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Arweave

AR · Field entry
Storage & computeAIInfrastructure

A network that stores data permanently in exchange for a one-time upfront fee

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$3.841.45%Snapshot · October 20, 2026 · updates live
Market cap
$252.26M
24h volume
$10.49M
Rank
#161
Circulating
65.65M AR
Max supply
66.00M AR
All-time high
$89.24 November 4, 2021

AR price chart

7-day snapshot. Chart data from CoinGecko.

What is Arweave?

Arweave is a blockchain built to store data permanently. Uploaders pay once in AR, part of which goes into an endowment that pays miners over time to keep copies of the data. Its AO computing layer, live since February 2025, runs programs such as AI agents on top of that storage, but AR itself is a storage token.

Utility Lens

What Arweave actually does

Stores files, websites and app data permanently in return for a one-time AR payment.

Real-world usage
growingArweave has stored data for paying users since 2018 and AO adds a new source of demand, but independent figures on paid storage volumes are limited.
Token necessity
essentialEvery upload and transfer must pay fees in AR and miners are paid in AR, so the network cannot work without it.
Decentralization
moderateAnyone with suitable hardware can mine and miners set their own content rules, but protocol and AO development are steered by core teams around founder Sam Williams.
Track record
longArweave's mainnet launched in June 2018, more than eight years before this review.

How we rate

What it’s used for

Developers and archivists pay AR to upload data such as web pages, NFT media and app records that they want to keep available for the long term. Miners earn AR for storing copies and proving they can still access old data. Projects built on AO, such as autonomous agents, write their messages and state to Arweave, which adds demand for storage.

Role of the AR token:

paymentsgas

Evidence of real use

  • Uploaders pay a transaction fee plus an upfront AR contribution to a storage endowment that pays miners over time as they prove they hold replicas. Source
  • Arweave's AO computing platform launched on mainnet in February 2025 after a year-long testnet, and its developers say it will support on-chain autonomous agents focused on AI coordination. Source
  • AR supply is limited to 66 million, with 55 million created when Arweave launched in June 2018. Source

The AI angle

AI role
AI-themed (no direct AI function)
What actually happens
AR pays for permanent data storage and has no AI function of its own. Arweave appears on AI lists mainly because the AO computing layer built on top of it hosts AI agents, and those agents store their data on Arweave. That link can add storage demand, but AO has its own token, and AI is a secondary use of the network.

AI crypto, explained

How Arweave works

Arweave is a blockchain in which each block both accepts new data and proves that old data is still stored. To mine a block, a node must show it can read randomly chosen 256 KiB pieces of past data. A verifiable delay function caps how many pieces can be tried per second, which rewards storing more data on cheap hard drives over buying fast hardware. Each miner packs its copy with its own address, so the network is pushed toward many distinct copies.

Storage is paid once. Part of each upload fee goes to the miner who includes it, and the rest goes to an endowment that releases AR to miners over time. Users pay for about 200 years of replicated storage at today's prices, and the design assumes storage keeps getting cheaper. If it does, the endowment needs to release fewer tokens later. Miners can each choose content rules, so there is no single moderator.

AO is a computing layer built on Arweave and described by its developers as a hyperparallel computer. It runs many programs in parallel and relies on Arweave's permanent storage to keep a shared ledger of the messages passed between them, which also drives demand for Arweave storage. AO has its own token, separate from AR, capped at 21 million. Its developers say AO will support on-chain autonomous agents for AI coordination, which is why Arweave often appears on AI coin lists.

Key moments

  1. 2018Arweave's mainnet launches in June, with 55 million AR created at genesis.
  2. 2024The AO computing layer opens a public testnet in February.
  3. 2025AO goes live on mainnet in February, and its separate AO token becomes transferable.

Supply

AR has a maximum supply of 66 million. Fifty-five million were created at launch in 2018, and the remaining 11 million are paid out gradually as mining rewards. Upload fees move AR into the storage endowment, which takes it out of circulation until it is paid to miners.

Risks to understand

  • The pay-once model depends on storage costs continuing to fall; if they stop falling, the endowment could need to release more AR than planned.
  • Data on Arweave is meant to be permanent and public, so anything uploaded by mistake, including private or illegal material, is hard to remove.
  • AO uses a separate token, so growth on AO does not automatically benefit AR holders beyond extra storage fees.
  • Decentralized storage competes with very cheap cloud services and with other crypto storage networks such as Filecoin.

Arweave FAQ

Is Arweave an AI coin?

Not directly. AR pays for storage; it shows up on AI lists because the AO computer built on Arweave runs AI agents.

What is the difference between AR and AO?

AR is Arweave's storage token. AO is a separate token for the AO computing layer, with its own 21 million cap.

How can storage be permanent if you only pay once?

Part of the upload fee goes into an endowment that pays miners over time, on the assumption that storage keeps getting cheaper.

Sources

  1. Protocol — Arweave Docs
  2. What is Arweave (AR)? — Kraken
  3. Arweave's computing platform AO goes live on mainnet — The Block
  4. Arweave: Blockchain Data Storage with AR Coin — Gemini Cryptopedia
  5. Arweave price — Crypto.com US
  6. Arweave price — Coinbase
  7. Arweave price — Kraken

Last reviewed October 20, 2026. Written by . Utility Lens ratings are editorial judgments, not investment advice. Market data from CoinGecko. Spot an error? Request a correction.

About the author

Dave McNaught has worked in IT since 1999 and founded All Business Technologies (ABT) in 2003, a Boston-area firm providing Managed IT, Cybersecurity, Managed AI, Web Design and App Development. He publishes The Crypto Guide.

Full bio