Nordlocker vs Proton Drive (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Proton Drive grades higher than Nordlocker: 2.6 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 5, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Proton Drive grades higher on value for money and features. They get the same grade on the free plan, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Nordlocker
End-to-end encrypted cloud storage from the makers of NordVPN
Proton Drive
End-to-end encrypted cloud storage from the maker of Proton Mail
Which one is for you
Pick Nordlocker if
- Fits if you want your files encrypted on your devices before upload
- Works for a Windows or phone user who wants a free 3 GB
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you use a Mac or Linux desktop, as no app is listed for either
- Pricey if you go Business: $29.99 a month with no per-user basis given
- Watch out: Premium's price wasn't readable on the vendor's pages
- Watch out: 3 GB free is small next to other free plans
Pick Proton Drive if
- Fits if you want storage that even the company running it can't read
- Works for people who already pay for Proton Mail, VPN or Pass and can bundle storage with Unlimited
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you're staying free, because 5 GB fills up fast with photos
- Skip it if you're on Linux and want a folder that syncs, as you get a command-line client instead
- Pricey if you want lots of space and nothing else, since past 200 GB it's bundles only, from $9.99 for 500 GB
- Watch out: the low prices need yearly billing, and Drive Plus is $4.99 a month paid monthly
- Not for you if you want it to plug into other apps, as only Proton's own products are listed and no API
How we grade them
| 2.0GPANordlockerFair | 2.6GPAProton DriveGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | DBusiness is $29.99 a month billed annually, above the category's $16.50 dearest-tenth line, with no per-user basis shown. The personal Premium price wasn't readable. | BDrive Plus is $3.99 a month billed yearly for 200 GB, which puts it just inside this category's cheapest quarter, and $4.99 if you pay monthly. Google wants $2.99 for the same 200 GB unencrypted. More room only comes bundled: Unlimited is $9.99 for 500 GB with VPN, Mail and Pass. |
| Free plan and trial | C3 GB free with end-to-end encryption, and Business has a 14-day trial with no card. | C5 GB free, with the same end-to-end encryption and the Docs and Sheets editors included. It's still 5 GB, though, and a phone backing up photos will hit it inside a month. No trial of the paid plans is listed. |
| Features | CEncrypted storage and sharing, but no macOS or Linux app is listed, and Mac users go through the browser. | BIt covers the job: encryption on everything, links with passwords and expiry you can revoke, automatic photo backup, desktop sync and old versions recoverable for up to 10 years, plus encrypted Docs and Sheets two people can edit at once. Nothing core is absent on the platforms it supports. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record, and no desktop app for Mac to lean on. | C4.11 from about 1,200 App Store ratings, the weakest score of any storage app here with a rating worth counting, where Dropbox, Box and OneDrive all sit at 4.6 or better. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, Windows, iPhone and Android apps, with no integrations listed. | BWeb, Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android covers most people, but Linux gets a command-line client and the website instead of a sync app. The things it joins up with are all Proton's own, Mail, VPN, Pass and Calendar, with no outside integrations or API listed. |
| Best for | end-to-end encrypted storage with a free 3 GB | private files and documents nobody else can read |
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: Nordlocker and Proton Drive. How we grade
Price against what you get
Nordlocker starts at $29.99 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Proton Drive starts at $3.99 a month and scores 2.7.
Proton Drive scores higher and starts $26 a month lower. Of the other file storage and sync services on the chart, 22 score higher than Nordlocker for less, and 6 score higher than Proton Drive 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
- Proton Drive is open source, according to its own site.
- Proton Drive also covers documents and spreadsheets.
At a glance
| Nordlocker | Proton Drive | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $29.99 per month, billed annually (Business, 2 TB) | $3.99 per month, billed yearly |
| Free plan | Free personal cloud with 3 GB of storage and end-to-end encryption on your devices. | Proton Free: 5 GB of end-to-end encrypted storage for files, photos and documents, including the online document and spreadsheet editor. |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial of NordLocker Business, no credit card required | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Nordvpn S.A. | Proton AG |
| Price read from | nordlocker.com | proton.me |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Oct 5, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Nordlocker
- The price of the Premium personal plan, up to 2 TB, was not readable on the vendor's pages.
