Storj vs Sia: 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: too close to call (7.1/10 and 7.3/10). The deciding factor is your priority: Storj for ease of use, Sia for track record. Facts checked 2026-09-24.
| Storj | Sia | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall score (0-10) | 7.1 | 7.3 |
| Vertical | Decentralized storage | Decentralized storage |
| Type | S3-compatible storage | network |
| Price from | $7 per TB/mo | $2 per TB/mo |
| Minimum | $5 | unknown |
| KYC | none | none |
| Proof | partial | published |
| Payment | STORJ · fiat | SC · fiat |
| Contract term | unknown | unknown |
| Maintenance / fee | unknown | unknown |
| Operator | Storj | Sia |
| Facts checked | 2026-09-24 | 2026-09-24 |
// Score breakdown
Storj leads on ease of use (+1.5), support (+1) · Sia leads on reliability (+1.5), track record (+2).
why 7.1/10?
why 7.3/10?
// Storj at a glance
The easiest and most honestly priced S3-compatible decentralised storage here, but its operator filed Chapter 11 in July 2026 after the Inveniam acquisition - strong product, material corporate-continuity risk.
++ What works
- Transparent $7/TB storage + $7/TB egress with no API/segment fees
- Full S3 API compatibility (gateway) plus native uplink and Object Mount
- 25 GB free 30-day trial, no credit card
- STORJ-token payments exempt from the $5 monthly minimum
- Long-running network (company 2014, v3 GA 2020) with 11-nines durability design
-- What to watch
- Operating company is in Chapter 11 (filed 2026-07-26)
- Storage price has risen (earlier $4/TB, now $7/TB)
- $5/month minimum floor is not a usage credit
- 50 KB minimum billable object and 30-day minimum retention
- Hosted S3 gateway does server-side encryption, weakening E2E vs native protocol
// Sia at a glance
One of the cheapest decentralised options with real on-chain storage proofs and a free 50 GB on-ramp, but the network is small, redundancy/renewal is the renter's job (or a hosted markup), and there is no durability SLA.
++ What works
- Among the cheapest storage: hosted from ~$2/TB/mo, open market ~$1.1/TB-mo raw
- On-chain storage proofs and host collateral make possession verifiable and punish failure
- Client-side encryption and erasure coding; hosts only see ciphertext shards
- Free 50 GB hosted tier; easy Sia Storage mobile/desktop app
- S3-compatible via s3d gateway; rclone/boto3/aws-cli supported
-- What to watch
- Small network (~2.12 PB used of 8.56 PB capacity as of 2026-07-18)
- No durability SLA; renter must manage renewal and repair
- ~3x erasure overhead means effective cost is ~3x the headline host price
- 3.9% Siafund fee on every contract payout
- USD network prices are derived and volatile (SC-denominated)
// FAQ
Which is cheaper, Storj or Sia?
Sia is cheaper at $2 per TB/mo versus $7 per TB/mo.
Which is more verifiable, Storj or Sia?
Sia publishes the stronger proof signal; Storj relies more on operator claims.
Which needs less KYC, Storj or Sia?
Both have the same KYC stance (none).
Which has the longer track record?
Storj has the longer track record (since 2014).
Scores and facts: meta-reviews with dated sources - Storj · Sia. Method: how we verify. More: all providers compared.