pCloud

Personal cloud storage with a virtual drive, automatic photo backup and secure file sharing across all your devices.

pCloud is a personal cloud storage service built for individuals who work across several devices and want their files, photos and media available everywhere without eating up local disk space. It suits freelancers backing up client work, photographers and videographers with growing media libraries, remote workers syncing documents between a laptop and a phone, and privacy-conscious users who want their data hosted under Swiss law rather than a US-based provider.

With pCloud, people store any file type in the cloud and reach it from Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, and the web. A distinguishing feature is pCloud Drive, a virtual drive that mounts cloud storage as a normal local disk, so files can be opened and edited directly without downloading the whole library or using device storage. Photos and videos can be set to upload automatically from a phone's camera roll, WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, Signal, Viber and other mobile apps. Music and video can be played straight from the account with a built-in player, which makes pCloud usable as a personal media library rather than just a file dump. Deleted or changed files can be recovered for 30 days by default (up to 365 days), and Account Rewind can roll an entire account back to an earlier point in time. Sharing is handled through links that can be password-protected, given expiry dates and branded, and file request links let anyone send files back without needing a pCloud account themselves. Existing files sitting in other accounts can be pulled in directly through backup and remote upload from Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, and Facebook.

Main features:

- Cross-device sync for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS and web, with a native desktop client - pCloud Drive, a virtual drive that mounts cloud storage locally without using device disk space - Automatic camera upload for photos and videos from mobile - Built-in audio and video player, usable as a personal media library - 30-day file versioning and recovery, extendable to 365 days through the Extended File History add-on - Account Rewind, to restore a whole account to a previous point in time - Password-protected, expiring and branded sharing links, plus file request links for receiving files from people without a pCloud account - Backup and remote upload from linked Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, Facebook and Instagram accounts - pCloud Crypto, an optional paid add-on for client-side, zero-knowledge encrypted folders - Swiss-based company, so data handling falls under Swiss data protection law - pCloud sells one-time-payment lifetime plans for 500GB, 2TB and 10TB as an alternative to monthly or annual billing.

Getting started: 1. Create a free account at pcloud.com, no card needed. The free plan includes 10GB of storage with no time limit. 2. Download the desktop app for Windows, macOS or Linux, or the mobile app for iOS or Android. 3. Sign in, then either drag files into the pCloud folder or mount pCloud as a virtual drive to work with cloud files as if they were local. 4. Turn on automatic camera upload in the mobile app if photo and video backup is the main goal. 5. Create sharing links or file request links for any folder that needs to go out to other people. 6. Upgrade to Premium (500GB) or Premium Plus (2TB) once the free 10GB runs out, or choose a one-time lifetime plan instead of a subscription. Add pCloud Crypto separately if zero-knowledge encrypted folders are needed.

Pricing: a free plan with 10GB. Premium (500GB) from $4.99 a month, $49.99 a year, and Lifetime (one-time payment) - $219 . Premium Plus (2TB) from around $9.99 a month, $99.99 a year, and Lifetime (one-time payment) - $499. Ultra (10TB) is offered mainly as a one-time lifetime purchase (available also as annual $299.99 and monthly $29.99) . Lifetime, one-time-payment options exist for the 500GB, 2TB and 10TB tiers as an alternative to recurring billing. pCloud Crypto and Extended File History are separate paid add-ons, not included by default.

pCloud's personal plans cover storage, sync, backup and sharing for one person across their own devices.