Best for teams that are
- Agencies needing affordable, always-hot cloud storage for active archives [cite: 13, 14]
- Teams using MAMs or NAS devices that need an S3-compatible tier [cite: 14, 15]
- Developers or IT teams comfortable configuring S3-compatible clients [cite: 14]
Skip if
- Non-technical creative teams wanting a plug-and-play 'Dropbox' style app [cite: 13, 16]
- Users needing built-in video playback, transcoding, or commenting tools [cite: 13]
- Teams requiring instant, low-latency access for high-performance editing [cite: 13]
Expert Take
Our analysis shows Backblaze B2 stands out for media workflows specifically due to its TPN Blue Shield status and the innovative 'Live Read' feature, which allows editors to work on files while they are still uploading—a critical capability for live event production. Research indicates that its pricing model, offering free egress up to three times the stored data volume, effectively eliminates the unpredictable retrieval costs associated with competitors like AWS S3. Based on documented integrations with tools like iconik and LucidLink, it functions not just as a locker, but as an active production tier.
Pros
- "Live Read" allows editing during upload
- Free egress up to 3x storage
- TPN Blue Shield security status
- No minimum retention or file size
- Seamless iconik and LucidLink integration
Cons
- Phone support costs $400/mo extra
- Single-thread uploads can be slow
- No native AI media tagging
- Egress fees apply after 3x limit
- Limited native region selection