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File Storage · head to head

Cloudian vs Rook

Cloudian logo

Cloudian

File Storage

S3-compatible on-premises object storage with object lock immutability

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Rook logo

Rook

Cloud

Kubernetes operator that deploys and manages Ceph storage clusters

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Rook has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Cloudian you operate the hardware, so capacity planning, firmware, node failures and a refresh cycle every five years return as costs that a public cloud bill hides.; Rook rook automates Ceph but does not abstract it, so an incident still demands Ceph expertise, and organisations without it end up hiring consultants at exactly the wrong moment.
  • They diverge on capability: Cloudian covers S3 API compatibility, Rook covers Ceph operator.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Cloudian and Rook actually diverge.

Attributes where Cloudian and Rook differ
AttributeCloudianRook
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelquoteOpen source, no licence fee
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsLinuxLinux, Kubernetes
CategoryFile StorageCloud

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).

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 Cloudian

  • S3 API compatibility
  • Object Lock
  • Multi-tenancy
  • Hybrid tiering
  • HyperStore appliances

Only in Rook

  • Ceph operator
  • Block, file and object
  • CSI driver
  • Automated upgrades
  • Multi-cluster mirroring

Both cover

  • Erasure coding

What people use each for

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

Cloudian

  • A backup team needing an immutable target so a compromised administrator account cannot delete the backupsnot Rook
  • An organisation restoring hundreds of terabytes regularly where public cloud egress charges make cloud storage untenablenot Rook
  • A university or government body with data residency rules preventing use of public cloud object storagenot Rook
  • A media archive holding petabytes of finished content where per-terabyte capital cost beats per-gigabyte monthly cloud feesnot Rook

Rook

  • An on-premises Kubernetes platform needing block, shared filesystem and S3 storage without buying three productsnot Cloudian
  • A team that already runs Ceph and wants its lifecycle managed declaratively inside Kubernetesnot Cloudian
  • A large cluster where three-way replication overhead is unaffordable and erasure coding is requirednot Cloudian
  • An organisation building a private cloud that cannot use managed cloud storage services for residency reasonsnot Cloudian

Where each one falls short

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

Cloudian

  • You operate the hardware, so capacity planning, firmware, node failures and a refresh cycle every five years return as costs that a public cloud bill hides.
  • Per-terabyte licensing plus servers means high upfront cost, and the crossover point against public cloud only arrives at meaningful scale, typically hundreds of terabytes and up.
  • S3 compatibility is high but not identical to Amazon, so occasional applications depending on newer or less common S3 features need testing rather than assumption.
  • Small deployments need a minimum node count for erasure coding to be meaningful, which sets a practical floor on entry cost regardless of how little data you have.
  • Performance is object storage performance, so it is not a substitute for block or high-throughput file storage and buyers occasionally deploy it for the wrong workload.

Rook

  • Rook automates Ceph but does not abstract it, so an incident still demands Ceph expertise, and organisations without it end up hiring consultants at exactly the wrong moment.
  • There is no vendor and no SLA; the realistic commercial support routes are IBM Red Hat OpenShift Data Foundation or an independent Ceph consultancy, both of which change the cost picture entirely.
  • Ceph is resource hungry, needing substantial memory and dedicated disks per OSD, so the hardware cost of a properly sized cluster is often underestimated.
  • Recovery and rebalancing after a disk or node failure generates heavy background input and output that can degrade application performance for hours, which surprises teams sizing for steady state.
  • Minimum viable clusters require several nodes with several disks each, so it is impractical at small scale and the entry hardware cost exceeds simpler alternatives.

Pricing, plan by plan

Cloudian

On request
  • Cloudian HyperStore$undefined/year
    • Licensed per usable terabyte, subscription or perpetual
    • Software-only on your hardware or as Cloudian appliances
    • No egress or API request charges

Rook

Free
  • RookFree
    • Apache 2.0 licensed, no licence fee
    • Graduated CNCF project
    • Community support via GitHub and Slack only

Which should you pick?

Choose Cloudian if

  • You need s3 api compatibility.
  • You work on Linux.
  • You also want object lock.
Cloudian review

Choose Rook if

  • You need ceph operator.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Kubernetes.
  • You also want block, file and object.
Rook review

Questions people ask

Is Cloudian or Rook better?
Neither clearly leads. Cloudian starts at On request and Rook at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Cloudian or Rook?
Rook has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Cloudian and Free for Rook.
Does Cloudian or Rook run on more platforms?
Cloudian runs on Linux. Rook runs on Linux, Kubernetes.
Can I use Rook for free?
Yes. Rook has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Cloudian starts at On request.
What is Cloudian best used for?
Cloudian is most often used for a backup team needing an immutable target so a compromised administrator account cannot delete the backups, an organisation restoring hundreds of terabytes regularly where public cloud egress charges make cloud storage untenable, a university or government body with data residency rules preventing use of public cloud object storage, a media archive holding petabytes of finished content where per-terabyte capital cost beats per-gigabyte monthly cloud fees. Of those, a backup team needing an immutable target so a compromised administrator account cannot delete the backups and an organisation restoring hundreds of terabytes regularly where public cloud egress charges make cloud storage untenable are not what Rook is typically brought in for.
What can Cloudian do that Rook cannot?
Cloudian covers S3 API compatibility, Object Lock, Multi-tenancy, Hybrid tiering. Rook covers Ceph operator, Block, file and object, CSI driver, Automated upgrades. Both handle Erasure coding.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Cloudian: Does object lock really stop ransomware deleting backups?

Within the retention period, yes, provided the lock is set in compliance mode. That is precisely why it is the common answer to backup-targeting ransomware.

Rook: Who supports it in production?

Nobody by default. IBM sells Red Hat OpenShift Data Foundation, which is supported Rook and Ceph, and independent consultancies sell Ceph support. Decide this before deployment.

Cloudian: Are there egress charges?

No. That is the central cost argument against public cloud object storage, and it only becomes visible when you have to restore at volume.

Rook: Does it need Ceph knowledge?

Yes. Rook handles deployment and routine operations, but troubleshooting a degraded cluster is a Ceph skill and there is no way around it.

Cloudian: Can we use our own servers?

Yes, HyperStore is software-defined and runs on qualified commodity hardware, or you can buy Cloudian appliances if you would rather not certify your own.

Rook: Can it replace an object storage appliance?

Functionally yes, through the RADOS gateway, but you take on the operations that an appliance vendor would otherwise carry.

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