Smelt Cloud vs Backblaze B2
Backblaze B2 is one of the lowest-cost S3-compatible object stores, at $6 per terabyte-month with a generous free-egress allowance. Smelt competes on owned, dedicated capacity: committed storage at roughly a fraction of B2's rate, with a dedicated all-flash tier and compute on the same platform.
Backblaze B2 figures verified Jun 15, 2026
| Dimension | Backblaze B2 | Smelt Cloud |
|---|---|---|
| Storage price | $6 / TB-month ($0.006/GB) | Vault ~$0.49 / TB-month · Molten ~$4 / TB-month (3-yr effective) |
| Egress | Free up to 3x stored / month, then $0.01/GB | Free |
| Tenancy | Multi-tenant serverless object storage | Dedicated capacity on owned hardware |
| Flash / IOPS tier | Object storage only | All-flash Molten — millions of native NVMe IOPS |
| Beyond storage | Storage-focused | Storage, compute, and AI inference on one stack |
Comparisons match the closest Backblaze B2 configuration by cores and memory (compute) or by cost per terabyte (storage), and normalize for included storage and egress. Specs for both sides are shown so you can judge the fit.
Smelt Cloud as a Backblaze B2 alternative
As a Backblaze B2 alternative, Smelt's pitch is committed scale and dedication. B2 is excellent low-cost multi-tenant object storage with no capacity planning. Smelt is dedicated hardware you do not share, with bulk capacity around $0.49 per terabyte-month and an all-flash hot tier B2 does not offer, plus compute and AI inference colocated. For large committed datasets or hot workloads, Smelt costs less and is faster; for hands-off low-volume object storage, B2 is hard to beat.
Lower cost at committed scale
B2 at $6 per terabyte-month is already aggressive. Smelt's owned Vault capacity at roughly $0.49 is about an order of magnitude lower for committed bulk storage.
A dedicated hot tier
B2 is a single object-storage tier. Smelt adds all-flash Molten for IOPS-bound hot data, on dedicated hardware rather than a shared pool.
Unconditional free egress
B2's free egress is capped at 3x your stored volume per month before $0.01 per gigabyte applies. Smelt's egress is free on the included allowance with no multiple-of-storage condition.
Where Backblaze B2 is the better fit
B2 is fully serverless with no commitment, no capacity planning, and a mature ecosystem of integrations, and its CDN partnerships make egress free to many destinations. For low-volume, hands-off, or unpredictable object storage, B2 is excellent and likely simpler. Smelt wins on committed capacity, a dedicated flash tier, and colocating storage with compute and inference.
Questions, answered.
Does Smelt cost less than Backblaze B2?
For committed bulk capacity, yes — roughly an order of magnitude lower per terabyte than B2's $6 per terabyte-month. For small, unpredictable workloads, B2's pure usage-based model may be simpler and competitive.
Is Smelt S3-compatible like B2?
Yes — object storage is exposed over an S3-compatible API, the same interface most teams use with B2.
How does egress compare?
B2 includes free egress up to three times your stored volume each month, then charges $0.01 per gigabyte. Smelt includes free egress on its allowance without the multiple-of-storage condition.
- Backblaze B2 Cloud Storage pricing — verified Jun 15, 2026
Backblaze B2 and other names are trademarks of their respective owners. Smelt Cloud is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Backblaze B2. Figures shown are the competitor's public list prices as of the dates above and may change; Smelt figures are effective rates described in our documentation. This comparison is provided for informational purposes.
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