Which cloud storage is truly end-to-end encrypted?
Five services ranked on one question: can the provider read what you store and what you share?
The short answer: Proton Drive if you want end-to-end encryption everywhere, free plan included, with protected share links. Sync.com if you want lots of space and a cheap team plan. pCloud and Dropbox also offer end-to-end encryption, but only as a paid add-on or on team plans, with limits you only find after you pay. Filen, with its company and servers in Germany, encrypts everything end to end, with 10 GB free and paid plans from €1.99 a month.
End-to-end encryption (often sold as "zero-knowledge") means one thing: your files are encrypted on your device before upload, and only your key opens them. The provider stores data it can't read. Google Drive, OneDrive and most mainstream drives encrypt too, but they keep the key. That's encryption at rest, not end to end.
Pick in one line. Want zero setup: Proton Drive. Terabytes on a budget: Sync.com, or Filen if you pay in euros. Already on pCloud: add Encryption for your sensitive folder. Team already living in Dropbox: move to Advanced, knowing its limits.
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Who really encrypts end to end, and on which plan?
On a security page, "encrypted" can mean two very different things. Either the provider encrypts your files on its servers with its own key: it can open them, and must hand them over when served with a legal request. Or your files are encrypted on your device with a key the provider never sees. That second one is end-to-end encryption, and it's the only thing this table checks.
Two things to know first. Metadata means file names, sizes and dates, and some services leave it readable. And sharing is where encryption breaks most often. The rank follows this page's core test: the quality of end-to-end encryption and encrypted sharing, meaning who holds the key, and on which plans. The score out of 5 is the whole product's score, the same as in our cloud file sharing ranking (Filen isn't in that ranking, so its score here comes from its official pages). That's why Sync.com and Filen (3.9) sit above pCloud and Dropbox (4.0): Sync.com and Filen each encrypt the whole account end to end on every plan, free included; pCloud, one folder as a paid add-on; Dropbox, team folders on business plans. And that's why Dropbox, well rated overall, ranks last here.
| What is end-to-end encrypted, and sharing | Plan and entry price | |
|---|---|---|
| Proton DriveDefault, every plan | Every file, every plan, free included. Sharing: public link that opens without a Proton account, with optional password and expiration date. | Free 5 GB. Drive Plus 200 GB at $4.99/mo, billed monthly. |
| Sync.comDefault, every plan | Every file, free included. Sharing: password-protected links; expiry dates, download limits and preview-only links on every paid plan (Personal, Solo, Unlimited, Teams). The free plan gets 3 password-protected links. | Free 5 GB. Personal 1 TB at $9/mo billed yearly in year one, then $12. |
| FilenDefault, every plan | Every file, encrypted on your device, on every plan. Sharing: view-only public link with password and expiry date. Company and servers in Germany, open-source apps. | Free 10 GB. Pro I 200 GiB at €1.99/mo (prices shown in euros). |
| pCloudPaid add-on, one folder | Only the Crypto folder, with the pCloud Encryption add-on. The rest of the account is encrypted by pCloud, not end to end. | Encryption lifetime $150, on top of storage (500 GB lifetime $219). |
| DropboxTeams, selected folders | Encrypted team folders, created by an admin, on Advanced and Enterprise (and Business Plus, a legacy plan missing from the current Plus, Standard, Advanced lineup). File names stay readable. Sharing: no shared links, no previews, no mobile app. | Advanced at $24/user/mo billed yearly ($30 monthly), 3-user minimum, from 15 TB. |
| Google DriveTop-tier plans only | Client-side encryption on Workspace Frontline Plus, Enterprise Plus, Education Standard and Education Plus, with an external key service to set up. On other plans, Google holds the key. | Not ranked: built for large organizations. |
Prices read in 2026 on each provider's official page. Tresorit, Internxt and MEGA also encrypt end to end, but their pricing pages showed no readable amounts, even when reopened for this update, so they are covered in the FAQ without a card or price.
Proton Drive
Proton Drive is the only service in this ranking where you have nothing to decide. Every file is encrypted on your device before upload, on every plan, and the pricing page says the free plan gets the same level of encryption as paid ones. Proton is Swiss, the same company behind Proton Mail.
