Last updated: 25 August 2026.
pCloud is feature-rich, has a very good reputation, offers quality tools that are secure and competitively priced compared to the competition… Our opinion on pCloud is that it is overall the best online storage for the majority of users.
But why choose pCloud over its competitors? How to make the most of it? The answers are below.
You can easily sign up to test pCloud with 10 GB free, or subscribe with 14 days satisfaction or money back guarantee.
ADVANTAGES
- Uncompromising security
- Service and data hosted in Europe (Switzerland) or the United States of your choice
- Configurable personal encryption
- Satisfied or refunded within 14 days
- Varied storage spaces of 500 GB, 2 TB or 10 TB
- Free space of 10 GB
- Very economical lifetime plans (one-time payment)
DISADVANTAGES
- Optional paid personal encryption pCloud Crypto
- Collaboration tools to improve
Online File Management
pCloud includes all the classic file synchronization features expected from a cloud storage service.
Unlike other services, pCloud has no limits on the size of stored files. It is therefore entirely possible to synchronise your collection of media files (HD movies, for example).
Other very useful features such as a trash bin and a version history of your files are integrated into all accounts.
The adoption of the WebDAV standard is a significant advantage. It ensures compatibility with all external tools that also support WebDAV. WebDAV is part of the useful features for online storage.
Storage Server Location
With pCloud, you have the choice of the location of the data servers to which you entrust your data.
You can choose to store your files in the European Union (Luxembourg) or in the United States. This choice is made at the time of creating your pCloud account.
This is a huge advantage, especially for European businesses or individuals who do not want their data to leave European soil.
Basket
pCloud plans to introduce a trash feature to restore your deleted files.
The availability duration of your files varies depending on the type of pCloud plan used. For a free account, the availability duration is 15 days. It increases to 30 days for any paid account.
Versions and file history
pCloud backs up successive versions of your files for a fixed period. This feature is essential when you store work documents. It allows you to list a history of your files and restore old versions in case of issues or data corruption.
Similarly to the recycle bin, versions are kept for 15 days for free accounts, and 30 days for paid plans.
pCloud Backup: back up selected folders
pCloud Backup is especially convenient if you are already using pCloud and want to automatically copy some important folders from your PC or Mac. Changes are sent to the account and the files remain accessible from the pCloud applications.
This integration is convenient for active documents, photos, or projects, as it avoids the need to manage a second service for simple protection. However, it uses the account’s capacity and remains linked to the pCloud storage ecosystem.
| Need | Is pCloud Backup sufficient? |
|---|---|
| Automatically copy some folders | Yes |
| Recover a deleted or modified file | Yes, within the limits of the included history |
| Restore system and applications | No, no complete system image |
| Natively back up an entire NAS | No |
| Protect multiple drives with an independent policy | IDrive or Swiss Backup are more suitable |
The standard history for paid plans goes back 30 days. The Extended File History option allows for up to 365 days. This duration may be sufficient for a recent deletion, but it should be compared to the timeframe in which you are likely to discover an issue.
In the event of a complete computer failure, pCloud allows you to re-download protected folders, but it does not reinstall the system or applications. For multiple devices, independent retention or a NAS, check our cloud backup comparison: IDrive and Swiss Backup are better suited for these scenarios.
pCloud Drive: a virtual drive that doesn’t take up space on your hard drive
pCloud offers the feature called pCloud Drive. It is a virtual folder on your computer.
With such a virtual folder your files are accessible without being stored on your computer. Data is downloaded on the fly from the cloud when needed.
The huge advantage of this type of virtual folder is that it takes up no space on your hard drive! This is interesting, especially when you have a large amount of online storage. It is indeed a huge hard drive saving.
Attention, you must have an Internet connection to make it work. Accessing files is also slower than if the files were stored locally on your hard drive.
General interface and ease of use
The pCloud interfaces also offer some features for searching by file or folder name, and filtering by file format.
Platforms and applications
pCloud for Windows, Mac, Linux, Android and iOS
pCloud offers applications for the main platforms which are Windows, MacOS and Linux for computers, and Android and iOS for mobile devices. The effort made to develop a specific application for Linux will undoubtedly be appreciated by the users concerned.
The web application accessible via browser is sleek and comprehensive. All the applications are easy to use and intuitive. Specifically, anyone who has ever used online sync storage services like Dropbox, Google Drive, or iCloud will feel at home with pCloud as well.
