Best Decentralized Storage Services in 2026
Updated
In short: Sia is ranked #1 of 25 as of 5 October 2026, ahead of Carbide Network and Peergos. The best-ranked option with a free plan is Walrus. The lowest first paid tier on this page is Carbide Network at $0.01/mo.
Choosing decentralized storage means weighing how a service’s network and file access options fit your needs. Compared on network type and IPFS support, these services can also be assessed by client-side encryption and the availability of desktop and mobile apps. Free plans and free storage show what is offered without payment; paid-from pricing adds a cost comparison. Sia, Carbide Network, and Peergos are among the options, alongside Filecoin and Stratos. Consider which access methods work for your devices, how the listed protection features matter to you, and what storage is available on the terms shown.
25 decentralized storage services ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
Decentralized Storage Services, ranked on how quickly a newcomer can get going. 12 of the 25 on this page can be tried for free.
- 1 SiaPaid from $7.99/mo
- Free to practise on: yes
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: yes
- 2 Carbide NetworkPaid from $0.01/mo
- Free to practise on: yes
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: yes
- 3 PeergosPaid from £43/mo
- Free to practise on: yes
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: yes
- 4 WalrusFree plan
- Free to practise on: yes
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: yes
- 5 Aleph Cloud (formerly Aleph.im)Paid from $1.94/mo
- Free to practise on: yes
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: yes
- 6 FilecoinPaid from $2.50/mo
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: yes
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: yes
- 7 PinataPaid from $20/mo
- Free to practise on: yes
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 8 4EVERLANDFree plan
- Free to practise on: yes
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 9 BNB Greenfield
- Free to practise on: yes
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 10 Stratos
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: yes
- 11 FilebasePaid from $7.50/mo
- Free to practise on: yes
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 12 Swarm
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: yes
- 13 Arweave
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: yes
- 14 TarloPaid from €5/mo
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: yes
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 15 DeNet Storage
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: yes
- 16 0G Storage
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: yes
- 17 ArDrive
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 18 Irys
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 19 NodeX Cloud
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 20 Crust Network
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 21 LighthousePaid from $12/mo
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: not on record
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 22 Datum Storage
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: not on record
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 23 DIV Drive
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: not on record
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 24 NFT.Storage
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: not on record
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 25 Storj
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: not on record
- Runs where you work: not on record
Compare all 25 in a table
| # | Platform | Score | Free plan | From | Free plan | Paid from | Free storage | Network type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sia | 7.6 | Free plan | $7.99/mo | Yes | — | 50 GB | hybrid |
| 2 | Carbide Network | 7.5 | No | $0.01/mo | — | — | — | distributed |
| 3 | Peergos | 7.5 | No | £43/mo | Yes | — | — | distributed |
| 4 | Walrus | 7.3 | Free plan | Free | No | — | — | distributed |
| 5 | Aleph Cloud (formerly Aleph.im) | 7.2 | Free plan | $1.94/mo | — | — | — | distributed |
| 6 | Filecoin | 7.2 | No | $2.50/mo | — | 2.5 /mo | — | hybrid |
| 7 | Pinata | 7.1 | Free plan | $20/mo | Yes | 20 /mo | 1 GB | distributed |
| 8 | 4EVERLAND | 7.0 | Free plan | Free | Yes | 0.08 /mo | 6 GB | distributed |
| 9 | BNB Greenfield | 7.0 | No | — | No | — | — | hybrid |
| 10 | Stratos | 7.0 | No | — | Yes | — | — | hybrid |
| 11 | Filebase | 6.8 | Free plan | $7.50/mo | Yes | 7.5 /mo | 5 GB | hybrid |
| 12 | Swarm | 6.8 | No | — | — | — | — | distributed |
| 13 | Arweave | 6.7 | No | — | — | — | — | blockchain |
| 14 | Tarlo | 6.6 | No | €5/mo | No | — | — | distributed |
| 15 | DeNet Storage | 6.5 | No | — | No | — | — | blockchain |
| 16 | 0G Storage | 6.4 | No | — | — | 11 /mo | — | distributed |
| 17 | ArDrive | 6.3 | No | — | No | — | — | blockchain |
| 18 | Irys | 6.2 | No | — | — | — | — | blockchain |
| 19 | NodeX Cloud | 6.1 | No | — | — | — | — | distributed |
| 20 | Crust Network | 5.9 | No | — | — | — | — | blockchain |
| 21 | Lighthouse | 5.8 | Free plan | $12/mo | Yes | 12 /mo | 5 GB | distributed |
| 22 | Datum Storage | 5.7 | No | — | No | 3.99 /mo | — | hybrid |
| 23 | DIV Drive | 5.5 | No | — | No | — | — | distributed |
| 24 | NFT.Storage | 5.4 | No | — | No | — | — | distributed |
| 25 | Storj | 5.4 | No | — | No | 7 /mo | — | — |
Is your platform on this list?
Numbered spots on this list can be sponsored, and a sponsored row is labelled as paid.
Questions about this list
Which decentralized storage service is ranked first on The Geeks Club?
Sia is ranked #1 of 25 with a score of 7.6. Carbide Network is second and Peergos third.
How many of these have a free plan?
7 of the 25 on this page publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
Which is the cheapest paid option?
On this page, Carbide Network has the lowest first paid tier we found: $0.01/mo.
How is this list ranked?
Ranked on how quickly a newcomer can get going: documentation depth, a free tier or trial, and the platforms it runs on.