Stow vs Vercel Blob
Vercel Blob is object storage from Vercel: quick to set up in Vercel projects, cached by Vercel’s CDN, and able to hold very large files. Stow (usestow.com) is a library for the files and data your apps and AI agents share, with tag and text search and privacy chosen per file.
Checked . Prices and features change, so confirm the details on Vercel Blob’s own site before you decide.
At a glance
| Topic | Stow | Vercel Blob |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A hosted library for the files and data your apps and AI agents use, with one HTTP API. | Object storage from Vercel, cached by Vercel’s CDN, in one of 19 regions. |
| Getting started | Sign up, add an app, and use its key. No buckets or access policies to set up. | Create a store and connect it to a Vercel project; connected projects sign in automatically, with no long-lived secrets. |
| Uploading | One request with a file or with text as JSON. The file type is detected from its contents. Up to 25 MB per file. | SDKs for JavaScript and Python and a CLI, uploads straight from the browser with client tokens, and multipart for large files. |
| Finding files | Built-in search by tags (including key:value tags), text, folder and file type. | List by path prefix, and read one file’s details. No tag or text search is documented; the docs suggest organizing by prefix. |
| Private files | Upload with visibility set to private: the file gets no link at all, and only your keys can read it. | Chosen per store when it’s created. Private stores serve files through your functions with a token; signed URLs last up to 7 days. |
| Public links | Every public file gets a permanent link, cached for up to a year. | In a public store, anyone who has a file’s URL can open it. |
| Automatic analysis | On Pro and Scale: audio transcripts, summaries and tags, written automatically. | None in Blob. |
| AI agents | A plain HTTPS API any agent can call. A Stow MCP server is in early access. | Vercel’s official MCP server can create and look up Blob stores, but not upload, list or read files. |
| File size | Up to 25 MB per file. | Up to 5 TB per file. |
| Free plan | Free: 500 files, 1 GB, 10,000 requests a day, 2 apps. | Hobby: 1 GB of storage, 10,000 simple and 2,000 advanced operations, and 10 GB of transfer a month. Past the limits, Blob stops working until the 30-day window resets. |
| Paid pricing | Pro $19 a month (50,000 files, 100 GB, 10 apps). Scale $49 a month (500,000 files, 1,000 GB, unlimited apps). | Pro: $20 a month per developer seat, with $20 of usage credit. Blob storage $0.023 per GB, plus $0.40 per million simple and $5 per million advanced operations. |
What each does better
Where Vercel Blob is stronger
- No secrets to manage inside Vercel projects: connected projects sign in automatically.
- Huge files, up to 5 TB, with multipart uploads, 19 regions and CDN caching.
- Uploads straight from the browser with client tokens.
- Signed URLs scoped to one file and one operation.
Where Stow is stronger
- Search by tags, text, folder and type, not only by path.
- Public or private chosen per file, not per store.
- Automatic transcripts, summaries and tags on Pro.
- An MCP server whose tools upload, search and read files.
- Made to be shared by apps wherever they run, each with its own key and folder.
Which to choose
Choose Vercel Blob if
- Your project is deployed to Vercel and you want storage with almost nothing to configure.
- You store large files, or want a choice of regions.
- Your users upload straight from the browser.
Choose Stow if
- You want to find files by tag or text, not only by path.
- Several apps and agents, wherever they run, share the same files.
- You want public and private files side by side, chosen per file.
Questions
- Can I search files in Vercel Blob?
- You can list files by path prefix and read one file’s details, and the docs suggest organizing by prefix to find things. Stow searches by tags (including key:value tags), text, folder and type.
- Are files public or private?
- In Vercel Blob, a whole store is public or private, chosen when it’s created. In Stow, each file is public or private, chosen when it’s uploaded.
- Can AI agents use them?
- Vercel’s official MCP server manages Blob stores but doesn’t read or write files. Any agent can call Stow’s HTTPS API, and the Stow MCP server, in early access, uploads, searches and reads files.
- How big can files be?
- Vercel Blob takes files up to 5 TB. Stow takes files up to 25 MB.
Sources
Checked .
Try Stow free
The free plan holds 500 files for up to 2 apps, with no card needed. Upgrade when you want more room, or automatic transcripts, summaries and tags.
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