pCloud review
by pCloud International AGCloud file storage and sharing
Team cloud storage with client-side encryption included, 1 TB per user from a shared pool and an EU or US data region, from $7.99 per user billed annually.
- Free plan
- Self-serve
- Per seat
- Public prices
What you're paying for
- Worth the price (main value)
- Compliance included
Low-cost team storage with client-side encryption included and a choice of EU or US data region at sign-up.
pCloud Business gives each user 1 TB in a shared pool for $7.99 a month billed annually, with pCloud Encryption, which encrypts files on the device before upload, included rather than sold separately. Teams choose the EU (Luxembourg) or US (Dallas) data region when they sign up, and admins get teams, access levels, activity logs and custom storage quotas. It suits small teams that want private storage at a low price more than enterprise admin features.
- Client-side encryption includedThe Business plans list pCloud Encryption: files are encrypted on the device before upload, and the page describes zero-knowledge privacy so only the user can read them.Evidence: Business page (2026-10-16)
- EU or US data region at sign-upFiles and personal data are stored in the EU (Luxembourg) or the US (Dallas), chosen before sign-up; the data regions page lists a one-time fee of $19.99 to move later.Evidence: Data regions page and help article (2026-10-16)
- Pooled storage with quotasEach user adds 1 TB to one pool (10 TB for 10 users), and admins can assign custom quotas to each user from it.Evidence: Business page (2026-10-16)
- Low price per userBusiness is $7.99 per user a month billed annually, or $9.99 monthly; 10 users cost $79.90 a month on annual billing (computed).Evidence: Business page, monthly and annual prices (2026-10-16)
- Best for
- Small teams that want encrypted storage at a low price and a European data location, and do not need SSO or a HIPAA BAA.
- Good to know
- The pages we read state no SOC 2 report, HIPAA BAA, single sign-on or admin remote wipe for pCloud Business.
How pCloud compares
Against 3 other products we reviewed in Cloud file storage and sharing: what you pay for with each, the five access facts, the plan limits we recorded and each review's bottom line. The note under the table says how each one was checked.
| Metric | pCloud | Microsoft OneDrive | Dropbox | Google Drive |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What you're paying for | Worth the priceLow-cost team storage with client-side encryption included and a choice of EU or US data region at sign-up. | Worth the priceA terabyte per user with full link controls, file requests, audit logging and a HIPAA BAA for $5.40 per user, with business email and web Office apps. | Easy to adoptTeam storage built for sharing with clients: link passwords, expiry dates, download blocking and 180-day recovery on the entry team plan. | Worth the priceTeam storage bundled with business email, meetings and documents in one seat, with SSO, Drive activity logs and a HIPAA BAA on every Business plan. |
| Overall score | 5.8 | 9.2Best | 7.6 | 7.4 |
| Free option | Free plan | Free plan | Free plan | Free plan |
| Card to start | –Not measured | –Not measured | –Not measured | –Not measured |
| Getting access | Self-serve | Self-serve | Self-serve | Self-serve |
| Starter priceCheapest paid plan | $7.99/user/mo | $5.40/user/mo | $15/user/mo | $7/user/mo |
| Pricing model | Per seat | Per seat | Per seat | Per seat |
| Pricing page | Public prices | Public prices | Public prices | Public prices |
| Billing unit | Per user per month, 3 users minimum; storage pooled | Per user per month; 1 TB of OneDrive per user | Per license per month; storage pooled for the team | Per user per month; storage pooled across the organization |
| Free option | Free plan, 2 GB (up to 10 GB); 30-day Business trial | Microsoft account, 5 GB; one-month business trial with a card | Dropbox Basic, 2 GB; free trial of Standard and Advanced (30 days per the plans page) | Google account, 15 GB; 14-day Workspace trial |
