Backblaze B2 and Cloudflare R2 are both object storage services that people often consider as affordable and flexible alternatives to AWS S3. Although they look similar, each service has its own strengths and ideal use cases.
If you are building something heavily file based such as an image hosting service, static asset delivery, or a backup system, choosing the right storage solution can save a lot of money and improve performance.
When Is Backblaze B2 a Good Fit?
Backblaze B2 is excellent when your storage needs focus on low cost pricing and large volumes of data that are not accessed very frequently.
Common scenarios where B2 works really well:
• Database and server backups
• Long term archiving and cold storage
• Server logs, large documents, older data
• Internal storage without global delivery needs
• Large files for backend pipelines
In short, if your priority is cheap storage, Backblaze B2 is often the first choice.
You can check the official B2 pricing here:
👉 https://www.backblaze.com/cloud-storage/pricing
When Is Cloudflare R2 a Good Fit?
Cloudflare R2 is ideal for applications that frequently access files, require low latency, and serve users globally.
Common use cases for R2:
• Web assets such as images, fonts, JavaScript, and CSS
• Image hosting and public file delivery
• File based APIs
• Applications running on Cloudflare Workers
• Systems that need global traffic delivery without expensive egress costs
The biggest advantage of R2 is zero egress fees, which completely changes the cost structure for public facing applications.
You can find the full pricing for R2 here:
👉 https://developers.cloudflare.com/r2/pricing
Real Example: ImgPeek Uses Cloudflare R2
My platform ImgPeek is a free image hosting service that allows users to upload and share images quickly. Because the service is public and images are frequently accessed, choosing the right storage layer is crucial.
Why ImgPeek chose Cloudflare R2:
• Images are fetched often, which means egress would be very high
• With R2, egress cost is zero, making operational costs much more predictable
• Automatically integrated with Cloudflare’s global CDN for fast delivery
• Works seamlessly with Cloudflare Workers for extra edge processing
• Financially safer for a free service like image hosting
If ImgPeek used Backblaze B2, the egress cost would grow quickly as traffic increased.
Comparison Table: Backblaze B2 vs Cloudflare R2
| Category | Backblaze B2 | Cloudflare R2 |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Focus | Large, low cost storage | Global file delivery and active apps |
| Storage Pricing | Cheaper per GB | Slightly more expensive |
| Egress Cost | Charges apply | Zero |
| Global Performance | Depends on region | Integrated with Cloudflare CDN |
| Edge Compute Integration | None | Native with Cloudflare Workers |
| Ideal for Public Traffic | Less ideal due to egress fees | Extremely ideal |
| Ideal for Large Files | Very suitable | Still works but not the main strength |
| S3 Compatible | Yes | Yes |
| Ideal Use Cases | Backups, archives, cold data | Web assets, image hosting, file APIs |
Quick Conclusion
If you need cheap storage for backups or archives, choose Backblaze B2.
If you are building a public application that frequently serves files and you want to avoid egress costs, choose Cloudflare R2, just like ImgPeek did.
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