Sia

What Sia does

Sia is a decentralized cloud storage platform built on a proof-of-work blockchain and operated by The Sia Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization established in February 2021 following the Foundation hardfork. The platform connects storage renters (individuals, developers, applications) with storage hosts via peer-to-peer file contracts settled in Siacoins (SC), with a 4% contract tax accruing to holders of the secondary Siafunds asset (classified by the SEC as securities in 2019). The architecture consists of modular open-source components — renterd for clients uploading files, hostd for storage providers, walletd for token management, and indexd for consensus services — all reorganized around a Utreexo-based state model activated in the June 2025 V2 hardfork and refined in the December 2025 'Final Cut' fork.

The underlying technology emphasizes privacy-by-design: files are split into encrypted shards and distributed across the network, with the Foundation retaining no personally identifiable information, IP addresses, file metadata, or encryption keys. The V2 upgrade introduced faster uploads/downloads, browser-based decentralized transfers without plugins, Miniscript-based spend policies, and attestations enabling trustless downloads by light clients. The platform supports S3-compatible integrations for Jellyfin, Nextcloud, and rclone, plus Ledger hardware wallet support, and ships mobile apps (iOS/Android) launched in May 2026 offering 50 GB of free storage.

Revenue mechanics are unconventional: as a non-profit, The Sia Foundation is sustained by community donations, a Foundation block subsidy (131.4 MS emitted every 4380 blocks), and an initial 1.5768 GS allocation from the 2021 hardfork — not by direct billing of users. The go-to-market motion is product-led growth via self-serve downloads from sia.tech, an active Discord/GitHub community, documentation, monthly 'State of Sia' blog posts, and a $3.2M grant program funding 32 ecosystem projects in 2026. Customers are segmented horizontally into individual renters (data-ownership enthusiasts), developers, and storage providers earning Siacoins, with no disclosed enterprise logo concentration.

Name

Sia

Legal name

The Sia Foundation

Website

https://sia.tech

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Sia is a decentralized cloud storage platform built on a proof-of-work blockchain, operated by The Sia Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit. It serves individual renters, developers, and storage hosts via peer-to-peer file contracts settled in Siacoins, with modular open-source tooling and mobile apps.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Decentralized Cloud Storage

NAICS

Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (518210)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)

akta.pro primary industry

Decentralized Data Availability & Storage Verification (DA layers, proofs of storage/replication, audit networks) (FSAPALAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Decentralized Storage Node Operators (e.g., storage providers) (FSADAKAJ), Oracles, Data Feeds & Attestations (price feeds, randomness, proofs) (FSAPAAAI)

Keywords

• Decentralized cloud storage
• Blockchain storage network
• Peer-to-peer file storage
• Distributed storage protocol
• Crypto storage platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Boston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donations and Community Funding: Sia is maintained by The Sia Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization sustained by community donations. The organization is free from profit motives and works for public good.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Sia operates a decentralized cloud storage platform built on a proof-of-work blockchain that connects independent storage hosts with data renters. Files are split into encrypted shards and distributed across the network, with payments settled peer-to-peer in Siacoins. The Sia Foundation (501(c)(3)) maintains the open-source protocol and offers downloadable software (renterd, hostd, walletd, indexd) plus a mobile Sia Storage app with 50 GB of free storage.

Product overview

Sia is a decentralized cloud storage platform built on a proof-of-work blockchain, operated by The Sia Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit. The platform uses a modular software architecture consisting of renterd (for users storing data), hostd (for storage providers), walletd (for Siacoin management), and indexd (for consensus/blockchain data). Users store data using Siacoins (SC), the network's primary cryptocurrency, while Siafunds provide investment returns through a 4% contract tax. The V2 hardfork introduced Utreexo-based consensus for improved scalability. A mobile Sia Storage app was launched in 2026 for iOS and Android.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Siacoins (SC): The primary cryptocurrency/token of the Sia network used to fund file contracts between renters and hosts.
• Siafunds
• renterd
• hostd
• walletd
• indexd

