pCloud vs WeTransfer
We give pCloud a 3.4 GPA and WeTransfer a 3.0, out of 4.0. pCloud grades higher on value for money and platforms. They get the same grade on the free plan, features and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
pCloud
Swiss cloud storage sold by subscription or one-time payment
WeTransfer
Send large files by email or link without recipient sign-up
How we grade them
| 3.4GPApCloudVery good | 3.0GPAWeTransferVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | B500 GB is $49.99 a year and 2 TB is $99.99, a bit less than Dropbox. A lifetime plan pays for itself in about five years. But the private Crypto folder is another $49.99 a year. | CStarter is $8 a month for up to 300 GB of transfers, billed monthly. No size limit, your own branding and unlimited expiry all sit on Ultimate at $23. For a couple of dollars more than Starter, Dropbox Plus gives you 2 TB of storage and 50 GB transfers. |
| Free plan and trial | BUp to 10 GB with no card. But you start at 2 GB and earn the rest with a tutorial and invites, and pCloud's terms say a free account left idle for 12 months gets deleted. | BFree sends and receives up to 3 GB a month across 10 transfers, and each one expires after up to 3 days. Fine for the odd photo album. But it's for non-commercial use only, so client work means paying. |
| Features | BA drive that takes no room on your laptop, photo backup from your phone, imports from other clouds, up to 30 days of old versions and a music player. But encryption only you can unlock is an add-on. | BIt only sends files, and it does that job fully: by email or link, with passwords, expiry dates, file requests and download counts. It isn't built for syncing folders, though, and end-to-end encryption is listed for Enterprise only. |
| Ease of use | A4.7 from about 8,200 App Store ratings. On a computer it turns up as an extra drive, so you drag files in like any folder. On a phone, one switch backs up your photos. | A4.8 from about 79,000 App Store ratings. The person you send to needs no account and no sign-up, they just download. On a Mac you can send from the menu bar or with a right-click in Finder. |
| Platforms and integrations | AWeb, Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone and Android, plus a browser add-on. It pulls files in from Dropbox, Google Drive, Google Photos, OneDrive and Facebook, and there's an API for developers. | BWeb, Mac, iPhone and Android. The listing shows a Mac app but none for Windows, and no integrations or API, so it stops at a B. |
| Best for | paying once for cloud storage, not every month | sending a big file to someone with no account |
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: pCloud and WeTransfer. How we grade
Where they differ
- pCloud starts at $4.99 per month, or $49.99 billed yearly. WeTransfer starts at $8 per month, billed monthly.
- Only pCloud lists Windows and Linux apps.
- Only pCloud lists a browser extension.
- pCloud can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- pCloud also covers file sync.
- WeTransfer also covers documents and menu bar app.
At a glance
| pCloud | WeTransfer | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $4.99 per month, or $49.99 billed yearly | $8 per month, billed monthly |
| Free plan | Free account with up to 10 GB of storage. | Free plan for individual, non-commercial use: share and receive up to 3 GB a month, 10 transfers a month, and transfer expiry of up to 3 days. |
| Free trial | 30-day free trial of pCloud Business; other paid plans carry a 14-day money-back guarantee | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | pCloud International AG | WeTransfer B.V. |
| Price read from | pcloud.com | wetransfer.com |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Oct 5, 2026 |
Who each one suits
pCloud
- People who prefer a one-time lifetime payment to a subscription
- Users who want to choose between EU and US data storage
- Linux users: pCloud Drive runs on Windows, macOS and Linux
WeTransfer
- Sending large files to clients who should not need an account
- Freelancers and studios that want branded delivery pages
- Occasional personal transfers within the free monthly allowance
Worth knowing
pCloud
- Client-side, zero-knowledge encryption is a paid add-on and is not part of the standard storage plans.
- The free account is limited to up to 10 GB.
- Family plans, for up to 5 users, are offered only as lifetime purchases, and Business pricing is shown from 3 users.
- Lifetime prices are shown as promotions against a higher list price, so the amount charged can change.
WeTransfer
- The Free plan is for non-commercial use only and is capped at 3 GB and 10 transfers a month.
