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File Storage · head to head

Backblaze vs Scality RING

Backblaze logo

Backblaze

File Storage

Unlimited cloud backup at an affordable price

From
$9/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Scality RING logo

Scality RING

File Storage

Petabyte-scale object storage software on your own hardware

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Backblaze personal Backup is $99 a year billed annually, with no monthly option; Scality RING hardware is bought separately, so the software quote understates total cost and the buyer carries the sizing risk if the drive and server specification is wrong.
  • They diverge on capability: Backblaze covers Unlimited backup, Scality RING covers S3-compatible object storage.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Backblaze and Scality RING actually diverge.

Attributes where Backblaze and Scality RING differ
AttributeBackblazeScality RING
Starting price$9/monthOn request
Pricing modelUnknownquote
PlatformsWindows, macOS, WebLinux
Founded2007Unknown

Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (File Storage).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Backblaze

  • Unlimited backup
  • Continuous backup
  • Version history
  • Private encryption key
  • Restore by mail
  • Mobile apps
  • macOS
  • Windows

Only in Scality RING

  • S3-compatible object storage
  • File and object access
  • Erasure coding
  • Object lock
  • Multi-site geodistribution
  • Hardware independence
  • ARTESCA

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Backblaze

  • Unlimited backup of a personal computer and external drivesnot Scality RING
  • Restoring files from anywhere through the webnot Scality RING
  • Mailed hard drive restore for large recoveriesnot Scality RING
  • Private encryption key control for sensitive datanot Scality RING

Scality RING

  • A broadcaster archiving decades of video where hyperscaler storage and egress costs would be prohibitivenot Backblaze
  • A hospital group holding medical imaging on premises for data residency and retention reasonsnot Backblaze
  • An enterprise building an immutable on premises backup target for Veeam or Commvault with object locknot Backblaze
  • A service provider offering S3-compatible storage to its own customers on hardware it controlsnot Backblaze

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Backblaze

  • Personal Backup is $99 a year billed annually, with no monthly option
  • Web restores are capped at 500GB per request
  • Forever version history is a Business tier add-on rather than included
  • Administrative controls and SSO are Business features
  • Backs up user data from a computer and attached drives, so NAS and server backup are not covered by the personal plan

Scality RING

  • Hardware is bought separately, so the software quote understates total cost and the buyer carries the sizing risk if the drive and server specification is wrong.
  • Running distributed erasure coded storage requires operations skills, and organisations that expected appliance simplicity end up staffing a storage team they had not budgeted.
  • Rebuild times after a drive failure on large capacity disks are measured in hours or days, and capacity planning has to leave headroom for that degraded window.
  • Pricing is per usable terabyte and quoted, so cost comparisons against cloud object storage require modelling your own retrieval patterns rather than reading a rate card.
  • Small deployments carry a minimum viable node count for erasure coding to work sensibly, which makes the entry footprint larger and less economic than the per-terabyte price implies.

Pricing, plan by plan

Backblaze

$9/month
  • Personal Backup$9/month
    • Unlimited storage for single computer
    • Unlimited version history
    • 30-day trial
  • B2 Cloud Storage$6/TB/month
    • S3-compatible storage
    • Pay-as-you-go model

Scality RING

On request
  • Scality RING$undefined/year
    • Priced per usable terabyte, subscription or perpetual
    • Server hardware purchased separately by the customer
    • Support tiers quoted separately
  • Scality ARTESCA$undefined/year
    • Lighter object store for smaller footprints
    • Priced per usable terabyte
    • Commonly deployed as an immutable backup target

Which should you pick?

Choose Backblaze if

  • You need unlimited backup.
  • You work on Windows, macOS, Web.
  • You also want continuous backup.
Backblaze review

Choose Scality RING if

  • You need s3-compatible object storage.
  • You work on Linux.
  • You also want file and object access.
Scality RING review

Questions people ask

Is Backblaze or Scality RING better?
Neither clearly leads. Backblaze starts at $9/month and Scality RING at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Backblaze or Scality RING?
Backblaze starts at $9/month and Scality RING at On request.
Does Backblaze or Scality RING run on more platforms?
Backblaze runs on Windows, macOS, Web. Scality RING runs on Linux.
What is Backblaze best used for?
Backblaze is most often used for unlimited backup of a personal computer and external drives, restoring files from anywhere through the web, mailed hard drive restore for large recoveries, private encryption key control for sensitive data. Of those, unlimited backup of a personal computer and external drives and restoring files from anywhere through the web are not what Scality RING is typically brought in for.
What can Backblaze do that Scality RING cannot?
Backblaze covers Unlimited backup, Continuous backup, Version history, Private encryption key. Scality RING covers S3-compatible object storage, File and object access, Erasure coding, Object lock.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Backblaze: What is the pricing for Backblaze Personal Backup?

Backblaze Personal Backup costs $9/month on monthly billing or $8.25/month when billed annually, providing unlimited storage for a single computer.

Source
Scality RING: Do we buy hardware from Scality?

No. RING is software; you buy commodity servers and drives yourself, which is the point for buyers who want to rebid hardware at each refresh.

Backblaze: What storage options does Backblaze B2 offer?

Backblaze B2 Cloud Storage is priced at $6/TB per month with a pay-as-you-go model, and is S3 compatible for flexible cloud storage.

Source
Scality RING: Is it S3-compatible enough for backup software?

Yes, it is a common object lock target for Veeam, Commvault and Rubrik. Verify the specific S3 features your backup product needs during a proof of concept.

Backblaze: Does Backblaze support Linux systems?

No. Backblaze does not support Linux operating systems, limiting it to Windows, macOS, and web access only.

Source
Scality RING: What is ARTESCA?

A lighter object store from the same company, aimed at smaller footprints and backup targets rather than multi-petabyte archives.

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