Provider at a glance
- Category
- Decentralised Storage
- Entity
- Not verified
- Official website
- pinata.cloud
Independent rankingchecked How it works
Details
Scored 52 out of 100 under methodology 2026.10.18, from the evidence read in October 2026.
Pinata
IPFS pinning and gateway service
Decentralised Storage
#6 Overall
Ranked #6 of 7 decentralised storage in the published ranking
52
ChainChoice Score
The ChainChoice Score, shown against 100: published scores run from 41 to 99.- High evidence confidence
- $248 your cost/yr
Is Pinata right for you?
Look elsewhere if these come first
- Verified cost per TB-year (normalised)5/10 here; the category best is 10
- Durability: contractual or aspirational2/10 here; Walrus scores 6
- Retrieval cost and read path3/10 here; Walrus scores 6
- What happens when you stop paying (or they do)2/10 here; Arweave scores 8
Not yet tested for your country. Markets it lists: Global.
to test where you can use it.
The rank above is the published one, the same for every reader. Find my best storage network shows where it lands for you.
What will Pinata cost you?
$248 your cost/yr
- Usage per month
- 10
- Price per unit
- $0.07
- Plan fee
- $20
$76 above the median of 6 priced decentralised storage.
How this is calculatedHow safe is Pinata?
- Evidence: verified4 of 4 criteria rest on quoted, sourced receipts. Read October 2026.
- LicenceMiCA (EU): no register record on file here.
Alternatives to Pinata
Compare all 4- 4Arweave11 points above · stronger on exit and continuity risk (8 against 2)63
- 5Walrus10 points above · stronger on durability enforceability (6 against 2)62$2.76
- 74EVERLAND5 points below · weaker on verified cost per tb year (3 against 5)47$9.60
For your setup
Find out if Pinata fits you
The rank above is the published one — the same for every visitor. Answer the category's questions and this section shows where Pinata lands for you, which criteria your answers weight up, and which stated needs the record does or does not meet. The published rank stays beside it.
- A few questions
- No account required
- Ranking-blind: no commercial input
- Personalised in under 60 seconds
Find my best storage networkNothing is inferred from clicks, popularity or commercial value.
Why this rank
Why Pinata ranks #6
Each strength is read from evidence on a 0–10 ladder and weighted as the published methodology states. The 32 objective points these produce (9.9 here) sit inside the score; availability, friction, trust record and measured data add the rest.
4 published criteria · Σ weight 100
CriterionWeightStrength · 0–10ScoreContrib.MedianBestRankEvidence
305+4.805.010#4/7Loading evidence…
302+1.925.08#6/7Loading evidence…
203+1.925.08#6/7Loading evidence…
202+1.284.08#5/7Loading evidence…
Hairline = best in this ranking · tick = its median · a missing bar is "not scored", never zero
Margin−10behind Walrus, #5
RobustnessHoldsacross a one-point change to each of its 4 criterion scores, the re-run scores 51–55 and stays #6
Evidence4 of 4 scored4 quoted, 4 with a source link
What would move the rank
Each line is the ranking run again with one of Pinata’s criterion scores changed and every other value held: the smallest whole-point change on that criterion that moves its rank, and where the re-run puts it. Up to 4 climbs and 3 falls are listed, smallest change first. Nothing here is a forecast.
Durability: contractual or aspirational 2 → 8 on its ladder · passes Walrus+664#6 → #4
What happens when you stop paying (or they do) 2 → 10 on its ladder · passes Walrus+863#6 → #4
Verified cost per TB-year (normalised) 5 → 1 on its ladder · 4EVERLAND passes it−445#6 → #7
Smallest climb: durability: contractual or aspirational 2 → 8 passes Walrus, #5.
Strengths
0 from the score dataWhere it leads
No scored criterion is at or within one point of the category best, so no strength can be stated from the data.
