Alternatives to Dropbox

Encrypted cloud storage with a European legal framework, client-side encryption and lifetime licenses. Compare pricing, storage capacity and privacy features for Dropbox migrators.

13 alternatives
Lifetime plans available
Updated 2026

Proton Drive

Devices: Up to 10
Encryption: End-to-end (default)
Free storage: 5 GB

Platforms

In detail

Dropbox compared to European cloud providers

Dropbox, Inc. is a US company headquartered in San Francisco, which subjects it to the CLOUD Act and the Stored Communications Act. US authorities can compel the disclosure of data even when it is stored in EU data centers (e.g. Frankfurt). European hosting does not change the legal accessibility.

Dropbox does not use end-to-end encryption by default. Files are encrypted in transit (TLS) and at rest (AES-256), but Dropbox holds the keys. This enables server-side file search, preview and OCR, and means Dropbox staff and, under subpoena, US authorities can in principle access contents. End-to-end encryption is only available in paid Dropbox Advanced and only since 2024.

Historically, in 2011 Dropbox had a security incident in which accounts were accessible without a password for four hours; in 2016 some 68 million credentials from a 2012 breach were published on the dark web. The security model rests on the infrastructure of a single US company.

European providers such as pCloud (Switzerland) and Koofr (Slovenia) have a legal seat in the EU or in an adequacy-decision country, optional client-side encryption (pCloud Crypto), lifetime licenses without a subscription lock-in, and transparent server locations. The switch is technically simple, as both providers support drag-and-drop import and desktop sync.

Quick Compare

Provider	Country	Open Source	Price (From)
Proton Drive	Switzerland	Yes	Free (5 GB) · Mail Plus from €3.99/mo · Unlimited from €9.99/mo
pCloud	Switzerland	No	From 4.99 €/month · Lifetime 500 GB one-time 199 € · 2 TB one-time 399 €
Internxt	Spain	Yes	Free (1 GB) · 200 GB from 4.49 €/month · 2 TB from 9.99 €/month · Lifetime plans available
kDrive	Switzerland	No	Free (15 GB via my kSuite) · From €4.99/month (3 TB)
Crypt.ee	Estonia	Yes	Free (100 MB) / from €3/mo (10 GB)
Tresorit	Hungary / Switzerland	No	Free (Basic, 3 GB) · Personal from 12 €/month · Business on request
Filen	Germany	Yes	Free (10 GB) · 200 GB from 1.99 €/month · 2 TB from 8.99 €/month (lifetime plans sold out since 12/2025)
Jottacloud	Norway	No	Free (5 GB) · Unlimited from 11.90 €/month (annual) · Home 1 TB from 5.75 €/month (annual)
Nextcloud	Germany	Yes	Free (open source, self-hosted) · Managed hosting from approx. 3 €/month via third-party providers
Koofr	Slovenia	No	Free (10 GB) · 25 GB from €0.50/month · 100 GB from €2/month · 1 TB from €10/month
Leviia	France	No	Object storage from €9.99/TB/year · Cloud drive from €5/month
Cloudu	Germany	No	From €5/month (200 GB), cancel monthly
bewCloud	European Union	Yes	Self-hosting free (AGPL) · Managed VPS €150 per year (4 GB RAM, 30 GB SSD)

Provider	Devices	Encryption	Free storage	Sync	Lifetime
Proton Drive	Up to 10	End-to-end (default)	5 GB	Desktop sync, photo backup	No
pCloud	No limit	Optional (pCloud Crypto)	Up to 10 GB	Selective sync, virtual drive	Yes, from 199 €
Internxt	No limit	End-to-end, post-quantum	1 GB	Desktop sync, backup	Yes (from 285 EUR, 1 TB)
kDrive	No limit	Server-side (no E2EE)	15 GB (my kSuite)	Selective sync, OnlyOffice	No
Crypt.ee	No limit	End-to-end, incl. metadata	100 MB	Web/PWA, no desktop client	No
Tresorit	2 to 10 (per plan)	End-to-end (zero-knowledge)	3 GB (Basic)	Selective sync, desktop app	No
Filen	No limit	End-to-end (zero-knowledge)	10 GB	Smart sync, WebDAV, S3	Currently sold out
Jottacloud	No limit	Server-side (no E2EE)	5 GB	Backup, photo sync	No
Nextcloud	No limit (self-hosted)	Optional (E2EE module)	Own server	Selective sync, desktop app	Self-hosting free
Koofr	No limit	Optional (Koofr Vault)	10 GB	Selective sync, cloud aggregator	Yes (from 29.99 USD, 100 GB)
Leviia	No limit	Server-side (no E2EE)	No free plan	Cloud drive, S3 API	No
Cloudu	No limit	Server-side (no E2EE)	No	Desktop app, WebDAV	No
bewCloud	No limit (self-hosted)	Server-side (no E2EE)	Own server	Native apps, WebDAV	Self-hosting free

