Side by side
Irys vs Swarm
Both stand on decentralized storage services. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.
Paid APIWeb
Irys combines onchain storage with data availability and an EVM-compatible execution environment. Its permissionless upload model and lack of prescreening are important considerations for users.
Visit Irys Paid APILinuxMac+3
Choose Swarm if you are building decentralized applications or want peer-to-peer infrastructure for storing, transferring, and sharing data. Swarm Desktop is in beta and its default lightweight node has a download threshold; publishing data also uses BZZ postage stamps to prepay storage rent.
Visit SwarmThe facts
| Irys | Swarm | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Not published | Not published |
| Open source | Not published | Not published |
| Runs on | API, Web | API, Linux, Mac, Self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| Lowest paid plan | Not published | Free or on request |
| Plans published | None | 1 |
| Maker | Not published | Not published |
| Website | irys.xyz | ethswarm.org |
| On decentralized storage services | #24 of 25 | #20 of 25 |
Irys: what it does well
- Supports flexible storage durations.
- Permissionless uploads and retrieval are available.
- Smart contracts can access and compute on stored data.
- Open-source SDK is published under MIT license.
- Ecosystem directory covers several project areas.
What to know first
- Uploads are not prescreened.
- The network accepts content that may require abuse reporting.
- Confirmed abuse reports may take up to 24 hours to action.
Swarm: what it does well
- Open source code and an open, permissionless network.
- PSS messaging uses end-to-end encryption.
- Bee, Bee-js, Swarm-CLI, and an HTTP API support development.
- Desktop app can upload and share websites.
- Local replication is intended to support availability.
What to know first
- Swarm Desktop is in beta without stability, efficiency, or security guarantees.
- The beta automatically collects data through Sentry monitoring.
- The default ultra-light desktop node has a download threshold.
- Storage publishers prepay rent using BZZ postage stamps.