AWS S3 (+ egress) alternatives
Killing $0.023/GB-mo + $0.09/GB egress 0 — here are 3 verified escapes, honest trade-offs included.
the answer medium migration
MinIO (self-hosted) · Free ⭐ 61.4K stars S3-API-compatible object store on your own disks.
0head-to-head
| AWS S3 (+ egress) | MinIO (self-hosted) | |
|---|---|---|
| price | $0.023/GB-mo + $0.09/GB egress | Free |
| self-hostable | no | yes |
| license | proprietary | AGPL-3.0 |
| verified | — | 2026-08 |
| migration | — | medium effort |
free & open source (1)
Free
S3-API-compatible object store on your own disks.
trade-offs: Cluster features moved to paid edition
github →cheaper, but not open source (2)
Cloudflare R2 cheaper
$0.015/GB-mo, ZERO egress
S3-compatible object storage that never charges for bandwidth.
trade-offs: Younger ecosystem than S3
Backblaze B2 cheaper
$0.006/GB-mo
Quarter-of-the-price object storage with free S3 egress to CF.
trade-offs: Slower cold performance
faq
What is the best free alternative to AWS S3 (+ egress)?
MinIO (self-hosted) is the top free option — S3-API-compatible object store on your own disks.
How much can I save by switching from AWS S3 (+ egress)?
Savings depend on your usage — compare the pricing of the alternatives below against what you pay today.
Can AWS S3 (+ egress) be self-hosted?
Yes — MinIO (self-hosted) can be self-hosted for free.