Arweave vs Sia
Arweave
arweave.org
Sia
sia.techSide by side
| Figure | Arweave | Sia |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | $7.99/mo |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | Yes |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 0 | 4 |
| Spec score · Decentralized Storage Services | 8.0 (#6) | 8.8 (#4) |
| Integrations | The docs list client integrations for Go, PHP, Scala, Java, C#, JavaScript, TypeScript, and NodeJS. | The S3-compatible s3d gateway is described as working with rclone, Cyberduck, Nextcloud, Duplicati, and any S3 client. |
| Open source | The ar.io API reference says its services follow open source principles and repositories are available under AGPL-3 licenses. | Sia describes itself as an open-source project supported by the nonprofit Sia Foundation and community donations. |
| Support | The developer guide recommends Discord and the GitHub Discussions board for mining questions and support. | The documentation directs users to Discord help channels and [email protected] for assistance. |
| What it does | Arweave describes its network as permanent information storage and a permanent, decentralized web inside an open ledger. | Sia is a decentralized peer-to-peer cloud-storage network in which files are encrypted, fragmented and distributed among independent hosts. |
Plans
In their own words
Arweave
Arweave is a decentralized network for permanent information storage in an open ledger, with a permanent web built on that storage. Its stated uses include preserving important data and hosting decentralized web apps; people can upload files or create a homepage on the permaweb. Transaction fees are set dynamically by the network, and the documentation recommends checking the price endpoint close to submission. The HTTP-based protocol works with existing clients such as Axios, Fetch, and Guzzle. Listed client integrations cover Go, PHP, Scala, Java, C#, JavaScript, TypeScript, and NodeJS. Node software can be installed from pre-built binaries or built from source; documented roles include solo, coordinated, and pool mining, VDF server, and validator. Arweave describes content as timestamped and tamper-proof through the blockweave, with data integrity checks using transaction data in block hashes and recall blocks. Once one or more miners store data, there is no guaranteed way to delete it, and the policy advises against storing cleartext personal or confidential information. Wallets store private keys; lost key files cannot be recovered by wallet providers.
Sia
Sia offers encrypted, decentralized cloud storage through a consumer app and tools for developers building storage into applications. Files are encrypted on the user’s device before upload, and Sia says nobody else can read them. The app describes files as redundantly held across independent hosts worldwide, with parallel downloads from multiple hosts. Sia describes its peer-to-peer network as having no central access point or single point of failure. Consumer plans list 50 GB on Free, 500 GB for $7.99 a month on Plus, 5 TB for $14.99 a month on Pro, and 10 TB for $19.99 a month on Unlimited; Unlimited lists 4.99 USD/TB-mo over its included capacity. Separately, the network page lists median prices of $3.53/TB/month for storage at 3X redundancy, $0.03/TB for upload, and $2.25/TB for download. Developers can use storage SDKs for Rust, Go, Python, and JavaScript, or the S3-compatible s3d gateway with rclone, Cyberduck, Nextcloud, and Duplicati. The SDK can connect to an indexer hosted by the user.