Backblaze B2 Vs Wasabi: Top Four Comparisons in 2023
Backblaze B2 Vs Wasabi: Top Four Comparisons in 2023
Are you considering using S3 object storage from Wasabi or Backblaze B2?
We manage more than 1PB of reseller storage on both platforms and provide support for both whilst understanding their pros and cons.
This review compares both in a live environment and reports on performance, speed and technical ability.
Our NOC Engineers have evaluated the services’ performance, speed and technical ability, and our reseller feedback has helped us calculate the overall score.
Just want to see the results?
How we embed Wasabi and Backblaze B2 into our service
We have embedded Wasabi (UK and EU regions) into our cloud backup software since early 2019 and B2 more recently.
Backing up to either location is quickly done from the storage destination tab within our software.
We have hardcoded the region and access details into the connector, making the process a one-click process.
We recommend both systems to our online backup resellers who want to use their accounts with Wasabi or Backblaze.
Who is behind Wasabi.com?
Wasabi Technologies, Inc. is a dedicated S3 object storage provider, making them experts.
Wasabi launched its first hot cloud storage service in May 2017, founded by David Friend and Jeff Flowers.
You might not know their names, but you will know the companies they owned, Carbonite, Mozy, and Webroot being the more prominent names.
Who is behind Backblaze?
Backblaze is another of the big names in cloud storage and online backups and was founded by Gleb Budman and Brian Wilson in 2007.
They started providing cloud backup in 2007 and now offer object storage on their B2 platform. Backblaze launched B2 in 2015, two years before Wasabi turned on its first server.
What is Backblaze B2?
Backblaze is one of the most prominent players in the cloud backup space, and they have played on their expertise by providing object storage based on the S3 format as a separate service to techies.
Data availability and durability with Backblaze B2 and Wasabi
We evaluate two metrics when we use or recommend a new storage platform. These are data availability and data durability, and they are very different.
Data accessibility encompasses two distinct aspects: availability and durability.
These two facets hold divergent meanings and play separate roles in ensuring efficient data management.
Data availability
Data availability: Means.. is my email, website or application down?
Data durability
Refers to your data. i.e., will it always be there, even if the system is unavailable? You want your data to be safe following a system outage. If a system is unavailable, it should never compromise the integrity of the data it uses.
Inside every storage system are hard disks, and these will fail. This failure is no reason for a loss of data. A fundamental concept to overcome data loss is storing multiple copies of data on three devices with a location.
Servers will run a version of RAID that will continue operating and maintaining data integrity if one disk fails.
This process is replicated within data sets and storage arrays that store data. Not only can they survive the loss of multiple disks, but they can also withstand an entire disk array failure.
Taking this a step further, you can pay more and replicate your data to other sites.
Microsoft does this seamlessly on their Azure platform and calls these services LRS (locally redundant storage) and GRS (geo-redundant storage). AWS has the same, and Wasabi implemented Bucket replication between regions in May 2023.
Data Durability: Means will my data be recoverable?
Data durability has to be rock solid forever. The idea that someone can lose a file in the AWS, Wasabi, Backblaze, or Microsoft clouds is not an option. They have too much riding on their reputation ever to lose a file.
The metric we use to measure near-perfect data durability is 11 nines. This is easy to achieve with prior planning when using object storage.
Object storage is a term that software developers will be familiar with, and end-users don’t need to worry about. Object storage works and keeps your data safe and secure.
Object storage is typically called S3 or Azure Blobs on Microsoft’s cloud.
The goals served by availability and durability differ significantly. Availability, a vital metric for data centres, measures uptime and operational continuity, as any downtime can result in substantial financial repercussions.
This metric explicitly evaluates the accessibility of the storage system. However, what occurs when a component, system, or even the entire data centre experiences an outage? Will your data remain intact once the issue is resolved?
This highlights the crucial importance of data durability. When rectifying an availability issue, restoring access to uncorrupted data is imperative.
With the exponential growth of data creation, the immense potential for data mining, and the escalating demand for extended data retention, durability becomes paramount for achieving sustained business success.
Consider the consequences on competition, finances, and even legal matters when the archived master or reference copy of data becomes irretrievable. Hence, data availability and durability are indispensable for ensuring short- and long-term prosperity in business endeavours.