Tradeoffs
4 from the score dataWhere it trails
Not for readers who put first
- Verified cost per TB-year (normalised) — 5/10 against a category best of 10/10
- Durability: contractual or aspirational — 2/10 against a category best of 8/10
- Retrieval cost and read path — 3/10 against a category best of 8/10
- What happens when you stop paying (or they do) — 2/10 against a category best of 8/10
Record watch-outs
- A pin is a hosting relationship, not storage: unpinning queues your file for garbage collection, the Terms of Service contain no durability commitment at all, and the only thing that might save a deleted CID is a stranger having pinned it too.
Competitive position
Where Pinata leads and where it trails
Rank on every objective dimension among the rows scored on it. A criterion in the top third of its pool is listed as a lead, the bottom third as a trail; the middle is neither. Popularity, size and commercial terms are not dimensions.
Availability#1 / 714.0 of 20 · constant here
Published criteria#6 / 77.4 of 30 · best 18.0
Friction#1 / 72.7 of 10 · constant here
Trust record#1 / 73.2 of 8 · constant here
Measured data#1 / 78.3 of 18 · constant here
Where Pinata leadsNo criterion in the top third of its pool.
Where it trails
- Durability: contractual or aspirational#6 / 7
- Retrieval cost and read path#6 / 7
- What happens when you stop paying (or they do)#5 / 7
Closest alternatives
The 3 nearest rows by score
Nearest by published score in either direction. Each card states the criteria on which the two rows differ and the cost difference under the same scenario inputs; the compare arithmetic below shows why the higher one ranks higher.
4EVERLAND#7 of 7 · score 47 · 5.0 points behind
Pinata leads on
- Verified cost per TB-year (normalised)5 vs 3
- Durability: contractual or aspirational2 vs 1
4EVERLAND leads onNo scored criterion
Largest single reason Pinata is ahead: published criteria (+5.5 display points).Scenario cost: 4EVERLAND is −$239 against Pinata.
Walrus#5 of 7 · score 62 · 10.0 points ahead
Pinata leads on
- Verified cost per TB-year (normalised)5 vs 2
Walrus leads on
- Durability: contractual or aspirational6 vs 2
- Retrieval cost and read path6 vs 3
- What happens when you stop paying (or they do)5 vs 2
Largest single reason Walrus is ahead: published criteria (+9.4 display points).Scenario cost: Walrus is −$246 against Pinata.
Arweave#4 of 7 · score 63 · 11.0 points ahead
Pinata leads on
- Verified cost per TB-year (normalised)5 vs 3
Arweave leads on
- Durability: contractual or aspirational4 vs 2
- Retrieval cost and read path5 vs 3
- What happens when you stop paying (or they do)8 vs 2
Largest single reason Arweave is ahead: published criteria (+10.1 display points).Scenario cost: Arweave has no verified pricing for this scenario.
Against the leader
80 vs 52 · gap 28.0Why Filecoin ranks above Pinata
The compare workspace's arithmetic applied to these two rows. Each dimension's share of the gap is its weight × the difference, on the displayed scale — it reproduces the displayed gap of 28.0 to within rounding.
DimensionThisFilecoinGap share
Availability · 23% weight · constant here14.014.0same
Published criteria · 35% weight7.418.0−27.6, worse
Friction · 12% weight · constant here2.72.7same
Trust record · 9% weight · constant here3.23.2same
Measured data · 21% weight · constant here8.38.3same
Published criterionThisFilecoinPoints
Verified cost per TB-year (normalised) · w3059−3.84, worse
Durability: contractual or aspirational · w3028−5.76, worse
Retrieval cost and read path · w2036−1.92, worse
What happens when you stop paying (or they do) · w2026−2.56, worse
Net5280−28.0
Your scenario
What Pinata costs on your scenario
Metered usage beyond whatever the plan includes, for a year. Excludes egress, support tiers and enterprise minimums. Change an input and every figure recomputes from the published rate; the published rank does not move.
your cost/yr · default scenario — set your own
Usage per month · your input10
Price per unit · published rate$0.07
Plan fee · published rate$20
Rate read from the provider’s published pricing ↗ on 22 October 2026.
your cost/yrCost is stated as your cost/yr in USD; it is never a yield, never annualised, and it does not enter the score.