| Reference scenario (10 users, 2 TB, annual) | $79.90/mo on Business ($7.99 × 10), computed | $54/mo on Business Basic without Teams ($5.40 × 10), computed | $150/mo on Standard ($15 × 10), computed | $140/mo on Business Standard ($14 × 10), computed |
| Month-to-month price | $9.99 per user on Business ($14.98 on Business Pro for new accounts) | $6.48 per user without Teams, $8.40 with Teams | $18 per user on Standard ($18 / $30 for Standard and Advanced) | $16.80 per user on Business Standard flexible ($8.40 / $16.80 / $26.40) |
| Storage on the scenario plan | 1 TB per user, pooled with custom quotas (10 TB for 10) | 1 TB per user; SharePoint pool of 1 TB plus 10 GB per license | 3 TB plus 1 TB per additional active license, pooled (12 TB for 10) | 2 TB per user, pooled (20 TB for 10) |
| Restore deleted files | 180 days per the Business page; the help center lists 30 or 365 days | 93 days for work accounts; restore the whole OneDrive to any point in 30 days | 180 days on Standard, 1 year on Advanced | 30 days in the trash; admins can restore 25 days more |
| Password and expiring links | Premium users per the help center; Business not stated | Every business plan | Standard and up | No link passwords; access expiry for eligible work accounts |
| SOC 2 / ISO 27001 | ISO 27001; no SOC 2 stated | SOC 2 Type 2 and ISO 27001 (Office 365 in scope) | SOC 2 report and ISO 27001 certificate cover Standard and up | SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 (Workspace in scope) |
| HIPAA BAA | Not stated | By default through Microsoft's data protection addendum | Standard and up; US admins sign it in the Admin Console | Accepted by admins in the Admin console |
| EU data storage | EU (Luxembourg) or US (Dallas), chosen at sign-up | Follows the sign-up country or region | By support request: 10+ licenses, annual billing, billing address outside the current region | Data region policy from Business Standard |
| SSO | Not stated | Microsoft Entra ID (free version included) | Advanced and up ($24) | Third-party identity provider on every Business plan |
| Admin activity log | Activity logs per user and team | Purview Audit (Standard) on Business Basic | Audit logs with file event tracking on Advanced; Standard admins see 180 days of activity | Drive log events on every Business plan |
| Bottom line | From its public pages, pCloud Business is low-cost encrypted storage with an EU or US region and a shared pool. Its admin and compliance list is shorter than the others here, and a few help center details differ from the Business page. | From its public pages, OneDrive in Microsoft 365 Business Basic scores highest here: $5.40 per user with full link controls, 93-day recovery, audit logging and a BAA. Storage is per person, and shared team sites draw on a smaller organization pool. | From its public pages, Dropbox Standard is a complete sharing plan for teams: link controls, file requests, 180-day recovery and a HIPAA BAA at $15 per user. SSO and audit logs need Advanced, and Enterprise and extra storage are priced outside the plans page. | From its public pages, Google Drive in Workspace ties with OneDrive for the top compliance and admin scores here, for $14 per user with email and documents included. Its sharing tools are simpler: no link passwords or file requests, and a 30-day trash. |
Evidence: pCloud: facts checked 2026-10-16 from its public sign-up and pricing pages, no completed hands-on run; Microsoft OneDrive: facts checked 2026-10-16 from its public sign-up and pricing pages, no completed hands-on run; Dropbox: facts checked 2026-10-16 from its public sign-up and pricing pages, no completed hands-on run; Google Drive: facts checked 2026-10-16 from its public sign-up and pricing pages, no completed hands-on run. Prices in USD as listed, excluding tax. "–" means not recorded.
