pCloud Review

pCloud
Product:
Vendor:
Founded:
Headquarters:
pCloud Business
pCloud
2013
Baar, Switzerland
Ownership:
Customers:
Deployment Model:
Free Trial:
Private
14 million+ users
Cloud
Yes
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pCloud Business At A Glance

Good: No limit to file size upload, advanced security, unlimited cloud storage space.
Bad: On-premise deployment is not available.
Bottom Line: Document management solution that provides enterprise-level security.

Product Overview

pCloud is intended for both personal and business use. However, this review will focus on pCloud Business.

In 2015, pCloud released its pCloud Business application for companies that want secure document storage and collaboration in the cloud. pCloud Business gives each user 1 TB of storage and the pCloud Crypto functionality (more on that below).

pCloud Business provides the following benefits:

  • Enterprise-level security: Data is transferred to pCloud’s servers via the TLS/SSL protocol and copied at least three server locations in the data center, which is certified for SSAE 16 SOC 1, Type II that ensures the highest level of security.
  • For companies that don’t have or don’t want to burden their IT staff: pCloud stores, handles, and maintains data servers
  • Ability to share files with anyone securely (including third party clients) through the system’s access settings
  • Compatible with all mobile devices, and automatically synchronizes documents (pCloud is available for Desktop, Web, and Mobile)
  • Ability to add more users and space at any time

For companies that require a high level of data security, the Business account comes with pCloud Crypto that provides data encryption done on the user’s devices so that only the user gets to access them. Users can encrypt an unlimited number of files that can be locked and unlocked using passphrases – the files can stay hidden even on the user’s computer. pCloud provides zero-knowledge privacy that ensures it does not know the contents of the user’s files/folders even on its data servers.

Features

pCloud Business offers the following features:

  • File management – Users can save an unlimited number of files/folders in pCloud. Users can also search for files via a search bar as well as filter out files by format (whether documents, images, or video)
  • File sharing – Users can invite other users to collaborate on files via the Invite to Folder. Users can grant others access to the files by specific permissions such as view only, can edit, and can manage. pCloud allows users to send a file’s link for others to upload/download, including external users (i.e. clients). Users can also make comments or chat with others within the file.
  • Synchronization – pCloud automatically synchronizes files/folders across devices, whether desktop, any web browser, or mobile devices.  Images and videos taken on mobile devices can also be saved to pCloud in just one click, by turning on the Automatic Upload feature.
  • Unlimited file size to upload / unlimited upload and download speed – Users have the ability to upload any file of any type (i.e. images, audio, or even HD videos).
  • Availability on any device – pCloud offers its Web version (for any web browser), pCloud Drive (for desktop and available for Windows, Mac OS, and Linux systems), and Mobile version (available for download in the Apple App Store, Google Play for Android, and even pCloud’s mobile section on its website). Note that the Mobile app provides a built-in music player that lets users upload, organize, and listen to playlists.
  • File versioning -This feature allows previous versions of files stored in pCloud  for up to 365 days. Users can keep track of who has made revisions to the specific versions.
  • Backup – With pCloud Backup, users can automatically back up any folder or file from their computer to their pCloud account.
  • Third-party backup Integration –  This function allows users to back up Google Photos, Google Drive, One Drive, Dropbox or Facebook files with just one click.

Target Market

pCloud Business is available for many different industries – we’ve listed ten of them below:

  • Retail
  • Tech
  • Insurance
  • Legal
  • PR/Advertising Agencies
  • Photographers
  • TV/Online Media
  • Education
  • Accounting
  • Real Estate

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Implementation/Integration

Companies get a free 30-day trial of pCloud for Business for a minimum of five users. Implementation consists of registering for a business account online (companies need to designate a dedicated administrators who will the invite other users to the account). Once the account is created, companies can begin using pCloud.

Customer Service & Support

Customer support is available 24/7 via email or pCloud’s Contact Us page. Users can also refer to pCloud’s FAQ page.

Pricing

There are two tiers: Premium and Premium Plus.

The Premium tier costs $49.99 a year and includes all of pCloud’s features, such as 500 GB of storage. The Premium Plus tier is priced at $99.99 a year and includes 2 TB of storage. pCloud offers a lifetime subscription where users can pay a one-time fee of $199 for Premium and $399 for Premium Plus and use the account for a lifetime. There’s also a lifetime subscription where users can get 10 TB of storage for a one-time payment of $1,190.

Family plan (up to five users) with 2 TB storage space is only available for one-time payment at the price of $595.

Pricing for pCloud Business starts at $9.99 per user, per month (monthly) or $7.99 per user, per month (annually). Users can also opt to purchase the Business Pro plan for $19.98 per, user per month (monthly) or $15.95 per user, per month (annually). It includes unlimited storage and priority support. Please contact their sales team to learn more about either plan.

Companies can pay via PayPal or work with a pCloud sales rep to request a bank transfer.

 

Shortcomings

pCloud is only offered on the cloud. For businesses with self-hosted servers in place that want to continue maintaining their own data, pCloud is not an option.

Screenshots

pCloud Screenshot 1
pCloud Screenshot 2
pCloud Screenshot 3

About

pCloud, founded in 2013, has a mission to provide comprehensive document storage and collaboration available in the cloud that is easy to use. It is available for both businesses and individuals. With pCloud users can pay once and use it for lifetime. They have a free plan as well, which provides up to 10 GB storage space for free.

pCloud understands the importance of choice, so the provider gives users the opportunity where to store their data in the U.S. or in EU. The company not only maintenance, but also own it data centers, which is very rare.

pCloud is headquartered in Switzerland and currently has over 14 million users.

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Send feedback or corrections to feedback@betterbuys.com.



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Easy to use with no local overhead

on 2019-11-04 05:06:12

I have tried many cloud storage solutions and have been disappointed with them for several reasons.
pCloud appears unique in that their storage appears like a local drive letter and does not use your local disk (except for a small controllable cache). This allows you to upload or access a massive amount of files without using any local space. Competitors seem to insist on downloading all the files to your local documents folder. That means your local drive has a copy of everything that is on the cloud. The local disk will become saturated and theft of the machine means your files will be visible. With pCloud you are secure.
They allow automatic uploads of photos from your phone. I haven't got on top of this - I store photos on an SD card and they don't get uploaded (competitors had same problem). Family membership allows the administrator to set a quota for each member but the accounts are independent so even the administrator cannot see into those accounts.
I would like to see active directory integration for a business account but that is not available.
The client application is very decent. You can set basic throttling parameters and it works reliably. You can set the cache directory/drive too. Be aware that copying a large amount of data to the cloud via the client requires the client to spool to the cloud, which takes as long as your bandwidth allows. Check the web platform to validate what has actually been uploaded (client shows an icon against each file and also indicates the current status). Overall the product is great and support is responsive but they will obviously spin the answer the way they see fit and not really tell you what you asked for - pretty common nowadays.
I bought 4TB lifetime family membership with encryption. Unless they go out of business I should break even after a few years. Of course you have to be insane to trust all your data will be safe in someones cloud. Keep a local copy in a safe place at all times.



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on 2016-04-19 09:52:41

PCLOUD is, I think this is one of the better options around and the fact that it has a Linux client is a big plus. I have PCLOUD installed on my PC work computer, my Linux home laptop and my Android phone and they all synchronize perfectly. With the latest updates, it also allows revisions, which I think in terms of functionality, it easily rivals dropbox and co..
Get 20GB PCloud here: https://my.pcloud.com/#page=register&invite=Vx2jZSXVAzy