Amazon S3 vs MinIO
Updated November 2026 · AppBreakup editorial
Amazon S3
AWS's object storage service, with many storage classes from hot data to deep archive.
MinIO
S3-compatible object storage you run on your own servers, now sold as MinIO AIStor.
The short answer
Amazon S3 suits teams on AWS that want managed object storage with many storage classes, Glacier archives and deep integration with AWS services. MinIO suits organisations that need S3-compatible storage on their own hardware or in any cloud. The biggest difference is who runs it: S3 is a managed AWS service billed per use, while MinIO (now AIStor) is software you operate yourself.
Amazon S3 or MinIO: our take
Amazon S3 is the managed object storage service whose API most other providers copy. You get storage classes from Standard through Intelligent-Tiering, Infrequent Access and Express One Zone to Glacier archives, plus lifecycle rules, versioning, cross-region replication, fine-grained access policies and event notifications into the rest of AWS. It is designed for 99.999999999% durability and runs in AWS regions worldwide, with nothing to operate yourself.
MinIO is software that speaks the S3 API and runs on Linux servers, in containers and on Kubernetes, so applications written for S3 can store data on hardware an organisation controls, at the edge or in another cloud. Its server was open source under AGPL-3.0 and became a popular choice for self-hosted backups, data lakes and local S3 testing. MinIO, Inc. now sells AIStor, with erasure coding, replication, encryption, an admin console and Iceberg catalog support. The open-source repository has been archived, so self-hosters starting fresh should weigh that.
The cost models are opposite. S3 is pay-as-you-go per gigabyte stored, per request and per gigabyte transferred out, which makes bills hard to predict for busy workloads; archives can be very cheap, with Glacier Deep Archive from $0.00099 per GB a month. New AWS customers get up to $200 in credits. MinIO's free tier covers single-node deployments with community support, and multi-node clusters need a paid Enterprise Lite or Enterprise subscription, each with a 60-day trial. With MinIO you also pay for and run the hardware.
Choose Amazon S3 if you build on AWS, want archive tiers and service integrations, and don't want to manage storage clusters. Choose MinIO if data must stay on-premises or in your own environment, you want to avoid per-request and egress charges, or you need a local S3 endpoint for testing.
Which should you pick?
Choose Amazon S3 if…
- Teams building on AWS that need archive tiers, lifecycle rules and deep service integrations
- You need Web, which MinIO doesn't list
- Many storage classes, including automatic tiering and Glacier archives
- Integrates with nearly every AWS service
Choose MinIO if…
- Organisations that need S3-compatible storage on their own hardware, with enterprise support
- You need to host it on your own servers
- You need Self-hosted and Linux, which Amazon S3 doesn't list
- Drop-in S3 API compatibility for existing tools and SDKs
- Runs on-premises, at the edge or in any cloud
About each app
What is Amazon S3?
Amazon S3 (Simple Storage Service) is the object storage service from Amazon Web Services and the one whose API most other providers copy. You store files as objects in buckets and access them over the S3 API, SDKs, the AWS console or command line. S3 offers a range of storage classes, from Standard for frequently used data through Intelligent-Tiering, which moves objects between tiers automatically, to Glacier classes for cheap long-term archives. Around storage it adds lifecycle rules, versioning, replication across regions, fine-grained access policies, event notifications to serverless functions and integration with nearly every AWS analytics and AI service. Pricing is pay-as-you-go per gigabyte stored, per request and per gigabyte transferred out, so bills depend heavily on access patterns, and a free tier is available to new AWS accounts. It runs in AWS regions worldwide. It suits teams already on AWS or needing its archive tiers and ecosystem.
What is MinIO?
MinIO is object storage software that speaks the Amazon S3 API, so applications written for S3 can store data on hardware or clouds an organisation controls. For years its server was open source under the AGPLv3 and widely used for self-hosted backups, data lakes, Kubernetes storage and local S3 testing. MinIO, Inc. now focuses on a commercial product, AIStor, aimed at analytics and AI workloads, with erasure coding, replication, encryption, an admin console, S3 Express and Iceberg catalog support. AIStor has a free tier limited to single-node deployments with community support, and paid Enterprise Lite and Enterprise subscriptions for multi-node clusters with vendor support, each with a 60-day trial. The original open-source GitHub repository has been archived, which has led many self-hosters to look at other S3-compatible servers. It runs on Linux servers and in containers and Kubernetes.
