Filebase vs Filen (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Filen grades higher than Filebase: 3.4 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 5, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Filen grades higher on value for money, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Filebase
S3-compatible object storage with IPFS pinning and free egress
Filen
End-to-end encrypted cloud storage from Germany with open source apps
Which one is for you
Pick Filebase if
- Fits if you build apps and want S3 storage with IPFS pinning
- Works for small projects that fit in 5 GB for free
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want a desktop folder that syncs, because it's a developer service
- Tight if you're staying free: 5 GB, 500 pinned files and 1 bucket
- Watch out: extra storage and IPFS bandwidth are $0.015 a GB, and Pro requests are billed on top
- Watch out: custom domains and bucket CIDs aren't on the free plan, and the SLA is Enterprise only
- Too light for anyone who wants listed integrations, as none are named
Pick Filen if
- Fits if you want every file encrypted on your device, even on the free plan
- Works for Linux users and command-line fans, with .deb, .rpm and AppImage builds, a CLI, SDKs and a documented API
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you'd park files on a free account and forget it, as 3 months without a login wipes them
- Not for you if you were hoping to pay once, since Filen no longer sells lifetime plans
- Not for you if you want a price in dollars, because everything is listed in euros only
- Watch out: WebDAV and S3 access need a server you host through the desktop app or CLI
- Watch out: the free plan is 10 GiB, Starter is sold yearly only, and no ready-made app integrations are listed
How we grade them
| 2.0GPAFilebaseFair | 3.4GPAFilenVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C$7.50 a month for 500 GB on Pro, between the middle ($7) and the dearer quarter ($9.99) of file storage. Extra storage is $0.015 a GB. | APro I is €1.99 a month for 200 GiB, and the cheaper quarter of this category starts at $3.99, so Filen comes in under 60% of that. Starter is €11.99 for a whole year of 100 GiB. Encryption is in every plan, not an upsell. Prices are euros only. |
| Free plan and trial | CFree is 5 GB shared across storage and IPFS, 500 pinned files and 1 bucket. Enough to test, not much to live on. | B10 GiB free with the encryption and every feature switched on, which one person's documents could sit in for years. It's not photo-library room, and a free account's data is deleted after 3 months without a login, so don't park files and forget them. |
| Features | CS3 API, IPFS pinning, hosted sites and a web dashboard. It's a storage service for developers, not a sync app, and custom domains and the SLA are held back. | BDevice-side encryption on every plan, folder sync in five modes, the cloud mounted as a drive, public links, version history, phone camera upload, and encrypted notes and chats. Nothing in the listing points at missing storage work. |
| Ease of use | CNo rating on record. A web dashboard makes buckets, but you work with it through S3 tools and keys. | BNo store rating on record, but there's nothing to set up: install the desktop app, sign in, and your storage appears as a drive in the file explorer with no server to run. Picking between five sync modes is the only decision it asks of you. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWeb dashboard and an S3 API. The listing names no integrations and no apps. | AWeb, Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone and Android, with the Linux build as .deb, .rpm and AppImage, plus a documented API and TypeScript, Rust and Go SDKs. No ready-made hook-ups to other apps are listed, but the API covers the A. |
| Best for | S3 storage with IPFS pinning for developers | encrypted storage with open source apps |
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: Filebase and Filen. How we grade
Price against what you get
Filebase starts at $7.50 a month and scores 2.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Filen starts at about $1.12 a month and scores 3.3.
Filen scores higher and starts $6.38 a month lower. Of the other file storage and sync services on the chart, 21 score higher than Filebase for less, and none scores higher than Filen 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
- Filen is open source and end-to-end encrypted, according to its own site.
- Filebase also covers file management.
- Filen also covers notes, file sync and file sharing.
At a glance
| Filebase | Filen | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $7.50 per month, billed monthly | €11.99 per year for 100 GiB, or €1.99 per month for 200 GiB |
| Free plan | 5 GB shared across object storage and IPFS, 500 pinned files, 10 GB IPFS egress, 1 bucket. | 10 GiB of storage with encryption and every feature included. Data on free accounts is deleted after 3 months without a login. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Filebase, Inc. | Filen Cloud Dienste UG (haftungsbeschränkt) |
| Price read from | filebase.com | filen.io |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Oct 5, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Filebase
- Storage beyond the included amount is $0.015 per GB, and extra IPFS bandwidth is $0.015 per GB.
