Happy Valley

pCloud

Swiss cloud storage with lifetime plans

pCloud is a file storage & sharing tool for Freelancers and Small businesses, offered as freemium ($5/mo). Founded in 2013. Popular alternatives include IDrive, MEGA, lifebox.

About pCloud

pCloud is a cloud storage service founded in 2013 and headquartered in Switzerland, with its development team in Bulgaria. Users choose at sign-up whether their data is stored in data centers in the United States or in Luxembourg in the EU. It is best known for lifetime plans, where storage is bought once instead of paid every year, and for a virtual drive that shows the whole cloud on a computer without using local disk space.

pCloud Drive works on Windows, macOS and Linux, with mobile apps that offer automatic photo upload. Built-in audio and video players stream media directly from storage, file versioning and a rewind feature recover earlier states, and sharing works through download links, upload links and shared folders. pCloud Encryption is a paid add-on that provides client-side, zero-knowledge encryption for a dedicated folder. Plans include a free tier of up to 10 GB, Premium and Premium Plus storage as yearly or lifetime purchases, family plans and Business plans for teams.

pCloud suits individuals and freelancers who want large personal storage and prefer a one-time payment, especially for photo archives and media libraries. Collaboration features are basic compared with Google Drive, Dropbox or OneDrive, encryption costs extra while Proton Drive and Sync.com include it by default, and the value of a lifetime plan depends on the company's long-term survival. Icedrive is another provider that offers lifetime pricing.

Key features of pCloud

  • Virtual drive
  • Lifetime plans
  • File versioning
  • Media streaming
  • Client-side encryption add-on
  • Sharing links

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Lifetime pricing
  • Swiss privacy
  • Virtual drive
  • Cross-platform

Cons

  • Encryption is extra
  • Team features limited
  • Company longevity risk for lifetime
  • Collaboration basic

pCloud pricing

pCloud uses a freemium model.

PlanPriceIncludes
Free$0Up to 10 GB (per help.pcloud.com plan details)
Premium 500 GB$4.99 / mo$49.99/yr; lifetime $219
Premium Plus 2 TB$9.99 / mo$99.99/yr; lifetime $499
Ultra 10 TB$29.99 / mo$299.99/yr; lifetime $1,499

Source: www.pcloud.com · checked on Oct 20, 2026

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How pCloud compares in File storage & sharing

Rank by votes
#1 / 18

0 votes from members

Starting price
$5

33% below the category median ($7/mo)

Free alternatives
2

Free or open-source tools in File storage & sharing

pCloud ranks #1 of 18 file storage & sharing tools by community votes and is priced below most tools in the category.

Common use cases

  1. 1Personal photo archive
  2. 2Media storage
  3. 3Long-term backup
  4. 4Freelancer file sharing

Best for

Individuals preferring one-time payment.

Not ideal for

Team collaboration.

Integrations

  • Windows
  • macOS
  • Linux
  • iOS
  • Android
  • Web

Our take

pCloud is the best lifetime cloud storage deal.

FAQ

What is pCloud?
pCloud is a File storage & sharing tool: Swiss cloud storage with lifetime plans.
How much does pCloud cost?
pCloud uses a Freemium model; paid plans start at $5 per month.
What are the best alternatives to pCloud?
Community-listed alternatives to pCloud include IDrive, MEGA, lifebox, Dropbox.
What does pCloud integrate with?
pCloud integrates with Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Web and more.
Which platforms does pCloud support?
pCloud is available on web, macos, windows, ios, android.
Who is pCloud for?
Individuals preferring one-time payment.

Alternatives to pCloud

See all 10
  • IDrive

    ▲ 0

    Cloud backup for multiple PCs, Macs, phones and servers in one account

    Freemium · $0Small businesses

    checked Oct 20

  • MEGA

    ▲ 0

    End-to-end encrypted cloud storage with 20 GB free

    FreemiumFreelancers

    checked Oct 20

  • lifebox

    ▲ 0

    Turkcell's cloud backup for photos, videos, contacts and files

    FreemiumCreators

    checked Oct 20

  • Dropbox

    ▲ 0

    Cloud storage and file sync pioneer

    Freemium · $12Small businesses

    checked Oct 20

  • Storage integrated with Google Workspace

    Freemium · $8Small businesses

    checked Oct 20

  • End-to-end encrypted cloud storage

    Freemium · $8Small businesses

    checked Oct 20

More File storage & sharing tools

See all 18
  • Filen

    ▲ 0

    Zero-knowledge encrypted storage from Germany

    FreemiumFreelancers

    checked Oct 20

  • Encrypted file sync for businesses

    PaidEnterprise

    checked Oct 20

  • Shared drive where people and AI agents edit the same live files

    Freemium · $9Small businesses

    checked Oct 26

  • Open-source document sharing and virtual data rooms with analytics

    Open source · $35Small businesses

    checked Oct 26

  • Self-hosted content collaboration platform

    Open sourceEnterprise

    checked Oct 20

  • Box

    ▲ 0

    Enterprise content management and collaboration

    Freemium · $7Enterprise

    checked Oct 20

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