Commercial hosting requires Business ($29/month or $290/year). Free, Pro, and Developer prices below apply to personal and non-commercial use. See our commercial-use terms.
Amazon S3: General-purpose object storage with access policies and lifecycle controls. swiftimg combines image uploads, browser editing, sharing links and an image API. Choose based on the workflow and allowances you need.
swiftimg vs Amazon S3 at a glance
| Feature | swiftimg | Amazon S3 |
|---|---|---|
| Primary workflow | Upload, edit, host and share your images | General-purpose object storage with access policies and lifecycle controls. |
| Evaluate before switching | Browser editor; public hosting on Free; private hosting and Studio on paid plans | Storage requirements that extend beyond hosted images, including custom access and lifecycle policies. |
| Migration work | New image IDs and delivery URLs; API and access rules must be configured | Export only the intended image objects; bucket permissions do not transfer to swiftimg visibility settings. |
Editorial review: . Read the official Amazon S3 documentation and pricing for current details. These are workflow comparisons, not speed benchmarks.
When Amazon S3 is the better choice
Storage requirements that extend beyond hosted images, including custom access and lifecycle policies.
Try a migration with one image
Export only the intended image objects; bucket permissions do not transfer to swiftimg visibility settings.
- Keep your original and existing link while testing.
- Upload an image you own; choose its visibility deliberately.
- Copy the returned direct URL into a test embed. Use the viewer URL when sharing a page.
- Verify rendering, access and required transforms before changing the remaining URLs.
swiftimg vs Amazon S3 — FAQ
Can I keep my existing Amazon S3 URLs?
Uploading an image to swiftimg creates a new URL. Keep a mapping of old and new URLs and update embeds you control. Third-party hostnames cannot be redirected by swiftimg.
How should I compare the cost?
Estimate uploads, stored bytes, delivery, transformations and required features for the same workload. swiftimg commercial hosting requires Business; include applicable storage overages. Check the linked provider page for current terms and prices.
Switching from Amazon S3?
Image hosting for Hugo
Reference swiftimg URLs from Hugo templates and content. Permanent URLs, automatic WebP, and no Hugo image processing on every build.
Image hosting for Eleventy (11ty)
Reference swiftimg URLs from Eleventy templates and Markdown. Permanent URLs, automatic WebP, and no @11ty/eleventy-img runtime needed.
Why image CDN pricing blows up — and how to keep it predictable
Bandwidth-based pricing is where image CDN bills explode. Here's how it works, why it's dangerous on a viral post, and how flat-rate delivery changes the math.
Upload images from your terminal, scripts & ShareX
Three friction-free ways to upload and share images from your desktop: a zero-dependency CLI, a one-line curl helper, and a ShareX custom uploader — all on the swiftimg API.
Weigh it up before you migrate: swiftimg pricing and plan limits next to Amazon S3, and the image hosting API documentation covering uploads, transforms and signed URLs.
Ready to switch from Amazon S3?
Browser uploads and API access are available free. Paid plans add higher limits; Developer and Business include signed transforms and custom domains. Commercial use requires Business.