A Firebase Storage Alternative for Persistent Uploads

Step by step

1. Create an app

   Sign in at api.rapidfile.cc with a free Enzonic account and create an app. Copy its secret key and store it in your server's environment settings.

2. Ask for an upload

   When a user wants to upload, your server sends the file details and access setting to the Upload API and receives a signed upload address.

3. Send the file

   Your front end sends the file to that address. Rapidfile stores it persistently, so it stays available until you delete it.

4. Get notified

   Register a webhook URL so your backend learns when an upload finishes. Your existing sign-in system can stay as it is.

Cloud Storage for Firebase is Google's file storage for mobile and web apps. It sits on Google Cloud Storage, and you control access with security rules that run alongside Firebase Auth. That combination is its main strength. People look for alternatives for a different set of reasons. Google has changed which plan a project needs to keep using storage. The free limits differ between older and newer buckets. Security rules are a separate language that has to be written and tested. And some teams want a plain upload API with fixed monthly tiers, without tying file storage to a larger Firebase project. Rapidfile's Upload API is one option. It stores files persistently for your app, issues signed upload addresses, supports private files and sends webhooks. This page covers where it fits and where Firebase is the better choice.

The short version

Firebase figures are from Firebase's pricing page as of October 2026, and free limits apply to specific regions and bucket types. Plans change — check their site.

Where Firebase Storage is the stronger pick

Firebase Storage fits best when your app already runs on Firebase. Its client SDKs for web, iOS and Android handle uploads and downloads directly from the device, with resumable transfers for large files. Security rules can check the signed-in user's ID and the file path, so a user can upload only to their own folder without a server in between. If your data lives in Firestore and your sign-in lives in Firebase Auth, keeping files in the same place means one console, one set of tools and one set of user identities.

Small apps can also stay within the free limits for a long time. Newer buckets in the three listed US regions include 5 GB of storage and 100 GB of downloads per month, which covers many early-stage apps. Google also gives you control over where data is stored, through the bucket's region. If you need a specific region for compliance, that is a real reason to stay on Firebase, provided the region you need is available.

Where Rapidfile fits better

Rapidfile's Upload API is built for teams that want file storage as a self-contained service. These points matter most:

• Fixed monthly tiers. Starter is $5 per month for 100 GB. Growth is $15 per month for 500 GB. Scale is $49 per month for 2 TB. You know the cost before the month begins, and the full list is on the Upload API pricing page.
• No pay-as-you-go account. Paid tiers have a fixed monthly price, so you do not need to set up a usage-based billing account and watch the meters.
• Free tier with room to test. You get 2 GB, files up to 512 MB and three apps, which is enough to try a complete upload flow.
• Bigger files on paid tiers. Starter allows 4 GB per file, Growth 16 GB and Scale 50 GB. Multipart uploads go up to 50 GB.
• Independent of your other stack. The API works with any sign-in system, because your server holds the secret key and decides who gets an upload address.
• Bandwidth free on paid tiers. You do not pay per gigabyte downloaded on those plans.

The Blaze question

Firebase's storage FAQ, titled as a notice about storage changes announced in September 2024, describes a sequence of changes. From October 30, 2024, a new project had to be on the Blaze plan to create a new default bucket. From the later date in the FAQ, existing projects had to be on Blaze to keep access to their default bucket and other Cloud Storage resources. An earlier version of the FAQ listed a different date for that second deadline, so read the current version before you plan a migration.

Blaze is a pay-as-you-go plan. The free limits still apply, but any usage above them is billed. For a small app that stays inside the free limits, that may be a non-issue. For a team that needs a predictable invoice, it changes the decision. You now need a billing account, a budget alert and an understanding of how storage and downloads are metered. If you prefer a fixed monthly price, Rapidfile's tiers are simpler to plan around.

Security rules compared with signed URLs

Firebase security rules are fine-grained. You can write a rule that lets a signed-in user read only their own folder, and you test it in the emulator before release. The cost is that rules are a separate language, and mistakes can expose files or block legitimate users. Teams often need a dedicated pass just to review them.

Rapidfile takes a different approach. Your server decides who can upload and who can view. Private files are opened with signed URLs that your server creates for a viewer. That keeps the rules in your application code, where your team already works. The tradeoff is that a signed URL is a bearer link: anyone who has it can use it until it stops working. For most file types that is acceptable, but if you need a rule that depends on the user's identity at the moment of each request, Firebase's rules are more precise.

Moving from Firebase Storage

If you decide to switch, plan the move in four steps. First, list your buckets and note which ones use the older or newer naming, since their free limits differ. Second, export the files with Google's own tools, then upload them to Rapidfile with the API. Third, update the file references in your database so they point to the new locations. Fourth, keep the old bucket available until every link that points to it has been replaced, and only then remove it. Test the new upload flow with a few real files before you move the rest.

Access rules also need an owner. On a small team, one developer may write the storage rules at launch and nobody revisits them. A rule that was safe for the first version of the app can become too broad once you add sharing or team folders. Whichever service you choose, review access rules every time a feature starts sharing files between users. Keep a short written list of who can read and write each folder, so a change in one place does not quietly open another.

Which one should you use?

Choose Firebase Storage if your app already uses Firebase Auth, Firestore and Hosting, you want rules that tie each file to a signed-in user, or you need a specific Google Cloud region. Choose Rapidfile's Upload API if you want predictable monthly tiers, persistent storage that does not depend on a Blaze billing account, and a plain API that your existing sign-in system can call. The right answer depends mostly on how much of your app already lives inside Firebase.

FAQ

Updated 2026-10-20