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Choose storage for user uploads by modeling where files are stored, how often they are downloaded, and where those downloads go—not by comparing egress prices alone. Amazon S3 has a limited free internet-transfer allowance and specific no-charge paths; Cloudflare R2 lists free egress but still bills for storage and requests; Backblaze B2 includes a storage-linked free-egress allowance and offers partner-routed delivery under stated conditions. Your workload and delivery route determine which option makes sense.
What changes the cost of user uploads?
A user-upload service has at least two distinct data paths: bytes entering object storage and bytes leaving it. Uploading files does not by itself tell you what downloads will cost. The destination and route matter: a download to an end user, a transfer to compute in the same region, movement between regions, and delivery through a CDN may be treated differently.
Requests are another part of the bill. Writes, reads, listings, and other operations can be billed independently of storage and bandwidth. A service advertised with free egress can therefore still incur meaningful costs, and a storage-rate comparison alone cannot establish the least expensive option.
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How do S3, R2, and B2 differ on published pricing?
The figures below are provider-published prices and allowances, not a controlled cost comparison. They do not establish a universal winner: region, account terms, usage route, and workload can change the total. Check the linked pricing pages for the applicable details before estimating a bill.
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| Service | Storage and egress details established by the cited pricing page | Other billing details |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon S3 | AWS lists the first 100 GB/month of internet data transfer out as free across AWS services and Regions, except China and GovCloud. Transfers from S3 to AWS services in the same Region and transfers to CloudFront have separate no-charge treatment; actual charges depend on bucket Region and destination. AWS S3 pricing | Specific storage and request rates are not stated here; check the pricing page for your Region and usage. |
| Cloudflare R2 | Standard storage: $0.015/GB-month. Infrequent Access storage: $0.01/GB-month. Both classes list free egress. Cloudflare’s pricing page was last updated October 1, 2026. Cloudflare R2 pricing | Requests are billed. Infrequent Access retrieval is listed at $0.01/GB. |
| Backblaze B2 | Backblaze lists $6.95/TB/30 days and free egress up to 3× average monthly stored data, then $0.01/GB. The allowance and price are from Backblaze’s current pricing page accessed in 2026. Backblaze B2 pricing | The page also describes unlimited free egress through named CDN and compute partners, including Cloudflare, when routed through those partners and subject to the stated conditions. Verify current routing requirements. |
Read the allowances as billing paths, not blanket promises
AWS’s 100 GB/month allowance applies to internet data transfer out across AWS services and Regions, with the stated China and GovCloud exceptions. It is not a per-bucket allowance. Its separate same-Region and CloudFront treatments are reasons to model the actual destination rather than label all S3 downloads “free” or “paid.”
R2’s free-egress listing removes an egress line item for the stated storage classes, not charges for storage, requests, or—in the Infrequent Access class—retrieval. B2’s ordinary free-egress allowance is tied to average stored data; partner delivery is a separate route with its own conditions. Do not assume that sending traffic through a partner qualifies unless your implementation follows the provider’s current terms.
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When should download volume change your storage choice?
Start with a representative month, not a hypothetical peak or a single price. Estimate average stored data, new uploads, user downloads, request counts, retention, and the fraction of downloads served from a cache. Record the bucket Region and each important destination. Then calculate each provider’s bill using its current pricing page and the same workload assumptions.
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- Mostly direct internet downloads: Compare the S3 allowance and applicable transfer pricing with R2’s free-egress terms and B2’s stored-data-based allowance. Include storage and request charges in the same model.
- Downloads served through a CDN: Model the CDN route and its billing terms as part of the architecture. B2’s pricing page describes partner-routed free egress under conditions; do not treat that as a blanket allowance for every route.
- Transfers to application compute: Distinguish same-Region transfers from internet delivery and inter-Region movement. AWS lists separate no-charge treatment for S3 transfers to AWS services in the same Region; the cited sources do not provide a complete like-for-like transfer-cost table for all three providers.
- Low download volume or uncertain traffic: A free-egress headline may matter less than storage, requests, retrieval, or operational fit. Estimate a realistic month and revisit the decision when the download mix changes.
Include access pattern and retention
Storage class is part of the decision. R2’s listed Infrequent Access rate is lower than its Standard rate, but the class also has a listed retrieval charge of $0.01/GB. Whether that trade-off helps depends on how often files are read. The cited figures do not establish equivalent storage-class terms across all three services, so compare applicable retention and retrieval terms directly before moving an archive or infrequently accessed upload.
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How should upload architecture affect the decision?
For S3, a presigned URL lets an application grant time-limited access to a specified object key and method without giving the user AWS credentials. That can keep the file bytes out of the application server’s data path. The URL remains usable until it expires, and using it to upload to an existing key replaces that object, so create unique keys and use short expirations appropriate to the workflow. AWS presigned URL documentation
The cited documentation establishes this pattern for S3 specifically; it does not establish the exact implementation steps for R2 or B2. Verify each provider’s own upload authorization and API requirements before applying the same design there.
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- Storage Purpose-Built for Data Security – A NAS designed to keep your data safe, the LS200 features a closed system to reduce vulnerabilities from 3rd party apps and SSL encryption for secure file transfers.
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Plan for large files, retries, and cleanup
AWS recommends multipart upload for objects 100 MB or larger. Parts can be transferred independently and in parallel, which supports retrying a failed part rather than restarting the entire file. However, in-progress parts incur storage and request charges until the upload is completed or aborted. Build cleanup into the upload lifecycle and test what happens when a client disconnects or abandons an upload. AWS multipart upload documentation
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Direct upload avoids proxying the full file through the application server, but the application still needs to control which user may upload, which key they may write, and whether the resulting file is accepted. Use server-generated unique object keys, limit the permission and lifetime of upload authorization, and validate the completed object before making it available to other users. These are design safeguards; the AWS documentation cited above describes presigned URL behavior, not a complete application security policy.
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What should a monthly comparison include?
Use one representative month and keep the assumptions visible so the model can be updated as your product changes.
- Average stored data and the storage class used.
- New uploads and downloaded data, separated by destination and route.
- Read, write, listing, and other request counts.
- Bucket Region, compute location, and any inter-Region movement.
- Retention and access frequency, including retrieval charges or minimum-duration terms where applicable.
- CDN cache-hit rate and the proportion of requests served from the object store.
- Upload behavior: direct versus server-proxied transfers, typical file size, multipart use, retry needs, and incomplete-upload cleanup.
Do not label one provider “cheaper” without these inputs. The cited price pages do not establish relative latency, throughput, availability, or migration effort. Measure latency and throughput with representative file sizes and users in the geographies your product serves; pricing alone cannot identify a performance winner.
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How to make the decision
- Map the bytes: Draw the upload and download paths, including object storage, application compute, CDN, and end users. Note each relevant region and destination.
- Estimate a representative month: Use actual or expected average storage, uploads, downloads, request counts, retention, and cache behavior. Keep estimates separate from measured traffic.
- Apply current provider terms: Check the linked pricing pages for the region, storage class, transfer route, and request mix you will use. Confirm any partner-routing conditions directly on the provider page.
- Test the upload workflow: Verify authorization, unique-key handling, validation, retries, and cleanup of incomplete large-file uploads. Test provider-specific APIs rather than assuming S3 instructions apply unchanged elsewhere.
- Reassess as traffic shifts: A change in download volume, destination, cache hit rate, or retention can change which line items dominate. Re-run the same model when those assumptions materially change.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
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