- Extra Class A requests cost $4.50 per million and Class B $0.36 per million on Pro.
- Custom domains, bucket CIDs and an uptime SLA are not on the free plan; the SLA is Enterprise only.
- It is a developer-oriented storage service, not a desktop sync app.
Filen
- Prices are listed in euros only; Filen says taxes and transaction fees are included in them.
- Free accounts lose their data after 3 months without a login, following reminder emails.
- Lifetime plans are no longer sold: the pricing FAQ says they were removed for an indefinite period.
- WebDAV and S3 access require a server that the user hosts through the desktop app or CLI, because files are encrypted on the device.
Key features
Filebase
- S3-compatible storage
- Object storage reachable through the S3 API on both free and Pro plans, with no charge for object egress.
- IPFS pinning
- Pins files on the IPFS network, with IPNS names, gateways and a CDN; Pro raises the pinned-file limit to unlimited.
- Filebase Sites
- Hosts websites from IPFS content with IPNS; 1 site on Free and 10 on Pro.
- Image storage
- Stores images and transforms them on demand, with unlimited transformations on Pro.
- Web dashboard
- Buckets, access keys, gateways and billing are managed in a browser dashboard on every plan.
Filen
- Zero-knowledge encryption by default
- Files are encrypted on the device with AES 256-bit before upload, and Filen states that it cannot access them. Encryption is part of every plan, the free one included.
- Sync and network drive
- Desktop apps for Windows, macOS and Linux sync folders in five modes, with one-way and two-way among them, and can mount the cloud as a network drive in the file explorer.
- Encrypted sharing
- Files and folders are shared with other Filen users or through public links, and the shared content stays encrypted. Earlier versions of files can be restored from version history.
- Notes and chats
- Encrypted notes support rich text, markdown, checklists and code and can be edited with other users in real time. Encrypted chats carry messages and files between Filen users.
- Open source apps and developer tools
- Filen says all of its apps are open source. Developers get a documented API, TypeScript, Rust and Go SDKs, and a CLI that can run a local WebDAV or S3 server.
- Mobile camera upload
- The iOS and Android apps upload photos and videos from selected albums automatically, with optional compression, and can keep chosen files available offline.
Plans
Filebase
Free$0
5 GB of storage, 500 pinned files, 10 GB IPFS egress, 1 bucket and the S3 API.
Pro$7.50
per month, billed monthly
500 GB, unlimited pinned files, 250 GB IPFS egress, 100 buckets and custom domains.
EnterpriseCustom
Volume pricing, SLA, dedicated support and higher bucket and gateway limits.
Filen
Free€0
10 GiB with encryption and every feature included. Data is deleted after 3 months without a login.
Starter€11.99
per year, billed annually
100 GiB of storage, offered on annual billing only.
Pro I€1.99
per month, or €19.99 billed annually
200 GiB with unlimited bandwidth, syncing, network drive, file sharing, and unlimited notes and chats.
Pro II€3.99
per month, or €39.99 billed annually
500 GiB of storage with the same features as Pro I.
Pro III€8.99
per month, or €89.99 billed annually
2 TiB of storage with the same features as Pro I.
Pro X€39.99
per month, or €399.99 billed annually
10 TiB of storage. Plans stack on one account, so two Pro X plans give 20 TiB, with no upper limit.
Ways to pay less
Filebase
No public discounts listed.
Filen
- Annual discount
About 16% lower with annual billing
Annual prices of €19.99, €39.99, €89.99 and €399.99 compare with €23.88, €47.88, €107.88 and €479.88 for twelve monthly payments on Pro I, Pro II, Pro III and Pro X.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Filebase or Filen?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Filen is cheaper to start with: about $1.12 a month, against $7.50 a month for Filebase. Filebase starts at $7.50 per month, billed monthly, and Filen starts at €11.99 per year for 100 GiB, or €1.99 per month for 200 GiB.
Which has a free plan, Filebase or Filen?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Filebase and Filen have a free plan.
Which platforms do Filebase and Filen run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Filen lists macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android apps. 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.