Storj vs Filecoin: which wins in 2026?

Head-to-head on the facts that decide the purchase: real prices in the provider's own unit, minimum, KYC, proof, payment and terms - every number sourced in the linked reviews.

Short answer: too close to call (7.1/10 and 7.3/10). The deciding factor is your priority: Storj for ease of use, Filecoin for track record. Facts checked 2026-09-24.

Storj Filecoin
Overall score (0-10)7.17.3
VerticalDecentralized storageDecentralized storage
TypeS3-compatible storageFilecoin storage provider
Price from$7 per TB/mo$2.50 per TiB/mo per copy
Minimum$5unknown
KYCnonenone
Proofpartialpublished
PaymentSTORJ · fiatFIL, USDFC · fiat
Contract termunknownunknown
Maintenance / feeunknownunknown
OperatorStorjFilecoin
Facts checked2026-09-242026-09-24

// Score breakdown

Storj leads on ease of use (+1.5), support (+1) · Filecoin leads on reliability (+1), track record (+2).

why 7.1/10?

Economics 20% 8
Reliability 20% 6
Transparency 18% 7.5
Track record 12% 5.5
Contract terms 10% 7.5
Ease of use 15% 8
Support 5% 7.5

why 7.3/10?

Economics 20% 7.5
Reliability 20% 7
Transparency 18% 7.5
Track record 12% 7.5
Contract terms 10% 8
Ease of use 15% 6.5
Support 5% 6.5

// Storj at a glance

The easiest and most honestly priced S3-compatible decentralised storage here, but its operator filed Chapter 11 in July 2026 after the Inveniam acquisition - strong product, material corporate-continuity risk.

no KYC

++ What works

  • Transparent $7/TB storage + $7/TB egress with no API/segment fees
  • Full S3 API compatibility (gateway) plus native uplink and Object Mount
  • 25 GB free 30-day trial, no credit card
  • STORJ-token payments exempt from the $5 monthly minimum
  • Long-running network (company 2014, v3 GA 2020) with 11-nines durability design

-- What to watch

  • Operating company is in Chapter 11 (filed 2026-07-26)
  • Storage price has risen (earlier $4/TB, now $7/TB)
  • $5/month minimum floor is not a usage credit
  • 50 KB minimum billable object and 30-day minimum retention
  • Hosted S3 gateway does server-side encryption, weakening E2E vs native protocol

Full Storj review →

// Filecoin at a glance

The most credible decentralised storage market, and FOC now publishes a genuinely transparent ~$5/TiB/mo managed price with on-chain possession proofs, but raw deal pricing stays opaque and durability is per-deal rather than protocol-wide.

no KYC provable

++ What works

  • Official FOC list price: $2.50/TiB/mo per copy (min 2 copies) - cheap vs S3
  • On-chain PoRep/PoSt and new PDP proofs make possession independently verifiable
  • Onramps make it easy: Fil One is drop-in S3 at $4.99/TB/mo with $0 egress
  • Pay-per-epoch, on-chain, no lock-in; empty data sets cost nothing
  • Large, long-running network (mainnet 2020)

-- What to watch

  • No protocol-wide price for raw deals; SP pricing is bilateral and opaque
  • No protocol-level durability SLA - redundancy is per deal/onramp choice
  • Cheapest deals often depend on Filecoin Plus subsidies and allocator approval
  • Retrieval was historically the weak point; Filecoin Beam is new
  • Two notable reseller onramps (Estuary, Banyan) are dead

Full Filecoin review →

// FAQ

Which is cheaper, Storj or Filecoin?

Storj publishes a price (from $7 per TB/mo); Filecoin does not publish a comparable figure - and unknown is not free. Compare only the same unit before concluding anything.

Which is more verifiable, Storj or Filecoin?

Filecoin publishes the stronger proof signal; Storj relies more on operator claims.

Which needs less KYC, Storj or Filecoin?

Both have the same KYC stance (none).

Which has the longer track record?

Storj has the longer track record (since 2014).

Scores and facts: meta-reviews with dated sources - Storj · Filecoin. Method: how we verify. More: all providers compared.