pCloud
Switzerland
Swiss cloud storage with lifetime plan options and client-side encryption for your most sensitive files.
European Alternative to:
A Swiss cloud storage service founded in 2013, headquartered in Baar, with engineering roots in Sofia. pCloud is best known for two things: lifetime plans (you pay once, you keep the storage), and a separate opt-in encrypted folder called pCloud Crypto.
What you get
- File sync across Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS and Android, plus a web client
- A mounted virtual drive on desktop, so files don't have to live on local disk
- pCloud Crypto, an optional zero-knowledge folder; pCloud cannot read what you put inside it
- Built-in audio and video player, photo gallery, branded share links
- One-time lifetime plans (10 years' worth of subscription paid up front)
Where it sits
You can pick whether your data lives in the EU (Luxembourg) or the US at signup, and the choice is permanent. The company is Swiss, so the legal entity is outside the EU and the US.
Honestly
The default storage is encrypted in transit and at rest, but pCloud holds the keys. Only the Crypto folder is zero-knowledge, and it's a paid add-on. Lifetime plans are genuinely good value if you trust the company to still be around in a decade, which is always the bet you're making with any "lifetime" deal.
Germany
Spain