pCloud

Product overview

pCloud is a consumer and small-business cloud storage service headquartered in Baar, Switzerland, with engineering operations in Sofia, Bulgaria. The company is notable for offering lifetime storage plans alongside conventional annual subscriptions, a distinctive pricing model in the cloud storage market. Founded in 2013, pCloud has grown to serve over 22 million users and reports profitability since 2019 with minimal external funding. The service provides file sync and sharing through desktop clients for Windows, macOS, and Linux, a web interface, and mobile apps. A virtual drive feature (pCloud Drive) mounts cloud storage as a local disk without consuming local space. Users can back up social media accounts, stream media directly from storage, and share files through upload and download links with no individual file size limits. Encryption at rest uses AES-256, and data in transit is protected by TLS. For users requiring stronger privacy, pCloud Crypto is an optional add-on providing client-side zero-knowledge encryption, purchased separately for approximately $150 as a lifetime license. The free tier provides 10 GB. Premium (500 GB) costs $199 as a one-time lifetime payment or $50 per year. Premium Plus (2 TB) is $399 lifetime or $100 per year. Users choose between US and EU data center regions at signup, with the European option hosted in Luxembourg. KEY FEATURES: - Lifetime storage plans starting at $199 (500 GB) and $399 (2 TB) as one-time purchases - Virtual drive feature mounting cloud storage as a local disk without consuming local space - Optional zero-knowledge encryption add-on (pCloud Crypto) purchased separately (~$150 lifetime) - ISO 27001, SOC 2 Type II certified; EU data residency in Luxembourg; GDPR compliant - 22 million+ users; profitable since 2019 with no significant venture capital funding

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