pCloud Pricing & Free Plan Limits
Complete pricing breakdown for pCloud including all plans, hidden costs, and limitations.
Pricing score: 68/100
Is pCloud free?
Yes — the Basic (Free) plan costs nothing. Paid plans start at $4.99/month (Premium 500 GB).
The free plan includes
- Desktop, mobile and web apps
- pCloud Drive virtual drive
- 50 GB monthly shared link traffic
- 30-day trash / file history
Free plan limits
- Users: 1.0
- Storage: Up to 10 GB
- Encryption not included, 50 GB monthly link traffic, short file history, no extended file history, smaller storage than paid plans
Watch out: Starts below 10 GB; extra free space is unlocked by completing tasks (installing apps, uploading, inviting friends). Free accounts inactive for 12 months are permanently deleted with their files
Plans & Pricing
- Desktop, mobile and web apps
- pCloud Drive virtual drive
- 50 GB monthly shared link traffic
- 30-day trash / file history
User limit: 1.0
Storage: Up to 10 GB
- 500 GB storage
- About 20% off vs monthly ($49.99/year)
User limit: 1.0
Storage: 500 GB
- 500 GB storage
- 1 TB monthly shared link traffic
- 30-day trash
- pCloud Photos and Docs
User limit: 1.0
Storage: 500 GB
- Client-side encrypted Crypto folder
User limit: 1.0
- 2 TB storage
- $99.99/year
User limit: 1.0
Storage: 2 TB
- 2 TB storage
- 4 TB monthly shared link traffic
- 30-day trash
User limit: 1.0
Storage: 2 TB
- Encryption included
- Teams and access levels
- Activity logs
- Extended file history up to 180 days
- 30-day free trial
User limit: 3.0
Storage: 1 TB per user
- Everything in Business
- More storage per user
- 30-day free trial
User limit: 3.0
Storage: 2 TB per user
- 10 TB storage
- $299.99/year
User limit: 1.0
Storage: 10 TB
- 10 TB storage
- 20 TB monthly shared link traffic
User limit: 1.0
Storage: 10 TB
- One-time payment
- pCloud Photos and Docs
User limit: 1.0
Storage: 500 GB
- One-time payment
- pCloud Photos and Docs
User limit: 1.0
Storage: 2 TB
- 3 TB storage
- pCloud Encryption
- pCloud Pass Premium
- Photos and Docs
User limit: 1.0
Storage: 3 TB
- Up to 5 users
- One-time payment
User limit: 5.0
Storage: 2 TB shared
- One-time payment
- pCloud Photos and Docs
User limit: 1.0
Storage: 10 TB
- Up to 5 users
- One-time payment
User limit: 5.0
Storage: 10 TB shared
Pricing Issues Reported by Users
pCloud encryption costs extra on personal plans
Zero-knowledge, client-side encryption (pCloud Encryption / Crypto folder) is a paid add-on on individual plans; standard storage is encrypted only in transit and at rest with pCloud holding the keys. Reviewers repeatedly list this as the main con, since Sync.com, Proton Drive and Tresorit include end-to-end encryption by default. Only the 3in1 bundle and Business plans include it.
pCloud refund only within 14 days, nothing for unused time
The terms give a 14-day money-back guarantee from payment, require an explicit written request, allow pCloud to decline refunds on promotional or discounted purchases, and give no refund for unused days after cancelling. Trustpilot and OzBargain users report refund requests going unanswered, and annual subscribers asking for pro-rata refunds being refused.
Is pCloud lifetime really lifetime?
A lifetime plan lasts for the account owner's lifetime or 99 years, whichever is shorter, and accounts end if pCloud stops operating, with no refund. r/DataHoarder threads calculate that a 2 TB lifetime plan only beats the annual plan after roughly four years, so buyers are effectively betting that pCloud stays solvent.
pCloud always on sale: list prices are not real prices
The official pricing page shows lifetime plans with large strike-through discounts (Black Friday 2026: 2 TB for 379 EUR instead of 709 EUR), and deal sites show the same plans at very different prices through the year. Buyers who pay outside a sale overpay, and pCloud may refuse refunds on promotional purchases.
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