Cloud Service Security and Privacy
In terms of security, pCloud is a serious and comprehensive service. A 256-bit AES encryption applies for the transfer and storage of data.
To prevent data loss due to hardware issues, data is always kept in 5 copies, in at least three different centres. The aim is to ensure data preservation even in the event of the destruction of a data centre.
As explained in our article on the security of online storage services, these measures are essential, but they do not guarantee that no one else but you can access your most sensitive data. pCloud offers this in the form of the paid option pCloud Crypto.
pCloud Crypto: encrypt your data in the cloud
To ensure that no one (neither pCloud employees nor authorities, for example) other than you can read your data, the principle of private encryption is essential. This means encrypting your data on your device before sending it to the storage servers. The decryption key remains solely in your possession. The data thus encrypted is unreadable once stored, including for the storage provider. In summary, it is a true digital safe of which only you have the keys.
For more details, read our article dedicated to online storage security.
This principle is not offered by most of pCloud’s most frequent competitors (notably Dropbox, Google, Apple, etc.). However, it is incredibly important for anyone who wishes to keep data absolutely private (confidential documents, access codes).
pCloud offers a paid option Crypto that allows you to choose the files to encrypt.
Client-side encryption principle of pCloud
The principle of this encryption is simple but remarkably effective. All sensitive files are encrypted on your computer. This is known as private encryption or client-side encryption. The version sent and stored on pCloud’s servers is an encrypted and unreadable version. You are the sole owner of your decryption key (called Crypto Pass). It is never known to pCloud at any time. Thus, even pCloud has no way to access your data in a readable form.
On the other hand, you are responsible for keeping the Crypto Pass, as in case of loss your data would be lost. Even pCloud could do nothing for you.
It is unfortunate that the pCloud Crypto option is paid, but it offers a great freedom to the user that is quite rare. In particular, it allows you to choose which files should be encrypted or not.
Thus, the less sensitive files that you did not want to include in pCloud Crypto retain all the benefits of a less “private” service that requires data to be readable on the server: files can be previewed online, archived, etc.
pCloud Crypto Price
The prices for pCloud Crypto are as follows:
- €4.99 for a monthly payment.
- €49.99 for an annual payment (which is a 17% saving compared to monthly payment).
- €150 for a lifetime offer (one-time payment; equivalent to about 2.5 years of use in monthly payments, or 3 years in annual payments).
- A 14-day free trial to test the service.
Our opinion on pCloud Crypto
The pCloud Crypto option is interesting because it allows you to enjoy the benefits of private encryption without suffering from its drawbacks.
Indeed, private encryption, at pCloud as with other services, limits certain very useful features (such as file previewing or searching).
pCloud with its Crypto option allows you to easily select the files that will be encrypted (by placing them in the dedicated folder). Thus, the rest of the files benefit from all the convenience of using a service without private encryption, while your most sensitive files remain confidential.
If you need this option, feel free to test the service for free for 14 days, and then purchase the option as a lifetime offer (one-time payment) if you can.
Learn more about pCloud Crypto
Online file sharing and collaboration
Document sharing on pCloud
pCloud offers a wide range of possibilities when it comes to sharing your files online with others (not necessarily pCloud customers).
- Folder sharing. You can grant access to a folder in your pCloud space, choosing whether the recipients can only view or also edit the files.
- Link to a file. For a given file, you can generate a link to that file which will allow recipients to download the desired file. This feature also provides the number of downloads of your data. For businesses, it is possible to customise the download page to suit your needs: colours, image, title, and description.
- Upload link. You can send an upload link to one or more recipients, who can then upload and add files directly to your pCloud storage space. This feature is very handy when someone needs to send you large files.
Note that pCloud also offers a family storage plan (with 2 TB of space to share among up to 5 people). The offer is described in more detail in the Pricing and offers section.
pCloud for collaborative work in the cloud
Collaboration features are not pCloud’s strong point. If collaborative aspects are your main motivation for using a cloud storage system, pCloud will not be ideal.
In this case, we recommend that you take a free Google Drive account in addition to your pCloud space. Indeed, Google Drive, although problematic due to its privacy issues, is hard to beat in terms of collaborative work.
