category.decentralised_storage.label

category.decentralised_storage.promise

Starting path

Read the terms of service, not the durability number

Decentralised Storage evaluated across verified cost per tb-year (normalised), durability: contractual or aspirational, retrieval cost and read path, and what happens when you stop paying (or they do).

category.decentralised_storage.promise Reviewed on verified cost per tb-year (normalised), durability: contractual or aspirational, retrieval cost and read path, and what happens when you stop paying (or they do).

Start with the smart category assistant or jump straight into quick questions. Both paths narrow to the same recommendation standard.

How we review

Recommendation first, comparison only if needed.

Reviewed and rechecked on the current cycle.

Commercial relationships disclosed before clickout.

Audit

Infrastructure

Methodology

2026.04.0

published 2026-04-27

Providers tracked

420+

across 41 categories

Last verified

2026-08-03

editorial freshness

Editorial board

4

audit-log live

Decision guide

What matters most before choosing in this category

The best Layer-2 depends on what you weight: EVM-equivalent chains run existing contracts unchanged, longer-lived chains are more battle-tested, and Ethereum-DA chains inherit L1 data security while external-DA chains trade some of that for lower cost. A ZK rollup gives faster trust-minimised L1 finality and an Optimistic rollup uses a challenge window — a tradeoff we surface but do not rank. Pick on your priority — EVM portability, track record, or data availability — not on a headline gas number.

Key question

Do you need faster L1 finality (ZK) or the deepest existing liquidity (Optimistic)?

Key question

Must existing EVM contracts run unchanged, or is EVM-compatible enough?

Key question

Do you require Ethereum-level data availability, or is an external DA layer acceptable for lower cost?

Current editor lead

Filecoin

Proof-based storage marketplace; Onchain Cloud adds pay-per-epoch warm storage

Data checked Aug 2026

Proof-based storage marketplace; Onchain Cloud adds pay-per-epoch warm storage

Best for

Verified cost per TB-year (normalised)Durability: contractual or aspirational

Main tradeoff

Nothing here is permanent and the billing docs quietly redefine time - 'month' means 30 days (86,400 epochs), not a calendar month, and the maximum sector commitment is 1,278 days, so every dataset needs an owner whose standing job is renewing it.

Verify before signup

Filecoin Onchain Cloud storage-costs page: "Storage $2.50/TiB/month per copy - Charged only while pieces exist. Empty data sets have no recurring cost." "Proving Service $0.024/data set/month - Flat per-data-set fee, added on top of the storage rate." "CDN egress up to $14/TiB (approx $0.014/GiB) downloaded - Optional, via Filecoin Beam. About half this when served from cache." Billing note: "'Month' means 30 days here (86,400 epochs), not a calendar month." Paid in USDFC on a pay-per-epoch model (epoch = 30 seconds). Raw storage-provider deal pricing is not published - it is negotiated per deal.

Weighted criteria

Verified cost per TB-year (normalised)30%

Durability: contractual or aspirational30%

Retrieval cost and read path20%

What happens when you stop paying (or they do)20%

Leading options

Shared shortlist for this category

These providers are pulled from the same category comparison catalog used in validation, so the category page, comparison page, and provider reviews stay aligned.

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Methodology

How this category is reviewed

Reviewed on verified cost per tb-year (normalised), durability: contractual or aspirational, retrieval cost and read path, and what happens when you stop paying (or they do).

Reviewed on: Verified cost per TB-year (normalised), Durability: contractual or aspirational, Retrieval cost and read path, What happens when you stop paying (or they do).

This page is a maintained category surface, not a static marketing block. Review freshness, provider positioning, and recommendation logic should stay consistent with quiz and provider pages.

Frequently asked

Questions people ask before choosing l2 chains

What is the safest Ethereum Layer-2?

Safety on an L2 comes from its proof system (Optimistic fraud proofs vs ZK validity proofs), how decentralised its sequencer and upgrade keys are, and whether data is posted to Ethereum L1 or an external layer. We surface the proof system and score the permanent facts we can — EVM equivalence, maturity, and Ethereum data availability. Decentralisation stage changes too often to rank, and live gas is feed-pending, never estimated.

Why is gas cost not in the ranking?

Live L2 gas changes constantly, so we mark it feed-pending rather than show a stale number, and we rank on permanent architecture — the facts that actually decide L2 security and portability. Live TVL is now shown for context (DefiLlama, dated) but stays out of the ranking, because TVL measures adoption, not those permanent facts. A live gas-fee feed is the planned next addition.

Optimistic or ZK rollup — which should I pick?

ZK rollups prove each batch with validity proofs, so withdrawals to L1 finalise faster; Optimistic rollups rely on a challenge window (often around seven days) but currently host the deepest L2 DeFi. If fast, trust-minimised L1 exit matters most, lean ZK; if liquidity and ecosystem depth matter most today, Optimistic chains lead.

REVIEWEDApr 2026METHOD4 criteriaCATEGORYdecentralised_storage

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