7 Best End to End Encrypted File Storage Platforms

Best End-to-End file storage platforms for secure data storage. This is the ultimate list you’ll ever need if you’re looking for the safest ways to store your files on the cloud.

I wouldn’t waste your time explaining what E2E is. You wouldn’t be here if you weren’t already aware of the benefits.

What’s important is, every single platform listed here is zero-knowledge. So, yes. No one’s accessing your files, not even with a court order.

The best part? Most of these offer a forever-free plan! You get to test the waters before diving in.

But hey, while E2E encryption is just the “most” important part of these services, there are other factors we look at, don’t we? There’s collaboration, link security, media management, jurisdiction and many other features.

So, here’s how I’ve picked these services for you.

How to Select an End-to-End Encrypted File Storage Service?

Before I give you the list, you need to know how I selected the options listed here, don’t you? More importantly, you need to know how to pick these zero-knowledge services on your own.

Well, here are all the factors I pay attention to:

• E2E/Zero-knowledge encryption: this of course, is the driving factor. The service must offer 100% E2E encryption and in no way should be able to view/intercept the stored data.
• Jurisdiction: It helps if the company is based out of the Five-Eye alliance and in some nation that respects user privacy. Good examples are the Netherlands, Switzerland, etc.
• Collaboration features: Because we’re storing files, I look for features like ease of sharing links, permission-based access, remote upload files, etc.
• Professional features: It’s always good if the platform allows branded links. It isn’t a mandatory feature though.
• File play/editing abilities: This one is important. If I can play my video/audio or open documents directly, it helps.
• Link protection: I prioritize tools that offer me password-protected links, the ability to set expiry dates, limit or disable downloads etc.
• Redundancy features: Tools that support versioning or recovery of lost files are also prioritized.
• Free plans and trials: I can’t ask you to blindly trust what I say for these tools. Hence, I’ve tried to include those tools that offer everything else plus either a free forever plan or at least a trial.

Let’s get you introduced to these client-side encrypted cloud storage platforms then?

• pCloud

Website: https://www.pcloud.com 

Sign Up Now and Get Up to 10 GB Free Storage

pCloud is arguably the most feature-rich End-to-End encrypted storage platform on this entire list.

For starters, it out of the Five-Eye jurisdiction and is based out of Switzerland.

With pCloud, sharing is caring, but not in a creepy way. You get direct links you can share with your friends. It even allows “requesting” for files.  You can even have “shared folders” that others can access alongside you.

pCloud is one of the few zero-knowledge cloud storage tools allowing branded links. You can have your own image, description, and heading for each link.

Of course everything’s encrypted with its 256-bit military encryption. There’s no maximum limit for any individual file either.

Want to access your files offline? No problem. With pCloud, you can select which files you want to have access to offline.

If you like stats, pCloud delivers. It gives you the total number of clicks, downloads, and many other stats for your links.

Because it’s in the cloud, of course, everything on your account is synced across any device you log on to.

Disaster can strike at any moment, but pCloud has you covered. Your files are stored on multiple servers, so your data is still safe and sound even if one goes down. It keeps 5 different copies of all your files! 

Store lots of media on your pCloud? Why bother with a separate video player when pCloud has one built-in? Watch your videos without ever leaving the app. It even supports direct streaming without downloading your videos. Of course, audio, documents and other media can also be played.

Like any good E2E cloud storage, pCloud too supports versioning. You can go back to previous “versions” of the same file to restore a change you don’t want anymore.

With pCloud’s remote upload, you can upload files to your account from anywhere at any time.

Maybe you already use Google Drive, One Drive, Facebook, Google Photos, or something else for your data? pCloud is capable of creating a backup from any of these.

The only downer? All the data on pCloud is of course, encrypted by default. However, for E2E encryption, you’ll need to pay extra. But hey, they’ve got a 14-day free trial you can use.

The payment plans are really interesting. You can either pay annually or just once for your entire lifetime!  Annual plans start at just $49.99/year. There’s also a 10-day refund policy in case you don’t like the services offered.

Sign Up Now and Get Up to 10 GB Free Storage

• Sync

Website: https://www.sync.com

Register Your Account and Get 5 GB free

As the name suggests, it has a “Sync” feature. I can sync any of my folders to my Sync account. Perfect for transferring files across devices or just accessing them from multiple locations.

Maybe you don’t wish to sync everything you have? You can choose exactly which files and folders you want to sync and which ones you want to leave untouched.

You can even specify and limit bandwidth consumption by Sync!

Of Course, You can share files with anyone using direct links. And yes, the files are encrypted during transit as well as at rest.

But what if you only want certain people to have access to your files? That’s where Folder Permissions come in. You can choose who can access your folders and what they can do with the files inside. It’s like having a personal file bouncer to make sure only the right people get in.

Do you love security? Sync does too. You can set a password for the link and an expiration date. You grant specific people access for a specific time.

Its link download limit is another feature I’m in love with. You can set a maximum number of downloads for each link, so you have complete control over who can access your files and how many times they can do it.

Another rare but very useful feature is its upload link. This feature allows others to upload files to your Sync.com account without giving them access to your entire folder.