- No macOS or Linux app is listed; Mac users go through the browser.
- The Business price is shown per month billed annually, without a stated per-user basis.
- The vendor describes the Premium tier as up to 2 TB with priority support, but no price.
Proton Drive
- The free plan is limited to 5 GB.
- Desktop sync apps exist for Windows and macOS only; Linux users get a command-line client and the web app.
- The lowest prices require yearly billing. Drive Plus costs $4.99 a month when billed monthly.
- Individual storage above 200 GB comes only through the Unlimited, Duo and Family bundles, which include other Proton products.
Key features
Nordlocker
- Zero-knowledge encryption
- Files are encrypted before they reach the cloud with AES-256, xChaCha20-Poly1305 and Ed25519, and the vendor says it has no access to the keys.
- Encrypted cloud and sync
- Upload files to the cloud and sync them across web, Windows, Android and iOS, with backup of locked files.
- Private sharing
- Share encrypted items by email or a link protected with a security code, and stop sharing later.
- Local encryption
- On Windows and Android, files can also be encrypted locally in lockers without being uploaded.
- Business admin tools
- Business has an admin panel, groups for access control, shared lockers for team members and 24/7 priority support.
Proton Drive
- End-to-end encryption
- Files are encrypted before they are uploaded. Proton states that only the owner and the people they share with can open them, and that Proton itself cannot.
- Sharing controls
- Files, photos, documents and spreadsheets are shared by link, with password protection, expiry dates and the ability to revoke access at any time.
- Proton Docs and Sheets
- Encrypted document and spreadsheet editors with real-time collaboration are built into Drive, and the editor is included on the free plan.
- Photo backup
- The mobile apps back up photos automatically and support collaborative albums for sharing them.
- Desktop sync
- Desktop apps for Windows and macOS sync files between the computer and the cloud. A command-line client is offered for Linux, macOS and Windows.
- Long version history
- Paid plans from Drive Plus allow previous versions of a file to be recovered for up to 10 years.
Plans
Nordlocker
Free$0
3 GB of encrypted cloud storage for personal use.
Business$29.99
per month, billed annually (user basis not shown)
2 TB cloud storage, unlimited encryption, admin panel access control, private sharing and 24/7 priority support.
Proton Drive
Proton Free$0
5 GB of storage for files, photos and documents, with the online document and spreadsheet editor.
Drive Plus$3.99
per month, billed yearly at $47.88 ($4.99 billed monthly)
200 GB of storage and 10 years to recover previous file versions.
Proton Unlimited$9.99
per month, billed yearly at $119.88 ($12.99 billed monthly)
500 GB of storage plus Proton VPN, Proton Mail, Proton Calendar and Proton Pass.
Proton Duo$14.99
per month, billed yearly at $179.88 ($19.99 billed monthly)
2 TB of storage for up to 2 users, with everything in Unlimited and advanced account protection.
Proton Family$23.99
per month, billed yearly ($29.99 billed monthly)
3 TB of storage for up to 6 users, with the Proton premium products that are included in Duo.
Drive Professional$7.99
per user / month, billed yearly ($9.99 billed monthly)
Team plan with 1 TB per user, user access management, and sync across devices and users.
Ways to pay less
Nordlocker
- Other savings
Business plans up to 53% off
The Business page advertises up to 53% off its plans, with no end date given there.
Proton Drive
- Annual discount
20% to 25% off with yearly billing
Billed yearly, Drive Plus is $3.99 a month instead of $4.99 (20% off), Proton Unlimited is $9.99 instead of $12.99 (23% off) and Proton Duo is $14.99 instead of $19.99 (25% off).
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Nordlocker or Proton Drive?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Proton Drive is cheaper to start with: $3.99 a month, against $29.99 a month for Nordlocker. Nordlocker starts at $29.99 per month, billed annually (Business, 2 TB), and Proton Drive starts at $3.99 per month, billed yearly.
Which has a free plan, Nordlocker or Proton Drive?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Nordlocker and Proton Drive have a free plan.
Which platforms do Nordlocker and Proton Drive run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Proton Drive lists a macOS app. Both list a web app and Windows, iOS and Android apps. 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.