--- title: "Amazon S3 vs Cloudflare R2: Which is Better in 2026? | App Stack Builder" description: "Amazon S3 vs Cloudflare R2 compared for 2026: pricing, free tiers, features, pros & cons. See which object storage tool is the better fit for your startup." source: https://appstackbuilder.com/compare/amazon-s3-vs-cloudflare-r2 retrieved: 2026-11-10 --- ![](https://www.google.com/s2/favicons?domain=aws.amazon.com&sz=128) vs ![](https://www.google.com/s2/favicons?domain=cloudflare.com&sz=128) # Amazon S3 vs Cloudflare R2: Which is Better in 2026? Object Storage [Amazon S3](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/amazon-s3) and [Cloudflare R2](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/cloudflare-r2) are both Object Storage tools, made for different people. Amazon S3 is for anyone building on AWS, and data teams whose tools all expect an S3 bucket. Cloudflare R2 is for apps and data teams whose stored files get downloaded a lot, and who want S3 compatibility without egress bills. Quick verdict There’s no single winner; pick on your constraint. Choose Amazon S3 if your stack already runs on AWS. Choose Cloudflare R2 if you serve user uploads, media or public datasets. ## Amazon S3 vs Cloudflare R2: Side by Side | | Amazon S3 | Cloudflare R2 | | -------------- | --------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------- | | Category | Object Storage | Object Storage | | What it is | Object storage (AWS) | S3-compatible object storage (Cloudflare) | | Storage price | $0.023 per GB-month (first 50 TB, US East) | $0.015 per GB-month | | Egress | Paid after 100 GB a month | Free | | Free access | AWS Free Tier credits | 10 GB a month free | | API | Native S3 | S3-compatible | | Pricing | From $0.023/mo | Free · paid from $0.015/mo | | Starting price | From $0.023/mo | Free tier available | | Free tier | — | ✓ | | Rating | 4.7 | 4.6 | | Best for | Object Storage: AWS, data lakes, integrations | Object Storage: zero egress, S3-compatible, public assets | Ratings are App Stack Builder’s editorial score out of 5, not an average of user reviews. ## Pros & Cons ![](https://www.google.com/s2/favicons?domain=aws.amazon.com&sz=128) [Amazon S3](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/amazon-s3) * ✓Every data tool integrates with it * ✓Many storage classes for cold data * ✓Mature security and lifecycle rules * ✗Egress fees add up for public downloads * ✗Request costs surprise small-file workloads * ✗Pricing has many line items ![](https://www.google.com/s2/favicons?domain=cloudflare.com&sz=128) [Cloudflare R2](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/cloudflare-r2) * ✓Zero egress fees * ✓S3-compatible API * ✓Free monthly allowance * ✓Simple price list * ✗Fewer storage classes than S3 * ✗Smaller ecosystem of native integrations * ✗Class A writes cost more per request than S3 PUTs ## Key Features Compared ### Amazon S3 * ✓S3 Standard: $0.023 per GB-month for the first 50 TB in US East (N. Virginia), falling to $0.021 above 500 TB * ✓PUT, COPY, POST and LIST: $0.005 per 1,000 requests; GET: $0.0004 per 1,000 * ✓First 100 GB a month of data transfer out free, aggregated across AWS * ✓New customers since July 15 2025 get up to $200 in Free Tier credits ### Cloudflare R2 * ✓Standard storage $0.015 per GB-month; Infrequent Access $0.01 plus $0.01 per GB retrieved * ✓Class A operations $4.50 per million; Class B $0.36 per million (Standard) * ✓Egress to the internet is free * ✓Free each month: 10 GB storage, 1 million Class A and 10 million Class B operations * ✓S3-compatible API ### Choose Amazon S3 if… * ✓Your stack already runs on AWS. * ✓You need lifecycle rules and cheaper classes for ageing data. * ✓You want the bucket every data tool supports out of the box. [Amazon S3 review & pricing ](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/amazon-s3) ### Choose Cloudflare R2 if… * ✓You want to start free. Cloudflare R2 has a free tier and Amazon S3 does not. * ✓Budget is tight: paid plans start lower ($0.015/mo vs $0.023/mo). * ✓You serve user uploads, media or public datasets. * ✓You want to switch from S3 without rewriting code. [Cloudflare R2 review & pricing ](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/cloudflare-r2) ## Frequently Asked Questions Is Amazon S3 better than Cloudflare R2?⌄ There’s no single winner; pick on your constraint. Choose Amazon S3 if your stack already runs on AWS. Choose Cloudflare R2 if you serve user uploads, media or public datasets. What is the difference between Amazon S3 and Cloudflare R2?⌄ What it is. Amazon S3: Object storage (AWS). Cloudflare R2: S3-compatible object storage (Cloudflare). Storage price. Amazon S3: $0.023 per GB-month (first 50 TB, US East). Cloudflare R2: $0.015 per GB-month. Egress. Amazon S3: Paid after 100 GB a month. Cloudflare R2: Free. Free access. Amazon S3: AWS Free Tier credits. Cloudflare R2: 10 GB a month free. API. Amazon S3: Native S3\. Cloudflare R2: S3-compatible. Amazon S3 vs Cloudflare R2: which is cheaper?⌄ Amazon S3 pricing: From $0.023/mo. Cloudflare R2 pricing: Free · paid from $0.015/mo. Confirm current pricing on each tool's official site, as plans change. Which is rated higher, Amazon S3 or Cloudflare R2?⌄ On our editorial score, Amazon S3 is 4.7 out of 5 and Cloudflare R2 is 4.6 out of 5, so Amazon S3 is slightly ahead. This is our own score, not an average of user reviews. When should I skip both Amazon S3 and Cloudflare R2?⌄ Skip Amazon S3 if your users download a lot of what you store. Cloudflare R2 charges no egress. Skip Cloudflare R2 if you need archive tiers for data you rarely read. Amazon S3 has more storage classes. Sources · tool facts checked November 2026 1. 1.[Amazon S3 pricingaws.amazon.com ](https://aws.amazon.com/s3/pricing/) 2. 2.[AWS price list API (S3, us-east-1)pricing.us-east-1.amazonaws.com ](https://pricing.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/offers/v1.0/aws/AmazonS3/current/us-east-1/index.json) 3. 3.[Cloudflare R2 pricingdevelopers.cloudflare.com ](https://developers.cloudflare.com/r2/pricing/) See more options in our guide to the [best object storage tools for startups](https://appstackbuilder.com/categories/object-storage). ## Still not sure which to pick? Get a free, AI-powered tech stack, including the best object storage pick for your budget and team, in 60 seconds. [Build my stack free ](https://appstackbuilder.com/build-stack)