Backblaze and Wasabi price differences
Quick monthly price comparison between Wasabi and Backblaze B2
There is little difference in the baseline cloud storage pricing between Wasabi and Backblaze B2 object storage when using more than one TB of storage.
If you need less than 1TB of storage, then Wasabi might not be a good fit because they charge for a minimum of 1TB of data. Even if you don’t store any data, then will still bill you for 1TB.
When you start scaling up your business, you will see the profound differences when extensive data needs to be stored and downloaded because these incur egress charges.
Wasabi charges you a minimum of 90 days when creating a file. If you are burning your data regularly, i.e. weekly full backups with a retention period of a month, then you will see that Wasabi’s storage costs will be three times more than Backblaze’s.
Monthly cost to store 1TB of data
Wasabi's 90-day minimum storage duration policy and monthly minimum storage charge explained.
When you save a file, Wasabi charges for the first three months of storage, and their minimum chargeable block is 1TB.
If you delete that file shortly minute after storing it, you will still be billed for three months.
They are honest about these price points on their website.
By comparison, B2 gives you 10GB of free monthly storage, and they have no minimum charge.
Backblaze says Data stored with Backblaze is calculated hourly, with no minimum retention requirement, and billed monthly on their site. The first 10 GB of storage is free.
Backblaze is up-front with their egress pricing, i.e. $0.01 per GB.
Wasabi is very keen to say they don’t charge for egress. They will allow you to transfer the same amount as your active data for free. If you have 100TB stored, you can download 100TB in one month for free.
Monthly cost to store and download 1TB of data
How does this affect bills in a production environment?
If storage is your primary business, and your data is inbound (ingress), then either service will be comparable in price.
If you transfer out less data than you have stored, then Wasabi is the lowest-cost option.
Native upload speed comparison between Wasabi and Backblaze B2
We tested using the native file upload and download tools from each site. Our test file is 133MB, and our test machine uses Windows 10.
Our internet connection is standard fibre broadband with the speed test result below.
We are in the UK. Wasabi is in Holland, and Backblaze B2 is in the US.
Wasabi: upload - 1 minute 21 seconds, download - 35 seconds
The data transfer time when uploading to Wasabi was rapid and as expected. We ran the same test ten times, and the upload time was consistent.
Feedback from our Resellers confirms that the outbound transfer speed when restoring data from Wasabi is excellent and matches their internet capacity.
Backblaze B2: upload - 1 minute 48 seconds, download - 47 seconds
Backblaze are approx. 5,300 miles from our test network in the UK, and the speed test was only a few seconds slower than Wasabi. The speed test during the restore from Backblaze was what we expected and in line with our internet connection speed.
Backblaze is not an obvious choice for our Resellers because their egress charges are high, and our UK customers are concerned with storing their data outside the UK and EU.
The results are consistent when run ten times (+ and – 10%) and show a similar speed considering the distances to each service. This shows us the tech is the same, and only pricing separates them.
There is a gradual shift amongst our Resellers from storing data on Microsoft’s cloud in the UK to Wasabi and Backblaze, which continues.
Backblaze B2: upload - 1 minute 48 seconds, download - 47 seconds
Wasabi Vs Backblaze. The Results!
Microsoft, Amazon, and Google also tested
As you can see from the image below, once we start looking at the more prominent players like Microsoft, Amazon, and Google, the price difference for object storage (storing and downloading) is even greater.
Click on the image to read the full review. These are all based on the monthly cost to store and download 1TB of data.
Conclusion
Both Wasabi’s and Backblaze’s object storage platforms provide cloud backup providers with a secure and durable cloud storage service that is easy to connect to. They have adopted Amazon’s S3 object storage standard, which makes it super-easy for developers to work with them.
Backblaze B2 is perfect regardless of your storage requirements. It will quickly become costly if you download a lot of data as they charge $10 per TB of egress.
Backblaze is the lowest-cost option if you don’t need to download your data routinely. You also get 10GB of free storage.
Wasabi is a better fit if you store more than 1TB of data and frequently download a lot of data. There is a minimum storage charge of 1TB per month.
If you have experience of either, or have a question, post your comment below.
Hi there – Backblaze has an EU region as well as US West and US East – click the little region dropdown just underneath the big red “Sign Up Now” button at https://www.backblaze.com/b2/cloud-storage.html to select your preferred region.