MinIO vs AWS S3

Self-host swap-in for AWS S3. · Self-host AWS S3 · MinIO on os-alt

MinIO is one of the open-source self-host replacements for AWS S3 — license AGPL-3.0, 5min docker run to stand up, and $5 vps for a few hundred gb; storage cost scales with the disk you attach (e. Compare against AWS S3's $0.023/GB/mo + egress; egress dominates the bill once you serve traffic from S3 below.

	MinIOopen-source	AWS S3paid SaaS
Category	Object storage / blob store	Object storage / blob store
License / pricing	`AGPL-3.0`	$0.023/GB/mo + egress; egress dominates the bill once you serve traffic from S3
Starting price	$0 self-host	$5/user/mo
GitHub	minio/minio ★ 60.9k · last commit 3mo agodead · archived	closed source
Setup time	5min docker run	SaaS — sign up + bill
Monthly cost	$5 VPS for a few hundred GB; storage cost scales with the disk you attach (e.g. Hetzner $7/mo for 1TB).	from $5/user/mo ($0.023/GB/mo + egress; egress dominates the bill once you serve traffic from S3)

Switching from AWS S3 to MinIO

Use `mc mirror` from MinIO Client to copy across: `mc alias set src https://s3.amazonaws.com $AWS_KEY $AWS_SECRET; mc alias set dst https://minio.example.com $MINIO_KEY $MINIO_SECRET; mc mirror src/your-bucket dst/your-bucket`. For app code, change the SDK endpoint to your MinIO URL — bucket names, keys, and IAM-style policies all carry over.

Good fit for: Teams that want a drop-in S3 API on their own hardware, with a polished web console.
Weak at: Erasure-coded multi-node setups need ≥4 drives; AGPL can spook some lawyers.
License note: MinIO relicensed from Apache-2.0 to AGPL-3.0 in 2021; AGPL is fine for internal / private deployments and unmodified self-host.

Other open-source self-host alternatives to AWS S3

SeaweedFS
Apache-2.015min docker-compose (master + volume + filer)$5-10 VPS for small deployments; designed to scale to billions of small files cheaply.
Garage
AGPL-3.020min docker-compose for a 3-node cluster$15/mo for 3 small VPSes geographically spread; Garage is built for low-end, geo-distributed hardware.

In a terminal? npx os-alt aws-s3 prints AWS S3's self-host options — how the CLI works →

FAQ

Is MinIO a free alternative to AWS S3?

Yes — MinIO is open source under AGPL-3.0. Self-host cost: $5 VPS for a few hundred GB; storage cost scales with the disk you attach (e.g. Hetzner $7/mo for 1TB).. AWS S3 starts at $5/user/mo ($0.023/GB/mo + egress; egress dominates the bill once you serve traffic from S3).

How long does MinIO take to set up vs AWS S3?

Self-hosting MinIO: 5min docker run. AWS S3 is a hosted SaaS — sign up and you're in.

What is MinIO good at, and what is it weak at?

Good fit for: Teams that want a drop-in S3 API on their own hardware, with a polished web console.. Weak at: Erasure-coded multi-node setups need ≥4 drives; AGPL can spook some lawyers..