4shared vs MEGA (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, we pick MEGA: it is second in our ranking of file storage and sync services, and it grades higher too, 3.2 against 2.6.
Checked Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
4shared grades higher on value for money. MEGA grades higher on features, ease of use and platforms. They get the same grade on the free plan.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
4shared
File storage and sharing with 15 GB free and annual premium plans
MEGA
Zero-knowledge encrypted cloud storage with a 20 GB free plan
Which one is for you
Pick 4shared if
- Fits if you want a big free account for sharing
- Works for people who want 100 GB cheaply
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a desktop or phone app, as only the web is listed
- Tight if you send big files: free uploads stop at 2 GB
- Watch out: ads, direct links and file statistics are Premium
- Watch out: the pricing page we read was in Malay and only the annual price was visible
Pick MEGA if
- Fits if you want encrypted storage with 20 GB on the free plan
- Works for Linux users, with official packages for Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora and Arch
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a fixed price in dollars, as MEGA sets and charges its prices in euros
- Tight if you download a lot, as the free quota is limited and Pro Lite allows 1 TB of transfer a month
- Not for you if you want the smallest plan month by month, since Essential is shown with yearly charging only
- Watch out: Business needs at least 3 users and is usage-based, from €15 a month for a 3 TB base
- Watch out: free calls stop at 1 hour, Rewind is view-only, and no ready-made app integrations are listed
How we grade them
| 2.6GPA4sharedGood | 3.2GPAMEGAVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | APremium 100 GB is $14.99 a year, about $1.25 a month, under 60% of the cheapest quarter. 1 TB is $39.99 a year. | BEssential is €3.33 a month charged yearly for 200 GB, which lands inside the cheapest quarter of this category without being the cheapest way in. Pro I is 3 TB for €9.99 where Dropbox and Google sell 2 TB for $9.99, and a VPN and password manager come with any paid plan. You pay in euros. |
| Free plan and trial | B15 GB free with 2 GB uploads and 100 GB of bandwidth a month. One person can live on that. | B20 GB free is the largest free allowance in this category, encrypted like the paid plans, with up to 100 versions of a file. One person could live on it. It isn't limitless, mind: downloads draw on a transfer quota, and calls stop at an hour. |
| Features | CStorage, sharing and direct links. Ad-free browsing and direct links are Premium. | BIt covers the whole job: device-side encryption, folder sync and computer backup, links with a password or expiry, 100 versions of a file and Rewind back 60 days on paid plans, plus encrypted chat and video calls. The transfer quota on downloads is what keeps it off an A. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. It is a web account, but there is plenty to read on what each plan limits. | B4.6 from about 108,000 App Store ratings, below the top of this category. Nothing in the listing suggests a fiddly start: install the desktop app, choose folders, and changes copy as they happen. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWeb only on record, and no integrations are listed. | AWeb, Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone and Android, plus a browser extension, with official Linux packages for Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora and Arch. There's a public API for developers too, though no ready-made hook-ups with other apps are listed. |
| Best for | cheap file storage and sharing with a 15 GB free account | encrypted storage with 20 GB free |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: 4shared and MEGA. How we grade
Price against what you get
4shared starts at $1.25 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. MEGA starts at about $3.72 a month and scores 3.3.
MEGA scores higher, and starts $2.47 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other file storage and sync services on the chart, 7 score higher than 4shared for less, and 2 score higher than MEGA for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- MEGA is end-to-end encrypted, according to its own site.
- 4shared also covers file management.
- MEGA also covers video calls and file sync.
At a glance
| 4shared | MEGA | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $14.99 per year (Premium 100 GB, annual billing) | €3.33 per month, charged yearly |
| Free plan | 15 GB of free storage, priority downloads, 2 GB maximum upload size and 100 GB monthly bandwidth. | 20 GB of storage with a limited transfer quota. Calls are capped at 1 hour and 100 participants, and Rewind is view-only. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | 4shared | MEGA |
| Price read from | 4shared.com | mega.io |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Oct 10, 2026 |
Worth knowing
4shared
- The free plan caps uploads at 2 GB and bandwidth at 100 GB a month.
- The pricing page was read in Malay; the dollar figures are shown per year in the annual view and the monthly price was not read.
