There is no denying that secure cloud storage is convenient and useful. It is able to access files from any device, making collaboration a breeze. Instead of backing everything up to a USB stick, seamlessly sync your data to the cloud. However, traditional mainstream cloud storage providers will trade convenience for your privacy.
Many of these services are either completely free or offer a free tier. Still, as we know, nothing is free; we use our data to pay for it. If you want the convenience and benefits of cloud storage, but don’t want to invade privacy, check out these encrypted secure cloud storage vendors below:
1. Mega
Mega is one of the most popular crypto cloud storage providers. When you sign up for a Mega account, you get a free 20GB of storage. Mega leads the way in one-to-one cloud storage comparisons because of its high level of security, privacy, and user-controllable end-to-end encryption.
In contrast to most other cloud storage services, it handles encryption on the user side. This means that files, communications, and audio/video information are encrypted on the user’s client system before being sent to the MEGA platform.
With its advanced web interface, MEGA includes a synchronous application for all major operating systems. In addition to that, you can use its mobile app to access your files and camera uploads and easily communicate with your team on the go.
In terms of pricing, the premium tier begins at $5.40 per month for 400GB of storage and 1TB of the file transfer. The most expensive tier (Pro III) costs $32.43 per month and includes 16TB of storage and a 16TB file transfer limit.
Mega generates the primary encryption key for your account when you create it and enter a password.
2. NextCloud
NextCloud is a suite of software that replicates many of the best features from other cloud storage vendors. It’s no exaggeration to say that it’s the industry’s leading self-hosted cloud storage platform.
NextCloud is open source, which means you can use it for free. It also protects your data through end-to-end (E2E) encryption. This means that NextCloud can’t access your stored data, so only you can access it.
However, since it only offers software, you need to choose a storage provider. If you’re not willing to hand over your data to another vendor, you can host NextCloud yourself.
This is a great option for home users, especially those with network-attached storage (NAS) devices. It’s a great way to reap the benefits of many cloud services while still having control over your data and privacy.
In addition, it offers clients mobile apps for Android and iOS for almost all major desktop operating systems. You can also extend NextCloud’s standard features with software in the NextCloud App Store.
3. Sync
For several years, Sync has provided cloud storage services that are pretty simple, quick, and secure. It has a slew of security features, like AES-256 bit encryption, remote wipe capability, configurable passwords, and two-factor authentication, to keep intruders from snooping on your files.
Sync’s file version history feature is unmatched in terms of data loss protection. This feature enables you to preview and restore prior versions of a file, including those that have been deleted. Therefore, if you seek the best online storage service to securely save your media and other documents for free—Sync is a good choice.
It offers a free trial with 5GB of storage, but you’re likely to require more. If you’re an individual, you can subscribe to their Solo Basic plan for around $96 per year or their Solo Professional plan for $240 per year.
There’s no doubt that Sync should be your first choice for buying secure cloud storage because of its private encryption, competitive pricing, well-organized support information, and cross-platform apps.
4. SpiderOak One Backup
SpiderOak has long been widely regarded as one of the most secure cloud storage providers.
Similar to Tresorit, SpiderOak One Backup is a fully-featured Google Drive or Dropbox alternative. Its primary focus is as an E2E encrypted cloud backup service. However, with desktop integration and mobile access, it functions as secure encrypted storage. Rather than encouraging you to create a separate structure for your Spideroak files, you can select existing files and folders to back up.
The One Backup service is available as a subscription, ranging from $6 per month for 150GB of storage to $29 per month for up to 5TB storage. All plans allow you to connect and access your files from an unlimited number of devices.
Moreover, it combines a complete cloud backup service with traditional cloud storage. This means you get convenient access to your data while protecting your privacy.
5. Tresorit
Tresorit is one of Dropbox’s best encryption and secure cloud storage alternatives. Like Mega, Tresorit ensures that all data is encrypted end-to-end with AES256 encryption on the client-side before uploading it to their servers.
The service is aimed at enterprises, primarily because of its built-in collaboration tools. However, they also offer Tresorit Solo, which is designed to serve individuals. This account has 2500GB of storage, access to up to 10 devices, and has two-factor authentication (2FA) for $30 per month.
For privacy enthusiasts, payment methods can be an issue as they currently only accept PayPal and some credit cards. However, you can use an encrypted credit card to pay for the service. Tresorit’s services are also not open source. You have to decide whether to trust the company because no one can verify their claims.
Tresorit provides desktop, web, and mobile access, just as you’d expect from a modern cloud storage provider. Tresorit desktop software works similarly to Dropbox and Google Drive, integrating with your file manager for easy access. As a bonus, there is even native support for Linux. Mobile apps are available for Android and iOS.
If what you’re after is the convenience and simplicity of cloud storage, but with security and privacy, then Tresorit is a great option.
6. Internxt X Cloud
Internxt X Cloud combines peer-to-peer filesharing, end-to-end encryption, and the blockchain to create a decentralized cloud storage platform. The user-facing interface is similar to Dropbox, so there’s no steep learning curve here. Instead, most of the significant features are behind the scenes, powering X Cloud’s open-source platform.
Peer-to-peer (P2P) networks first rose to prominence alongside the popularity of torrents. These P2P networks store small segments of files across the network for redundancy and improved access speed. Rather than waiting for one user to share a particular file, you connect to multiple users who share small parts of a file with you to create the whole.
X Cloud is the user-facing part of Internxt’s service, while the backbone of the operation is X Core. This is a decentralized network of hosts offering their computing and storage capacity to X Core and X Cloud. These hosts are incentivized to participate with the Internxt token, INXT.
Internxt X Cloud is available on the web and via their Android and iOS apps. When you first sign up, the company gives you 10GB of storage for free. There are three other tiers: 20GB for $1.07/month, 200GB for $4.76/month, and 2TB for $10.80 per month.
Provide you with the most secure cloud storage
Secure cloud storage is a necessity for privacy and security-conscious consumers. While Google and Microsoft’s “free” cloud storage solutions are convenient and simple, they come at a hidden cost: your privacy. They are excellent for those who don’t mind potential data mining, data breaches, and other ethical and security breaches of their stored files.
If you want to get the same benefits without privacy drawbacks, one of the secure cloud options in the list above might be right for you.
