge caching appliances
  • Object storage back end
  • Continuous versioning
  • Global file lock
  • Rapid site recovery
  • Ransomware detection

Only in Panzura

  • Global file system
  • Global file locking
  • Local caching filers
  • Deduplication
  • Immutable snapshots
  • Cloud mirroring
  • Symphony data services

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Nasuni

  • Consolidating file servers across many branch offices onto one namespace without shipping data between sitesnot Panzura
  • Replacing a NAS plus backup plus offsite replication stack with a single recovery modelnot Panzura
  • Engineering or media teams in different regions who need to work on the same large project filesnot Panzura
  • An organisation that has been hit by ransomware on file shares and needs version level rollback rather than tape restoresnot Panzura

Panzura

  • An architecture firm with offices in three cities working on the same Revit models without copy conflictsnot Nasuni
  • A media company consolidating project storage into object storage while keeping editors on a normal SMB sharenot Nasuni
  • A manufacturer replacing per-site NAS filers and the backup estate that came with themnot Nasuni
  • An organisation that needs immutable snapshots of unstructured file data as a ransomware recovery positionnot Nasuni

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

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.

Panzura

  • Cloud egress charges apply whenever data is read from the object store into a site that has not cached it, and organisations routinely discover this during a restore or a new site rollout rather than during procurement.
  • Performance depends entirely on cache hit rates, so a team that works across the whole dataset rather than a hot subset sees latency that a local NAS would not have produced.
  • Licence cost is only part of total cost; object storage capacity, per-site filer nodes and egress all sit outside the vendor quote and can exceed it.
  • Recovery of a very large dataset is bounded by your internet link and by egress cost, so the practical recovery time after a site loss is often much longer than the snapshot policy implies.
  • Encryption keys can be held by the customer, but organisations that accept vendor-managed defaults give up the ability to render the object store unreadable independently, which some regulators now ask about explicitly.

Pricing, plan by plan

Nasuni

On request
  • Nasuni File Data Platform$undefined/year
    • Subscription based on managed capacity
    • Edge appliances at each site
    • Continuous versioning and rapid recovery

Panzura

On request
  • Panzura CloudFS$undefined/year
    • Priced by usable capacity under management
    • Filer nodes licensed per site, physical or virtual
    • Object storage and cloud egress billed by your cloud provider separately

Which should you pick?

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.
Nasuni review

Choose Panzura if

  • You need global file system.
  • You work on Linux, Windows, Web.
  • You also want global file locking.
Panzura review

Questions people ask

Is Nasuni or Panzura better?
Neither clearly leads. Nasuni starts at On request and Panzura at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Nasuni or Panzura?
Nasuni starts at On request and Panzura at On request.
Does Nasuni or Panzura run on more platforms?
Nasuni runs on Web, Windows, VMware, Hyper-V, AWS, Azure. Panzura runs on Linux, Windows, Web.
What is Nasuni best used for?
Nasuni is most often used for consolidating file servers across many branch offices onto one namespace without shipping data between sites, replacing a nas plus backup plus offsite replication stack with a single recovery model, engineering or media teams in different regions who need to work on the same large project files, an organisation that has been hit by ransomware on file shares and needs version level rollback rather than tape restores. Of those, consolidating file servers across many branch offices onto one namespace without shipping data between sites and replacing a nas plus backup plus offsite replication stack with a single recovery model are not what Panzura is typically brought in for.
What can Nasuni do that Panzura cannot?
Nasuni covers Edge caching appliances, Object storage back end, Continuous versioning, Global file lock. Panzura covers Global file system, Global file locking, Local caching filers, Deduplication.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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.

Panzura: Who holds the encryption keys?

Customer-managed keys are supported. Insist on them if you need the ability to revoke access to the object store independently of the vendor, and confirm the key custody model in writing.

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.

Panzura: What does it actually cost to run?

Model three things: the Panzura subscription, the object storage capacity, and cloud egress. The third is the one that catches buyers out during restores and site bring-ups.

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.

Panzura: Does it replace backup?

Immutable snapshots cover many recovery scenarios, but confirm your retention and compliance requirements before removing an existing backup product.

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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