Google Cloud Storage vs Linode Object Storage
Linode Object Storage is cheaper across every workload modelled here.
List prices checked
Rate cards side by side
Only the axes at least one of them bills on. A dash means that provider does not charge for it.
| Billing axis | Google Cloud Storage | Linode Object Storage | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry plan | — | $5.00/mo | — |
| Storage | $0.020/GB-mo | $0.020/GB-mo | Same |
| Data transfer out | $0.120/GB | $0.0050/GB | 24× Linode Object Storage |
| Free tier | Yes | No | — |
Source: Google pricing (May 2026) · Akamai pricing (May 2026). Published list prices only — committed-use discounts, regional variation, and per-request charges are not included. Not yet independently re-checked against the vendor’s page.
Monthly cost for three real workloads
The rate cards applied to identical usage. This is where the winner changes.
| Workload | Google Cloud Storage | Linode Object Storage | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Side projectA personal site or small app with modest traffic, a few gigabytes of assets, and one small always-on process. | $12 | $0.40 | Linode Object Storagesaves $12/mo (97%) |
| Growing SaaSA funded product serving a few thousand daily users, with an image-heavy frontend and two application servers. | $130 | $10 | Linode Object Storagesaves $120/mo (92%) |
| Media-heavy siteA publisher or video product where delivery dominates the bill and compute is almost an afterthought. | $1,240 | $85 | Linode Object Storagesaves $1,155/mo (93%) |
Workload definitions are identical on every comparison page, so figures here can be read against any other pair in the same category.
What each one is for
Google Cloud Storage
by Google
Google's object store, priced slightly under S3 on storage and above it on egress. Worth using when the compute reading the data already sits in the same region.
Free tier: 5 GB-month always free in US regions
Linode Object Storage
by Akamai
A flat $5 per month for 250 GB and 1 TB of transfer, with no per-request charges — which removes the API-call line item that complicates S3 modelling.
Common questions
- Is Google Cloud Storage or Linode Object Storage cheaper in 2026?
- Linode Object Storage is cheaper in all 3 modelled workloads.
- What is the difference in egress cost between Google Cloud Storage and Linode Object Storage?
- Linode Object Storage charges $0.0050 per GB against Google Cloud Storage's $0.120, roughly 24× cheaper. Egress usually dominates the bill once traffic is measured in terabytes.
- Which has the better free tier, Google Cloud Storage or Linode Object Storage?
- Google Cloud Storage does — 5 GB-month always free in US regions. Linode Object Storage bills from the first unit of usage.
- What do these estimates not include?
- Committed-use and reserved discounts, regional price variation, per-request API charges, support plans, and minimum retention periods. All of those move real invoices, sometimes by a lot. These figures compare published list prices for the same workload, which is the comparison the rate cards alone cannot give you.