Score
- Pricing clarity
- 8.0 / 10, Excellent
- scenario plan priced; can be bought online; month-to-month price published; Extended File History is 180 days on the Business page and 365 days in the help center; help center limits link passwords and expiry dates to Premium users without saying whether Business accounts have them
- Free plan and trial
- 5.2 / 10, Fair
- free plan with 2 GB, 30-day business trial
- Price for 10 users
- 7.0 / 10, Good
- $79.90/mo: Business at $7.99 × 10 users, annual terms; 1 TB per user in a shared pool (10 TB for 10), split with custom quotas
- Sharing controls and recovery
- 6.0 / 10, Good
- password links not listed; expiring links not listed; download blocking on the scenario plan; file requests on the scenario plan; deleted files restorable for 180 days (file history on the Business page; the help center lists 30 days for paid plans and 365 days with Extended File History)
- Compliance and data residency
- 4.5 / 10, Fair
- no SOC 2 Type II stated, ISO 27001, HIPAA BAA not listed, EU data storage on the scenario plan (EU (Luxembourg) or US (Dallas), chosen at sign-up)
- Admin and security controls
- 4.0 / 10, Fair
- SSO not listed; activity log on the scenario plan; remote device wipe not listed; external sharing policies not listed; API
Review
Review from public pages
Written from pCloud's public pages (pricing, security or privacy, and docs) as read on Oct 16, 2026. We did not sign up, and no hands-on run is published yet.
What the public pages show
We read pCloud's Business page with its monthly and annual prices, the encryption, security, file sharing and data regions pages, and help center articles on plans, shared links, file requests, file recovery and history, data regions and the Business Agreement on Oct 16, 2026; we did not sign up, start a trial or call the API for this review. The Business page showed US dollars to our server and euros to another fetch, so the prices here are the US-dollar figures.
The Business page is short: Business at $9.99 per user a month or $7.99 billed annually, Business Pro at a 25% discount for new accounts, three users minimum, 1 TB or 2 TB per user, pCloud Encryption, activity logs and 180 days of file versioning. The help center fills in the free plan, the trial (one month for 5 users, against 30 days on the Business page) and the sharing settings.
Two points need a question to pCloud. The Business page describes Extended File History as 180 days, while the help center's recovery table lists 365 days with Extended File History and 30 days for paid plans. The help center says link passwords and expiry dates are available only for Premium users and does not say whether Business accounts have them. The pages we read state no SOC 2 report, HIPAA BAA, single sign-on or admin device wipe.
Strengths
- Encryption included in Business
pCloud Encryption, which encrypts files on the device before upload, is listed on both Business plans.
vs Dropbox: Dropbox lists end-to-end encryption on Advanced ($24 per user billed yearly).
- Low price for pooled storage
$7.99 per user billed annually for 1 TB per user in a shared pool with custom quotas.
vs Dropbox: Dropbox Standard and Box Business are $15 per user billed annually.
- EU or US region chosen at sign-up
Every account picks the EU (Luxembourg) or US (Dallas) data region before sign-up, and the account owner can request a move later for a one-time $19.99.
vs Dropbox: Dropbox moves teams to EU storage by support request, with at least 10 licenses.
- File requests and branded links
File request links let anyone upload without seeing the folder, and Business can brand share links with a logo, cover image and message.
Things to know
- Fewer compliance documents
The security and Business pages list ISO 27001 and GDPR compliance; the pages we read state no SOC 2 report and no HIPAA BAA.
Workaround: The Business Agreement covers data processing, security measures and administrator rights.
- No SSO or device wipe stated
The Business page and help center do not list single sign-on or admin remote wipe; two-factor authentication is offered.
- Link passwords unclear for Business
The help center says link passwords and expiry dates are for Premium users, without saying whether Business includes them.
Workaround: The file sharing page describes view or download mode for links, and file requests have their own expiry and upload limits.
- Business page and help center differ
Extended File History is 180 days on the Business page and 365 days in the help center, and the trial is 30 days on the Business page and one month for 5 users in the help center.
Workaround: Confirm the retention period with pCloud before relying on it.
