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File Storage · head to head

MinIO vs Scality RING

MinIO logo

MinIO

File Storage

S3-compatible object storage server you run yourself, now under AGPL with a stripped community edition

From
Free
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

  • Only MinIO has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: 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.; 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: MinIO covers S3 API implementation, 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 MinIO and Scality RING actually diverge.

Attributes where MinIO and Scality RING differ
AttributeMinIOScality RING
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelOpen source, no licence feequote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsLinux, macOS, Windows, Kubernetes, DockerLinux

Identical on both: 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 MinIO

  • S3 API implementation
  • Single binary deployment
  • Bucket replication
  • Object locking and versioning
  • Identity provider integration

Only in Scality RING

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

Both cover

  • Erasure coding

What people use each for

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

MinIO

  • Providing an S3 endpoint inside an air gapped or regulated network where a cloud bucket is not permittednot Scality RING
  • Backing a Kubernetes platform with object storage that lives on the same hardware as the clusternot Scality RING
  • Standing up S3 semantics in CI so tests exercise the same API path as productionnot Scality RING
  • Fronting local disk shelves with an S3 interface so applications only ever learn one storage APInot Scality RING

Scality RING

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

Where each one falls short

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

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.

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

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

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 MinIO if

  • You need s3 api implementation.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, macOS, Windows, Kubernetes, Docker.
  • You also want single binary deployment.
MinIO 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 MinIO or Scality RING better?
Neither clearly leads. MinIO starts at Free and Scality RING at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, MinIO or Scality RING?
MinIO has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for MinIO and On request for Scality RING.
Does MinIO or Scality RING run on more platforms?
MinIO runs on Linux, macOS, Windows, Kubernetes, Docker. Scality RING runs on Linux.
Can I use MinIO for free?
Yes. MinIO has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Scality RING starts at On request.
What is MinIO best used for?
MinIO is most often used for providing an s3 endpoint inside an air gapped or regulated network where a cloud bucket is not permitted, backing a kubernetes platform with object storage that lives on the same hardware as the cluster, standing up s3 semantics in ci so tests exercise the same api path as production, fronting local disk shelves with an s3 interface so applications only ever learn one storage api. Of those, providing an s3 endpoint inside an air gapped or regulated network where a cloud bucket is not permitted and backing a kubernetes platform with object storage that lives on the same hardware as the cluster are not what Scality RING is typically brought in for.
What can MinIO do that Scality RING cannot?
MinIO covers S3 API implementation, Single binary deployment, Bucket replication, Object locking and versioning. Scality RING covers S3-compatible object storage, File and object access, Object lock, Multi-site geodistribution. Both handle Erasure coding.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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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