File Storage · head to head
IDrive e2 vs MinIO
IDrive e2
File Storage
Low cost S3-compatible object storage with egress included up to a multiple of what you store
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
MinIO
File Storage
S3-compatible object storage server you run yourself, now under AGPL with a stripped community edition
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: IDrive e2 the included egress is capped as a multiple of stored data, so a small bucket that serves a lot of traffic exhausts the allowance quickly and the economics stop looking cheap exactly where a CDN backed store would still be free.; MinIO the AGPL v3 licence applies copyleft over network use, so embedding MinIO in a product or hosted service obliges you to release your own source or buy a commercial licence, and legal review has removed it from several vendor stacks for this reason alone.
- They diverge on capability: IDrive e2 covers S3-compatible endpoints, MinIO covers S3 API implementation.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which IDrive e2 and MinIO actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 IDrive e2
- S3-compatible endpoints
- Included egress allowance
- Object lock
- Versioning
- Regional endpoints
- Cross region replication
Only in MinIO
- S3 API implementation
- Erasure coding
- Single binary deployment
- Bucket replication
- Object locking and versioning
- Identity provider integration
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
IDrive e2
- The offsite copy in a three two one backup chain driven by Veeam, restic or a NAS backup clientnot MinIO
- Replacing an S3 bucket whose cost is dominated by storage rather than by requestsnot MinIO
- Small teams who want predictable monthly object storage billing with no request line itemsnot MinIO
- Archiving media or logs that must stay accessible without a retrieval delaynot MinIO
MinIO
- Providing an S3 endpoint inside an air gapped or regulated network where a cloud bucket is not permittednot IDrive e2
- Backing a Kubernetes platform with object storage that lives on the same hardware as the clusternot IDrive e2
- Standing up S3 semantics in CI so tests exercise the same API path as productionnot IDrive e2
- Fronting local disk shelves with an S3 interface so applications only ever learn one storage APInot IDrive e2
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
IDrive e2
- The included egress is capped as a multiple of stored data, so a small bucket that serves a lot of traffic exhausts the allowance quickly and the economics stop looking cheap exactly where a CDN backed store would still be free.
- The region list is short compared with the hyperscalers, so data residency requirements outside the main markets are hard to satisfy and multi region designs have fewer options.
- S3 compatibility covers the common calls but not the long tail, so software that relies on less common features can fail in ways that are hard to diagnose against a provider with thin public documentation.
- Support is organised around a consumer and small business backup product rather than a platform engineering organisation, so escalating a storage layer problem takes longer than it would with a specialist provider.
- IDrive publishes far less about the underlying architecture, durability engineering and incident history than its competitors, so due diligence on the storage layer is largely taking the vendor at its word.
MinIO
- The AGPL v3 licence applies copyleft over network use, so embedding MinIO in a product or hosted service obliges you to release your own source or buy a commercial licence, and legal review has removed it from several vendor stacks for this reason alone.
- The community edition console was reduced in 2025 to an object browser, so user, policy, bucket and configuration management now happen through the mc command line client or through the paid product, which is a real operational regression for teams that trained staff on the UI.
- The vendor has changed the terms of the free edition twice, so planning long lived infrastructure around the community build carries the risk that the next change removes something you depend on.
- Erasure coded deployments cannot be grown by adding single drives; capacity is added in server pools, so expansion is a hardware purchase in units rather than an incremental one.
- Commercial pricing is capacity based and aimed at large deployments, so a team that outgrows the community edition faces an enterprise sized quote rather than a graduated upgrade path.
Pricing, plan by plan
IDrive e2
Free- FreeFree
- 10 GB stored
- S3 API access
- Egress within the included allowance
- Pay as you go$4/month
- Roughly 4 USD per terabyte stored per month
- Egress included up to a multiple of stored data
- No per operation charge on standard usage
MinIO
Free- Community (AGPL v3)Free
- Full server functionality
- Erasure coding and replication
- Object browser only in the web console
- AIStor$undefined/year
- Commercial licence removing AGPL obligations
- Full management console
- Vendor support with response commitments
Which should you pick?
Choose IDrive e2 if
- You need s3-compatible endpoints.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, API.
- You also want included egress allowance.
Choose MinIO if
- You need s3 api implementation.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Linux, macOS, Windows, Kubernetes, Docker.
- You also want erasure coding.
Questions people ask
- Is IDrive e2 or MinIO better?
- Neither clearly leads. IDrive e2 starts at Free and MinIO at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, IDrive e2 or MinIO?
- IDrive e2 starts at Free and MinIO at Free.
- Does IDrive e2 or MinIO run on more platforms?
- IDrive e2 runs on Web, API. MinIO runs on Linux, macOS, Windows, Kubernetes, Docker.
- Can I use IDrive e2 for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is IDrive e2 best used for?
- IDrive e2 is most often used for the offsite copy in a three two one backup chain driven by veeam, restic or a nas backup client, replacing an s3 bucket whose cost is dominated by storage rather than by requests, small teams who want predictable monthly object storage billing with no request line items, archiving media or logs that must stay accessible without a retrieval delay. Of those, the offsite copy in a three two one backup chain driven by veeam, restic or a nas backup client and replacing an s3 bucket whose cost is dominated by storage rather than by requests are not what MinIO is typically brought in for.
- What can IDrive e2 do that MinIO cannot?
- IDrive e2 covers S3-compatible endpoints, Included egress allowance, Object lock, Versioning. MinIO covers S3 API implementation, Erasure coding, Single binary deployment, Bucket replication.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
IDrive e2: Is the egress genuinely free?
It is included up to an allowance tied to how much you store, not unlimited. Read heavy workloads on a small bucket will exceed it.
MinIO: Can I still use MinIO for free?
Yes, the AGPL v3 server remains available and functional. What changed is the console, which no longer manages users, policies or configuration in the community build.
IDrive e2: Does it work with Veeam and restic?
Yes, both treat it as a standard S3 endpoint, and object lock is supported for immutable backup chains.
MinIO: Does AGPL affect me if I only use it internally?
Internal use without offering the software over a network to third parties generally does not trigger the source obligation, but if MinIO forms part of a service you offer to others, it does. Take advice rather than a forum answer.
IDrive e2: Is there a minimum retention period?
No fixed minimum retention charge on standard storage, which is a real difference from providers that bill ninety days on early deletion.
MinIO: What replaced the community console features?
The mc client and the server admin API. Third party UIs exist but they are not maintained by MinIO.
IDrive e2: How does it compare with Backblaze B2?
The rates are close. B2 is the better documented and more widely integrated service; e2 is cheaper at list and has a different egress allowance model.
MinIO: Is it suitable as a Veeam or restic backup target?
Yes, object locking and versioning work and both tools treat it as standard S3. Immutability depends on configuring the lock policy at bucket creation.
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