Best cloud storage compared: sync drives that earn their fee
The best cloud drive depends on one question: do you want encryption by default? If yes, MEGA, Sync.com and Proton Drive deliver it without an add-on. If you want raw capacity for the money, Koofr's 1 TB at about €10/month wins, and pCloud sells 500 GB at $4.99/month — but its encryption is a paid extra.
What separates these five drives
Subscription cloud drives look interchangeable until you read the encryption fine print. The biggest difference is whether end-to-end encryption is the default state or an add-on you buy separately — and that single difference cascades into what happens if the provider is breached, subpoenaed, or compromised.
Three of the five drives below encrypt everything by default. pCloud does not: its standard storage is server-side encrypted, and the zero-knowledge layer is sold as the pCloud Crypto add-on. Koofr splits the difference with optional client-side Vault folders. If this distinction is new to you, read our zero-knowledge cloud storage explainer first.
| Provider | Free tier | Entry paid plan | Encryption by default | Clients | Standout feature |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| pCloud | 10 GB | 500 GB: $4.99/mo or $49.99/yr | No (Crypto add-on) | Web, desktop, mobile | 30-day version recovery |
| Sync.com | 5 GB | 150 GB: $3.50/mo (annual) | Yes | Web, desktop, mobile | 60-180 day file history by tier |
| Koofr | 10 GB | 100 GB: €2/mo; 1 TB: €10/mo | Vault folders (optional) | Web, desktop, mobile | Cheapest 1 TB of the five |
| MEGA | 10 GB base, 20 GB with bonuses | 200 GB: €3.33/mo (annual) | Yes | Web, desktop, mobile | Largest default-encrypted free tier |
| Proton Drive | 5 GB | 200 GB: $3.99/mo (annual) | Yes | Web, desktop, mobile | Built-in encrypted docs editor |
pCloud: the cheapest capacity, with a catch
pCloud's pricing is aggressive: 500 GB for $4.99 a month, 2 TB for $9.99, plus a $199 lifetime tier for 500 GB that we examine in the lifetime storage comparison. The 30-day version recovery is genuinely useful for undoing accidental overwrites. The catch is the encryption model: standard pCloud storage is not zero-knowledge, and client-side encryption is a paid add-on. If your threat model includes "provider gets hacked," the default configuration does not protect you. If it does not, this is the best price-per-gigabyte mainstream option.
Sync.com: encrypted, but slow and dated
Sync.com is the opposite trade: default end-to-end encryption on every tier, generous file history (60 to 180 days depending on plan), and Canadian jurisdiction with a published transparency history. Its weakness is the interface — the desktop client and web app feel years behind, and upload throughput is routinely reported as slower than the competition. Buy it for the privacy posture, not the user experience.
Koofr: the quiet value pick
Koofr rarely appears in "best of" lists because it does not run affiliate campaigns as aggressively as rivals. The pricing is the story: 100 GB for €2 a month and 1 TB for €10, with annual billing that already includes VAT. The catch is that zero-knowledge encryption applies only to files you place in Koofr Vault safe boxes, not to your whole account. For bulk, non-sensitive storage — media archives, project files — this is the best deal of the five. For sensitive documents, pair it with a Vault folder or pick a default-E2EE provider.
MEGA: the free tier nobody matches
MEGA gives away 10 GB immediately and up to 20 GB through achievement bonuses — installing the apps, inviting friends, and similar steps — all under default end-to-end encryption. Paid plans start at 200 GB for €3.33 a month (annual). The trade-offs are transfer quotas on lower plans and an interface built around its own apps rather than OS integration. For anyone whose first question is "how much do I get for free," the answer is MEGA, and our free cloud storage comparison covers the full field.
Proton Drive: privacy ecosystem over raw value
Proton Drive costs more per gigabyte than everything except Sync.com, and its free tier is the smallest at 5 GB. What you are buying is the ecosystem: Swiss jurisdiction, open-source clients, default end-to-end encryption, and a client-side encrypted document editor that most zero-knowledge providers lack. The 500 GB Proton Unlimited tier at $9.99 a month also bundles Proton VPN and Proton Mail premium, which makes it competitive if you already use those. As a pure storage purchase, it is overpriced; as a privacy bundle, it is fair.
Selection advice: Buy Koofr if you want the most gigabytes per dollar. Buy MEGA for the best free tier. Buy Proton Drive if you already live in the Proton ecosystem. And buy pCloud only if the Crypto add-on is part of your budget. Before any of this, make sure you actually want a sync drive rather than a backup service — see cloud backup vs cloud sync. Our evaluation method is on How We Pick.
Frequently asked questions
- Which cloud storage is best in 2026?
- It depends on what you are buying. For default end-to-end encryption, MEGA, Sync.com and Proton Drive encrypt everything automatically. For the cheapest large storage, Koofr's 1 TB plan at about 10 euros per month is hard to beat. pCloud offers the lowest entry price at 500 GB for $4.99 a month, but its encryption is a paid add-on.
- Is pCloud encryption free?
- No. pCloud's standard storage is not zero-knowledge encrypted by default. Client-side encryption is sold separately as the pCloud Crypto add-on. If you want end-to-end encryption with no extra purchase, MEGA, Sync.com, Proton Drive and Filen encrypt everything by default.
- What is the cheapest cloud storage with encryption?
- Filen is the cheapest encrypted option, with 200 GB for 1.99 euros a month and 500 GB for 3.99 euros a month. Koofr charges 2 euros a month for 100 GB, though its client-side Vault encryption applies to selected folders rather than everything. MEGA starts at 200 GB for 3.33 euros a month with full default encryption.
- Does zero-knowledge encryption break cloud features?
- Partly. When a provider cannot read your files, it also cannot index them for server-side search, generate previews without decrypting locally, or offer password recovery that restores your data. You gain privacy and lose convenience. Proton Drive and others have moved document editing client-side to work around this.
- Should I pay monthly or buy a lifetime cloud plan?
- Lifetime plans like pCloud's $199 for 500 GB beat subscriptions after two to three years, but the company must survive for the deal to pay off. Treat lifetime as a bet on a provider's longevity, not a discount. Our lifetime cloud storage comparison covers the trade-off in detail.