Sharing is where it pulls ahead of other encrypted drives. You create a public link, viewer or editor, and your recipient opens it without a Proton account. In the link settings you add a password and an expiration date. Send that password through a different channel than the link (a text if the link goes by email), or it protects nothing. Stop sharing and the link dies instantly.
Two details people discover late. Collaborators with Editor access see the email address on your Proton account, so use a dedicated address if that bothers you. And the free plan caps editor links at three.
The limit is speed. Proton explains that every file and folder is encrypted one by one, so a folder full of small files, or deeply nested, syncs much more slowly. Zip code or photo folders before upload. On Linux, users have long relied on rclone; check the current state of the desktop app before you commit.
- End-to-end encryption on every plan, free included
- Public links with password and expiration date
- Recipients don't need a Proton account
- Unlimited plan bundles Mail, VPN, Pass and Calendar
- ✓No special folder or paid add-on
- ✓5 GB free, no credit card
- ✓30-day money-back guarantee
- ✗Slow sync on thousands of small files
- ✗Editor links capped at three on the free plan
Our top pick if you want end-to-end encryption without thinking about it, sharing included. If you need several terabytes on a budget, look at Sync.com or Filen.
Sync.com
Sync.com, a Canadian company, encrypts everything end to end, free account included (5 GB). It doesn't try to sell you a suite. It's a drive with sync, version history and share links. On every paid plan (Personal, Solo, Unlimited and Teams), a link can carry a password, an expiry date, a download limit, or open preview-only. The free plan is limited to 3 password-protected links.
Read the line under the price. The amounts shown are first-year prices with 25% off. Personal 1 TB costs $9 a month billed yearly, so $108 for year one, then $12 a month at renewal. Solo 5 TB goes from $21 to $28. Budget for year two, not year one.
For teams, it's the cheapest encrypted plan among the services we ranked: Teams 1 TB at $4.50 per user per month billed yearly in year one (25% off), then $6, three users minimum: $13.50 a month for three people in year one, $18 after. Worth knowing: a Teams admin can reset a member's forgotten password.
The downsides come from users. Reviews mention slow uploads and no phone or chat support on individual plans. And a 2024 study by ETH Zurich researchers (CCS 2024) examined Sync among five encrypted services and reported severe cryptographic vulnerabilities in four of them; it says nothing about the current state of fixes. For a highly sensitive document, invite a collaborator into a shared folder instead of sending a public link.
- End-to-end encryption on every plan, free included
- Password, expiry and download limits on links (paid plans)
- Teams 1 TB at $4.50 per user billed yearly in year one, $6 after
- 30-day trial and refund
- ✓Low price per terabyte
- ✓Encrypted team plan with public pricing
- ✓No suite to pay for
- ✗First-year pricing: +33% at renewal
- ✗Email-only support, uploads can be slow
The best pick if you want 1 to 5 TB encrypted, or a small encrypted team, without paying for a whole suite. If sync speed matters more than price, keep Proton Drive in mind.
Filen
Filen is a German drive: the company and all its servers are in Germany, and its apps are open source. Like Proton and Sync.com, it encrypts everything on your device before upload, on every plan. Each plan lists "Client side encryption" and "Zero knowledge technology", and the company puts it plainly: no one can access your data, not even Filen.
Price is the pitch. The free account gives you 10 GB, the biggest free tier on this page. Then Pro I gets you 200 GiB for €1.99 a month, Pro III 2 TiB for €8.99, Pro X 10 TiB for €39.99. Plans stack on one account: two Pro X plans give you 20 TiB. For 2 TiB you pay €8.99 a month, about €108 over twelve months on monthly billing.
Sharing covers the basics. A public link can be view-only and carry an expiry date and a password. You can also share a folder directly with another Filen user, no public link needed.
The limits come from user feedback. On Linux, the client syncs everything locally, with no on-demand access. On mobile, the app sometimes drops large uploads. And Filen has no team plan as complete as Sync.com Teams: it's built first for one person.
