NFT Storage Choices: On-Chain, IPFS, and Arweave for Long-Term Asset Survival

Most NFTs you see online aren’t actually stored on the blockchain. That’s right - the image, video, or audio file linked to your NFT could vanish tomorrow if it’s hosted on a server that goes offline. And it happens more often than you think. A 2023 study found that 37% of NFTs with centralized storage links become unreachable within a year. This isn’t a glitch. It’s a design flaw. If your NFT is just a link to a file on someone else’s server, you don’t own the asset - you own a pointer to something you can’t control.

Why On-Chain Storage Is Rare (And Why It’s Not for You)

On-chain storage means putting the actual digital file directly onto the blockchain, like Ethereum. It sounds ideal: tamper-proof, permanent, no third parties. But here’s the catch - it’s absurdly expensive. Storing just one megabyte on Ethereum costs around $45,000. That’s not a typo. For context, a high-quality JPEG is usually 2-5MB. A 10-second HD video? Easily 50MB. You’d need over $2 million just to store one NFT on-chain.

There are exceptions. CryptoPunks and some early Ethereum projects used on-chain storage, but only because they stored tiny 24x24 pixel images as SVG code. Even then, it took serious optimization. Most creators don’t have the time, skill, or budget to compress complex art into under 10KB of code. If you’re thinking about on-chain storage for your NFT collection, you’re better off skipping it unless you’re working with minimalist vector art or plain text metadata.

IPFS: The Free-but-Fragile Option

IPFS (InterPlanetary File System) is the most common storage solution for NFTs today. Instead of relying on a single server, IPFS stores files across a peer-to-peer network. Each file gets a unique hash (called a CID) based on its content. If you have the CID, you can retrieve the file from anyone who’s holding it.

Sounds great, right? Here’s the problem: IPFS doesn’t guarantee persistence. If no one is actively storing your file, it disappears. That’s why you need “pinning services” - companies like Pinata or Infura that keep your files online 24/7. Without them, your NFT’s image could vanish overnight.

Pinning isn’t free. Pinata’s Business plan costs $499 a month as of early 2026. Many creators end up using multiple pinning services to avoid single points of failure. One developer on Reddit said they switched between three pinning services over 18 months just to keep their collection alive. That’s not storage - that’s a maintenance nightmare.

And even with pinning, IPFS isn’t foolproof. Network congestion, server outages, or a pinning service shutting down can break your NFT’s link. The 2025 “Persistence Layer” update added economic incentives for long-term storage, but it’s still early. For now, IPFS is a good temporary solution - but not a permanent one.

Arweave: Pay Once, Store Forever

Arweave is the only storage option designed from the ground up for permanence. Instead of relying on ongoing payments, Arweave uses a one-time fee to store your data forever. How? It uses a clever economic model called the “blockweave.” Miners don’t just store new data - they’re rewarded for keeping old data accessible. To earn rewards, they must prove they still have copies of random historical blocks. This creates a built-in incentive to preserve everything.

As of January 2026, storing 100MB of data costs about $7.96 in AR tokens. That’s it. No monthly fees. No renewals. No risk of your service shutting down. Once it’s on Arweave, it’s there for good.

This is why 90% of top-selling Solana NFT projects use Arweave. It’s not a preference - it’s survival. When your NFT collection is worth millions, you can’t risk losing the art because a pinning service went bankrupt.

There are downsides. Arweave is immutable. If you need to update your NFT’s image or metadata, you have to upload a completely new file and pay again. There’s no edit button. Also, Arweave doesn’t encrypt data by default. If you’re storing sensitive content, you need to encrypt it yourself before uploading - tools like Akord make this easy.

Still, for most NFT creators, Arweave is the only option that delivers on the promise of permanence. It’s not perfect, but it’s the closest thing we have to digital immortality.

An NFT token connected by a golden permanent chain to a star and a flickering blue thread to unstable nodes.

Hybrid Storage: The Smart Way Forward

The best NFT projects don’t pick one storage method - they use both. The industry standard now is hybrid storage: store your metadata on Arweave, and keep a backup on IPFS.

Here’s how it works:

Upload your artwork to Arweave. Pay once. Lock it in forever.
Also upload it to IPFS. Use a reliable pinning service.
In your NFT’s metadata, include both the Arweave CID and the IPFS CID.