$248
Under the default inputs · USDCategory median$1726 of 7 rows priced · Pinata +$76 vs median
Cheapest priced$2.76 · WalrusPinata costs +$246 more · availability not applied — set your country to filterCompare with Walrus
1 of 7 rows in this ranking have no verified rate for this scenario and are absent from the median, not counted as free.
Evidence
Evidence read 22 October 2026
One row per published criterion: the page each strength was read from, its source type by domain, the reading date and whether the file and the published table agree. Open a row for the quote and the receipt.
4 of 4 cells scored
Score evidenceVerified4 of 4 criteria reconstruct from receipts
4 of 4 criteria reconstruct from a quoted, sourced receipt equal to the published strength.Public receiptsReading…4 quoted with a source URL
The receipt file has not been read yet.Evidence confidenceHighcoverage and corroboration, never freshness
4/4 criteria scored, with 4 dated sources quoted.RobustnessHoldsrank #6 across every one-point re-run
Whether the position holds when one criterion score is changed by one point and the ranking is run again. It is always a re-run of the ranking, never an estimate.The newest evidence read on the platform is 3 November 2026; this category's reading is older. The scores stand as read on 22 October 2026.
Reading the evidence ledger…
CriterionSourceTypeReadFreshnessStatusReceipt
Verified cost per TB-year (normalised)strength 5 · weight 30Report an error—22 October 2026*
Unknown
No reading date is recorded for this cell or its category.No receipt
A strength is published but no quote or source page is on file for it.Durability: contractual or aspirationalstrength 2 · weight 30Report an error—22 October 2026*
Unknown
No reading date is recorded for this cell or its category.No receipt
A strength is published but no quote or source page is on file for it.Retrieval cost and read pathstrength 3 · weight 20Report an error—22 October 2026*
Unknown
No reading date is recorded for this cell or its category.No receipt
A strength is published but no quote or source page is on file for it.What happens when you stop paying (or they do)strength 2 · weight 20Report an error—22 October 2026*
Unknown
No reading date is recorded for this cell or its category.No receipt
A strength is published but no quote or source page is on file for it.How you can lose money here, and what the ranking scores
- Liveness failure (Pinata 2/10): the operator stops, censors you or loses data.Scored by Durability: contractual or aspirational · 30%
- Exit failure (Pinata 2/10): you cannot get out at par, on time, or with what is yours.Scored by What happens when you stop paying (or they do) · 20%
Every failure family that applies to this category is scored. Also scored, as cost, quality or a summary of several families: Verified cost per TB-year (normalised) (30%), Retrieval cost and read path (20%).
Facts
facts, not scoresWhat the record publishes
- Pricing
- Pinata pricing page (pinata.cloud/pricing, read 22 October 2026): Free: "$0 /month" - 1GB storage, 500 files, 10GB bandwidth, 10K requests. Picnic: "$20 /month" - 1TB storage, 5 Million files, 500GB bandwidth, 1M requests, "Extra storage @ $0.07 per GB", "Extra bandwidth @ $0.10 per GB", "Extra requests @ $0.20 per 10k". Fiesta: "$100 /month" - 5TB storage, 10 Million files, 2.5TB bandwidth, 5M requests, "Extra storage @ $0.035 per GB", "Extra bandwidth @ $0.08 per GB", "Extra requests @ $0.15 per 10k". Enterprise: "Custom". Arithmetic, labelled: both paid tiers price included storage at $20/TB/month, i.e. $240/TB-year.Pinata — official pricing page ↗ · 22 October 2026
- Prices published in
- USDPinata — official pricing page ↗ · 22 October 2026
- Licences held
- Not published
- Compliance level
- partial
- Regulatory note
- Not published
- Supported chains
- Multi-chain
- Markets served
- global
- Primary markets
- Not published
- Restricted markets
- Not published
- Operating limits
- Not published
- Availability note
- Sold online without a published country list. Pinata's Terms (pinata.cloud/terms, "Last updated: June 28, 2023", read 22 October 2026) carry no country, sanctions or embargo clause (bounded to that page); they are governed by Nebraska courts and tell non-US users: "The United States may have privacy and data protection laws that differ from, and are potentially less protective than, the laws of your country."