You can even set a password for the upload link. Moreover, you also get to specify the target folder where files should be uploaded when this upload link is used.

Of course, It supports direct file previews as well as editing files on the fly. Previous versions of the files are retained as well.

The best part? Nothing I’ve said so far needs to be taken at face value. You can start using Sync.com 100% free, forever, up to 5 GB. Even its paid plans are some of the industry’s cheapest, starting at $8.00/month.

Even on the paid plans, there’s a generous 30-day refund policy!

Register Your Account and Get 5 GB free

• IceDrive

Website: https://www.icedrive.com

Create an Account Now, Get 10GB Free Storage!

I’ll be honest, IceDrive isn’t at the same level as pCloud or Sync. However, as far as End-to-End encrypted cloud storage goes, it totally deserves a peek.

I do love its Virtual Drive feature though. It creates a local drive on my system. I can use the virtual drive to drag and drop files, edit them, and save changes directly to the cloud.

You can share files and folders with others through IceDrive’s secure link-sharing feature, which allows you to control the level of access granted to each user. You can also collaborate with others on files and folders with real-time editing and commenting features.

Yes, the remote “upload link” feature exists as well. Simply share a link and others can upload files to your IceDrive account.

While it doesn’t have the “limited downloads” feature for links that I’m so in love with, it does let me set “expiry dates” for shared links. Older versions of the same files can be accessed as well.

Of course, files can be shared using simple links. I can also set passwords for the links if I want to.

Why did I say it isn’t at the same level as its competitors? For starters, it’s U.S based. Secondly, at times you may need to download your files and then re-upload them to move them between folders on your IceDrive account.

Again, there’s a forever free account you can use.  You get 10 GB free storage, no E2E encryption is provided on the free account though.

Paid accounts start as low as $1.67/month. There’s even a 14-day refund policy.

Create an Account Now, Get 10GB Free Storage!

• MEGA

Website: https://mega.io/

• E2E encryption
• New Zealand headquarters
• Password and expiry dates for links
• File request links
• Free forever account

MEGA is on this list for multiple reasons. For starters, it’s one of the only companies that offers E2E encryption not just on paid accounts but also if you’re a free user.

It offers all the primary features you expect with any zero-knowledge cloud storage platform, starting with zero-knowledge encryption.

It does allow you to set passwords for your links. This obviously means you can share files using direct links. Oh, expiry dates can be set as well. You can also set specific permission for each individual you share the file/folder with.

Moreover, you can also create file request links. Anyone who does not have a Mega account can upload files to your Mega account.

Sure, I’d have loved a “limit” feature on the downloads, but you can’t have it all now, eh?

As for jurisdiction, its headquarters are based in New Zealand, a country that I’m mostly okay with. It also has servers in half a dozen other nations, which is another sigh of relief for me.

Let’s address the Elephant in the room? Yes, Mega has had a controversial past, which may be controlled mainly by the Chinese government. or at least a few individuals. Either way, it’s E2E encrypted so your data stays safe no matter who controls it.

A free plan gives you 20 GB of storage (and E2E encryption). Paid plans start at EUR 49.99/year (can be billed monthly).

Sign Up and Claim 20 GB Free Storage

• Tresorit

Website: https://tresorit.com/

I suppose no list discussing E2E cloud storage can be complete without mentioning Tresorit.

So, for starters, End-to-End encryption is offered for free, forever. The paid plan is completely optional. Moreover, most other options on this list have somewhat more access to your (meta)data than Tresorit does in certain scenarios.

It has all the features you want from one such E2E encrypted file storage service. This includes encrypted links for sharing, password-protected links as well as expiry dates.

Oh it even offers a more advanced form of branding, complete with your logo and colors to the shared links!

You can even disable download/print options for the shared links. It can be made so that the data can be viewed only.  If you want specific people to view it, you can also require e-mails for file viewing.

Oh, and the remote upload links? Available! Anyone, even you, can upload to your Tresorit account without even having a Tresorit account (you of course, must have one).

Tresorit of course, has folders. You can choose to grant specific permissions to specific users.

Deleted files can be recovered as well. It does store previous versions of files and allows restores to those versions as well.

It has fantastic device options. First, camera rolls can be set to auto-uploads. You can also use it to scan and upload documents while they remain entirely encrypted and never stored on your device.

Lost your device? You can wipe it remotely!

So, all in all, I’d say it actually offers more features than pCloud. The only downer? There’s a maximum file cap for each plan and it’s slightly more expensive.

Talking of that, you can either go for its forever free plan, or the paid plans start at $11.99/month.

Final Words:

So, which is the best of these zero-knowledge cloud storage platforms? I’d say Mega and pCloud are, without a doubt, the best choices.  This is primarily based on their features, jurisdiction, and pricing plans.

Of course, all the other options listed here also offer the same level of security. But then, the ultimate choice rests with you. What’s your priority? Is it simply cloud storage? Or maybe it’s collaboration? Do you need team access?

I’ve discussed these tools from all of these perspectives to get you the best possible idea.

Get off this list of the best End to End encrypted cloud storage platforms and go try these out. The free forever plans on most should help you decide better.