#1
Backblaze B2 (legacy cloud benchmark)
S3-compatible centralised object storage at $6.95/TB/mo with free egress up to 3x stored volume and no minimums.
from $6.95 per TB/mo
AWS S3 (legacy cloud benchmark) Review: fees, KYC and how to sign up
The most expensive but most reliable and best-documented object store here; a benchmark rather than a value pick, and its egress fees are exactly why buyers consider B2, Wasabi or decentralised storage.
site reachable · checked 11 h ago · daily check
Red flags (2):
- Egress fees create practical vendor lock-in despite pay-as-you-go terms
- No cryptographic proof that your data is still stored
// Review
by the bestcloudmining editorial desk · curated review · prose updated 2026-10-02 · facts as of 2026-10-02 · how we verify
Overview
AWS S3 is the incumbent cloud-storage benchmark against which all other providers are compared. Standard tier at $0.023/GB/month (about $23/TB) with egress at $0.09/GB after 100 GB free [2]. The price list was last updated September 28, 2026 [2].
What you can rent
S3 Standard ($0.023/GB), S3 IA ($0.0125), Glacier Instant Retrieval ($0.004), Deep Archive ($0.00099) [2]. Egress: $0.09/GB after 100 GB free [2]. No KYC beyond standard AWS account creation [2]. The 200-dollar free plan (July 2025) gives new users 6 months of credit [2].
Contract & terms
Operated by Amazon Web Services. Standard AWS terms apply. No KYC beyond account creation [2]. No refund policy (pay-as-you-go) [2]. S3 turned 20 in March 2026 [2].
Proof & verifiability
The machine-readable price list (build 2026-09-28) is publicly accessible [2]. All rates confirmed against the official feed [2].
Reliability & history
S3 has operated since 2006 (20 years) [2]. The baseline for all storage comparisons [2]. No red flags [2].
Pricing
Standard: $0.023/GB/month (first 50 TB). IA: $0.0125. Glacier IR: $0.004. Egress: $0.09/GB after 100 GB free [2]. Free plan: $200/6 months [2] [1].
++ What works
- World-class multi-AZ durability/availability with a documented 99.9% SLA
- Fully published, machine-readable pricing and the S3 API de-facto standard
- No minimum purchase and no minimum storage duration on S3 Standard
- Huge ecosystem, tooling and integrations
- 100 GB/month free data transfer out and $200 new-account credits
-- What to watch
- Most expensive storage in this set (~$23.55/TB binary vs ~$7 for B2/Wasabi)
- Egress at $0.09/GB first tier and per-request fees can dwarf the storage line
- Region-dependent pricing and complex IAM/billing
- Fiat only, no crypto and no anonymous access
- 11-nines durability is an internal claim, not auditable by the customer
Pricing reality check
| Documented price | $23.55 per TB/mo · $90 per TB egress (first tier, after 100 GB/mo free) |
|---|---|
| Notes | US East (N. Virginia), observed 2026-09-24 from AWS's official price-list feed (build 2026-09-18): S3 Standard $0.023/GB-mo first 50 TB (~$23.55/TB binary), $0.022 next 450 TB, $0.021 over 500 TB. Standard-IA $0.0125/GB-mo; Glacier Instant Retrieval $0.004/GB-mo; Glacier Deep Archive $0.00099/GB-mo. Requests: PUT/COPY/POST/LIST $0.005 per 1,000; GET $0.004 per 10,000. Egress: 100 GB/mo free, then $0.09/GB first 10 TB, $0.085 next 40 TB, $0.07 next 100 TB, $0.05 over 150 TB. Prices are region-dependent. New accounts: up to $200 free-tier credits, 6-month free plan (since 2025-07-15). |
Run the long math before paying: cloud mining calculator →
// How to get started with AWS S3
Built only from what is documented on this page as of 2026-10-02 - anything not documented stays a gap on purpose.
- Open the provider site
Everything happens on aws.amazon.com/s3 - we count the click, nothing else changes for you.
- Expect a KYC step
Documented level: required - An AWS account requires payment method and identity/billing details; verification depends on region and use. No crypto payment and no anonymous signup. Register before you pay.
- Pick the smallest unit that still works
Price from $23.55 per TB/mo - start with the minimum, not with the plan the checkout page pushes.
- Read the term before you sign
refund: Pay-as-you-go usage billing; no refunds, service credits are the sole remedy for SLA misses. A term you did not read is money you cannot get back.
- Verify the output, not the dashboard
No independent proof is documented. Withdraw the first payout early and compare it with the pool worker or your own wallet.
Then run the math: mining calculator · contract vs. HODL · all decentralized storage providers.
// Is AWS S3 (legacy cloud benchmark) legit?
Short answer: Based on our checks as of 2026-10-02: AWS S3 (legacy cloud benchmark) scores 7.4/10 in our weighted review. We logged 2 red flags (listed above). User reports and operator background are documented with dated sources in the meta-review below.
| Status | active |
|---|---|
| Operator | Amazon S3 · HQ United States (high) |
| Founded | 2006 |
| Proof | none published |
| KYC | required |
Red flags
- Egress fees create practical vendor lock-in despite pay-as-you-go terms
- No cryptographic proof that your data is still stored
What "legit" does not mean
A real, operating provider can still lose you money: with a contract you own no hardware, revenue follows coin price and difficulty, and most published contracts are priced so the seller comes out ahead. "Legit" means the operator exists and pays what its terms promise - not that the deal is profitable. 8 dated sources back this page; they are listed under sources.
// Alternatives to AWS S3 (legacy cloud benchmark)
Same category, scored on the same criteria - so the comparison stays honest. Compare only in the same unit, and read the minimum, KYC and proof columns before switching.
#2
Wasabi Hot Cloud Storage (legacy cloud benchmark)
Single-tier S3-compatible object storage at $7.99/TB/mo with no egress or API fees, a 1 TB monthly minimum and 90-day minimum retention.
from $7.99 per TB/mo min $7.99
#3
Filecoin
Marketplace of independent storage providers proved by PoRep/PoSt; new Filecoin Onchain Cloud publishes a ~$5/TiB/mo managed warm-storage price.
no KYC provable
from $2.50 per TiB/mo per copy
#4
Sia
Cheap decentralised storage with on-chain storage proofs and host collateral; hosted from ~$2/TB/mo, open market ~$1.1-3.3/TB/mo.
no KYC provable
from $2 per TB/mo
Ready to try AWS S3 (legacy cloud benchmark)? Start small, verify one payout, and only scale up once the hashrate or compute actually matches what you paid for.
Visit AWS S3 (legacy cloud benchmark) or compare all providers →
// AWS S3 (legacy cloud benchmark) FAQ
Is AWS S3 (legacy cloud benchmark) legit?
Based on our checks as of 2026-10-02: AWS S3 (legacy cloud benchmark) scores 7.4/10 in our weighted review. We logged 2 red flags (listed above). User reports and operator background are documented with dated sources in the meta-review below.
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