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When you upload a photo to Instagram or save a document on Google Drive, you’re trusting a company to keep it safe forever. But what if that company shuts down? What if they get hacked? Or worse-what if they decide to delete your data because it’s controversial? That’s the problem decentralized storage tries to solve. IPFS, Arweave, and Filecoin are three different answers to that question. They all promise to store your data on a network of computers instead of a single server. But they work in wildly different ways. Choosing the right one isn’t about which is "best." It’s about what kind of data you’re storing-and for how long.
IPFS: The Internet’s New Address Book
Think of IPFS as a new way to find files on the internet. Instead of typing in a web address like www.example.com/photo.jpg, you ask for a unique code-like QmXoypizjW3WknFiJnKLwLcHjXQ9Yq66Z63L296Z5jY3t. That code points directly to the content, no matter where it’s stored. This is called content addressing. It’s faster, more resilient, and harder to censor.
But here’s the catch: IPFS doesn’t store anything by itself. It’s like a library catalog that lists where books are, but doesn’t own any shelves. If no one is actively keeping a file on their computer (called "pinning" it), the file disappears. That’s why most people use IPFS with a pinning service like Pinata. Pinata keeps your files alive for a fee-$0.50 per GB per month. Without it, your data vanishes when your node goes offline.
IPFS is simple to use. Developers can integrate it into apps in a few hours. It’s the backbone of 28% of the decentralized storage market, powering everything from NFTs to blockchain explorers. But if you need your data to last 10 years? IPFS alone won’t cut it. You need something else to hold onto it.
Filecoin: Pay to Store, Renew to Keep
Filecoin is IPFS’s economic cousin. Created by the same team, Filecoin adds a marketplace where people can rent out their extra hard drive space. If you want to store data, you pay miners in Filecoin tokens. In return, they promise to keep your file for a set time-say, one year. They prove they’re still storing it using a clever system called Proof of Spacetime. If they fail to prove it, they lose money.
As of mid-2025, Filecoin has over 14 exbibytes of storage capacity-enough to hold millions of high-definition movies. It’s used by 67 Fortune 500 companies for temporary data like AI training sets, video backups, and blockchain logs. The cost? Between $200 and $1,000 per terabyte per year, depending on how much redundancy you want.
But it’s not easy. Running a Filecoin miner requires 128GB of RAM, 32TB of storage, and serious technical know-how. Many users who try to self-host end up overwhelmed. One Reddit user lost $147 because their node failed a storage proof. That’s why most people use Filecoin through services like Filecoin Plus or third-party providers.
Filecoin’s biggest strength is flexibility. You can store data for a week, a year, or five. You can upgrade, downgrade, or cancel. But that also means you have to remember to pay. Miss a payment? Your data gets deleted. It’s reliable-but only if you stay on top of it.
Arweave: Pay Once, Store Forever
Arweave is the odd one out. Instead of charging you annually, it asks for a one-time payment-around $3,500 per terabyte in 2025. That’s it. No renewals. No subscriptions. No reminders. Once you pay, your data is stored permanently.
How? Arweave uses something called the "blockweave." Miners don’t just store your data-they also need to prove they can access old blocks to mine new ones. This creates a chain of incentives: to earn new AR tokens, you must keep every piece of data ever uploaded. The network replicates each file between 100 and 1,000 times across nodes. That’s far more redundancy than Filecoin’s typical 3-10 copies.
It’s not perfect. Arweave’s network has only 8,000 nodes compared to IPFS’s 1.2 million. That makes some nervous about resilience. But for permanent data, it’s working. Over 78% of top Ethereum NFT collections use Arweave for metadata. DAOs store their voting records on it. Libraries archive websites. One user on Reddit paid $1,200 to store 400GB of governance history-and hasn’t touched it since.
Arweave’s biggest downside? Cost. That $3,500 per TB is steep. But if you’re storing something meant to last decades-like legal documents, historical records, or NFTs-it’s a fair trade. You’re not renting space. You’re buying permanence.
Which One Should You Use?
Let’s break it down by use case.
- For NFTs and digital art: Use Arweave. It’s the standard. If your NFT’s image or metadata disappears, the whole thing loses value. Arweave’s permanence is why collectors trust it.
- For AI training data or video archives: Use Filecoin. You’re storing massive files that won’t be accessed often. You need scalable, affordable storage-but you don’t need it forever. Filecoin’s pay-as-you-go model fits perfectly.