European alternatives

13 alternatives in detail

Proton Drive

Switzerland

Cloud storage with zero-knowledge architecture and EU data centers

End-to-end encryption of all files
Open source and audited
Servers located in Switzerland

At a glance

Devices: Up to 10
Encryption: End-to-end (default)
Free storage: 5 GB
Sync: Desktop sync, photo backup
Lifetime: No

Platforms

Linux:In development

Open Source

Free (5 GB) · Mail Plus from €3.99/mo · Unlimited from €9.99/mo

Visit Website → View details →

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pCloud

Switzerland

Cloud storage with one-time payment and EU server locations

Lifetime plans: pay once, use indefinitely
Optional EU server location selectable
Client-side encryption with pCloud Crypto

At a glance

Devices: No limit
Encryption: Optional (pCloud Crypto)
Free storage: Up to 10 GB
Sync: Selective sync, virtual drive
Lifetime: Yes, from 199 €

Platforms

From 4.99 €/month · Lifetime 500 GB one-time 199 € · 2 TB one-time 399 €

Visit Website → View details →

Affiliate link

Internxt

Spain

Decentralized cloud storage with open-source architecture

Zero-knowledge encryption, no one but the user has access
Open source and externally audited
Decentralized storage architecture

At a glance

Devices: No limit
Encryption: End-to-end, post-quantum
Free storage: 1 GB
Sync: Desktop sync, backup
Lifetime: Yes (from 285 EUR, 1 TB)

Platforms

Open Source

Free (1 GB) · 200 GB from 4.49 €/month · 2 TB from 9.99 €/month · Lifetime plans available

Visit Website → View details →

Affiliate link

kDrive

Switzerland

Swiss cloud storage with GDPR-compliant privacy and collaborative features.

Data centres exclusively in Switzerland
Real-time collaborative editing of office documents
No sale of user data to third parties

At a glance

Devices: No limit
Encryption: Server-side (no E2EE)
Free storage: 15 GB (my kSuite)
Sync: Selective sync, OnlyOffice
Lifetime: No

Platforms

Free (15 GB via my kSuite) · From €4.99/month (3 TB)

Visit Website → View details →

Affiliate link

Crypt.ee

Estonia

End-to-end encrypted cloud storage for documents and photos from Estonia

Client-side encryption, no one but the user reads their data
Even metadata (filenames, tags) is encrypted
Documents, photos and notebooks in one tool

At a glance

Devices: No limit
Encryption: End-to-end, incl. metadata
Free storage: 100 MB
Sync: Web/PWA, no desktop client
Lifetime: No

Platforms

Web:Web/PWA only

Open Source

Free (100 MB) / from €3/mo (10 GB)

Visit Website → View details →

Tresorit

Hungary / Switzerland

Enterprise cloud storage with zero-knowledge encryption

Zero-knowledge end-to-end encryption
File sharing with password protection and expiry date
GDPR-compliant, HIPAA-ready

At a glance

Devices: 2 to 10 (per plan)
Encryption: End-to-end (zero-knowledge)
Free storage: 3 GB (Basic)
Sync: Selective sync, desktop app
Lifetime: No

Platforms

Free (Basic, 3 GB) · Personal from 12 €/month · Business on request

Visit Website → View details →

Filen

Germany

End-to-end encrypted cloud storage from Germany

End-to-end encryption, zero-knowledge
Open source, all apps available on GitHub
Integrated encrypted notes (Filen Notes)

At a glance

Devices: No limit
Encryption: End-to-end (zero-knowledge)
Free storage: 10 GB
Sync: Smart sync, WebDAV, S3
Lifetime: Currently sold out

Platforms

Open Source

Free (10 GB) · 200 GB from 1.99 €/month · 2 TB from 8.99 €/month (lifetime plans sold out since 12/2025)

Visit Website → View details →

Jottacloud

Norway

Platform-independent cloud storage from Norway

Unlimited storage in the Unlimited plan
Servers exclusively in Norway
Automatic photo backup

At a glance

Devices: No limit
Encryption: Server-side (no E2EE)
Free storage: 5 GB
Sync: Backup, photo sync
Lifetime: No

