Data transfer & migration · AWS vs Google Cloud
AWS Snowball Edge (Snow Family) / AWS Data Transfer Terminal vs Transfer Appliance
AWS Snowball (retired) and Data Transfer Terminal map to Transfer Appliance, a high-capacity device you load and ship to Google for upload to Cloud Storage.
Side-by-side comparison
| Aspect | Amazon Web Services | Google Cloud |
|---|---|---|
| Service | AWS Snowball Edge (Snow Family) Retired AWS Data Transfer Terminal | Transfer Appliance |
| Lifecycle | Listed on AWS's full-shutdown page as of November 12, 2025 (along with the V3S and V3G devices). The Snowball developer guide still describes it as unavailable to new customers. AWS points customers to DataSync (online), Data Transfer Terminal (physical), or Outposts and partners for edge compute. Generally available | Generally available |
| What it is | Rugged shippable storage and compute devices for offline data migration and edge computing. Reservable physical locations where you bring your own storage devices and upload data to AWS over high-speed connections. | High-capacity storage device you load and ship to Google, which uploads the data to Cloud Storage. |
| Pricing model | Data Transfer Terminal is billed for the time you reserve. Snowball jobs were billed per job, per day, and for shipping. | See the Transfer Appliance pricing page. |
| Docs | AWS Snowball Edge (Snow Family) docs AWS Data Transfer Terminal docs | Transfer Appliance docs |
| Pricing page | AWS Snowball Edge (Snow Family) pricing AWS Data Transfer Terminal pricing | Transfer Appliance pricing |
Key differences
- Transfer Appliance is for data transfer only; it doesn't run edge compute like Snowball Edge did.
Pricing summary
Pricing models only. No prices are quoted because they change by region and over time.
- AWS
- Data Transfer Terminal is billed for the time you reserve. Snowball jobs were billed per job, per day, and for shipping. AWS Snowball Edge (Snow Family) pricing → AWS Data Transfer Terminal pricing →
- GCP
- See the Transfer Appliance pricing page. Transfer Appliance pricing →
And on Azure?
Partial match Azure's equivalent is Azure Data Box. AWS vs Azure comparison →
FAQ
What is the Google Cloud equivalent of AWS Snowball Edge (Snow Family) and AWS Data Transfer Terminal?
AWS Snowball (retired) and Data Transfer Terminal map to Transfer Appliance, a high-capacity device you load and ship to Google for upload to Cloud Storage.
How does pricing compare between AWS Snowball Edge (Snow Family) and AWS Data Transfer Terminal and Transfer Appliance?
AWS: Data Transfer Terminal is billed for the time you reserve. Snowball jobs were billed per job, per day, and for shipping. Google Cloud: See the Transfer Appliance pricing page. Check the official pricing pages for current rates.
What is the Azure equivalent?
Azure Data Box (partial match). Microsoft maps AWS Snowball Edge to Azure Data Box, but AWS's full-shutdown page lists Snowball Edge as shut down on November 12, 2025.