Benchmark finds Cloudflare R2 and Backblaze B2 undercut S3 egress costs
AIMultiple published a benchmark of S3-compatible cloud object storage providers including Cloudflare, Hetzner, DigitalOcean, Blackblaze, and Scaleway. The analysis compares these providers across nine criteria, such as cost, features, and retrieval times, specifically highlighting egress fees, tiered storage, and integration with existing cloud ecosystems. This evaluation aims to assist streaming professionals in selecting optimal storage solutions for their operational needs.
Key Takeaways
- Cloudflare R2 eliminates egress fees entirely, making it the most predictable option for high-volume outbound video delivery.
- Backblaze B2 offers standard storage at $0.006 per GB/month, roughly one-quarter the cost of major hyperscalers.
- Scaleway is the sole provider in the benchmark offering a multi-tier model including infrequent access and Glacier-style cold storage.
- Hetzner and DigitalOcean provide localized advantages, with Hetzner offering 1 TB of free monthly egress to European customers.
Why It Matters
Egress fees often represent the largest hidden expenditure in a streaming technology stack, frequently exceeding raw storage costs by 10x for active libraries. As the market pivots toward multi-cloud architectures to avoid vendor lock-in, S3-compatible alternatives are no longer just backup targets; they are viable primary origins for CDNs. The availability of zero-egress models like R2 and B2 forces a re-evaluation of total cost of ownership (TCO) for live and VOD origin servers. Watch for further commoditization of standard storage as niche providers integrate managed services like AI-tagging and real-time QC to differentiate against AWS.
Additional Context
The pressure on traditional egress models intensified in early 2024 when Amazon Web Services and Google Cloud both announced they would waive data transfer fees specifically for customers permanently migrating off their platforms. Per Reuters, March 2024, these moves were largely viewed as a preemptive response to the European Union's Data Act, which aims to lower barriers for switching cloud providers. However, critics like Corey Quinn noted that these waivers apply primarily to complete exits rather than the day-to-day operational egress that plagues high-traffic media organizations. Simultaneously, specialized providers are moving beyond pure storage to offer media-centric features. Per StorageNewsletter, June 2024, Backblaze launched 'B2 Live Read,' a patent-pending service allowing video editors to access and transform content while it is still being uploaded, targeting the live event production market. Cloudflare R2 also reported triple-digit growth through late 2025, according to internal company data, as developers leverage its zero-egress model to power API-driven and high-retrieval applications. Market data from 2025 indicates that the global cloud object storage market is projected to reach $9.49 billion by the end of the year, growing at a 16% CAGR. This growth is being driven by the shift toward using object storage as a primary data layer for AI/ML pipelines and high-velocity analytics. As of May 2026, DigitalOcean and Akamai (via its Linode acquisition) have also upgraded their infrastructure to better compete on performance, with Akamai rolling out 'Gen2' upgrades to support lower-latency media delivery across its global edge network.
Read full article at aimultiple.com
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