No confirmed legal entity is on file for this record. Nothing is inferred from the brand name.
If something goes wrong with Pinata: where to complain, and where to report a scam
Loading the routes for your country.
How this page is reviewed
Reviewed means this product in this category was read against its sources on or after that date; every ranked category is re-read at least every 45 days. Models research, extract and parse. A deterministic engine ranks. Every quote passes an adversarial refute pass.
Accountable for this review: Mathias Siemonsmeier, Founder.
How we review · Review calendar · Corrections log · How we make money
History
What the record carries
Changes to published ranks are recorded in a ledger; every step and its cause is listed on the rank-history page. The entries below begin with the current verified snapshot, then the methodology versions whose changes applied to this category, newest first.
9 methodology entries
- 22 October 2026Current verified snapshot · methodology 2026.10.18Score 52, #6 of 7. 4 of 4 criteria scored. History starts here; earlier values are not interpolated.
- 10 October 2026
2026.10.8When nothing serves your country, the list shown for reference is the published ranking · platform-wide- fixed The reference list shown when nothing serves your country is the published order with the published scores, and a build check now fails any such list out of that order or with a score the ranking does not publish.
- fixed The explorer prints an overall rank only for a row the published ranking holds; a country entrant such as Coinbase Commerce for US merchants shows no overall rank.
- changed Published orders do not move. Country results change only where nothing serves the country: in India bill pay keeps Bitcoin Well first and now shows Strike second, as published; 35 such runs across all categories and countries now match the published list exactly.
- 10 October 2026
2026.10.6A criterion you require re-scores the rows that meet it · platform-wide- changed The explorer sends each criterion you require, at any band, as fit_required with your other answers; region, licence, chain and fact filters stay filters. On /best, a required criterion joins For you as a marked preference does, which needs your country; Overall stays the published ranking, filtered.
- added Every published criterion has a golden case as the explorer sends it (require:<criterion>), so the order a requirement gives is replayed and gated as the published order is, and a change to it needs an entry here.
- 16 September 2026
2026.09.15Dimension scores carry tenths, and eleven more categories are re-read from primary sources · platform-wide- changed Dimension scores resolve to tenths of a point (O-04b), and weightedTotal is rounded to six decimal places before the order is read. 518 published scores move across 107 categories that were not re-read; none of them moves by more than 4 points, and most move by 1.
- fixed 66 published scores change in the eleven re-read categories, against a verbatim source each. The largest moves are Reflexer RAI (−16), Beefy and Unrekt (−11), Aztec (−10) and Golem (+9) — all of them rows whose sources had moved since their last read.
- changed Published order moves in 38 of 119 categories and three #1s change: smart_contract_audits (Zellic → Certora) and travel_rule_compliance (Sumsub Travel Rule → CodeVASP) on the finer resolution, kyc_compliance (Veriff → Sumsub) on the re-read.
- added availabilitySource (O-04g): for a reader who states a country, a row whose availability in that country rests on a region tag its record gives no source for sorts below every sourced row. It is inert in every order published here, which states no country.
Methodology 2026.10.18, the same published run every visitor sees · receipt decentralised_storage:pinata:2026.10.18:e8784679ac71
Are you Pinata? Reply to this verdict, or send evidence, ask for a correction or claim the listing. Every message gets a public ticket number; none of it changes a rank unless a public page or a signed statement supports it.