Why we still use Dropbox
Dropbox built the file-sync experience the entire industry copied. The icon in your menu bar, the green checkmark on synced folders, the link sharing that just works. Twenty years later, that experience is still the reference for consumer cloud storage.
The price has stopped matching the product. Dropbox Plus is €11.99/month for 2 TB. Dropbox Family is €19.99/month. The free tier sits at a stingy 2 GB. And every byte you store sits on US infrastructure under US jurisdiction, accessible to US intelligence services.
The European alternative we'd point most people to is pCloud. It's Swiss, it's cheap, and it sells something Dropbox doesn't: a lifetime plan.
Quick facts
- Country: Switzerland (pCloud AG, Zug)
- Founded: 2013
- Ownership: Privately held, Swiss-controlled
- Pricing: Free 10 GB / Premium 500 GB €49.99/year / Premium Plus 2 TB €99.99/year / Lifetime plans available (one-time payment)
- Encryption: Server-side by default, zero-knowledge add-on (pCloud Crypto) for €4.99/month
- Apps: Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, browser extensions
- Best for: Households and small businesses that want Dropbox-style sync without the Dropbox-style subscription pressure
The pCloud story
pCloud was founded in 2013 by a Bulgarian-Swiss team and is headquartered in Zug, Switzerland. They built a Dropbox alternative without trying to reinvent it — same drag-and-drop file sync, same share-by-link model, same desktop app that mounts the cloud as a local drive. The product is familiar by design.
Where pCloud diverges is on pricing and data sovereignty. The lifetime plans are unusual: pay €199 once for 500 GB or €399 once for 2 TB, then never pay again. The maths gets favourable inside three years versus an equivalent Dropbox subscription. Data hosts in either EU (Luxembourg) or US — your choice — and Crypto add-on gives you client-side end-to-end encryption for the truly paranoid.
Why it's a real alternative
pCloud matches Dropbox on the experience layer. File sync across devices, selective sync, shared folders, share links with passwords and expiration, browser-based access, native apps everywhere Dropbox runs.
What you gain: Lifetime plans (no subscription forever), EU hosting option, lower running cost, optional client-side encryption with pCloud Crypto, ad-free experience.
What you lose: Dropbox Paper (the document-editing layer), the deep integration with third-party apps Dropbox built over twenty years (Slack, Zoom, Trello, etc.), and some of the polish around team admin features.
Side-by-side
| Feature | Dropbox | pCloud |
|---|---|---|
| Country | United States | Switzerland |
| Ownership | Dropbox Inc. (public) | pCloud AG (private, Swiss) |
| Free tier | 2 GB | 10 GB |
| 2 TB plan, monthly | €11.99/month | €8.33/month (annual billing) |
| 2 TB plan, annual | €119/year | €99.99/year |
| Lifetime plan | — | €199 (500 GB) or €399 (2 TB) |
| Data residency | US | EU (Luxembourg) or US, your choice |
| Client-side encryption | No | pCloud Crypto add-on (€4.99/month or lifetime) |
| Native Linux app | Yes (slow updates) | Yes (well-maintained) |
| File versioning | 30 days / unlimited (paid) | 15 / 30 / 360 days depending on plan |
| Maximum file size | 50 GB (web) or unlimited (app) | Unlimited |
Prices checked: May 2026.
Worth knowing
pCloud is good, but it's not perfect. The honest version:
Base encryption is server-side, not end-to-end. If end-to-end encryption matters, you need the pCloud Crypto add-on (or use Proton Drive, Filen, or Tresorit instead). pCloud Crypto is itself well-implemented but the workflow — encrypted files live in a separate "Crypto Folder" — is a step removed from Dropbox's seamless experience.
Team features are basic. Dropbox Business has invested heavily in admin tooling, granular permissions, and audit logs. pCloud's Business plan is adequate but doesn't match. For larger organisations, Tresorit (Swiss, business-focused) is a better enterprise pick.
The lifetime plan economics depend on pCloud surviving. If the company shuts down in five years, you've paid for storage that no longer exists. pCloud has been running profitably since 2013 and shows no signs of difficulty, but the calculus is what it is.
Bulgarian operations matter for compliance posture. While pCloud AG is Swiss, much of the engineering happens in Sofia (Bulgaria, EU member). For most users this is fine; for some it's an asterisk worth knowing.
How to switch
- Create your pCloud account. Go to pcloud.com. Start free to test, then pick a plan. If you're certain, the 2 TB lifetime is the best long-run value in this list.
- Choose EU hosting. During signup, select EU (Luxembourg) data residency. Important — this isn't changeable later without contacting support.
- Install the desktop app. Mac, Windows, Linux. The app mounts pCloud as a virtual drive so files don't have to fully sync to your local disk.
- Migrate from Dropbox. pCloud Save (browser extension) lets you import directly from your Dropbox account. Or use the pCloud Migration tool. Or just drag your Dropbox folder into pCloud's virtual drive and walk away for the night.
- Re-link any third-party integrations. Slack, Zoom, signing services that pointed to Dropbox now need pointing to pCloud or to local files synced via pCloud.
- Wait 30 days. Make sure nothing's missing before cancelling Dropbox. Keep the Dropbox free tier (2 GB) as a fallback if you want.
- (Optional) Add pCloud Crypto. If you need end-to-end encryption for sensitive files, subscribe to Crypto and move those files into the Crypto Folder.
Who this is for
Switch now if: you're paying for Dropbox Plus or Family and want either lower running costs or one-time lifetime pricing. Especially if EU data residency matters to your work or you want optional end-to-end encryption.
Wait if: your work depends on Dropbox Paper or on integrations with third-party tools that don't yet support pCloud (most do, but check yours).
Don't switch if: you need enterprise-grade team-admin features and audit logs. Look at Tresorit (also Swiss) or Infomaniak kDrive instead.
Get started
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