Backblaze vs Storj: Which Should You Buy?
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Quick verdict
| Situation | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| You need a set‑and‑forget backup for your home NAS or PC and want unlimited storage without worrying about per‑GB pricing. | Buy Backblaze(affiliate) – it’s the cheapest way to get truly unlimited personal cloud backup. |
| You’re building a self‑hosted S3‑compatible bucket, care about end‑to‑end encryption, and are comfortable with a decentralized network that can scale per terabyte. | Buy Storj(affiliate) – its pay‑as‑you‑go model and native S3 API make it the better fit for distributed storage workloads. |
Spec‑by‑spec comparison
| Feature | Backblaze(affiliate) | Storj(affiliate) |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Cloud Backup | Decentralized Storage |
| Type | SaaS | SaaS |
| Pricing | $9 /mo (flat fee for unlimited personal storage) | $4 /TB /mo (pay‑per‑usage) |
| Best For | Off‑site NAS / PC backup | Distributed S3 storage |
| Pros | Unlimited personal, cheap B2 integration | Cheap, encrypted, native S3 API |
| Cons | B2 egress costs can add up on large restores | Newer service, variable speed depending on network conditions |
What I like about each solution
Backblaze – the “set‑it‑and‑forget‑it” champion
When I first moved my family photo archive off a 10 TB external drive, I needed something that would just work. Backblaze’s flat $9 /mo fee gave me unlimited personal storage without having to calculate how many gigabytes I’d actually use. The onboarding UI is as painless as it gets: install the client, point it at your folders, and watch the progress bar fill up.
The real hidden gem for homelabbers is Backblaze B2 – a low‑cost object store that integrates with my own scripts for archiving older snapshots. Even though I occasionally pull large restores (and yes, egress fees exist), they’re still far cheaper than most traditional cloud providers when you factor in the unlimited backup advantage.
Storj – the decentralized S3 playground
I’ve been experimenting with a private Kubernetes cluster that needs an S3‑compatible endpoint for logs and media assets. Storj’s $4 /TB /mo pricing aligns perfectly with a “pay as you grow” mindset, especially when I’m only using a few terabytes at a time.
What sold me was the built‑in client‑side encryption – my data is encrypted before it ever hits the network, and the keys stay on my own hardware. The service also exposes an S3 API that works with tools like rclone, MinIO, and any Docker image expecting an AWS endpoint. I’ve noticed speed can vary (the “variable speed” con), but for typical backup or archival workloads it’s more than adequate.
Pros & cons
Backblaze
Pros
- Unlimited personal storage at a single low price.
- Cheap B2 object store if you need raw bucket access.
- Simple desktop client; minimal configuration required.
Cons
- Restores incur B2 egress costs, which can add up on massive pulls.
- Primarily designed for backup rather than general‑purpose S3 workloads.
Storj
Pros
- Low per‑terabyte price makes it economical for sporadic use.
- End‑to‑end encryption by default; you control the keys.
- Native S3 API works with any tool that talks to AWS S3.
Cons
- Service is newer, so community knowledge and third‑party integrations are still maturing.
- Network performance can fluctuate because data lives on a distributed set of nodes.
Which should you buy?
If your primary goal is backing up personal devices, especially a home NAS or desktop that holds large media libraries, Backblaze’s unlimited plan eliminates the mental overhead of tracking usage. The occasional egress fee is predictable and still cheaper than most alternatives when you factor in its simplicity.
Conversely, if you’re