Multimedia content in pCloud
The features related to multimedia content are valuable. Whether it’s photos, videos, or audio files, the pCloud applications include a media player that allows you to preview and play these documents. This is also true for the online storage site, accessible from a web browser.
pCloud Storage Offers and Prices
Regarding its prices, pCloud is very well positioned among the competition. The service offers reasonable rates compared to its rivals, especially compared to more well-known competitors such as Dropbox and Google Drive.
pCloud is one of the few services to offer lifetime deals (along with Internxt). With these plans, you make a one-time payment to use pCloud’s services for life. The current prices of these plans are advantageous, as they are quickly recouped (around 4 years compared to an annual subscription, for lifetime use).
If you have tested the services of pCloud and know that they meet your needs, it is a welcome opportunity for long-term savings.
In addition, a refund period of 14 days is offered in case of dissatisfaction. It is therefore easy to test the storage space of pCloud to see if it meets your actual needs.
It is regrettable that the private encryption offered by pCloud (also known as zero-knowledge encryption) is a paid option. However, it gives a lot of control to the user. Indeed, you choose which files will be encrypted by placing them in a dedicated folder.
Free cloud – a generous and minimally limited offer
The free offer provides a generous space of 10 GB and allows you to get an idea of the service offered before committing to an annual or lifetime plan.
The free plan does not suffer from any particular limitations, apart from the accessibility durations of files in the trash or old versions of files. These range from 30 days for paid plans to 15 days for the free plan.
The password and expiration date features on shared links are exclusive to paid plans.
Premium – an affordable cloud storage space
The Premium offer provides 500 GB of data, with a choice of monthly, annual or lifetime billing (one-time payment).
Monthly billing: at €4.99 per month, this amounts to about 100 GB per euro invested. That’s more than 30% more than the closest offers from Google Drive and Mega (200 GB at €2.99 / month).
Annual billing: at €49.99 per year, this represents a saving of 17% compared to monthly billing over a year.
Lifetime offer. For a €199 one-time payment that grants access to pCloud features for life, this is clearly the most interesting plan in the long term. A quick calculation shows that this plan is recouped in about 4 years compared to an annual subscription (€49.99).
Premium Plus – cheap 2 TB online plan
The Premium Plus offer provides 2TB of data (i.e. 2000 GB), with a choice of monthly, annual or lifetime billing (one-time payment).
Monthly billing : at €9.99 per month, it amounts to about 200 GB per euro invested (which is twice as much as the Premium offer). It’s half the price of Dropbox or Mega for the same space, for example.
Annual billing: at €99.99 per year, this represents a saving of 17% compared to monthly billing over a year.
Lifetime offer. For €399 for a one-time payment that grants access to pCloud services for life. Like the Premium offer, this purchase pays for itself in about 4 years compared to an annual subscription (€99.99).
Custom Plan – 10 TB Lifetime Plan
Another offer, called Custom Plan, of 10 TB (or 10,000 GB) is also available with pCloud. Unlike the previous offers of 500 GB and 2 TB, this one is only available through a lifetime offer, with no monthly or annual subscription. Therefore, a significant amount of money will need to be spent to access it, but with the promise of exceptional profitability in the long term.
Lifetime offer. €1190 for a one-time payment that grants lifetime access to pCloud services with 10 TB of space. Note that this price often reflects a significant promotion compared to the “list” price.
pCloud Lifetime: what to think about lifetime online storage?
We mentioned it earlier: pCloud has the uniqueness of offering lifetime cloud storage plans of 500 GB, 2 TB or 10 TB to choose from.
These are worth studying as they change the way we approach online storage and its payment.
We tend to think of online storage space as a temporary service, rented for a limited duration. Thus, a subscription (monthly or annual) seems to be the most natural form of payment.
pCloud turns this around by allowing you to purchase online storage space. It is no longer a rental, but rather a one-time purchase, which makes the storage space usable for life.
Is it profitable?
The question of profitability arises: How long does it take to recoup the purchase of a pCloud Lifetime online storage space?
As a reminder, the lifetime offer from pCloud currently costs €199 for 500 GB, €399 for 2 TB, or €1190 for 10 TB (one-time payment).
