Short answer: As of 2026, the full Monero blockchain is roughly 215–235 GB and growing steadily, while a pruned node stores only about one-third of that — roughly 75–95 GB. This guide explains the difference between a pruned and a full node, how fast the chain grows, and which one you should run.
Current Monero Blockchain Size (2026)
- Full node: ~215–235 GB and rising (it grows continuously as new blocks are added roughly every 2 minutes).
- Pruned node: ~75–95 GB — about a third of a full node.
These are approximate figures; the exact size increases every day, so treat them as a snapshot rather than a fixed number. Because a new block is produced about every 2 minutes (~720 blocks per day), the chain typically adds on the order of a few gigabytes per month.
Pruned vs Full Node: What's the Difference?
Both a pruned and a full Monero node are fully validating — they independently verify every transaction and enforce consensus rules. The difference is how much historical data they keep on disk.
Full node
A full node stores the entire blockchain, including all of the ring-signature data for every past transaction. It can serve any historical data to other nodes and wallets.
- Pros: Maximum self-sufficiency; can serve full data to the network and to your own wallets' historical scans.
- Cons: Largest disk footprint (~215–235 GB+ and growing).
Pruned node
A pruned node discards most of the redundant historical ring data it doesn't need to keep validating, shrinking storage to roughly one-third. It still validates every new block and remains completely usable as your own wallet's backend.
- Pros: Far smaller disk use (~75–95 GB); ideal for laptops, small SSDs, and low-cost VPS hosts.
- Cons: Keeps less historical data, so it can serve slightly less to other peers.
How to Run a Pruned Node
You can prune while syncing from scratch, or prune an existing full blockchain:
- New sync: start the daemon with
monerod --prune-blockchain. - Existing full node: prune in place with
monero-blockchain-prune --prune-blockchain.
For the exact flags and configuration options, see our monerod startup flags reference.
Which Node Should You Run?
- Most people should run a pruned node. It gives you the same privacy and self-validation benefits at a third of the disk cost, and it's the practical choice on a laptop or an inexpensive VPS.
- Run a full node if you want to serve complete historical data to the network or you're operating a public remote node others rely on.
Either way, an SSD is strongly recommended — syncing on a spinning hard drive is dramatically slower. For CPU, RAM, and bandwidth details, see our Monero node requirements guide, and for a full walkthrough, how to run a Monero node. Don't want to run one at all? Use a trusted remote node instead.
FAQ
How big is the Monero blockchain in 2026?
A full node is roughly 215–235 GB and growing; a pruned node is about 75–95 GB.
How much does a pruned Monero node save?
Pruning cuts storage to about one-third of a full node while keeping full validation of every new block.
Is a pruned node less private or less secure?
No. A pruned node still independently validates all consensus rules. It simply keeps less redundant historical data, with no loss of privacy or security for your own wallet.
How fast does the Monero blockchain grow?
At roughly 720 blocks per day, growth is on the order of a few gigabytes per month, varying with transaction volume and Monero's dynamic block size.
Blockchain sizes are approximate and increase over time; check a live node or block explorer for the exact current figure.
