pCloud vs Proton Drive: prices, file history, encryption and refunds

pCloud vs Proton Drive: plans and prices

pCloud sells 2 TB once for $499, as listed on 3 October 2026, and Proton Drive lists no one-time plan. The entry plans match on price but not size: pCloud Premium 500 GB and Proton Drive Plus 200 GB are each $4.99 a month billed monthly.

At 2 TB, pCloud Premium Plus is $99.99 a year billed yearly. Proton Duo is $14.99 a month on yearly billing, billed $179.88 every 12 months, as read on Proton's pricing page on 6 October 2026. They are different products: Duo is a 2 TB bundle for up to 2 users that includes Proton's other premium products, while Premium Plus is an individual plan.

Encryption at pCloud and Proton Drive

pCloud's pricing page lists TLS/SSL channel protection and 256-bit AES encryption on every Premium plan. On personal plans, client-side encryption, where files are locked on your device, lives only in the Crypto folder, which the paid Encryption add-on switches on. pCloud describes zero-knowledge as only you holding the decryption key, and its terms say a lost Crypto passphrase can never be restored. See pCloud encryption for the trade-offs.

Proton says its end-to-end encryption means no one, not even Proton, can open your files and folders or see their names, and that files are encrypted on your device before upload. It says the free plan has the same level of encryption as the paid plans, and that Securitum, a European security auditor, has audited Proton Drive.

Both companies place themselves in Switzerland: Proton says it is based there, and pCloud's terms say pCloud is registered there. Proton says it owns its servers in Switzerland and Germany, while pCloud lets you choose Dallas, Texas or Luxembourg.

File version history and recovery

Proton Drive Plus keeps previous versions of a file for 10 years, per Proton's pricing page. pCloud keeps Trash (deleted files), Revisions (earlier saved versions of one file) and Rewind (your whole account as it was at a past date) for 30 days on paid plans, and for 365 days with the paid Extended File History add-on, which applies only from the day you activate it.

Refund windows and free plans

Proton's prorated refund window runs 30 days: it gives money back if you cancel within the first 30 days of the initial purchase. pCloud's runs 14 calendar days from payment, on a written request, and can be declined on a discounted purchase. Proton Free is 5 GB; pCloud Basic is 2 GB at sign-up and up to 10 GB with its tutorial and invitations.

Pick pCloud to pay once: 2 TB at $499 with nothing to renew, on a Lifetime plan that, under pCloud's terms, lasts for the owner's lifetime or 99 years, whichever is shorter. Pick Proton Drive for 10 years of file versions on Drive Plus and a 30-day prorated money-back guarantee. pCloud pricing lists every pCloud plan, and pCloud alternatives covers the other rivals.