Is Microsoft Azure's Archive tier the best deal?

Blob Storage · $0/mo

Best in class

Azure Archive tier offers the lowest storage cost in the market at $0/month per GB, making it unbeatable for long-term retention workloads. However, the high retrieval fees ($0.02/GB plus $6.50 per 10,000 ops), 180-day minimum retention lock-in, and 128 KiB minimum billing per object mean this plan is only cost-effective if you rarely or never need to access the data.

Before you switch

Verify your actual retrieval frequency before committing; Archive tier economics only work for true cold/compliance storage accessed less than once per year
Confirm the 180-day minimum retention aligns with your data lifecycle; early deletion incurs full 180-day charges
Calculate total cost including retrieval fees for your expected access pattern; a single large retrieval can exceed months of storage savings
Check whether Cool tier ($0.01/GB/mo) or Cold tier ($0.004/GB/mo) with lower retrieval fees might be cheaper for your actual use case
Ensure you understand the 128 KiB minimum billing rule; many small objects will be rounded up significantly

This comparison is generated from publicly listed pricing and may contain errors or omissions. It is not financial or professional advice, and CloudHosting.io is not responsible for decisions made based on it. Pricing, promotions, and specs change frequently and may not reflect current terms, regional availability, taxes, or contract length. Always verify current pricing and terms directly on the provider's site before purchasing or switching.

Comparable plans across providers

No comparable plans found in other providers' catalogs for this tier.

Visit Microsoft Azure