Best Encrypted Cloud Storage in 2026: Proton Drive vs Tresorit vs Sync
Best Encrypted Cloud Storage in 2026
End-to-end encrypted cloud storage — where the provider can’t read your files even with full server access — has matured into a real category. In 2026, four providers stand out: Proton Drive, Tresorit, Sync.com, and Internxt.
After 4 months of using all four for real workloads, here’s the comparison.
TL;DR
- Best overall: Proton Drive — Best value, Proton ecosystem, mobile/desktop apps
- Best for businesses: Tresorit — Enterprise-grade, expensive, polished
- Best for individuals on a budget: Sync.com — Cheaper, solid encryption
- Most experimental: Internxt — Cheap, decentralized angle, less mature
For most users: Proton Drive is the right answer.
Why this matters
Mainstream cloud storage (iCloud, Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive):
- iCloud: Encrypted in transit and at rest, but Apple holds keys. They can be subpoenaed.
- Google Drive: Standard encryption. Google can read your files. They’ve stated they don’t, but they could.
- Dropbox: Standard encryption. Same as Google.
- OneDrive: Standard encryption. Microsoft can read.
End-to-end encrypted storage:
– Files encrypted on your device before upload
– Provider receives only encrypted blobs
– Decryption keys never leave your device
– Provider literally cannot read your files even if they wanted to
For sensitive files (medical, legal, financial, personal), E2E encryption is the standard you want.
Proton Drive
Owner: Proton AG (Switzerland)
Pricing: Free (1GB) | Mail Plus $5/mo (15GB total Proton) | Drive Plus $4/mo (200GB) | Proton Unlimited $13/mo (500GB + VPN + Mail + Pass)
Best for: General users wanting integrated privacy ecosystem
What’s good
- Strong E2E encryption verified by independent audit
- Swiss jurisdiction
- Integrated with Proton ecosystem (Mail, VPN, Pass) — single subscription
- Modern UX — apps for macOS, Windows, iOS, Android, Linux
- Cross-platform sync — automatic
- Sharing — encrypted file sharing with link expiration and password protection
- Open source clients
What’s not so good
- Free tier is small (1GB)
- File preview limited — many files require download before view
- No real-time collaborative editing (yet)
- Smaller team than Dropbox/Google — features ship slower
Tresorit
Owner: Swiss Post (acquired 2023)
Pricing: Solo $11.99/mo (500GB) | Personal $17/mo (1TB) | Premium $24/mo (2.5TB)
Best for: Businesses, professionals, healthcare/legal who need real audit trails
What’s good
- E2E encryption is rigorously enforced
- Strongest enterprise features (admin controls, audit logs, SSO)
- Compliance certifications (HIPAA, GDPR, etc.) — important for businesses
- Polished apps across all major platforms
- Active monitoring of suspicious activity
- Strong sharing with permission management
What’s not so good
- Most expensive of the four
- No free tier (only trial)
- Hungarian-origin company acquired by Swiss Post — some users wary of the change
- Overkill for individual users — features cost extra
Sync.com
Owner: Sync.com Inc. (Canada)
Pricing: Free (5GB) | Solo $8/mo (2TB) | Solo Pro $20/mo (6TB) | Standard $5/user/mo (1TB)
Best for: Individual users wanting strong encryption + good free tier
What’s good
- Strong E2E encryption by default
- Generous free tier (5GB — most generous of the E2E providers)
- Canadian jurisdiction (good privacy law)
- HIPAA, PIPEDA, GDPR compliant
- Solid apps across platforms
- Encrypted sharing
What’s not so good
- UI looks slightly dated compared to Proton or Tresorit
- Less integration with productivity ecosystem
- Smaller company — feature development slower
Internxt
Owner: Internxt (Spain)
Pricing: Free (10GB) | Premium tiers from $1.99/mo
Best for: Cost-extreme users, decentralized-architecture enthusiasts
What’s good
- Cheapest paid plans among the four
- E2E encryption
- Decentralized architecture — files split and stored across multiple regions
- Open source clients
- Largest free tier (10GB)
What’s not so good
- Newest of the four — less mature
- Smaller user base — less community
- UI/UX trails the established players
- Less polished for professional use
Direct comparison
| Criterion | Proton Drive | Tresorit | Sync.com | Internxt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free tier | 1GB | None | 5GB | 10GB |
| Cheap paid (~200GB) | $4/mo Drive Plus | $11.99/mo Solo | $8/mo Solo | $2/mo Standard |
| 1TB pricing | $5/mo (Mail Plus) or Proton Unlimited $13/mo bundle | $17/mo Personal | $8/mo Solo | $7/mo Pro |
| Jurisdiction | Switzerland | Switzerland (via Swiss Post) | Canada | Spain |
| Apps | All platforms | All platforms | All platforms | All platforms |
| Open source | Yes (clients) | Partial | No | Yes (clients) |
| Real-time collab | No | Limited | No | No |
| Sharing | Encrypted | Encrypted, password | Encrypted, password | Encrypted |
| Audit | Yes (third-party) | Yes (third-party) | Yes (third-party) | Limited |
| Best for | Individuals + Proton users | Businesses + professionals | Individuals on budget | Cost-extreme |
Real-world test
We used all four for 4 months across:
- Daily document storage (writing, planning files)
- Photo/video archives (200GB of family photos)
- Shared collaboration with team members
- Mobile access from phones
- Restoration test (delete a file, recover from backup)
Setup time:
– Proton Drive: 15 min
– Tresorit: 20 min (enterprise-style setup)
– Sync.com: 10 min
– Internxt: 10 min
Upload speed (200GB to each):
– Proton Drive: 4 hours (no throttling)
– Tresorit: 5 hours (some throttling on busy hours)
– Sync.com: 4 hours
– Internxt: 6 hours (slower, possibly distributed architecture overhead)
Daily UX:
– Proton Drive: Pleasant. Mac and iOS apps work well.
