The three most-compared object stores for cost-conscious teams are AWS S3, Backblaze B2 and Wasabi. Here is how they actually differ once you read the fine print.
Prices below are list prices as of June 2026 and are estimates — verify on each provider’s pricing page.
Head-to-head
| Backblaze B2 | Wasabi | AWS S3 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Storage $/GB-month | $0.006 (~$6/TB) | $0.0069 (~$6.99/TB) | $0.023 (~$23/TB) |
| Egress | Free to 3x stored, then ~$0.01/GB | Free (fair use) | ~$0.09/GB after 100 GB |
| Request fees | Class B billed; Class A free | None | Class A $5/M, Class B $0.40/M |
| Minimum charge | None | 1 TB / month | None |
| Minimum storage duration | None | 90 days | None (Standard) |
| S3-compatible API | Yes | Yes | Yes (it is S3) |
See the Backblaze B2 vs Wasabi page for the direct comparison.
The fine print that decides it
The headline prices are within a rounding error of each other. What actually decides the winner is the fine print:
- Wasabi’s 1 TB minimum means storing 100 GB still bills you for 1 TB. Below ~1 TB, Backblaze B2 is clearly cheaper.
- Wasabi’s 90-day minimum storage duration penalises data you delete quickly. For short-lived data, B2 wins.
- Wasabi’s free egress and requests are a genuine advantage for read-heavy archives above 1 TB that stay put.
- B2’s free egress up to 3x stored data covers most normal access patterns; CDN partners (Cloudflare, Fastly, bunny.net) give unlimited free egress.
Which to pick
- Small, variable or short-lived data → Backblaze B2 (no minimums).
- Large, stable archive with heavy reads → Wasabi (free egress/requests offset the minimums).
- Already in AWS / need ecosystem → S3, accepting the premium — but consider Cloudflare R2 for free egress within reach of AWS-style tooling.
Cost it out
Use the storage cost calculator and the object-storage comparison to model your stored GB and request volume. All figures are estimates — confirm on the vendor pages.