- For websites, apps, or public content: Use IPFS with a pinning service. It’s fast, free to access, and perfect for content that gets lots of traffic. Just make sure your pinning service is reliable.
- For legal records, historical archives, or open-source code: Arweave again. If your data matters beyond your lifetime, you need a system that doesn’t rely on your ability to pay forever.
What about combining them? That’s what’s happening. Many projects use IPFS to deliver content quickly, Filecoin to back it up for a few years, and Arweave to lock in the final version permanently. It’s not either/or-it’s layered.
What’s Changing in 2025?
Things are moving fast. Filecoin’s new Virtual Machine lets developers run smart contracts directly on the storage network. That means you can build apps that automatically renew storage deals or pay out rewards based on uptime. It’s turning Filecoin from a storage market into a full-blown decentralized infrastructure layer.
Arweave’s Permavision upgrade in March 2025 cut storage costs by 18% using AI to optimize redundancy. It’s making permanence cheaper-and more accessible.
IPFS is adding quantum-resistant encryption to its core protocol. That’s a big deal. If quantum computers break today’s encryption in 10-15 years, your data could be exposed. IPFS is getting ready.
And then there’s Walrus, a new protocol launching in late 2025. It promises $50 per TB per year using erasure coding. If it works, it could shake up Filecoin’s pricing and even challenge Arweave’s cost model.
Real-World Risks
None of these systems are magic. IPFS data vanishes if no one pins it. Filecoin users lose money-and data-if they forget to pay. Arweave’s permanence means illegal or harmful content can’t be removed. The EU is already debating whether Arweave violates the Digital Services Act.
And then there’s the token risk. Filecoin and Arweave are cryptocurrencies. Their prices swing wildly. Filecoin dropped 85% in 2024-2025. Arweave dropped 68%. That doesn’t affect your stored data-but it does affect how much you paid for it. If you bought AR tokens to pay for storage at $10 each and they’re now $3, you lost value. That’s not a flaw in the storage-it’s a flaw in using crypto as payment.
For most people, the best move is to pay for storage in fiat-using a service that accepts credit cards or bank transfers. Let them handle the crypto side.
Final Thoughts
There’s no single winner here. IPFS is the fastest way to share content. Filecoin is the most flexible for temporary storage. Arweave is the only one that guarantees your data will still be there in 2050.
If you’re building something for the long term-something that should outlive you, your company, or even the current crypto boom-Arweave is the only choice. If you’re storing data that changes often or only needs to last a few years, Filecoin gives you control. And if you just want to make your website or app faster and more resilient, IPFS is the quiet hero behind the scenes.
Decentralized storage isn’t about replacing cloud providers. It’s about giving you back control. You decide what lasts. You decide what matters. And now, you have three tools to make that choice.
Can I use IPFS without paying anything?
Yes, you can use IPFS for free to access files that are already pinned by others. But if you want to upload your own files and keep them available, you need to either run your own node (which requires technical skill and constant uptime) or pay a pinning service like Pinata. Without pinning, your data disappears when your device goes offline.
Is Arweave really permanent, or can data be deleted?
Arweave’s design makes data deletion practically impossible. Once you pay the one-time fee, the network’s incentive structure requires miners to keep every file forever to earn new tokens. There’s no admin panel, no delete button, and no central authority that can remove content. This is intentional-it’s what makes it permanent. But it also means harmful or illegal content can’t be taken down, which is a legal concern in some countries.
Why do some people say Filecoin is too complicated?
Running a Filecoin storage miner requires high-end hardware (128GB RAM, 32TB storage), constant monitoring, and technical knowledge to handle storage deals, proofs, and penalties. Many users who try to self-host end up spending 15-20 hours a week just keeping their node running. That’s why most people use managed services instead of running their own miner.
Can I store NFTs on Filecoin or IPFS instead of Arweave?
You can, but it’s risky. NFTs on IPFS or Filecoin can disappear if the file isn’t pinned or the storage deal expires. That’s why most major NFT platforms use Arweave-it’s the only one that guarantees the image or metadata will still be there years later. If your NFT’s file vanishes, it becomes a link to nothing.
What happens if the AR or FIL token crashes in value?
Your stored data stays safe. The storage network doesn’t depend on the token’s price-it depends on the protocol’s rules. But if you paid for storage using tokens, you may have overpaid if the price dropped. To avoid this, use services that let you pay in USD or EUR. They handle the token conversion, so you only care about the cost in real money.
Is there a cheaper alternative to Arweave for permanent storage?