- The page states a 15% saving with annual plans.
- Refunds may be requested within 30 days of the first subscription.
MEGA
- Prices are set and charged in euros; amounts shown in other currencies on the site are estimates.
- Downloads count against a transfer quota, which is limited on the free plan and 1 TB a month on Pro Lite.
- Business and Pro Flexi are usage-based, starting from €15.00 per month for a 3 TB base. Business needs at least 3 users.
- The Essential plan is shown only with yearly charging on the pricing page.
Key features
4shared
- 15 GB free storage
- Free accounts get 15 GB and can share links to files.
- Direct download links
- Premium plans share links that download immediately, without an intermediate page, and allow file embedding.
- Ad-free browsing
- Premium members browse without advertisements.
- Multi-file transfers
- The 500 GB and 1 TB plans upload or download multiple files at once as a ZIP archive.
- File and account statistics
- Premium plans show statistics about files, downloads and account activity.
MEGA
- Zero-knowledge encryption
- Data is encrypted before it leaves the device, and MEGA says only the owner and the people they authorize hold the keys needed to read it.
- Sync and backup
- The desktop app for Windows, macOS and Linux syncs folders and backs up a computer to MEGA, replicating changes as they happen.
- Sharing with link controls
- Files and folders can be shared with people who have no MEGA account, with read-only or full access. Links can carry a password or an expiry date.
- File versioning and Rewind
- Every plan keeps up to 100 versions of a file. Rewind goes back up to 60 days on paid plans and is view-only for up to 30 days on the free plan.
- Chat and meetings
- Private messaging and video calls are built in. Free accounts are limited to 1-hour calls with up to 100 participants; paid plans remove both limits.
- Bundled VPN, passwords and S4
- Paid plans include MEGA VPN and the MEGA Pass password manager, and plans from Pro Lite up add S3-compatible object storage.
Plans
4shared
Free$0
15 GB storage, 2 GB maximum upload size and 100 GB monthly bandwidth.
Premium 100 GB$14.99
per year, annual billing view shown
100 GB storage, ad-free browsing, direct download links and file statistics.
Premium 500 GB$29.99
per year, annual billing view shown
500 GB storage plus multi-file upload and download.
Premium 1 TB$39.99
per year, annual billing view shown
1 TB storage with the 500 GB features.
MEGA
Free€0
20 GB of storage, a limited transfer quota, 100 file versions and view-only Rewind for up to 30 days.
Essential€3.33
per month, charged yearly
200 GB of storage and 2.4 TB of transfer over the year, with MEGA VPN, MEGA Pass and unrestricted chat and meetings.
Pro Lite€4.99
per month, or €5.00 per month charged yearly
750 GB of storage and 1 TB of transfer a month, plus object storage, MEGA VPN and MEGA Pass.
Pro I€9.99
per month, or €8.33 per month charged yearly
3 TB of storage and 3 TB of transfer a month, plus object storage, MEGA VPN and MEGA Pass.
Pro II€19.99
per month, or €16.67 per month charged yearly
10 TB of storage and 10 TB of transfer a month, with the same extras as Pro I.
Pro III€29.99
per month, or €25.00 per month charged yearly
20 TB of storage and 20 TB of transfer a month, with the same extras as Pro I.
Ways to pay less
4shared
- Annual discount
15% off with annual billing
The premium page advertises 15% off when paying yearly instead of monthly.
MEGA
- Annual discount
Save up to 17% with yearly billing
MEGA's pricing page advertises up to 17% off for yearly billing: Pro I drops from €9.99 to €8.33 a month, Pro II from €19.99 to €16.67 and Pro III from €29.99 to €25.00.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, 4shared or MEGA?
As of Nov 13, 2026, 4shared is cheaper to start with: $1.25 a month when paid by the year, against about $3.72 a month for MEGA. 4shared starts at $14.99 per year (Premium 100 GB, annual billing), and MEGA starts at €3.33 per month, charged yearly.
Which has a free plan, 4shared or MEGA?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both 4shared and MEGA have a free plan.
Which platforms do 4shared and MEGA run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only MEGA lists macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android apps and a browser extension. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.