Amazon S3 vs Wasabi
Updated November 2026 · AppBreakup editorial
Amazon S3
AWS's object storage service, with many storage classes from hot data to deep archive.
Wasabi
S3-compatible cloud object storage with flat per-terabyte pricing and no egress or API fees.
The short answer
Amazon S3 suits teams building on AWS that need archive tiers, lifecycle rules and integration with other AWS services. Wasabi suits businesses storing backups and archives that want predictable bills. The biggest difference is pricing: S3 charges per gigabyte, per request and for data transferred out across many storage classes, while Wasabi charges a flat rate per terabyte with no egress or API fees.
Amazon S3 or Wasabi: our take
Amazon S3 is AWS's object storage service and the API most others copy. It offers several storage classes (Standard, Intelligent-Tiering, Infrequent Access, Express One Zone and Glacier), with lifecycle rules, versioning, cross-region replication, fine-grained access policies, event notifications to serverless functions and integration with nearly every AWS analytics and AI service. Wasabi speaks the same S3 API, so most S3 tools work after changing the endpoint and keys, but it keeps everything in a single hot tier with no cold storage or retrieval delays. It is widely used as a backup target for Veeam, Commvault and Rubrik, with object lock for immutable copies.
Pricing is where they diverge. S3 bills per gigabyte stored, per request and per gigabyte transferred out, so costs depend heavily on access patterns and the pricing tables are complex. Its archive classes can be very cheap for cold data, with Glacier Deep Archive from $0.00099 per GB a month, and new AWS customers get up to $200 in credits. Wasabi starts at $7.99 per TB/month with no egress or API fees, which makes bills easy to predict. The catches are a 90-day minimum storage duration and a minimum monthly charge equal to 1 TB on pay-as-you-go, and there is only a time-limited trial, not a free tier.
S3 runs in AWS regions worldwide and is designed for 11 nines of durability. Wasabi has 16 storage regions across North America, Europe and Asia Pacific.
Pick S3 if your workloads run on AWS, you need deep archive tiers or automatic tiering, or you rely on event-driven and analytics integrations. Pick Wasabi if you mainly store backups, media or datasets, read them back often, and want a flat, predictable monthly bill without egress charges.
Which should you pick?
Choose Amazon S3 if…
- Teams building on AWS that need archive tiers, lifecycle rules and deep service integrations
- You want a free option (Wasabi is paid only)
- Many storage classes, including automatic tiering and Glacier archives
- Integrates with nearly every AWS service
Choose Wasabi if…
- Businesses storing backups or archives that want predictable S3-compatible storage bills
- No fees for egress or API requests
- Works with S3 tools and most backup software
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 Wasabi?
Wasabi Hot Cloud Storage is an object storage service that speaks the Amazon S3 API, so most tools that write to S3 can use it by changing an endpoint and keys. Its selling point is billing: you pay a flat monthly rate per terabyte stored, with no separate charges for downloading data or for API requests, which makes costs easier to predict than on the big cloud providers. All data sits in a single always-available tier, with no cold storage and no retrieval delays. It is widely used as a backup target for tools like Veeam, Commvault and Rubrik, with object lock for immutable, ransomware-resistant copies, and also for media archives and AI datasets. Wasabi runs storage regions in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. Pricing is pay-as-you-go or reserved capacity bought for one to five years, and there is a free trial. Note the 90-day minimum storage duration and a minimum monthly charge tied to 1 TB on pay-as-you-go.
Side by side
| Attribute | Amazon S3 | Wasabi |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan + paid | Paid |
| Open source | No | No |
| Self-hostable | No | No |
| Platforms | Web | Web |
| Best for | Teams building on AWS that need archive tiers, lifecycle rules and deep service integrations | Businesses storing backups or archives that want predictable S3-compatible storage bills |
| Status | Active | Active |
Amazon S3 vs Wasabi 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
Wasabi: paid
- Starting price: $7.99 per TB/month (pay as you go) source
- Free trial: 100 GB for 30 days (company email) source
Platforms
| Platform | Amazon S3 | Wasabi |
|---|---|---|
| Web |
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.”
Wasabi facts
6 of 6 verified- Egress and API fees
- $0
- Checked Nov 8, 2026wasabi.com(opens source in a new tab)
- “Cost fixed to purchased block Egress & API fees $0 $0”
- Minimum storage duration
- 90 days (pay as you go)
- Checked Nov 8, 2026wasabi.com(opens source in a new tab)
- “Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook.com): 10 GB for 14 days 25 TB to no limit Minimum storage duration 90 days”
- S3 compatible
- Yes
- Checked Nov 8, 2026wasabi.com(opens source in a new tab)
- “S3-compatible cloud storage that works with any GPU cloud or compute provider.”
- Starting price
- $7.99 per TB/month (pay as you go)
- Checked Nov 8, 2026wasabi.com(opens source in a new tab)
- “Use our cost calculator to compare our flat-rate (starting at $7.99 per TB/month) Wasabi Hot Cloud Storage against the hyperscalers.”
- Free trial
- 100 GB for 30 days (company email)
- Checked Nov 8, 2026wasabi.com(opens source in a new tab)
- “Company email domain: 100 GB for 30 days Freemail Domain (e.g.”
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 Wasabi
- No fees for egress or API requests
- Works with S3 tools and most backup software
- Object lock for immutable backup copies
- Single hot tier, so no retrieval delays or fees
- Pay-as-you-go has a minimum charge equal to 1 TB per month
- Objects are billed for at least 90 days even if deleted sooner
- No permanent free tier, only a time-limited trial
Other apps to consider
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 Amazon S3
Same tiered model as S3 with Standard to Archive classes, plus a monthly free allowance of 5 GiB of Standard storage for small projects.
Azure Blob StorageInstead of Wasabi
Microsoft's object storage with hot, cool and archive tiers, a natural fit when the rest of the stack is on Azure.
MinIOInstead of Wasabi
S3-compatible object storage you run on your own servers, avoiding per-terabyte bills from a hosted provider.
StorjInstead of Wasabi
S3-compatible storage with no request fees and data spread across many locations.
Amazon S3 vs Wasabi: common questions
Is Amazon S3 better than Wasabi?
Amazon S3 suits teams building on AWS that need archive tiers, lifecycle rules and integration with other AWS services. Wasabi suits businesses storing backups and archives that want predictable bills. The biggest difference is pricing: S3 charges per gigabyte, per request and for data transferred out across many storage classes, while Wasabi charges a flat rate per terabyte with no egress or API fees.
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 Wasabi free?
No. Wasabi is paid, though it may offer a trial.
Is Amazon S3 or Wasabi open source?
Neither is open source.
Which platforms do Amazon S3 and Wasabi support?
Amazon S3: Web. Wasabi: Web.