Platforms

Linux:CLI only

Free (5 GB) · Unlimited from 11.90 €/month (annual) · Home 1 TB from 5.75 €/month (annual)

Visit Website → View details →

Nextcloud

Germany

Self-hosted collaboration suite with complete control

100% open source & self-hosted
Full data sovereignty
Calendar, contacts, video chat included

At a glance

Devices: No limit (self-hosted)
Encryption: Optional (E2EE module)
Free storage: Own server
Sync: Selective sync, desktop app
Lifetime: Self-hosting free

Platforms

Open Source

Free (open source, self-hosted) · Managed hosting from approx. 3 €/month via third-party providers

Visit Website → View details →

Koofr

Slovenia

Cloud storage from Slovenia with connections to existing clouds

Connects Dropbox, Google Drive and OneDrive under one EU umbrella
Servers in Slovenia and Germany, no data transfer to the US
No advertising, no user tracking

At a glance

Devices: No limit
Encryption: Optional (Koofr Vault)
Free storage: 10 GB
Sync: Selective sync, cloud aggregator
Lifetime: Yes (from 29.99 USD, 100 GB)

Platforms

Free (10 GB) · 25 GB from €0.50/month · 100 GB from €2/month · 1 TB from €10/month

Visit Website → View details →

Leviia

France

Sovereign cloud storage and S3 object storage from France

S3-compatible object storage with no egress or API fees
Three geo-replicated data centers in France
ISO 27001 and HDS (Hébergeur de Données de Santé) certified

At a glance

Devices: No limit
Encryption: Server-side (no E2EE)
Free storage: No free plan
Sync: Cloud drive, S3 API
Lifetime: No

Platforms

Object storage from €9.99/TB/year · Cloud drive from €5/month

Visit Website → View details →

Cloudu

Germany

Nextcloud-based cloud storage with servers in Germany

Hosted Nextcloud instance with web, apps, and WebDAV access
Servers in Germany, 100 percent renewable energy
Two-factor authentication

At a glance

Devices: No limit
Encryption: Server-side (no E2EE)
Free storage: No
Sync: Desktop app, WebDAV
Lifetime: No

Platforms

Windows:Nextcloud client
macOS:Nextcloud client
Linux:Nextcloud client
Android:Nextcloud client
iOS:Nextcloud client

From €5/month (200 GB), cancel monthly

Visit Website → View details →

bewCloud

European Union

Lean open-source cloud alternative to Nextcloud from the EU

Open source under AGPL, source code on GitHub
Written in TypeScript and Deno with low resource usage
Files, notes, photos, calendar, contacts, and RSS in one application

At a glance

Devices: No limit (self-hosted)
Encryption: Server-side (no E2EE)
Free storage: Own server
Sync: Native apps, WebDAV
Lifetime: Self-hosting free

Platforms

Web:Web only

Open Source

Self-hosting free (AGPL) · Managed VPS €150 per year (4 GB RAM, 30 GB SSD)

Visit Website → View details →

Frequently asked questions

Can I transfer my Dropbox data easily?

Yes. pCloud, Koofr and Filen provide desktop apps with automatic sync. Koofr connects existing Dropbox accounts directly through its EU-based interface. Proton Drive and Internxt support drag-and-drop import.

What is the advantage of lifetime plans?

Lifetime plans are paid once and valid indefinitely. pCloud charges €199 (500 GB) or €399 (2 TB), Internxt has comparable lifetime options, and Filen starts from €19.99 for 100 GB. After roughly three years, lifetime plans are cheaper than monthly subscriptions.

Which providers offer end-to-end encryption?

Proton Drive, Internxt, Filen and Crypt.ee apply zero-knowledge encryption by default. pCloud offers client-side encryption optionally via pCloud Crypto. Tresorit uses zero-knowledge encryption for all files.

Are the alternatives suitable for businesses?

Tresorit is specifically designed for enterprise requirements: zero-knowledge encryption, HIPAA-ready, GDPR-compliant. kDrive (Infomaniak) provides team plans with OnlyOffice integration. Nextcloud enables full self-hosting for organisations and public agencies with compliance requirements.

Are the providers GDPR compliant?

Yes. All listed providers are headquartered in the EU or in countries with a GDPR adequacy decision (Switzerland, Norway). Koofr is in Slovenia, Filen in Germany, pCloud in Switzerland, Internxt in Spain, Tresorit in Hungary and Switzerland, Jottacloud in Norway, kDrive and Proton Drive in Switzerland, Nextcloud in Germany, and Crypt.ee in Estonia.

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