Storj is the easiest decentralized storage to budget for: its Standard plan costs $7/TB per month plus $7/TB egress, works with S3 tools and has a 30-day trial with no card. Walrus also prices in dollars, at $0.023/GB per month billed on encoded size. Arweave charges once, up front, for storage meant to last 200 years, while Filecoin and Sia run open markets between clients and hosts.
Quick answer
Choose Storj for S3-compatible storage with a flat dollar price, Arweave for data you want stored permanently with one payment, and Filecoin for large archives on an open provider market.
- 01Storj: best for S3 users
- 02Arweave: best for permanent data
- 03Filecoin: best for large archives
- 04Walrus: best for Sui apps
- 05Sia: Best long track record
The 5 best decentralized storage
Storj works with AWS S3 APIs and lists Standard at $7/TB per month plus $7/TB egress, with a $5 monthly minimum. The 30-day trial needs no card, and the code is AGPL-3.0.
- Platforms
- Web, API, CLI
- Pricing
- Standard: $7/TB-month storage, $7/TB egress; Advanced: $10/TB; $5 monthly minimum
- Free plan
- 30-day free trial, no credit card
- Company
- Storj Inc.
- Open source
- AGPL-3.0
Pros
- Flat $7/TB storage and $7/TB egress on Standard
- 30-day free trial, no credit card
- Drop-in replacement for AWS S3 APIs
Cons
- $5 minimum monthly fee on paid plans
- Advanced plan with U.S.-only locations costs $10/TB
- No permanent free tier after the trial
Skip it if you need a permanent free tier: there is none after the trial.
Arweave takes a one-time upfront payment into a storage endowment, priced for 20 replicas over 200 years at present costs. Node software is GPL-2.0.
- Platforms
- Web, CLI, SDK
- Pricing
- One-time upfront payment in AR to a storage endowment, priced for 20 replicas over 200 years
- Token
- AR
- Open source
- GPL-2.0
Pros
- Pay once, no recurring storage bills
- Price model targets 20 replicas for 200 years
- Node software is open source under GPL-2.0
Cons
- Payment is settled in AR, so the dollar cost moves with the token
- The upfront price assumes storage costs keep declining over time, per the lightpaper
Skip it if you want a fixed dollar price: payment is settled in AR.
Filecoin mainnet has run since October 15, 2020. Providers post proofs and lock FIL collateral that is burned on repeated failures, and clients can review provider history before choosing.
- Platforms
- CLI, API
- Launched
- Mainnet live October 15, 2020
- Token
- FIL (collateral and payments)
- Open source
- Yes (Lotus node on GitHub)
Pros
- Providers lose collateral if they repeatedly fail storage proofs
- Open market: clients can review provider history before choosing
- Mainnet running since October 2020
Cons
- Storage providers must lock FIL as collateral, which is burned if they repeatedly fail proofs
- Clients pick and pay storage providers themselves rather than one company
Skip it if you want one company to handle storage for you: clients pick and pay providers themselves.
Walrus prices storage at $0.023/GB per month in dollar terms, paid in WAL, and was created by Mysten Labs. Code is Apache 2.0.
- Chains
- Sui
- Platforms
- CLI, SDK, API
- Pricing
- $0.023/GB/month, paid in WAL, billed on encoded size (about 4.5x plus 64 MB per blob); SUI gas extra
- Token
- WAL, max supply 5,000,000,000
- Company
- Created by Mysten Labs; ecosystem supported by Walrus Foundation
Pros
- Fixed USD-denominated price of $0.023/GB/month
- Storage bought for a set number of epochs, with extensions
- Code is open source under Apache 2.0
Cons
- Billed on encoded size, about 4.5x the file plus 64 MB per blob
- Needs both WAL for storage and SUI for gas
Skip it if you store many small files: billing uses encoded size, about 4.5x the file plus 64 MB per blob.
Sia's mainnet launched in 2015, and the non-profit Sia Foundation has supported it since 2020. Its renter software renterd is MIT-licensed.
- Platforms
- Desktop, CLI, API
- Launched
- Mainnet 2015
- Company
- Sia Foundation (non-profit, created 2020)
- Token
- Siacoin
- Open source
- MIT (renterd)
Pros
- Running since 2015 with no downtime claimed by the project
- Run by a non-profit foundation
- Renter software (renterd) is open source under MIT
Cons
- Storing data means setting up renterd or indexd yourself, or using an integration
- Payments require Siacoin
Skip it if you do not want to run storage software: renters set up renterd or indexd, or use an integration.
Decentralized Storage compared
Select a name to jump to its review.
| Name | Best for | Pricing | Token |
|---|
| Storj | Drop-in S3 storage | Standard: $7/TB-month storage, $7/TB egress; Advanced: $10/TB; $5 monthly minimum | Not verified |
|---|
| Arweave | Pay once, store long term | One-time upfront payment in AR to a storage endowment, priced for 20 replicas over 200 years | AR |
|---|
| Filecoin | Open provider market | Not verified | FIL (collateral and payments) |
|---|
| Walrus | Blob storage on Sui | $0.023/GB/month, paid in WAL, billed on encoded size (about 4.5x plus 64 MB per blob); SUI gas extra | WAL, max supply 5,000,000,000 |
|---|
| Sia | Self-run storage | Not verified | Siacoin |
|---|
“Not verified” means we could not confirm the value on the project’s own pages.
How we rank decentralized storage
- 01Price model: flat dollar price, one-time payment or open market, from the project's own pages. Prices in different units are not compared directly.
- 02Ease of use: S3 compatibility or the software you must run.
- 03Track record: mainnet launch date from the project's own pages.
- 04Open source: whether node or client code is public, with its license.
No project paid to be listed or ranked. Full rules: methodology.
How to choose
Decide between monthly and one-time
Storj and Walrus bill per month in dollar terms. Arweave takes one upfront payment for long-term storage. Filecoin and Sia prices come from provider markets.
Count the overhead
Walrus bills encoded size, about 4.5x the file plus 64 MB per blob, so bundle small files before upload.
Keep a second copy of anything critical
Store important data in two places, whichever network you choose.
Who should skip all of these
- Anyone who needs to delete data on request: Arweave is built for permanent storage.
- Users who want a phone photo backup app: these are storage networks and developer services.
Bottom line
Storj is the simplest switch from centralized cloud storage; Arweave is the choice when permanence matters more than cost control.
Filecoin, Walrus and Sia suit developers comfortable with tokens and their own tooling.
Educational content, not financial advice. Crypto assets are volatile; do your own research.
FAQ
What is the cheapest decentralized storage?
±
It depends on the model. Storj lists $7/TB per month plus $7/TB egress. Walrus lists $0.023/GB per month but bills encoded size, about 4.5x the file. Filecoin and Sia prices come from provider markets.
Is there free decentralized storage?
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Storj offers a 30-day free trial with no credit card. We found no permanent free tier among these five.
How does Arweave charge?
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Once, up front: the payment goes to a storage endowment priced for 20 replicas over 200 years at present costs.
How long has Filecoin been running?
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Filecoin mainnet went live on October 15, 2020.
What changed in this list
2026-09-26First version: five decentralized storage networks ranked on price model, trials, track record and open code.