MEGA

Contents

1. 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
2. 02Insider tipsWhat most people miss: ways to pay less, settings worth changing and the catches
3. 03What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
4. 04What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
5. 05Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
6. 06After you payGetting your money back, getting out, and getting help
7. 07The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
8. 08Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
9. 09About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it

ToolGPA put this guide together from MEGA’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on MEGA’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 10, 2026.

1. 1

   Best for encrypted storage with 20 GB free

   MEGA gives you 20 GB free, and every file is encrypted on your device before upload, so only you and the people you pick hold the keys.

2. 2

   Paid plans start at about $3.73 a month

   As its pricing page puts it: €3.33 per month, charged yearly.

3. 3

   There is a free plan

   20 GB of storage with a limited transfer quota. Calls are capped at 1 hour and 100 participants, and Rewind is view-only.

4. 4

   It runs on 6 platforms

   Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS and Android, with a browser extension too.

5. 5

   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.

6. 6

   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.

7. 7

   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.

8. 8

   Refunds: no set window

   Outside the European Union, Brazil and South Korea, MEGA's terms call every purchase final and non-refundable and leave any refund to its own discretion. Against that, cancelling is genuinely easy: four clicks in the web app, or a couple of taps in the phone apps, and you keep the paid features to the end of the billing period.

9. 9

   A 3.2 GPA, above 12 of 17

   That is against the other file storage and sync services we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.

10. 10

    Keep it

    To replace MEGA you would be making files kept in step across devices without losing one. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.

The things about MEGA that are easy to miss until they cost you: ways to pay less, settings worth changing and the catches at renewal or when you leave. Each one is from MEGA’s own pages, linked beside it.

Read on Oct 17, 2026. Read from MEGA's help centre (recovery key, transfer quota, link quota sharing, file requests, refunds, cancelling, over-quota accounts and inactive accounts) on 17 October 2026. Not tried out: these tips are what its own pages say.

1. 1

   Setting

   Download your recovery key before anything else

   MEGA's help page says the recovery key is the only way to reset a forgotten password, or to get past two-factor sign-in if you lose your authenticator. On the website it's Settings → Security → Recovery key → Back up key. Save it somewhere that isn't your MEGA account.

   help.mega.io
2. 2

   Pay less

   Transfer quota rarely matters for your own files

   MEGA's help page says the quota only starts to apply to a file once it has been downloaded in full more than 10 times. Syncing your own devices and sharing with a few people sits well under that. Free users are limited by what their internet address downloaded in the last 6 hours.

   help.mega.io
3. 3

   Setting

   Check how much of your quota your public links can spend

   On paid plans, people downloading from your links can use 25% of your transfer quota by default. Move the slider under Settings → Transfers, down to 0% if you like. MEGA's help page warns that if their downloads take you past your base quota, you're charged for the extra.

   help.mega.io
4. 4

   Easy to miss

   Collect files from people with no MEGA account using a file request

   Under Shared items → File requests, pick a folder and MEGA gives you an upload link. Anyone can drop files in, encrypted in their browser, and they can't see what others sent. Uploads don't use your transfer quota but do count towards your storage. Anyone with the link can upload, so share it carefully.

   help.mega.io
5. 5

   Renewal

   Payments are generally not refundable, so cancel before it renews

   MEGA's refund page says subscriptions generally aren't refunded. The exceptions: a charge made in error, reported within 30 days, or a mistaken payment you haven't used at all, reported within 24 hours. MEGA can't refund App Store payments either, so those go through Apple.

   help.mega.io
6. 6

   Leaving

   Over your limit after downgrading? You get 75 days, then data goes

   MEGA's help page says an account over its storage limit for 30 days is locked: view only, and you can't delete or download. It stays locked for 45 more days with reminders, and then the data is deleted. Download or clear what doesn't fit before your paid plan ends.

   help.mega.io
7. 7

   Leaving

   A free account left unused for about 10 months can lose its files

   MEGA's help page says free accounts that go unused get warning emails, and the data is eventually deleted, at least 10 months after your last activity. The account stays, just empty. Logging in, or leaving the desktop app signed in, keeps it active. Pro accounts are exempt.

   help.mega.io

• 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.

Read from mega.io on Oct 10, 2026.

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.

MEGA's GPA of 3.2 is higher than 12 of the 17 other file storage and sync services we grade, and level with 2.

It stands best on platforms and integrations (A, above 7 of 17) and worst on ease of use (B, above 4).

Its paid plans start at about $3.73 a month, against a middle price of $4.17 for the category: 6 of the 16 others that charge start lower.

On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 3.3 out of 4. 2 tools score higher and cost less.

What happens once you have paid: whether you can get your money back, how to leave, and how to reach a person when something goes wrong. Each is graded from MEGA’s own terms and help pages.

Part 07 · Alternatives

The alternatives

The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side

Proton Drive, pCloud, Sync.com, Internxt and Filen

The 5 tools MEGA is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.

• 

  2.6GPA

  Proton Drive

  Free plan · from $3.99/mo

  End-to-end encrypted cloud storage from the maker of Proton Mail.

  • Only MEGA lists a Linux app.
  • Only MEGA lists a browser extension.
  • Proton Drive is open source, according to its own site.

  MEGA and Proton Drive compared in full
• 

  2.6GPA

  pCloud

  Free plan · from $4.99/mo

  Swiss cloud storage sold by subscription or one-time payment.

  • MEGA is end-to-end encrypted, according to its own site.
  • pCloud can be bought with a one-time purchase.
  • MEGA also covers video calls.

  MEGA and pCloud compared in full
• 

  2.4GPA

  Sync.com

  Free plan · from $6/mo

  End-to-end encrypted cloud storage and file sharing for teams.

  • Only MEGA lists a Linux app.
  • Only MEGA lists a browser extension.
  • MEGA also covers video calls.

  MEGA and Sync.com compared in full
• 

  2.2GPA

  Internxt

  Free plan · from $11.99/mo

  Open source, zero-knowledge cloud storage with lifetime plans.

  • Only MEGA lists a browser extension.
  • Internxt is open source, according to its own site.
  • Internxt can be bought with a one-time purchase.

  MEGA and Internxt compared in full
• 

  3.4GPA

  Filen

  Free plan · from €11.99/yr

  End-to-end encrypted cloud storage from Germany with open source apps.

  • Only MEGA lists a browser extension.
  • Filen is open source, according to its own site.
  • MEGA also covers video calls.

  MEGA and Filen compared in full

The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.

ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.

Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.

• 3,189

  tools graded

• 94

  categories

• 426

  price changes on record

• 579

  apps priced in 12 countries