Filecoin vs Swarm
Filecoin
filecoin.ioSwarm
ethswarm.orgSide by side
| Figure | Filecoin | Swarm |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $2.50/mo | — |
| Free plan | — | — |
| Free trial | Yes | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 7 | 1 |
| Spec score · Decentralized Storage Services | 8.0 (#9) | 7.7 (#14) |
| Integrations | Akave lists Snowflake and Apache Iceberg support, while CIDgravity lists Nextcloud integration. | The maker lists fairOS, Fairdrive, and the Fair Data Protocol as ecosystem tooling for databases, personal data storage, and interoperability; it says these projects are under development and their performance is not guaranteed. |
| Support | The Filecoin community hub points users to documentation, guides, APIs, tools, and community channels including Slack and Discord. | The maker directs users to its Discord community and lists [email protected] for questions or complaints. |
| What it does | Filecoin is a decentralized storage network where users can pay independent providers to store and retrieve data. | Swarm provides decentralized infrastructure for transferring and storing data across a peer-to-peer network. |
Plans
Filecoin
- Filecoin Onchain Cloud$2.50 a month
- Fil One$4.99 a month
- CIDgravity$5 a month
- Lighthouse$12 a month
- Akave CloudPriced on request
- AuroraPriced on request
- RamoPriced on request
In their own words
Filecoin
Filecoin is a decentralized storage network where users pay independent providers to store data and retrieve it later. Proof of Replication verifies that a provider holds a distinct copy, while Proof of Spacetime verifies storage over time. Listed uses include Web3 apps, AI datasets, backups, archives, cultural records, and scientific datasets. The Filecoin Virtual Machine adds smart contracts for logic, automation, and applications built around storage. Filecoin Onchain Cloud lists verifiable storage and retrieval, programmable payments, and a Synapse TypeScript SDK. Integrations listed through other services include Snowflake and Apache Iceberg via Akave, and Nextcloud via CIDgravity. Plans vary: Filecoin Onchain Cloud is $2.50 a month, billed from $2.50 / TB / month with a two-copy minimum; Fil One is $4.99 a month, billed from $4.99 / TB / month. CIDgravity is $5 a month, billed from $5 / TB / month, with the first 2 GiB free. Lighthouse is $12 a month, billed from $12 / 500 GB / month, with the first 5 GB free. Fil One has a free trial. Lotus node installation supports Linux and macOS; Windows is not supported for that installation.