Keep in mind: ultra-attractive lifetime offers are often customer acquisition operations. They are excellent for users, but leave a very thin margin for providers, and are therefore not designed to last indefinitely. Icedrive has thus removed its Lifetime plans, while Internxt has significantly raised its lifetime prices (but storage purchased before the halt or price increase has of course remained active). In this context, the current Lifetime prices of pCloud are worth considering as long as they remain available, especially if you already know that the service suits you.
We have done the depreciation calculations in our article dedicated to pCloud Lifetime. Here are the results.
The lifetime offers from pCloud pay for themselves in 4 years (compared to someone who would take an annual subscription).
For example, after 4 years of using the lifetime storage space, you will have paid as much as for the same online storage at the annual rate. After 6 years, the storage space will have cost half as much as with a monthly subscription.
The amortisation period is therefore very short, given that cloud storage is a service that will certainly still be relevant in 5 or 10 years. The offered spaces (500 GB, but more particularly 2 TB and 10 TB) are large enough not to become useless before the amortisation of the purchase.
In short, it is clear that the price paid for one of these offers turns into a very significant saving after a few years.
And for the 10 TB plan?
The profitability of the 10 TB plan is more difficult to calculate since it is not available with a monthly or annual subscription. However, it is possible to see that it is very inexpensive in terms of price invested per TB. Indeed, this offer amounts to about €119 per TB, while the 2 TB plan for €399 amounts to about €200 per TB. The cost per terabyte is therefore significantly lower for the 10 TB plan.
For a more detailed study of these offers, check out our article dedicated to pCloud lifetime storage.
pCloud for the family – sharing storage space with family
pCloud offers another original plan: a cloud space dedicated to families. This is a storage space (specifically 2 TB or 10 TB depending on the available plans) accessible with a lifetime offer (one-time payment), designed to share the cloud among several loved ones.
With this offer, up to 5 users can share the storage space, with the following features:
- you control the allocation of storage space among your family members,
- each member has their private space (not accessible by others).
We regret that this offer is only accessible through a one-time payment (lifetime offer), and not through a traditional monthly or annual billing. This could deter potential customers. The possibility of a refund within 14 days in case of dissatisfaction is therefore beneficial. For up-to-date pricing, please visit the pCloud Family page.
Note that there is no way to convert an existing lifetime plan (Premium, Premium Plus or Custom) into a family plan.
For more information, you can check our full review of pCloud Family.
Reviews on pCloud’s pricing
The sizes of the storage spaces offered by pCloud are varied (10 GB for a free account, 500 GB, 2 TB or 10 TB for paid accounts). They also represent the needs of users.
pCloud stands out for several very positive points:
- Variety of billing options available: monthly, annual, or lifetime offer (a huge advantage of pCloud over most of its competitors; among the lifetime alternatives, Internxt also offers Lifetime plans, while Icedrive has removed its own).
- A family plan that could fit perfectly with your needs if you want to share and manage online storage space with others (up to 5 users in total).
The only downside to pCloud’s pricing policy is that the Crypto option is paid. Fortunately, the rest of the prices are very low to balance the bill.
If you need this option, feel free to test the service for free for 14 days, and then purchase the option as a lifetime offer (one-time payment) if you can.
pCloud and its competitors
pCloud vs Dropbox
Dropbox is another serious competitor to pCloud for online storage. It is still one of the most popular options today, as it was the one that managed to popularise cloud storage in its time. Both services enjoy a good reputation among the general public, although Dropbox is more well-known.
Today, however, pCloud seems to us to be well ahead of Dropbox, whether in terms of features or price.
The advantages of pCloud
- Much lower rates than Dropbox.
- The lifetime offers from pCloud (full review of pCloud Lifetime) are simply unbeatable in terms of savings in the current online storage market.
- The pCloud Crypto option, which although paid, allows you to keep certain files completely confidential. Dropbox does not have a private encryption option like pCloud Crypto.
- The free online storage from pCloud (up to 15 GB) outclasses that of Dropbox (only 2 GB).
The advantages of Dropbox
- Due to its longer popularity, Dropbox enjoys a better integration with certain external tools (Microsoft Office, for example).
- The speed of file transfers on Dropbox.
pCloud or Dropbox: the conclusion
In our opinion, for the majority, it is indeed pCloud that emerges victorious from this duel. With more comprehensive features, notably the private encryption offered by pCloud Crypto that will allow you to keep certain files completely protected (even pCloud will not be able to read these files).
pCloud’s lifetime offers also make it a top choice that even Dropbox cannot match: a one-time payment for access to 500 GB, 2 TB, or 10 TB of storage for life is hard to beat.
pCloud vs Google Drive
How does pCloud compete with Google Drive, this web giant that has taken on cloud storage?