Not yet. Arweave’s $3,500 per TB is the only proven model for true permanence. A new protocol called Walrus, launching in late 2025, promises $50 per TB per year using erasure coding. If it works, it could disrupt the market. But it’s unproven. For now, Arweave remains the only reliable option for data you want to last 50+ years.
DeeDee Kallam
October 31, 2025 AT 14:26ipfs is free?? lol nope. my pic vanished after i shut my laptop. like, where did it go??
Kaela Coren
November 2, 2025 AT 08:32The structural distinction between content-addressing and economic-incentive models is fundamentally underappreciated in mainstream discourse. IPFS operates as a distributed hash table without persistence guarantees; Filecoin introduces market-driven durability through cryptographic proofs; Arweave embeds permanence into the mining consensus mechanism itself. Each serves a distinct ontological purpose in decentralized infrastructure.
Helen Hardman
November 3, 2025 AT 17:59Okay so I just spent 3 hours reading this and I’m so excited!! Like, I used to think cloud storage was fine until I realized my grandma’s photos could just disappear one day because some corporate meeting decided to ‘optimize costs’ 😭 But now? I get it. Arweave for her pictures, Filecoin for my AI training files that I’ll delete in 6 months, and IPFS for my little blog that gets 20 visitors a day. It’s like having three different drawers in your closet-one for forever, one for ‘maybe later,’ and one for ‘just need it today.’ Thank you for making this so clear!!
Bhavna Suri
November 4, 2025 AT 06:23This is too complicated. Why not just use Google Drive?
Elizabeth Melendez
November 5, 2025 AT 14:17OMG YES I JUST DID THIS!! I uploaded my wedding videos to Arweave last week for $120 (400GB) and cried a little because I finally feel like they’re safe forever. I used to be scared they’d get lost if my hard drive died or if Google decided to delete them for ‘policy violations.’ Now? They’re just… there. Like a digital heirloom. Also, I paid in USD via Pinata so no crypto stress. To anyone reading this: DO THIS. Your future self will thank you.
Phil Higgins
November 7, 2025 AT 13:50The assumption that decentralization equals permanence is a dangerous myth. Arweave’s model relies on a single economic incentive structure that may collapse if token value declines or node participation drops. The notion that miners will preserve data indefinitely because of a token reward ignores human behavior, regulatory pressure, and the possibility of coordinated attacks. True permanence requires institutional, not just algorithmic, guarantees.
Genevieve Rachal
November 9, 2025 AT 09:07Arweave’s $3,500/TB? That’s a scam. The network has 8,000 nodes? And you think that’s ‘permanent’? Meanwhile, IPFS has 1.2 million nodes and you’re paying extra to pin? The math doesn’t add up. This whole thing is crypto marketing dressed as technology. You’re paying for a fantasy.
Jeremy Jaramillo
November 11, 2025 AT 02:55I appreciate how this breaks down the trade-offs without hype. Many people treat Arweave like magic, but it’s really just a clever economic design. The real takeaway is that storage isn’t one-size-fits-all. Choose based on what you’re preserving and for whom. And if you’re storing something that matters-like family history, open-source code, or public records-then paying for permanence isn’t an expense. It’s an act of responsibility.
naveen kumar
November 11, 2025 AT 05:53Filecoin’s 14 exbibytes? That’s a lie. The entire global internet is only around 120 exbibytes. And you think 14 of that is stored by a crypto project? The numbers are inflated. Also, the ‘Proof of Spacetime’ is just a fancy name for a script that checks if a file exists. Anybody can fake that. This is all a Ponzi scheme disguised as infrastructure.
Bruce Bynum
November 12, 2025 AT 16:15Arweave for photos. Filecoin for videos. IPFS for websites. Done. Simple. No drama.
Wesley Grimm
November 14, 2025 AT 14:05Let’s be real: nobody uses this stuff. The only people talking about Arweave are NFT traders trying to justify their $20,000 JPEGs. The rest of us use AWS. And we’re fine.
Masechaba Setona
November 16, 2025 AT 01:15They’re hiding something. Why is Arweave so cheap for permanent storage? Because the government already owns it. Or maybe the NSA is mining it. Look at the node distribution-it’s all US-based. You think they let you store anything? That’s why the EU is investigating. They’re not protecting data-they’re controlling it. Paying in fiat? That’s just laundering your trust.
Kymberley Sant
November 16, 2025 AT 20:09wait so filecoin is like renting a locker? and arweave is buying a tomb? and ipfs is just asking a friend to hold your stuff? 🤔 i think i get it now lol