– Tresorit: Premium feel. Bit more “enterprise” UI.
– Sync.com: Functional. Apps feel slightly dated.
– Internxt: Functional. Some rough edges.
Mobile UX:
– Proton Drive: Best mobile experience
– Tresorit: Strong
– Sync.com: Adequate
– Internxt: Adequate
Sharing:
– All four support encrypted sharing with link expiration
– Tresorit has the most granular permissions
– Proton Drive’s sharing is cleanest UX
File restoration (delete + recover):
– All four restored successfully within 30 days of deletion
When to use which
Use Proton Drive when:
- You’re already in Proton ecosystem (Mail, VPN, Pass)
- You want one subscription covering multiple privacy needs
- Cost matters but quality matters more
- Individual or small team use
Use Tresorit when:
- You’re a business with compliance requirements
- You need enterprise admin features
- You’ll use SSO/identity management
- Budget allows premium pricing
Use Sync.com when:
- You want strong free tier
- You don’t need ecosystem integration
- Canadian jurisdiction is comfortable
- Mid-tier pricing
Use Internxt when:
- Cost is extreme priority
- You’re willing to use a newer product
- Decentralized architecture appeals
- Free 10GB suits your needs
What about Cryptomator?
Cryptomator is open-source software that encrypts your files BEFORE uploading to any cloud provider (Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, etc.). You get E2E encryption layered on top of mainstream cloud storage.
Pros:
– Free, open source
– Works with cloud storage you already have
– E2E control on your terms
Cons:
– Setup complexity
– No real-time collaboration
– You’re trusting both Cryptomator’s code and your underlying cloud provider’s reliability
For technical users who already use Google Drive heavily: Cryptomator is a great layer to add. For most users: dedicated E2E provider is simpler.
Migration from Google Drive / Dropbox
The hard part:
- Pick your new provider
- Sign up
- Bulk upload your existing data (slow — typically 1 byte/sec on consumer broadband for 100GB+)
- Verify everything synced correctly
- Cancel old service after 30+ days (in case anything went wrong)
For 100GB+: plan a week of background uploading.
Tools that help:
– Most providers have “import from [other service]” tools that bridge old account to new
– For Google Drive: download via Google Takeout, upload to new provider
– For Dropbox: similar Dropbox export tool
What we use
The Privacy Stacks team:
– 3 use Proton Drive (Proton Unlimited bundle)
– 1 uses Sync.com (individual standalone)
– 1 uses Tresorit (works at a business that requires it)
All five use SOME E2E encrypted storage. None of us use iCloud Drive or Google Drive for sensitive files.
Common mistakes
Mistake 1: Using a “privacy” cloud but still backing up unencrypted to iCloud.
Your iPhone may auto-backup files to iCloud unless you specifically disable it. Files in Proton Drive that also exist on your iPhone may still hit iCloud. Audit your backup settings.
Mistake 2: Sharing files via insecure methods after they’re in E2E storage.
Emailing the file as attachment bypasses the E2E encryption. Use the provider’s encrypted sharing.
Mistake 3: Putting your encryption keys/passwords in the same location as the files.
If you store your encryption password in Proton Drive that requires the password to access… circular dependency. Keep recovery passwords elsewhere (printed, in a different secure location).
Mistake 4: Trusting “claimed E2E” without verification.
Some providers claim E2E but the architecture allows the provider to access. Look for independent audits.
Disclosure
We use Proton’s affiliate program. Tresorit and Sync.com have affiliate programs we sometimes use. Internxt has a referral program. We recommend Proton Drive for most users because the math supports it, not because of commission. See our affiliate disclosure.
Last updated 2026 Q2.