Products and services

• Sia Cloud Storage Network Decentralized cloud storage platform powered by blockchain technology that lets users store data across a distributed network of hosts, with files split into encrypted shards and distributed across multiple nodes for privacy and security.
• renterd Desktop and terminal application for renters to upload, store, and manage files on the Sia network, available for Windows, macOS, and Linux.
• hostd Desktop and terminal application for storage hosts to provide disk space to the Sia network and earn Siacoins, with system requirements including quad-core CPU, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD for consensus data, and 4TB HDD for stored data.
• walletd Desktop and terminal application for Siacoin holders to manage wallets and transactions, required for V2 network compatibility.
• indexd Terminal application providing blockchain indexing, consensus, and data retrieval services as part of the modular Sia V2 architecture enabling lightweight node operations.
• Sia Storage Mobile App Mobile application for iOS and Android that provides user-friendly access to Sia decentralized cloud storage with a 50 GB free tier.
• Siacoins (SC) Primary cryptocurrency of the Sia network used by renters to pay for storage services and received by hosts as payment for providing storage capacity.
• Siafunds Secondary asset on the Sia network that pays dividends proportional to the value of file contracts, with a 4% tax applied to each contract and distributed to siafund holders.

Quantifiable outcome

• 50 GB free storage for new users
• +1 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature11 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• H55minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 November 2025H55, a leader in electric propulsion systems for aviation, and Sia announced a collaboration supported by CRIAQ and the Écoleader Fund to develop second-life applications for aerospace batteries. The project aims to create sustainable business models and promote circular economy practices for battery reuse.
• CRIAQminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 November 2025Collaborative research consortium supporting the H55 and Sia partnership for aerospace battery second-life applications.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Walrus (Mysten Labs): Walrus is a newer decentralized storage and data-availability layer built on Sui by Mysten Labs, focused on serving AI and Web3 blob-storage needs. It overlaps with Sia's decentralized storage value proposition but targets more performance-sensitive, modern workloads.
• Filebase: Filebase is a managed S3-compatible storage service that abstracts IPFS and Filecoin behind a familiar developer API. It is comparable to Sia's S3-compatible integration story, targeting developers who want decentralized storage without managing infrastructure directly.
• Crust Network: Crust Network is a decentralized cloud storage protocol built on Substrate/Polkadot that uses IPFS underneath with on-chain storage verification. It is comparable to Sia as a smaller, niche decentralized storage network targeting Web3 developers, though with a meaningfully smaller ecosystem.
• 0Chain: 0Chain is a decentralized storage platform that emphasizes data privacy, compliance, and dStorage for enterprise workloads. It competes with Sia for users seeking decentralized, privacy-first object storage but is earlier-stage and less mature.

Direct peers

• Filecoin: Filecoin is the largest decentralized storage network, built by Protocol Labs. It directly competes with Sia in providing blockchain-coordinated, cryptographically-verified cloud storage for renters and hosts, and is the most direct comparable in terms of protocol design and target market.
• Arweave: Arweave provides permanent, decentralized data storage via a 'pay-once, store-forever' model. Like Sia, it serves users seeking censorship-resistant storage, but uses a different economic model (one-time endowment vs. recurring contracts), making it the closest design alternative to Sia.
• Storj: Storj is a decentralized cloud storage provider offering S3-compatible object storage on a distributed network of nodes. It directly competes with Sia for the same developer and SMB use cases (S3-compatible storage, pay-per-use) but with a more commercial operational model and Storj token economics.
• MaidSafe / SAFE Network: The SAFE Network by MaidSafe is a long-running decentralized data storage and communications platform with self-encryption and autonomous network economics. It is comparable to Sia as an open-source, community-driven decentralized storage network, though with a different consensus and economic model.

Others

• Ceramic Network: Ceramic is a decentralized data network focused on verifiable, mutable document storage for Web3 identity and composable data. It is comparable to Sia as adjacent decentralized storage infrastructure for Web3 use cases, though oriented more toward structured data and identity than bulk file storage.

Broad incumbents

• IPFS (Protocol Labs): IPFS is a peer-to-peer hypermedia protocol also developed by Protocol Labs and frequently paired with Filecoin. While IPFS is content-addressed storage without built-in incentives, it competes for the same decentralized storage use cases and developer mindshare as Sia.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• GitHubgithub.com/SiaFoundation
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@SiaTVOfficial/playlists
• Xx.com/siatechhq
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sia-nebulous-inc.-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds4 records

Investors13 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sia