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Cheap object storage for backups europe: a practical survey

Finding cheap object storage for backups europe is easier than ever, but price alone can hide GDPR, egress and restore-performance trade-offs. This guide helps EU companies compare low-cost options and pick a safe, cost-effective offsite backup strategy.

Why choose low-cost object storage for backups?

Object storage (S3-compatible or similar) scales well for backup snapshots, archives and versioned datasets. For many EU businesses, cheap object storage is attractive because it reduces recurring costs while keeping data offsite for disaster recovery.

• Lower per‑GB costs for long retention.
• Simple S3-compatible integrations with backup tools (Restic, rclone, Veeam, Borg).
• Geographic region selection to help meet data residency needs.

Top low-cost object storage providers to consider

Below is a practical shortlist of providers with European regions. Prices and terms change frequently — always check each vendor’s pricing page and T&Cs before committing.

Backblaze B2 (Amsterdam)

Backblaze B2 is a popular low-cost option with an Amsterdam region. It offers low storage prices and wide integration support. Note: egress and download fees apply — include them in restore cost estimates.

Backblaze B2 pricing

Wasabi (EU region)

Wasabi advertises very low storage costs and (historically) no egress or API request charges for standard usage. That can make restores much cheaper, but verify current policies and SLAs for your region.

Wasabi pricing

Hetzner Object Storage (Germany)

Hetzner offers competitive European pricing and simple billing. Their object storage is suitable when you need a low-cost German-hosted option; check included transfer quotas and any per-GB transfer charges.

Hetzner object storage

OVHcloud (Multiple EU DCs)

OVHcloud provides object storage across EU datacentres, often with attractive regional pricing and local presence (e.g., France, Spain, Germany). OVH’s ecosystem is useful if you want other cloud services under one vendor.

OVHcloud object storage

Scaleway (France)

Scaleway offers S3-compatible storage in Paris with transparent pricing and EU residency. Good choice for companies seeking a French provider and flexible storage tiers.

Scaleway object storage

Other options

• DigitalOcean Spaces (Amsterdam) — simple pricing, developer-friendly.
• Bunny.net Storage — inexpensive and global, with EU POPs; check SLA and retention features.

Key considerations: GDPR, egress and restore performance

Cheap storage matters, but these operational and legal factors often change the total cost and risk profile.

1. GDPR and data residency

• Choose an EU region (or a specific country) if your data residency policy requires it. The EU GDPR text governs personal data processing — check if cross‑border transfers are involved.
• Confirm the provider will sign a Data Processing Agreement (DPA). See our Data Processing Agreement (DPA) for how a processor relationship should look.

2. Egress and request costs

Restore operations (egress) can dominate monthly bills when you need to recover large datasets or perform full-site restores. Compare:

• Per-GB egress fees.
• Per-request (GET/PUT/LIST) fees and small-object costs.
• Any free egress allowances or tiered discounts.

3. Restore performance and throughput

Restore speed depends on provider transfer limits, your internet link, and whether the vendor supports high-concurrency downloads. Test restores and measure time-to-recover (TTR) before relying on a provider for critical DR.

4. Durability, versioning and immutability

For backup use, ensure the provider offers high durability, object versioning and (if needed) object lock or WORM support to defend against accidental deletion and ransomware.

5. Compliance, certifications and location of support

Look for ISO 27001, SOC2, and local compliance assurances. Local EU support and datacenter presence (for example, a local datacenter backup in Spain benefits Spanish companies by lowering latency and simplifying compliance) can be decisive.

Local datacenter backup in Spain benefits

Choosing storage in Spain or working with a Spanish datacenter gives concrete advantages:

• Lower latency for local restores and faster full-site recovery.
• Simpler proof of EU/Spain data residency for audits and contracts.
• Easier legal correspondence and local support hours.

If you process Spanish personal data, pairing an EU-hosted provider with a signed DPA (see our DPA) and referencing privacy terms (see AgooCloud Privacy Policy) reduces compliance friction.

How to compare providers: a quick checklist

1. Storage price per GB and projected monthly cost for expected retention.
2. Egress per GB and expected restore scenarios (test a full restore).
3. API request pricing and cost for many small objects.
4. Region availability and EU residency guarantees.
5. Durability SLA, versioning, and object lock support.
6. Security: encryption at rest/in transit and key management options.
7. Integration compatibility (S3 API, rclone, restic, Veeam, etc.).
8. Support, certifications, and DPA availability.

Bring-your-own-storage backup integrations

Many backup apps support bring-your-own-storage backup integrations — that is, you can point your backup software to any S3-compatible endpoint. This gives flexibility to:

• Shop for the cheapest storage while using familiar backup tooling.
• Split backups across providers for redundancy.

Common tools and integrations: Restic, rclone, Duplicity, Borg (with rclone), Veeam, and many managed backup services. When using BYOS, encrypt client-side and control keys yourself for maximum security.

Practical recommendation

For most small and mid-sized EU companies: start with a low-cost EU provider (Backblaze, Hetzner, Wasabi, Scaleway or OVH) and run a two-month proof-of-concept that includes restore tests and a cost-model for egress. If legal or latency reasons require it, prefer a local datacenter backup in Spain or your home country.

Want a simple starting point? Our Backup for Small Business guide shows how to combine managed backups with affordable EU storage. Individuals should read our Backup for Individuals article for simpler use cases.

Conclusion

Choosing cheap object storage for backups europe is a trade-off between raw storage price and the real costs of restores, egress, compliance and support. Use the checklist above, test restores, confirm DPAs and encryption, and consider local datacenter options if residency or latency matters.