- Pick it if you are:
- Long-term personal storage buyers; Media collectors (video, music, photos)
- Top complaint:
- pCloud encryption costs extra on personal plans
- Price:
- Free plan, paid from $4.99/mo
- Pick it if you are:
- Privacy-focused individuals leaving Google Drive; Existing Proton Mail, VPN or Pass users
- Top complaint:
- Proton Drive not syncing: desktop app stalls or says 'synced' when it isn't
- Price:
- Free plan, paid from $4.99/mo
Score Comparison
Signals Comparison
pCloud
- pCloud encryption costs extra on personal plans(7/10)
- pCloud refund only within 14 days, nothing for unused time(7/10)
- Is pCloud lifetime really lifetime?(6/10)
- pCloud always on sale: list prices are not real prices(4/10)
Proton Drive
- Proton Drive renewal price is higher than the first-year deal(5/10)
- Free plan is really 2 GB until you unlock the other 3 GB(5/10)
- Proton Drive refund denied after the first 30 days(6/10)
pCloud
- pCloud sync stuck or takes forever to start(7/10)
- pCloud Drive won't mount on Mac (system extension blocked)(7/10)
- pCloud shared link traffic limit reached(5/10)
- pCloud deletes files when you stop paying or go over quota(8/10)
Proton Drive
- Proton Drive not syncing: desktop app stalls or says 'synced' when it isn't(8/10)
- Sync conflicts, 'Name clash' duplicates and deleted files coming back(8/10)
- Over storage after downgrading: sync stops and files can be deleted(8/10)
pCloud
- pCloud support slow, AI chat and no live agent(6/10)
- pCloud account suspended without explanation(8/10)
Proton Drive
- Proton support is slow and redirects to forms(6/10)
pCloud
- pCloud encryption flaws found by ETH Zurich researchers(6/10)
Proton Drive
No signals
pCloud
- Why is pCloud so slow to upload?(6/10)
Proton Drive
- Why is Proton Drive so slow? Uploads and downloads crawl(7/10)
pCloud
- pCloud Family plans are lifetime-only(4/10)
Proton Drive
- Missing features: no incremental backups, duplicate detection or 'new photos only'(4/10)
pCloud
No signals
Proton Drive
- No Proton Drive Linux app (only a command-line tool)(7/10)
- rclone with Proton Drive fails: 'Too many recent API requests'(6/10)
- Few collaboration features and almost no third-party integrations(5/10)
pCloud
No signals
Proton Drive
- Proton Drive photo backup stuck or not uploading(6/10)
Pricing Comparison
pCloud
Users: 1.0
Storage: Up to 10 GB
Limits: Encryption not included, 50 GB monthly link traffic, short file history, no extended file history, smaller storage than paid plans
Users: 1.0
Storage: 500 GB
Limits: No client-side encryption without the add-on
Users: 1.0
Storage: 500 GB
Limits: Encryption costs extra
Users: 1.0
Storage: 2 TB
Users: 1.0
Storage: 2 TB
Users: 1.0
Storage: 10 TB
Users: 1.0
Storage: 10 TB
Users: 1.0
Storage: 500 GB
Limits: pCloud may decline refunds on promotional purchases
Users: 1.0
Storage: 2 TB
Users: 1.0
Storage: 10 TB
Users: 1.0
Storage: 3 TB
Users: 5.0
Storage: 2 TB shared
Limits: Storage shared between all members
Users: 5.0
Storage: 10 TB shared
Users: 3.0
Storage: 1 TB per user
Limits: Minimum 3 seats
Users: 3.0
Storage: 2 TB per user
Limits: Minimum 3 seats
Users: 1.0
Limits: Some features (previews, sharing) don't work on encrypted files
Proton Drive
Users: 1.0
Storage: 5 GB (2 GB base + up to 3 GB earned)
Limits: 5 GB max, shorter version history than paid plans, storage shared with Proton Mail, no priority support
Users: 1.0
Storage: 200 GB
Limits: Drive only; no VPN, Pass or premium Mail
Users: 1.0
Storage: 200 GB
Limits: Drive only
Users: 1.0
Storage: 500 GB (shared with Mail)
Limits: Storage is shared across all Proton apps
Users: 1.0
Storage: 500 GB (shared with Mail)
Limits: Storage is shared across all Proton apps
Users: 2.0
Storage: 2 TB
Limits: Two users only
Users: 2.0
Storage: 2 TB
Limits: Two users only
Users: 6.0
Storage: 3 TB
Limits: Storage pooled across the family
Users: 6.0
Storage: 3 TB
Limits: Storage pooled across the family
Storage: 1 TB per user
Limits: Drive, Docs and Sheets only (no Mail/VPN)
Storage: 1 TB per user
Limits: Drive, Docs and Sheets only
Users: 5000.0
Storage: 1 TB per user
Feature Comparison
| Feature | pCloud | Proton Drive |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | ||
| Lifetime plans Owner's lifetime or 99 years | ||
| Security | ||
| End-to-end encryption All plans, including free | ||
| Client-side (zero-knowledge) encryption Paid add-on on personal plans | ||
| Sync | ||
| Windows desktop sync app Activity tab with pause/resume and rename | ||
| Virtual drive (pCloud Drive) | ||
| macOS desktop sync app Menu bar app with File Provider, on-demand sync | ||
| Selective folder sync | ||
| Command-line client (Drive CLI) Linux, macOS, Windows; released June 2026 | ||
| Block-level / incremental sync Users request it for large files | ||
| Mobile | ||
| Automatic photo upload | ||
| Mobile photo backup One-way backup on iOS and Android | ||
| Backup | ||
| Extended file history (up to 365 days) Paid add-on | ||
| File version history Up to 10 years on Drive Plus and bundles; 365 days on Drive Professional | ||
| Platforms | ||
| Linux desktop app In development; Drive CLI available, no continuous sync | ||
| Sharing | ||
| Family plan Lifetime only | ||
| Collaboration | ||
| Encrypted Docs and Sheets editors | ||
| Office document editing No built-in editor like Google Docs or Office Online | ||
| Media | ||
| Built-in media player | ||
| Integrations | ||
| Official API for third-party tools rclone backend is unofficial and throttled | ||
| Bundle | ||
| Bundled VPN and password manager Proton Unlimited, Duo and Family include Proton VPN and Proton Pass | ||
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