pCloud

Freemium

Store, sync, and share your files securely with pCloud. Get up to 10 GB of free secure cloud…

Generous Free Tierfrom $49.99/yr

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About pCloud

pCloud is a Swiss cloud storage service known for selling lifetime plans instead of only subscriptions. Individuals who want a Dropbox-style sync folder without a monthly bill are its core audience. The free plan starts small and grows to 10 GB as you complete tasks.

What the free plan gives you

Storage starting around 2 GB, rising to a maximum of 10 GB by finishing onboarding steps and referring friends
Desktop sync client for Windows, macOS and Linux, plus mobile apps
Sharing links, file requests and a built-in media player
Access to the same apps and interface as paid accounts

Where the free plan stops

The 10 GB ceiling is the obvious one, and shared-link download traffic is also limited on free accounts. Client-side encryption (pCloud Encrypto) is a paid add-on. The Premium 500 GB tier is the first paid step, listed by third-party guides at about $49.99 a year, with 500 GB of shared-link traffic. Lifetime prices on the pricing page at the time of checking were 199 EUR for 500 GB, 399 EUR for 2 TB and 1,190 EUR for 10 TB, all one-time payments with a 14-day money-back guarantee.

Who it suits

The free plan works as an extra backup for documents and photos, and the 10 GB is competitive with Google Drive's 15 GB once you have done the referral tasks. If you want a primary cloud drive for a large photo or video library, the value is in the lifetime plans rather than the free tier. Check the vendor page for current annual and monthly prices, since the pricing page rotates promotions.

Key Features

European excellence. Swiss privacy.

Main

Features

Company

Support

Tools

Pros & Cons

Unusually generous free allowance

Covers european excellence. Swiss privacy. on the free plan

Free plan verified against the vendor's pricing page

Hosted only — no self-hosting escape hatch

Vendor does not publish a clear free-plan breakdown

The free plan in practice

What you can actually do on pCloud's free plan (Free plan with up to 10GB), where it stops, and when it's worth paying.

What you can do free

Up to 10 GB free storage after onboarding and referral tasks
Desktop sync for Windows, macOS, Linux
iOS and Android apps
Share links and file requests
Built-in audio and video player

Where it stops

Starts at roughly 2 GB, 10 GB only after tasks
Limited shared-link traffic
Client-side encryption is a paid add-on

When to upgrade to a paid plan

Stay on the free plan while you're comfortably under the free plan's limit (Free plan with up to 10GB). It's worth moving to a paid plan once you consistently bump into that ceiling, need to remove branding, or want features the free tier holds back. Paid plans start at $49.99/yr.