Pricing reality
pCloud bills per user with a three-user minimum; the help center says annual billing saves 20% against monthly. For our scenario, 10 users on Business cost 10 × $7.99 = $79.90 a month billed annually, or $99.90 billed monthly (computed), before tax, with 10 TB of pooled storage. Business Pro, with 2 TB per user and priority support, is $119.80 a month for 10 users at the new-account price ($11.98, 25% off $15.98, computed); the page says the discount excludes renewals, plan changes and seat additions. Moving data to the other region has a one-time fee of $19.99. The page lists no setup fees and a 14-day money-back period.
Exit path
pCloud Drive gives desktop access, the API is documented, and the help center has a guide to connecting over WebDAV and rsync, so files can be copied out with common tools. Under the Business Agreement, administrators can access, restrict or remove data in end-user accounts.
Compared with
- Pick pCloud when
- You want client-side encryption included and storage pooled with custom quotas.
- Pick Microsoft OneDrive when
- You need SSO, audit logging and a HIPAA BAA at $5.40 per user.
- Pick pCloud when
- You want encrypted storage at about half the per-user price ($7.99 against $15).
- Pick Dropbox when
- You need link passwords, a HIPAA BAA and a SOC 2 report on the entry team plan.
- Pick pCloud when
- You want a low price and an EU region chosen at sign-up.
- Pick Box when
- You need unlimited storage, SSO and e-signatures.
Choose it if
- You want encrypted team storage at a low price per user.
- You want to choose an EU or US data region at sign-up.
- You want one storage pool split with custom quotas.
Look elsewhere if
- Your security review asks for SOC 2, a HIPAA BAA or SSO.
- You need admin remote wipe of devices.
Bottom line
From its public pages, pCloud Business is low-cost encrypted storage with an EU or US region and a shared pool. Its admin and compliance list is shorter than the others here, and a few help center details differ from the Business page.
Plan limits at a glance
| Limit | As recorded |
|---|---|
| Billing unit | Per user per month, 3 users minimum; storage pooled |
| Free option | Free plan, 2 GB (up to 10 GB); 30-day Business trial |
| Reference scenario (10 users, 2 TB, annual) | $79.90/mo on Business ($7.99 × 10), computed |
| Month-to-month price | $9.99 per user on Business ($14.98 on Business Pro for new accounts) |
| Storage on the scenario plan | 1 TB per user, pooled with custom quotas (10 TB for 10) |
| Restore deleted files | 180 days per the Business page; the help center lists 30 or 365 days |
| Password and expiring links | Premium users per the help center; Business not stated |
| SOC 2 / ISO 27001 | ISO 27001; no SOC 2 stated |
| HIPAA BAA | Not stated |
| EU data storage | EU (Luxembourg) or US (Dallas), chosen at sign-up |
| SSO | Not stated |
| Admin activity log | Activity logs per user and team |
Read from the vendor's public pages on Oct 16, 2026. No hands-on run is published yet. How we check
We have not published a sign-up run for pCloud yet. The access facts above were read from its sign-up and pricing pages on Oct 16, 2026.
We have not published API calls for pCloud yet.
pCloud lists 3 plans. The cheapest paid plan, Business (billed annually), costs $7.99/user/mo.
- pCloudFreeFreeFree
- 2 GB at sign-up, up to 10 GB through the tutorial and referrals
- 50 GB of shared link traffic a month
- 15 days of trash and file history
- pCloudLowest priceBusiness$7.99/user/moBilled annually; $9.99 monthly; 3 users minimum
- 1 TB per user, pooled, with custom quotas
- pCloud Encryption (client-side) included
- Teams, access levels and activity logs
- 180 days of file versioning, branded links
- pCloudBusiness Pro$11.98/user/moBilled annually, 25% off $15.98 for new accounts only; $14.98 monthly (25% off $19.98); 3 users minimum
- 2 TB per user, pooled
- Everything in Business
- Priority support
Prices as listed, USD, excluding tax; observed 2026-10-16.
Source: pcloud.com pricing page. Prices change; the observed date above is when our agent read them.