Filebase vs Pinata: which should you pick in 2026?
Head-to-head on the facts that decide the purchase: real prices in the provider's own unit, minimum, KYC, proof, payment and terms - every number sourced in the linked reviews.
Short answer: Filebase wins overall (6.8/10 vs 6.1/10). Facts checked 2026-09-24.
| Filebase | Pinata | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall score (0-10) | 6.8 | 6.1 |
| Vertical | Decentralized storage | Decentralized storage |
| Type | S3-compatible storage | pinapp |
| Price from | $15 per TB/mo | $20 per month (1 TB plan) |
| Minimum | unknown | unknown |
| KYC | none | none |
| Proof | partial | partial |
| Payment | fiat | fiat |
| Contract term | unknown | unknown |
| Maintenance / fee | unknown | unknown |
| Operator | Filebase | Pinata |
| Facts checked | 2026-09-24 | 2026-09-24 |
// Score breakdown
Filebase leads on economics (+1.5), contract terms (+1), ease of use (+1).
why 6.8/10?
why 6.1/10?
// Filebase at a glance
A mature, well-backed S3-compatible store with genuinely free object egress and a real free tier, but the 'decentralized' pitch is now mostly IPFS pinning on Filebase-controlled infrastructure, Filecoin deals are no longer advertised, and no durability nines or standard SLA are published.
++ What works
- Drop-in S3 API (endpoint s3.filebase.io, SigV4, region 'auto') with AWS SDK/CLI support
- Free object egress and a free 5 GB tier; paid entry is only $7.50/month
- Flat, predictable $15/TB object-storage rate with no egress penalty
- IPFS pinning, IPNS names, gateways, sites and an object-storage product under one account
- Operating since 2019, 6+ years, 2B+ objects and 60,000+ developers claimed, backed by Protocol Labs/Multicoin/Version One
- Encryption at rest and TLS in transit by default; private buckets with scoped keys and pre-signed URLs
-- What to watch
- No durability nines published and the uptime SLA is Enterprise-only
- Filecoin storage deals (the original 'decentralized' selling point) are no longer advertised; current product is largely Filebase/Its-own IPFS infrastructure
- The Storage Terms describe a distributed platform of third-party Storage Nodes that Filebase does not operate and disclaims liability for
- Pricing model changed sharply in 2026 (old IPFS tiers $20/800 GB and $100/4 TB replaced by a $15/TB object-storage rate), so historical comparisons are misleading
- IPFS egress is capped (250 GB on Pro) and then billed; only object egress is free
- No crypto payment documented; card/fiat only
// Pinata at a glance
A long-running, transparent IPFS pinning vendor with a clean US entity and good developer tooling, but it is a single-provider pinning model with no durability SLA, metered bandwidth, and card-only billing.
++ What works
- Operating since 2018, one of the best-known IPFS pinning providers
- Clear US legal entity with a published address and dated, Delaware-governed terms
- Generous file counts and storage for the price (1 TB at $20/month)
- Dedicated gateways + CDN and granular gateway analytics on paid plans
- Good SDK/API documentation and a straightforward developer experience
- Private IPFS and x402/USDC content monetisation for advanced use cases
-- What to watch
- Bandwidth is metered ($0.08-0.10/GB overage); no egress-free model
- No published durability nines or standard uptime SLA
- Single-vendor pinning: if Pinata unpins or fails, public CIDs can disappear unless replicated elsewhere
- HTML files can only be retrieved through a Dedicated Gateway with a custom domain
- Card-only billing (no crypto to pay Pinata)
- Private IPFS is Enterprise-only; the product has broadened into agents/inference, diluting focus
// FAQ
Which is cheaper, Filebase or Pinata?
Filebase publishes a price (from $15 per TB/mo); Pinata does not publish a comparable figure - and unknown is not free. Compare only the same unit before concluding anything.
Which is more verifiable, Filebase or Pinata?
Tie - both publish partial or full proof (partial).
Which needs less KYC, Filebase or Pinata?
Both have the same KYC stance (none).
Which has the longer track record?
Pinata has the longer track record (since 2018).
Scores and facts: meta-reviews with dated sources - Filebase · Pinata. Method: how we verify. More: all providers compared.