Why? Because if Arweave ever has a rare outage (which happens during network spikes), your NFT can still load from IPFS. If Pinata goes down, Arweave keeps the file alive. This redundancy is now required by the EU’s 2025 Digital Assets Preservation Directive - which mandates at least two geographically and architecturally distinct storage systems.

Leading platforms like Metaplex and Manifold now offer one-click tools to auto-deploy to both Arweave and IPFS. You don’t need to be a developer. Just click, pay, and move on.

What Happens If You Ignore Storage?

Ignoring storage isn’t just risky - it’s irresponsible. You’re not just losing an image. You’re losing proof of ownership. If your NFT’s file disappears, it becomes a ghost asset. Buyers can’t view it. Marketplaces can’t display it. Insurance companies won’t cover it. Collectors won’t trade it.

In 2025, a major NFT marketplace delisted over 12,000 NFTs because their images were broken. Those weren’t scams. They were legitimate projects that used cheap hosting or forgot to pay for pinning. The blockchain still showed ownership - but the art was gone.

This is why enterprise adoption is shifting. Banks and financial institutions now require Arweave for their NFTs. Gaming companies still use IPFS for assets that need updates - like evolving characters or dynamic items - but they always pair it with Arweave as a backup.

An artist clicking a deploy button on a laptop, with a checklist and glowing NFT artwork on the desk.

What Should You Do?

If you’re creating an NFT collection, here’s your simple checklist:

Don’t use centralized hosting (like Dropbox or AWS). It will fail.
Don’t rely on on-chain storage unless you’re doing SVG art under 10KB.
Use Arweave as your primary storage. Pay once. Sleep well.
Use IPFS with Pinata or Infura as a secondary backup.
Include both CIDs in your NFT’s metadata.
Verify your links every 6 months using a tool like NFTStorage.link (example placeholder).

The future of NFTs isn’t about hype. It’s about durability. The projects that survive the next decade won’t be the ones with the flashiest art - they’ll be the ones that made sure their art wouldn’t vanish.

Final Thought: Storage Is Ownership

Owning an NFT isn’t just about having a token on a blockchain. It’s about having access to the asset it represents. If you can’t see it, hear it, or use it - you don’t own it. Storage isn’t a technical afterthought. It’s the foundation of NFT value.

Arweave gives you permanence. IPFS gives you flexibility. Together, they give you peace of mind.

Can I store my NFT artwork directly on Ethereum?

Technically yes, but it’s not practical. Storing 1MB on Ethereum costs around $45,000. Only tiny SVG images (under 10KB) are feasible this way, like CryptoPunks. For anything larger - photos, videos, audio - it’s financially impossible. Stick to off-chain storage.

Is IPFS safe for long-term NFT storage?

No, not by itself. IPFS is a peer-to-peer network, but files disappear if no one is actively pinning them. You need paid pinning services like Pinata to keep your files alive. Even then, there’s no guarantee - pinning services can shut down or fail. IPFS is great for temporary or dynamic files, but not for permanent NFT assets.

How much does Arweave cost to store an NFT?

As of January 2026, storing 100MB of data on Arweave costs about $7.96 in AR tokens. That’s a one-time fee with no recurring charges. For a typical 5MB NFT image, the cost is less than $0.40. It’s the most cost-effective way to ensure your NFT lasts forever.

Can I update an NFT after storing it on Arweave?

No. Arweave is immutable - once data is written, it can’t be changed. If you need to update your NFT’s image or metadata, you must upload a new file and pay again. This is a feature, not a bug: it prevents tampering. But it means you need to get it right the first time.

Do I need to encrypt my files before uploading to Arweave?

Arweave doesn’t encrypt files by default. If your NFT contains private or sensitive content, you should encrypt it yourself before uploading. Tools like Akord, Züs, or even simple local encryption software can handle this. Once encrypted, upload the encrypted file - only those with the key can decrypt it later.

Why do most Solana NFTs use Arweave, but Ethereum NFTs use IPFS?

Solana’s ecosystem prioritizes permanence and low cost, making Arweave the natural fit. Ethereum projects often have larger teams and more complex metadata needs, so they use IPFS for flexibility and pair it with Arweave as a backup. The shift toward hybrid storage is now standard across both chains.