Side by side
| Attribute | Amazon S3 | MinIO |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan + paid | Free plan + paid |
| Open source | No | No |
| Self-hostable | No | Yes |
| Platforms | Web | Self-hosted, Linux |
| Best for | Teams building on AWS that need archive tiers, lifecycle rules and deep service integrations | Organisations that need S3-compatible storage on their own hardware, with enterprise support |
| Status | Active | Active |
Amazon S3 vs MinIO pricing
Amazon S3: free plan + paid
- Automatic tiering: S3 Intelligent-Tiering source
- Intelligent-Tiering Deep Archive: From $1 per TB a month source
- Free Tier: Up to $200 in credits for new AWS customers source
MinIO: free plan + paid
- Free plan: Single-node deployments source
- Free trial: 60 days (Enterprise tiers) source
- Open-source license: AGPL-3.0 source
Platforms
| Platform | Amazon S3 | MinIO |
|---|---|---|
| Web | ||
| Linux | ||
| Self-hosted |
Amazon S3 facts
7 of 7 verified- Automatic tiering
- S3 Intelligent-Tiering
- Checked Nov 8, 2026aws.amazon.com(opens source in a new tab)
- “You pay a monthly monitoring and automation charge per object stored in the S3 Intelligent”
- Archive storage
- S3 Glacier classes
- Checked Nov 1, 2026aws.amazon.com(opens source in a new tab)
- “For cost-optimized, long-term data storage, archive data using Amazon S3 Glacier storage classes to lower costs, eliminate operational complexities, and gain new insights.”
- Storage classes
- Standard, Intelligent-Tiering, Infrequent Access, Express One Zone, Glacier
- Checked Nov 8, 2026aws.amazon.com(opens source in a new tab)
- “S3 Standard, S3 Intelligent-Tiering, S3 Standard-Infrequent Access”
- Glacier Deep Archive
- From $0.00099 per GB a month
- Checked Nov 8, 2026aws.amazon.com(opens source in a new tab)
- “From just $0.00099 per GB-month”
- Intelligent-Tiering Deep Archive
- From $1 per TB a month
- Checked Nov 8, 2026aws.amazon.com(opens source in a new tab)
- “as little as $1 per TB per month for data that may become rarely accessed over long periods of time.”
- Free Tier
- Up to $200 in credits for new AWS customers
- Checked Nov 8, 2026aws.amazon.com(opens source in a new tab)
- “Starting July 15, 2025, new AWS customers will receive up to $200 in AWS Free Tier credits, which can be applied towards eligible AWS services, including Amazon S3.”
- Durability
- 99.999999999% (11 nines)
- Checked Nov 1, 2026aws.amazon.com(opens source in a new tab)
- “Based on its unique architecture, S3 is designed to provide 99.999999999% (11 nines) data durability and 99.99% availability by default, backed by the strongest SLAs in the cloud.”
MinIO facts
5 of 5 verified- Free plan
- Single-node deployments
- Checked Nov 8, 2026min.io(opens source in a new tab)
- “Single-node deployment architecture Self-service community Slack and documentation support Free of charge”
- Free trial
- 60 days (Enterprise tiers)
- Checked Nov 8, 2026min.io(opens source in a new tab)
- “Start 60-day Free Trial”
- S3 compatible
- Yes
- Checked Nov 8, 2026min.io(opens source in a new tab)
- “fully-S3-compatible object storage deployable anywhere across edge, core, and cloud environments.”
- Open-source license
- AGPL-3.0
- Checked Nov 3, 2026github.com(opens source in a new tab)
- “License: AGPL-3.0 (GNU Affero General Public License v3.0).”
Pros and cons of Amazon S3
- Many storage classes, including automatic tiering and Glacier archives
- Integrates with nearly every AWS service
- Designed for 11 nines of durability
- Available in AWS regions worldwide
- Charges for data transfer out and per request, which makes bills hard to predict
- Pricing tables are complex across classes and regions
- More expensive per gigabyte than budget S3-compatible providers
Pros and cons of MinIO
- Drop-in S3 API compatibility for existing tools and SDKs
- Runs on-premises, at the edge or in any cloud
- Enterprise features such as replication, encryption and immutability
- Open-source repository is archived and no longer developed
- Free tier is limited to single-node deployments
- Multi-node clusters need a paid subscription
Other apps to consider
- WaWasabi
Instead of Amazon S3
S3-compatible with a flat per-terabyte rate and no egress or API fees, for far more predictable bills.
Backblaze B2Instead of Amazon S3
Much cheaper per terabyte, with free egress up to three times your stored data.
Cloudflare R2Instead of Amazon S3
Drop-in S3 API with zero egress fees, good for files served heavily to users.
Google Cloud StorageInstead of MinIO
Managed object storage on Google Cloud, with no cluster to run, upgrade or repair yourself.
Amazon S3 vs MinIO: common questions
Is Amazon S3 better than MinIO?
Amazon S3 suits teams on AWS that want managed object storage with many storage classes, Glacier archives and deep integration with AWS services. MinIO suits organisations that need S3-compatible storage on their own hardware or in any cloud. The biggest difference is who runs it: S3 is a managed AWS service billed per use, while MinIO (now AIStor) is software you operate yourself.
Is Amazon S3 free?
Amazon S3 has a free plan, with paid plans for more features. See its verified pricing facts above for current limits.
Is MinIO free?
MinIO has a free plan, with paid plans for more features. See its verified pricing facts above for current limits.
Is Amazon S3 or MinIO open source?
Neither is open source.
Which platforms do Amazon S3 and MinIO support?
Amazon S3: Web. MinIO: Self-hosted and Linux.