pCloud vs Filen
Two of the top three cloud storage services, compared rule by rule on published facts.
In short
- pCloud has 69 points and Filen 59, 10 apart on our cloud storage services rules.
- pCloud earns more on recovery and sharing; Filen earns more on security and audits and price and plans.
- Cheapest paid plan with 100 GB or more: pCloud $4.66/mo, Filen $1.12/mo.
- Only pCloud meets: SOC 2 Type II or ISO 27001, restore the whole account, edit documents in the browser, plan for five or more people and one-time lifetime plan.
- Only Filen meets: open-source apps.
pCloud69/100 #2 of 10
Best for: People who want a one-time lifetime plan or a virtual drive instead of a monthly subscription.
Filen59/100 #3 of 10
Best for: People who want every file end-to-end encrypted, open-source apps and a low entry price.
Points by group
| Group | pCloud | Filen |
|---|---|---|
| Security and audits of 31 | 10 | 13 |
| Apps and sync of 20 | 20 | 20 |
| Recovery and sharing of 22 | 22 | 6 |
| Price and plans of 27 | 17 | 20 |
| Total | 69 | 59 |
Rule by rule
What each vendor publishes, and the points it earns. Sources are on each product page.
| Rule (points) | pCloud | Filen |
|---|---|---|
| End-to-end encryption (10) | option 5 | default 10 |
| Independent security test since 2024 (6) | Not published 0 | Not published 0 |
| SOC 2 Type II or ISO 27001 (5) | Yes 5 | Not published 0 |
| Open-source apps (3) | Not published 0 | Yes 3 |
| Security key for two-factor sign-in (4) | Not published 0 | Not published 0 |
| Public bug bounty (3) | Not published 0 | No 0 |
| Apps (10) | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android 10 | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android 10 |
| Files on demand in Windows (6) | Yes 6 | Yes 6 |
| Choose which folders sync (4) | Yes 4 | Yes 4 |
| File version and deleted-file history (6) | 365 6 | 30 2 |
| Restore the whole account (4) | Yes 4 | Not published 0 |
| Password-protected share links (4) | Yes 4 | Yes 4 |
| Edit documents in the browser (4) | Yes 4 | Not published 0 |
| Plan for five or more people (4) | Yes 4 | No 0 |
| Free plan with 5 GB or more (5) | Yes 5 | Yes 5 |
| Cheapest paid plan with 100 GB or more (8) | $4.66/mo 4 | $1.12/mo 8 |
| Cheapest paid plan with 1 TB or more (8) | $9.32/mo 2 | $8.39/mo 4 |
| One-time lifetime plan (3) | Yes 3 | No 0 |
| Refund period of 14 days or more (3) | Yes 3 | Yes 3 |
pCloud
pCloud suits people who prefer to pay once for a lifetime plan or want a virtual drive that keeps files in the cloud. Paid yearly plans start at €49.99 for 500 GB. The catch: end-to-end encryption costs extra and covers only the Crypto folder, and researchers reported attacks on that encryption in 2024.
Filen
Filen suits people who want end-to-end encryption on every file, open-source code and a cheap annual plan. It has a network drive, sync modes and password-protected links. The catch: Filen does not publish an outside security test, a certification or file-version retention times, and it no longer runs a public bug bounty.
Both products are scored by the same rules: how we score cloud storage services.