A credible, well-documented 'pay once, store for the term you choose' datachain with a named UK operator, but permanence is still an endowment bet on a very young L1, permanent storage costs ~$2.4/GB one-off in the documented model, and the 2026 chain migration forces existing Arweave integrators to move by 1 November 2026.
by the bestcloudmining editorial desk · review version 2 · prose updated 2026-09-24 · facts as of 2026-09-24 · how we verify
Irys is a decentralized storage provider operating its own Layer 1 "datachain," offering flexible, fixed-term, or permanent data storage with on-chain verification. It’s designed for developers and projects needing durable, verifiable data persistence without long-term custody. While backed by a registered UK entity and transparent economics, permanence relies on endowment assumptions over 200 years - not a contractual guarantee - making it a credible but speculative long-term bet.
You can rent decentralized storage on Irys for durations of 30 days, one year, or permanently, with pricing based on data size and retention period. This is not compute or mining infrastructure - only storage. You upload data and pay a one-time fee; in return, the network commits to storing it for your chosen term. You do not rent hardware, GPUs, or hashrate, nor do you receive mining payouts. The service is accessed via SDK or API, and you retain no self-custody over the stored data replicas.
Irys offers flexible, fixed-term (30-day or 1-year), and lifetime storage options, but formal contract terms like duration, refunds, or termination are not publicly detailed. There is no stated maintenance fee, but the model assumes long-term cost declines to fund permanent storage. Payouts do not apply - this is storage, not mining. The minimum transaction fee is $0.001, with a practical floor around $0.01. No refund policy is documented, and historical data is not migrated during chain transitions.
Yes, Irys provides verifiable proof: ten full replicas per 16 TB partition are maintained by staked miners, with continuous on-chain "Useful Proof of Work" storage proofs. Failed challenges result in slashing and reallocation. These proofs are verified at consensus, making data availability enforceable within the network. However, permanent storage relies on economic endowment assumptions, not cryptographic immutability or legal guarantees.
Irys began in 2021 as Bundlr, the main Arweave bundler, and rebranded to launch its own L1 in 2026. It’s operated by BN Labs Ltd, a UK-registered company, and has raised $20M in funding. The 2026 migration to Irys L1 (Cascade) introduced term storage but also risks orphaning Arweave-only workflows. Reddit and developer forums show active usage, but the L1 is new, and permanence depends on unproven 200-year economic models. Facts are verified, but long-term reliability remains unproven.
Pricing is based on data size and retention: permanent storage costs ~$2.44/GB as a one-off fee in the documented whitepaper model, while term storage is ~$0.0753/TB per epoch. The live SDK returns dynamic atomic prices (e.g., 660M units for 1 GB on 2026-09-24), denominated in various tokens. Payments are accepted in 14+ cryptocurrencies including ETH, SOL, and USDC, with no fiat option. There’s no minimum purchase, and no KYC is required - just wallet-based transactions.
Irys is a technically sound, well-documented option for developers needing flexible or permanent decentralized storage with on-chain verification. However, its permanence model is an economic assumption, not a guarantee, and the 2026 chain migration requires active integration updates. For critical data, test with small uploads first and verify retrieval independently.
| Documented price | $2.44 per GB one-off (permanent storage, whitepaper model) · $0.075 per TB per epoch (term storage, whitepaper model) |
|---|---|
| Notes | No fixed public price page; Irys prices by data volume x retention and quotes via SDK getPrice()/bundler /price/{bytes}. Official whitepaper model (2026-09-24): term storage $0.0753/TB per epoch (~$0.00007358/GB/epoch; 1 TB/5 epochs = $0.40 incl. 5% inclusion fee); permanent perm_cost $2.33/GB ($2,381.54/TB) over 200 years x 10 replicas with 1% annual cost decline; 1 GB all-in $2.44, 1 TB all-in $2,382.14; minimum fee $0.001/tx (worked examples use a $0.01 floor). Cascade 'corrected the fee baseline', so treat the whitepaper as the documented model, not a live quote. Live per-byte endpoint returned 660,578,580 for 1,048,576 bytes on 2026-09-24 (denomination token-dependent). AR ~$4.55, $IRYS ~$0.0165 on 2026-09-24. |
Run the long math before paying: cloud mining calculator →
Ready to try Irys? Start small, verify one payout, and only scale up once the hashrate or compute actually matches what you paid for.
Based on our checks as of 2026-09-24: Irys scores 6.5/10 in our weighted review. We logged 2 red flags (listed above). User reports and operator background are documented with dated sources in the meta-review below.
You get network-verified storage of your data for a chosen term (30 days, 1 year, or permanent) with ten replicas and on-chain proofs. You don’t own hardware or tokens - just a service commitment backed by economic incentives.
Permanent storage costs ~$2.44/GB one-off in the whitepaper model; term storage is ~$0.0753/TB per epoch. A minimum $0.001 transaction fee applies, with 5% of term fees going to block producers.
There’s no minimum purchase - uploads can be tiny. The $0.001 transaction fee allows testing at very low cost, making small-scale trials feasible before larger commitments.
There are no payouts - this is storage, not mining or staking. You pay to store data; you don’t earn revenue from it. The network does not distribute coin rewards to users.
If the network fails, permanent storage cannot be enforced. Data may become inaccessible, and no refunds are possible. Your data’s survival depends on the network’s ongoing operation and miner participation.
Irys offers more flexible retention options than Arweave’s pure permaweb, but at similar per-GB costs. Unlike buying hardware, you get no custody. Compared to AR, $IRYS is cheaper but less battle-tested, and Irys L1 requires new integrations post-migration.
One-time per-byte upload to a permanent, public, replicated ledger - permanence is an endowment bet, not an SLA.
Arweave access + naming layer: independent gateways serve permanent data and ArNS names lease from ~$4.60/yr; protocol state runs on Solana.
Polished 'Pay Once. Store Forever.' onramp that resells Arweave permanence via Turbo; ~$89/GiB one-off for card buyers.
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