- End-to-end encryption on every plan, free included
- 10 GB free, the biggest free tier on this page
- Stackable plans, from 200 GiB to 10 TiB and beyond
- Company and servers in Germany, open-source apps
- ✓Paid plans start at €1.99 a month
- ✓Prices shown in euros
- ✓Links with password, expiry and view-only mode
- ✗Linux client has no on-demand access
- ✗Mobile app can be shaky on large uploads
The best pick if you want everything end-to-end encrypted at the lowest price, hosted in Germany. If you need a team plan or more polished apps, go with Sync.com or Proton Drive.
pCloud
pCloud is a well-rated cloud, which is why it shows up on every encrypted storage list. But end-to-end encryption there is neither default nor free. You buy the pCloud Encryption add-on, which unlocks a Crypto folder, and only that folder is encrypted on your device. The rest of your account is encrypted by pCloud, with pCloud's keys.
Pricing has two lines. Lifetime storage costs $219 for 500 GB or $499 for 2 TB. Encryption comes on top: $150 lifetime, shown next to a struck-through $229. That's $369 for 500 GB with one encrypted folder.
The catch is sharing. Sending an encrypted file to a client means moving it out of the Crypto folder, and it loses end-to-end encryption. Keep your Crypto pass outside pCloud: it's what opens the folder. pCloud is also one of the five services examined in the 2024 ETH Zurich study.
- Crypto folder encrypted on your device
- One-time payment for storage and encryption
- ✓Pay once, no subscription
- ✓The rest of the account keeps every feature
- ✗End-to-end encryption is paid and limited to one folder
- ✗No encrypted sharing on personal plans
Useful if you're already on pCloud and want to lock one folder. If you need to share encrypted files, pick Proton Drive or Sync.com.
Dropbox
Dropbox doesn't offer end-to-end encryption to individuals. Teams get it on Advanced and Enterprise (and Business Plus, a legacy plan missing from the current Plus, Standard, Advanced lineup), as encrypted team folders. Only an admin can create and manage them; a member can't encrypt a folder on their own.
What encryption breaks is spelled out in Dropbox's help center, and the list is long. File names and metadata stay readable. No previews or thumbnails, no content search, no shared links, and no access from the mobile app (Dropbox suggests the phone's browser). Sharing outside the team only works with another team that also turned encryption on. Files synced to your computer aren't encrypted.
Price: Advanced is $24 per user per month billed yearly, with a three-user minimum, so $72 a month for the smallest team. That's more than five times Sync.com Teams 1 TB for three people in year one ($13.50 a month billed yearly), and still four times its price after the discount ($18), for narrower protection. The 4.0 score covers the whole product, which is excellent at sync and integrations; on end-to-end encryption alone, Dropbox is the most limited service here.
- End-to-end encrypted team folders
- Managed by admins
- The rest of Dropbox keeps previews, links and integrations
- ✓No migration if the team already uses Dropbox
- ✓Sync and integrations among the best
- ✗Nothing for individuals or the Standard plan
- ✗Readable file names, no links or mobile app on encrypted folders
Only worth it if your team already lives in Dropbox and two or three folders need encryption. To share everything encrypted, Proton Drive or Sync.com do more for less.
The catches you only see after your first share
What follows comes from our comparison, the providers' help pages and user reports on forums. Six checks to run during the free plan or trial. For a ranking without the encryption filter, see the best cloud file sharing services; for business backup, the best cloud backup for business; and if you're leaving Dropbox, the Dropbox alternatives.
Who holds the key?
That's the only question that matters. If the service can reset your password and give your files back, it has the key, and it isn't end to end. With Proton, Sync.com or Filen, a lost password with no recovery method means lost files. One nuance: on Sync.com Teams, the admin can reset a member's password, so lock that admin account down. Write down the recovery key or phrase offered at signup right away, and store it outside the cloud.
Whole account, or one folder?
pCloud encrypts only the Crypto folder end to end, as a paid add-on. Dropbox, only team folders an admin creates. The rest of those accounts is encrypted by the provider. Put sensitive files in the right place from day one, or they sit next door without end-to-end protection.
Does sharing keep the encryption?
This is where it breaks. Dropbox allows no shared links on encrypted folders. Proton and Sync.com make encrypted links, but a link with no password hands the file to anyone who gets it. Always set a password and an expiry date, and send the password through another channel.
