AWS S3 vs Cloudflare R2
AWS S3 is the original and most widely used object storage service with an enormous ecosystem of compatible tools and services. Cloudflare R2 is S3-compatible storage with a game-changing zero-egress pricing model, making it dramatically cheaper for workloads with high data read/download requirements. R2 is S3's most serious pricing challenger.
Build your own internal tools freeSide-by-side
Object storage for the internet vs Zero-egress object storage.
| Feature | AWS S3 | Cloudflare R2 |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing from | $0.023/GB/mo | $0.015/GB/mo |
| Storage pricing | $0.023/GB/mo (first 50 TB) | $0.015/GB/mo |
| Egress pricing | $0.09/GB (internet egress) | $0 egress to internet |
| Best for | Mature ecosystem, compliance, and enterprise integration | High-download workloads like media, backups, SaaS |
| S3 compatibility | Original S3 API | S3-compatible API |
| CDN | CloudFront (separate pricing) | Cloudflare CDN included free |
| Free tier | 5 GB free for 12 months (new accounts) | 10 GB free forever, 1M operations/mo |
AWS S3 or Cloudflare R2? Who each tool is best for
AWS S3
Object storage for the internet
- Storage pricing: $0.023/GB/mo (first 50 TB)
- Egress pricing: $0.09/GB (internet egress)
- Best for: Mature ecosystem, compliance, and enterprise integration
- S3 compatibility: Original S3 API
Starting from $0.023/GB/mo
Cloudflare R2
Zero-egress object storage
- Storage pricing: $0.015/GB/mo
- Egress pricing: $0 egress to internet
- Best for: High-download workloads like media, backups, SaaS
- S3 compatibility: S3-compatible API
Starting from $0.015/GB/mo
How Appaca works
Appaca is not another SaaS tool to evaluate. It builds you a working app from a plain description — with database, dashboards, and team access — and runs it on the platform.
Describe what you need
Tell Appaca what you need in plain language. No forms, no setup wizard — just describe the job to be done.
Chat with AI to refine it
Appaca AI builds your app and stays available to refine it. Change behaviour, add fields, adjust flows — all in chat.
Use it immediately
Your app runs on Appaca with a built-in database, file storage, and team access. No deployment, no devops.
Everything your team needs, built in
Appaca provides the full stack for internal and personal software — no integrations to wire up, no hosting to manage.
Build and update apps by chatting with AI
Describe what you need and Appaca builds a working app. Come back any time to refine it — add new fields, change behaviour, or extend functionality — all without writing code.
Built-in database and file storage
Every Appaca app comes with a secure database and file storage ready to use. No external service to connect, no schema to design — Appaca handles the data layer automatically.
Connect to services your team already uses
Appaca apps can connect to Google Sheets, Slack, Airtable, and any service that supports an API or webhook — so your app fits into your existing workflow instead of replacing it.
Building software for how your team actually works?
While you're comparing AWS S3 and Cloudflare R2, you might have other tools your team actually builds and maintains — trackers, dashboards, internal workflows. Appaca builds those from a plain description, with a database and team access included. No code, no devops.
- Describe what you need, get a working app in minutes
- Built-in database, dashboards, and team access
- Iterate with chat — no engineer needed
- Free to start, no per-seat pricing
Common questions
R2 offers 99.999999999% (11 nines) durability like S3. Cloudflare's SLA and global infrastructure are enterprise-grade. For most workloads, R2 reliability is comparable to S3.
Yes, R2's S3-compatible API means most S3 SDKs and tools work with R2 by changing the endpoint URL. Cloudflare's Super Slurper tool automates bulk migration from S3 to R2.
Choose S3 for deep AWS ecosystem integration (Lambda triggers, Athena queries, Glue ETL), US government compliance requirements (GovCloud), or when your data already lives within AWS to avoid inter-cloud egress costs.
Appaca is a platform for personal software. You describe what you need and Appaca builds a working app with a database, dashboards, and team access — no code or deployment required. It is not a replacement for the tools compared on this page. Try it free at appaca.ai.