The comparison is similar to that of pCloud vs Dropbox, as Google Drive has the same issues as Dropbox. Indeed, we note the lack of data privacy on Google Drive (all your files can be read or scanned by Google), while pCloud offers the Crypto option for this specific need. Likewise, it is noted that Google Drive does not offer a lifetime plan: pCloud (like Internxt) allows a one-time payment for long-term usable space, thus avoiding an additional subscription every month or every year.
Google Drive, on the other hand, has its integration into the huge Google ecosystem (Google Docs, Google Photos, etc.). In terms of free online storage, both services are equal with free space of up to 15 GB.
The advantages of pCloud
- The lifetime offers from pCloud (full review of pCloud Lifetime) are simply unbeatable in terms of savings in the current online storage market.
- The pCloud Crypto option, which, although paid, allows you to keep certain files completely confidential. Dropbox does not have a private encryption option like pCloud Crypto.
The advantages of Google Drive
- The integration into the Google ecosystem.
pCloud or Google Drive: the conclusion
pCloud is overall a better cloud storage space than Google Drive. Notably, the lack of data privacy (private encryption) on Google Drive eliminates it for anyone looking to store sensitive files.
However, Google Drive also has strengths that pCloud cannot compete with, thanks to its integration with the entire Google ecosystem. Fortunately, these features can be fully utilised through Google’s free 15 GB space, and complemented by a lifetime paid space from pCloud to store most of your personal data.
pCloud vs Sync.com
pCloud and Sync.com have both become major players in online storage, but they will suit different uses.
Advantages of pCloud
- pCloud has a fully translated interface in French.
- The offers for lifetime online storage (pCloud Lifetime) are more advantageous in the long run.
Benefits of Sync.com
- Sync.com is cheaper on annual subscriptions, but does not have a lifetime online storage offer like pCloud.
- Private encryption is included in the subscription, whereas pCloud offers it as a paid option.
pCloud or Sync.com: our opinion
If you are primarily looking for ease of use or want a long-term offer, then pCloud is the top choice, especially with its lifetime offer that will save you a lot in the long run (check out our full review of pCloud Lifetime for details on the savings made).
You would prefer Sync.com if you want an annual subscription rather than a lifetime one, and especially if you need total privacy for your data. Indeed, Sync.com offers private encryption by default on all your files, ensuring that only you can read the content. pCloud offers a paid option (pCloud Crypto) for a selection of your files.
Our opinion on pCloud
Despite the presence of giants like Google and Dropbox in the online storage market, pCloud has managed to position itself at the forefront.
Who is the pCloud storage service for?
pCloud is an ideal solution for most users. Excelling in all evaluation criteria, the Swiss company’s online storage offers an unmatched compromise, along with some good original ideas (lifetime offers, family space or even selective private encryption).
The seriousness with which data security is regarded is one of the most commendable aspects.
We also appreciate low prices and the unique possibility of making a payment for a lifetime use of the service.
The only weakness in terms of features is the lack of collaboration tools. The difficulty for multiple users to work simultaneously on the same document will not always be suitable for group work, especially in a business setting.
Fortunately, online file and folder sharing tools are very comprehensive.
As for the price, pCloud is certainly one of the cheapest cloud services. For those looking to save, the lifetime plan offer is the most interesting on the market as it can pay for itself in just 4 years.
In conclusion, our opinion on pCloud is that it is a safe and viable long-term choice for both experts and novices.
ADVANTAGES
- Uncompromising security
- Service and data hosted in Europe (Switzerland) or the United States of your choice
- Configurable personal encryption
- Satisfied or refunded within 14 days
- Various storage spaces of 500 GB, 2 TB or 10 TB
- Free space of 10 GB
- Very economical lifetime plans (one-time payment)
DISADVANTAGES
- Optional paid personal encryption pCloud Crypto
- Collaboration tools to improve
To test risk-free: free registration (10 GB), or paid offer with 14 days money-back guarantee.
To compare with other services: kDrive reviews (Swiss collaboration) and why to avoid Google Drive, Dropbox and the like.
