Best decentralized storage

Combined ranking

1. 1
   Filecoin↗—18 pts

   GPT #2Claude #1Gemini #2Grok #1

   The category's flagship — by far the largest verifiable storage network (exbibyte-scale committed capacity), cryptographic storage proofs (PoRep/PoSt), FVM programmability, and a mature onramp layer (Lighthouse, web3.storage, Storacha) plus improving retrieval markets that have closed much of the old usability gap by 2026; best default when you need auditable, at-scale, censorship-resistant storage. Near-tie with Storj at the top — Filecoin wins on scale/verifiability, Storj on plug-and-play latency.

   Grok World's largest by capacity with exbibytes stored, strong real-world paid usage and onchain deals (esp. for AI/large datasets), IPFS integration for content-addressing/retrieval, mature incentives/proofs for reliability, broad ecosystem and upgrades like NV28 improving usability. FIX: Complex setup and variable retrieval performance/cost; not ideal for simple/low-latency active workloads or non-crypto users.

   GPT Best protocol-first choice and a near-tie for first, with unmatched storage-provider scale, cryptographic proofs, competitive markets, mature tooling, and strong archival and Web3 infrastructure

   Gemini The largest decentralized storage marketplace with the lowest storage costs per gigabyte, backed by verifiable cryptographic proofs and programmable storage contracts via the Filecoin Virtual Machine.

   Where it falls short

   per GPT Reliable retrieval and ordinary application integration still require more provider selection, replication planning, and intermediary tooling than conventional object storage

   per Claude Deal-making and retrieval remain more complex and higher-latency than S3; not for hot, low-latency app data unless you layer a caching/pinning service on top.

   per Gemini High retrieval latency and complex contract management make it poorly suited for hot, interactive application data without relying on external caching or pinning services.

2. 2
   Storj↗—18 pts

   GPT #1Claude #2Gemini #1Grok #2

   Best near-tie with Filecoin for typical practitioners because its decentralized, encrypted, erasure-coded object storage combines strong durability and global distribution with familiar S3 tooling, predictable performance, and straightforward pricing

   Gemini Offers direct S3 compatibility, sub-second latency via global erasure coding, and Web2-friendly payment options, making it the most practical drop-in replacement for traditional cloud storage for typical developers.

   Claude The most production-ready pick for the typical practitioner — S3-compatible API, erasure-coding across thousands of independent nodes, genuinely competitive latency and durability, and pricing that undercuts hyperscalers, making it a real drop-in object-storage replacement today.

   Grok Excellent S3-compatible API for easy enterprise integration, strong privacy via client-side encryption and erasure coding, proven for practical cloud-like use with thousands of nodes and petabytes capacity, good balance of cost/reliability for active data. FIX: Smaller scale than Filecoin for massive archival; relies on network node availability which can introduce variability.

   Where it falls short

   per GPT Its managed satellites and access layer make it less trust-minimized than protocol-first networks, and the $50 monthly minimum disadvantages small users

   per Claude Relies on centralized Satellite coordination for metadata/billing, so it's the least trustless of the serious options; not for anyone who needs fully permissionless, on-chain-verifiable storage.

   per Gemini Relies on semi-centralized satellite nodes for metadata coordination and account management, which reduces its censorship-resistance compared to fully peer-to-peer networks.

3. 3
   Arweave↗—12 pts

   GPT #3Claude #3Gemini #3Grok #3

   Strongest option for permanent public data, offering one-time payment, content-addressed verifiability, durable publishing, and a mature gateway and application ecosystem

   Claude The definitive permanence layer — pay-once-store-forever endowment model, dominant for NFT metadata, archives, and immutable records, with the mature "permaweb" ecosystem (and AO compute) around it.

   Gemini Guarantees permanent, immutable data preservation via a unique one-time payment endowment model, which is ideal for static assets, dApp frontends, and regulatory audit compliance.

   Grok Unique permanent storage model with one-time fees and proven longevity for immutable data (archives, NFTs, AI weights), growing real adoption via Permaweb and AO compute layer, strong for "store forever" use cases without renewal hassles. FIX: Higher upfront cost and not suited for frequently changing or short-term/temporary data; permanence can conflict with right-to-be-forgotten needs.

   Where it falls short

   per GPT Permanence is unsuitable for mutable, private, erasable, or regulation-sensitive data

   per Claude Built for write-once immutable data, so it's wrong for mutable/frequently-updated content and cost-sensitive large hot datasets; long-term economics rest on the endowment/storage-cost-decline assumption.

   per Gemini Unsuitable for mutable or dynamic databases and high-frequency read/write workloads due to its append-only, block-size limited design.

4. 4
   Sia↗—7 pts

   GPT #4Claude #5Gemini #4Grok #4

   A mature, genuinely decentralized marketplace with client-side encryption, competitive pricing, host diversity, and user-controlled redundancy that works particularly well for technically capable backup users

   Gemini (Near-tie with Walrus Protocol) Offers a highly private, peer-to-peer storage network free of centralized coordinators, with modern renterd client tools improving programmatic host negotiation.

   Grok Long-standing, cost-effective blockchain contracts for secure, decentralized rentals with good privacy and competitive pricing for cold storage, solid track record in incentivizing node operators. FIX: Less developer-friendly integrations and ecosystem momentum compared to top 3; slower feature development.

   Claude Mature, low-cost, self-hostable renter/host marketplace with real host redundancy and among the cheapest per-TB economics — excellent for backups and cost-sensitive cold storage by teams comfortable running their own stack.

   Where it falls short

   per GPT Running renter infrastructure and managing Siacoin, contracts, host selection, and renewals creates substantial operational friction

   per Claude Smaller ecosystem and more DIY operational overhead; not for teams wanting turnkey managed tooling or a broad integration marketplace.

   per Gemini Requires significant operational overhead to run renting daemons, manage Siacoin utility tokens, and manually configure storage contracts.

5. 5
   WWalrusnew2 pts

   GPT —Claude #4Gemini —Grok —

   The strongest modern entrant — efficient "Red Stuff" erasure coding for large blobs, strong data-availability guarantees, Sui-native programmability, and well-funded rapid maturation, making it a credible high-performance blob/DA store by 2026. Near-tie with Sia for this slot.

   Where it falls short

   per Claude Youngest network here with the shortest production track record and smaller operator base; not for teams that require years of battle-tested reliability.

6. 6
   Walrus Protocol↗new1 pts

   GPT —Claude —Gemini #5Grok —

   (Near-tie with Sia) Achieves high-performance decentralized blob storage and fast retrieval using advanced erasure coding, allowing smart contracts to directly manage and program stored binary objects.

   Where it falls short

   per Gemini Has a relatively young ecosystem and limited integration history with mainstream non-Web3 or non-Sui developer tools.

Rank history

Just missed the top 5

By model

Tracked by ModelsAgree · rank 1 = 5 pts … rank 5 = 1 pt · re-polled continuously