Are file names encrypted?
A file called "layoffs-q3.pdf" says plenty even when encrypted. Dropbox leaves names readable in encrypted folders. If the name is sensitive, rename before upload or put the file in a password-protected archive.
What year two costs
Sync.com shows first-year prices with 25% off. pCloud shows lifetime plans next to struck-through prices. Proton offers a 30-day money-back guarantee. Write down the renewal price before you pay, and for a lifetime plan, ask what happens if the terms change: some Internxt lifetime customers saw features move to a separate tier.
Keep your current cloud and encrypt yourself
If your team won't leave Google Drive, OneDrive or Dropbox, Cryptomator encrypts a folder on your computer before it goes to any cloud. The desktop app is free and open source; full mobile access is a one-time €29.99 per platform on the official page. You lose web previews and link sharing, but you keep your tool.
- The help page says "encrypted on your device", not just "encrypted"
- The plan you pay for includes end-to-end encryption, not a higher tier
- An encrypted share link sent to a colleague, with password and expiry
- Recovery key written down and stored outside the cloud
- A folder of thousands of small files synced during the trial
- Mobile app tried on an encrypted file
- Renewal price noted before payment
Is your tool missing from this page? Email us: hello@hackceleration.com
Your questions on end-to-end encrypted storage
What is the best end-to-end encrypted cloud storage?
Proton Drive for most people: end-to-end encryption covers every plan, the 5 GB free plan included, and share links take a password and an expiration date. Sync.com gives you a lot of space for the money. Filen has the lowest paid entry point at €1.99 a month.
Is Google Drive end-to-end encrypted?
No, not on regular plans. Google encrypts your files on its servers but keeps the keys. Client-side encryption exists only on Workspace Frontline Plus, Enterprise Plus, Education Standard and Education Plus, with an external key service the organization sets up. For an individual or small business, Cryptomator adds that layer on top of Google Drive.
What's the difference between encryption at rest and end-to-end encryption?
At rest, the provider encrypts your files on its disks with its own key: it can read them, scan them and hand them over on legal request. End to end, your device encrypts before upload with a key the provider never learns. Simple test: if the service can restore your files after a forgotten password, it holds the key.
What happens if I forget my password?
Without a recovery key or phrase, your files are gone. That's the price of end-to-end encryption. Turn on the recovery method offered at signup, and keep it on paper or in a password manager, not in the cloud itself.
Can I share an encrypted file with someone who has no account?
Yes, with Proton Drive and Sync.com: the recipient opens the link in a browser, no account needed. Add a password sent through another channel. With Dropbox, encrypted folders accept no shared links.
Is there free end-to-end encrypted cloud storage?
Yes. Filen gives 10 GB free, Proton Drive and Sync.com 5 GB, Internxt 1 GB, all end-to-end encrypted. On pCloud and Dropbox, end-to-end encryption isn't available on the free plan.
Does end-to-end encryption protect against everything?
No. It protects your files at the provider, not on your computer or your recipient's: an infected device reads decrypted files. It doesn't guarantee flawless code either: in 2024, ETH Zurich researchers examined five encrypted services (Sync, pCloud, Icedrive, Seafile, Tresorit) and reported severe cryptographic vulnerabilities in four of them.
What about Tresorit, Internxt or MEGA?
All three encrypt end to end. Tresorit, Swiss, targets regulated businesses. Internxt, based in Spain, offers 1 GB free and sells lifetime plans. MEGA also presents itself as end-to-end encrypted. None of the three showed a readable amount on its pricing page, even when reopened for this update: Tresorit names its plans (Personal Lite, Essential, Pro) without amounts, and Internxt shows €0 on its paid plans, clearly a display error. So we didn't rank them.
How do I send a single encrypted file without a subscription?
Three options. Proton Drive free: upload the file, create a public link with a password and expiration date, and your recipient opens it without an account. Bitwarden Send: a temporary, end-to-end encrypted link, with an optional password and the option to hide your email address; file Sends (up to 500 MB, 100 MB on mobile) require a paid Premium plan. OnionShare: open-source software (GPLv3) that shares files securely and anonymously over the Tor network, on Windows, Mac, Linux, Android and iOS.
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