- Starter is limited to 300 GB of transfers a month; removing the size limit needs Ultimate at $23 a month.
- An account stores up to 2 TB of transfers by default on any plan, and WeTransfer says it does not offer unlimited storage.
- Teams needs at least 2 users, and single sign-on and end-to-end encryption are listed only for Enterprise.
Key features
pCloud
- pCloud Drive
- A desktop app for Windows, macOS and Linux that makes cloud files available as if they were stored locally, without using hard drive space.
- Backup and file history
- The desktop app backs up folders from a computer, and backups can also be pulled from Dropbox, Google Drive, Google Photos, OneDrive and Facebook.
- Sharing and shared folders
- Files and folders are shared by link or through shared folders with access levels. Business adds branded links carrying a logo, cover and message.
- pCloud Encryption add-on
- Optional client-side, zero-knowledge encryption adds a Crypto folder to the account. It is priced separately at $49.99 billed yearly.
- Choice of data region
- Account holders choose whether their files are stored in a European or a US data center.
- Media player, Photos and Docs
- Includes an audio and video player, a photo timeline with a built-in editor, and pCloud Docs for creating and editing documents.
WeTransfer
- Transfers by email or link
- Files are sent to recipients by email or shared as a download link. Anyone can download them without logging in or signing up.
- Passwords and expiry dates
- A transfer can be protected with a password and given an expiry date. Free transfers expire after up to 3 days; Ultimate allows unlimited expiry.
- File requests
- A request link lets other people upload files to the account holder, who can then track and manage what has been received.
- Download tracking
- Senders can see download counts and status for each transfer and manage, forward or delete sent transfers from the account's Transfers panel.
- Branding and personal page
- Ultimate adds custom branding per transfer, and an account can have its own WeTransfer page with a custom URL, wallpapers and social links.
- Mac and mobile apps
- The Mac app sends files from the menu bar or by right-clicking in Finder. iOS and Android apps send, receive and manage transfers from a phone.
Plans
pCloud
Free$0
Up to 10 GB of storage on a free account.
Premium 500 GB$4.99
per month, or $49.99 billed yearly
500 GB of storage for one person, with pCloud Photos and pCloud Docs.
Premium Plus 2 TB$9.99
per month, or $99.99 billed yearly
2 TB of storage for one person, with pCloud Photos and pCloud Docs.
Ultra 10 TB$29.99
per month, or $299.99 billed yearly
10 TB of storage for one person, with pCloud Photos and pCloud Docs.
Business$9.99
per user / month, billed monthly
Shown as 3 users with 3 TB for $29.97 a month, with teams, access levels, activity logs and a 30-day free trial.
Business Pro$19.98
per user / month, billed monthly
Shown as 3 users with 6 TB for $59.94 a month. New Business Pro accounts get 25% off, which makes it $14.98 per user.
WeTransfer
Free$0
Individual, non-commercial use: share and receive up to 3 GB a month, 10 transfers a month and expiry of up to 3 days.
Starter$8
per month, billed monthly
Individual use: share and receive up to 300 GB a month.
Ultimate$23
per month, billed monthly
Individual use: no transfer size limit, unlimited transfers and expiry, custom branding, malware scanning and recovery of expired transfers.
Teams$19
per user / month, billed monthly (minimum 2 users)
Everything in Ultimate plus team creation, up to 50 members and centralized billing.
EnterpriseCustom
For 50+ members: unlimited members, custom transfer rules, single sign-on, usage and security logs, and end-to-end encryption.
Ways to pay less
pCloud
- Lifetime license
Lifetime plans for a one-time payment
The 500 GB, 2 TB and 10 TB lifetime plans are listed at $279, $709 and $2,799. Promotional prices of $219, $499 and $1,499 were shown when checked.
- Lifetime license
Family lifetime plans for up to 5 users
Family 2 TB is listed at $999 and Family 10 TB at $3,499 as one-time payments. Promotional prices of $749 and $1,849 were shown when checked.
- Annual discount
About 17% lower with yearly billing
Yearly billing costs $49.99, $99.99 or $299.99, against $59.88, $119.88 or $359.88 for twelve monthly payments on the same plans.
WeTransfer
No public discounts listed.
