Arweave vs Skynet: Frontend Hosting

One-time, perpetual payment: Pay once to store data for 200+ years via a $65M+ endowment pool. This matters for archival dApps, permanent documentation, and NFT metadata where data must be immutable and censorship-resistant forever. Example: ArDrive, Mirror.xyz.

Native execution layer (SmartWeave): Hosts both static assets and serverless logic on-chain. This matters for fully decentralized applications where the entire stack, including backend logic, must be permanent and verifiable. Example: Arweave-based DeFi protocols like Verto.

Sub-second global latency: Leverages a network of 1,000+ portals for edge caching. This matters for user-facing web apps and games requiring fast load times and a traditional web experience. Example: SkyFeed, decentralized video streaming.

Mutable File System (SkyFS): Supports file updates, renames, and deletions with user-controlled permissions. This matters for collaborative apps, wikis, and social platforms where content needs to evolve, unlike Arweave's strictly append-only model.

One-time, perpetual storage fee: Pay once for 200+ years of guaranteed data persistence via the endowment model. This is critical for mission-critical dApp frontends and archival data where deletion is not an option. Protocol examples: ArDrive, everFinance.

SmartWeave L2 execution: Frontends can interact with lazy-evaluated, storage-based smart contracts on-chain. This matters for fully decentralized applications where logic and state must be permanently coupled, as seen with Verto (DEX) and Arweave Name System (ANS).

Mutable data and portals: Skynet Skapps support dynamic updates and user-owned data silos via Skylinks. This is superior for social apps, collaborative tools, and user-generated content platforms requiring frequent state changes, similar to SkyFeed.

Pay-as-you-go pricing model: Costs scale with usage and data changes, not a large upfront perpetual fee. This is optimal for prototyping, iterative development, and applications with high churn or update frequency, avoiding Arweave's permanent storage cost for transient data.

Data immutability trade-off: Updating a frontend requires deploying a new bundle and updating pointers. This adds complexity for rapidly evolving applications and increases cost for teams practicing continuous deployment.

Single entity control: Skynet was developed and primarily maintained by Skynet Labs, which has pivoted focus. This creates dependency risk and long-term protocol maintenance concerns for enterprises, unlike Arweave's broader, permissionless developer ecosystem.

Supports mutable data: Uses Sia's file contracts for updatable content, enabling traditional web app workflows. This matters for hosting React, Vue, or Next.js applications that require frequent updates without redeploying the entire site.

Pay-as-you-go rental model: Hosting is a recurring storage fee (~$0.50/TB/month on Sia), not a large upfront purchase. This matters for prototyping or MVPs where long-term permanence isn't the primary goal.

Pay once, store forever: Uses a $AR endowment for ~200 years of guaranteed storage. This matters for critical frontends (like governance dashboards or documentation) where link rot and censorship resistance are non-negotiable.

Mature developer stack: Bundlr for batch uploads, ArNS for human-readable names, and Irys for L2 scaling. This matters for production deployments requiring reliable tooling, as seen with projects like Solana's Phantom Wallet frontend.

Limited tooling and adoption: The developer ecosystem and third-party services (like naming systems) are less developed compared to Arweave. This matters for teams needing proven, battle-tested infrastructure with ample support.

Permanence requires immutability: To update a site, you must deploy a new bundle. This matters for highly dynamic applications where constant, granular updates are core to the user experience, adding complexity.