Direct comparison
Zenodo vs. Dryad: Repository Comparison
Zenodo (free, self-service, CERN/GitHub) vs Dryad (curated, journal-linked, fee-based): cost, curation, size limits, and which fits your DMP.
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How do Zenodo, Dryad compare side by side?
The table below compares Zenodo, Dryad across 12 procurement-relevant dimensions, from operator through best fit.
Side-by-side comparison
| Dimension | Zenodo | Dryad |
|---|---|---|
| Operator | CERN, developed under the EU-funded OpenAIRE project | Independent nonprofit, partnered with the California Digital Library (CDL) |
| Launched | 2013 | 2008 (as DRIADE, NSF-funded), grew from 2011 JDAP |
| Curation model | Self-service; no editorial review before publication | Human curator review before publication (file integrity, metadata, reusability) |
| Typical deposit trigger | Software release (GitHub-integrated), any research output without a natural home | Dataset tied to a specific manuscript, usually via journal integration |
| Cost | Free, no publishing fee | Data Publishing Charge, sliding scale by size, unless sponsored by a partner institution/publisher/society |
| Example fee (unsponsored) | N/A — no fee | $150 up to 5 GB; $520 up to 50 GB; $6,077 up to 1 TB (May 2025 schedule) |
| Free size limit per record | 50 GB (100 files); one-time increase to ~200 GB available on request | No free tier cap — DPC tiers scale up to 2 TB |
| Default licence | Depositor chooses from a range of open/restricted licences | CC0 (public domain) by default |
| Journal manuscript-system integration | None built-in; linked manually via GitHub/DOI | Direct integration with Editorial Manager, eJournalPress |
| DOI registrar | DataCite | DataCite |
| Preservation / certification chain | CERN data-centre infrastructure | Preservation copy in CDL's Merritt repository (CoreTrustSeal-certified); Dryad's own layer is not the certified component |
| Best fit | Software, posters, preprint supplements, general research outputs | Data underlying a specific published or in-review paper |
Common questions
Common questions about Zenodo vs Dryad
Is Zenodo really free with no catch?
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Yes for depositing — there is no publishing fee. CERN and the European Commission fund the infrastructure rather than recovering cost per deposit. The practical limits are size/file-count (50 GB, 100 files per record on the free tier) rather than cost.
Does every Dryad submission go through human review?
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Yes — Dryad's curation team checks each submission for file readability, metadata completeness, and whether the files support reproduction of the study, which is a real editorial step rather than an automated intake check.
Can I use Zenodo instead of Dryad for data behind a journal article?
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Often yes — many journals accept a Zenodo DOI in a data-availability statement. But a journal with a direct Dryad integration, or one following a JDAP-style data-archiving policy, may specifically expect or require Dryad's curated workflow — check the journal's data policy before deciding.
Which is cheaper for a large dataset?
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Zenodo, in raw cost terms, since it charges nothing regardless of size within its limits. Dryad's Data Publishing Charge scales with dataset size unless a sponsoring institution, publisher, or society covers it — check sponsorship coverage before assuming the fee applies.
