pCloud
Cloud storage with lifetime plans and optional client-side encryption, stored in EU or US.
- Swiss CompanyThe operating company is headquartered and legally incorporated in Switzerland.
- Free PlanA permanently free plan is available (not just a trial).
pcloud.com
Overview
pCloud offers cloud storage with desktop sync, a virtual drive, mobile apps with automatic photo upload, file sharing via links and computer backup. Paid storage is sold as subscriptions or as one-time “lifetime” plans; a free plan offers up to 10 GB, part of which is unlocked by completing setup steps or inviting others.
Files are encrypted in transit, but end-to-end (client-side) encryption is only available for a dedicated folder through the separately paid pCloud Encryption add-on. In 2024, researchers at ETH Zurich published attacks on this optional encryption scheme.
The contracting entity is pCloud International AG in Baar, and contracts are governed by Swiss law, with exceptions for EU consumers. Customer data is not stored in Switzerland: users choose between data centres in Luxembourg and the United States at sign-up. The company operates mainly from Bulgaria, and its ownership is not published.
Why it may be a Swiss alternative
pCloud is operated by pCloud International AG, which is headquartered in Baar, Zug. Swiss-headquartered company. Ownership is mixed or not fully verified, or development happens mainly abroad.
Note: although the company is Swiss, customer data is not hosted in Switzerland.
May replace
- DropboxDropbox, Inc. · US
- Google DriveGoogle LLC · USNo built-in office document editor comparable to Google Docs.
- Microsoft OneDriveMicrosoft Corporation · USNo Microsoft 365 integration or co-authoring.
Foreign products with overlapping functionality. An alternative is not necessarily a one-to-one replacement.
Swiss footprint
Five independent questions. A Swiss company is not automatically Swiss-hosted — and vice versa. How the footprint is assessed
Swiss company. Swiss-headquartered company. Ownership is mixed or not fully verified, or development happens mainly abroad.
- HeadquartersIs the operating company headquartered in Switzerland?
- Baar, Zug (ZG), SwitzerlandVerified[3]
- Legal jurisdiction
- OwnershipIs the company ultimately Swiss-owned?
- Unknown / not verified
The shareholders of pCloud International AG and pCloud AG are not published. The contracting entity pCloud International AG was registered in July 2022; pCloud AG, registered in 2014, is at the same address. Bulgarian business media reported USD 3 million in funding in 2015; current ownership is not disclosed.
- DevelopmentIs the product developed in Switzerland?
- NoInferred[10]
pCloud operates out of Sofia, Bulgaria, and was built by a Bulgarian team; the Swiss companies in Baar are the legal and contracting entities.
- HostingIs customer data hosted in Switzerland?
- No — Luxembourg and United StatesVendor claim[1]
Customers choose one storage region at sign-up: European Union (Luxembourg) or United States (Dallas, Texas). No Swiss region is offered. Changing the region later costs a one-time fee.
- InfrastructureIs the hosting infrastructure operated by a Swiss-owned provider?
- Unknown / not verified
Features & platforms
- Platforms
- Deployment
- Made for
- Interface languages
- Unknown / not verified
- Launched
- 2013
Privacy & security
- End-to-end encryption
- Partly
- Encryption in transit
- Yes
- Multi-factor authentication
- Yes
- Not verified
- Encryption at rest, Single sign-on (SAML/OIDC), SCIM provisioning, Public API and Data export
- Certifications
- None listed
Pricing
- Pricing model
- Freemium
- Free plan
- Yes
- Free trial
- Unknown / not verified
- Enterprise plan
- Unknown / not verified
- Billing in CHF
- Unknown / not verified
Prices checked 15 Oct 2026. Always confirm on the vendor’s site. Pricing page ↗
Open source
- Open source
- NoInferred[9]
The current apps and the service are proprietary. pCloud publishes some older client components, documentation and plugins on GitHub.
Company
Cloud storage provider registered in Baar (canton of Zug), founded in 2013 by a Bulgarian team. Customer data is stored in Luxembourg or the United States.
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Sources & verification
Every claim on this page is marked as verified, vendor claim or inferred. Unknown means we could not confirm it — not that the answer is “no”.
- Verified Confirmed by an independent or official source such as the commercial register.
- Vendor claim Stated by the vendor in its own documentation, website or legal terms.
- Inferred Derived by the editors from indirect evidence — see the note.
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pCloud International AG
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