How good is pCloud? What features does it offer, and how does it implement security
and privacy? Find out everything in this in-depth pCloud review.
Also, we will show you how to get a special 65 percent discount on pCloud. So watch
this video till the end and don’t go anywhere. Until recent times, hard-drive storage used to
be the most common and most reliable form of storage for many decades.
However, things have changed since then, and cloud storage has usurped traditional storage systems.
And to be honest, most people won’t be surprised. While the technology just only came onto the
scene a few decades ago, it has proven to be a lot more reliable, more versatile,
and more functional than the traditional ones. Let’s face it; there are many reasons why
everybody needs to switch to cloud storage. For one, hard-drive storage is nowhere as
reliable as its modern counterpart, as a fire accident or theft can suddenly
deprive you of your most important data. Apart from that, your hard drives can get
lost or corrupt, leaving you shorn of your favorite pictures forever. Unless
you are trying to deny the truth, it’s safe to declare cloud storage as a superior alternative.
With the revenue from the public cloud sector projected to reach an astounding $331 billion
by 2022, it’s clear that cloud storage is not only the present, but it’s the future of data storage.
The world is rapidly embracing cloud technology, and we love to see it.
With the incredible invention, you can effortlessly collaborate and
share files with your colleagues without being physically together.
It has been estimated that 45 percent of files on the cloud are eventually shared,
which is enough proof that this technology actually facilitates collaboration.
In addition, cloud storage service allows you to work on-the-go, which makes sense,
especially since the world now works remotely. It should also be said that data synchronization
has never been this effortless, with cloud storage service allowing you to
sync your files across multiple devices. No matter where you are or what device
you are carrying, you can easily access your important data. You only need a browsing device,
an internet connection, and the login details to your cloud storage service.
Unsurprisingly, the cloud industry is filled with dozens or even hundreds of cloud service
providers, including free and premium options. However, choosing the right one can be a little
complicated, as each one boasts of being the best. Not to worry though, as we have dedicated this
video to reviewing pCloud, one of the most reliable cloud service providers around.
While the company is young and only came into the game a few years ago,
its incredible features and performance have earned it a spot on the table with the big boys.
In our video, we will review pCloud comprehensively,
focusing on six important factors. The first factor is features – In this section,
we will analyze the different basic and advanced features built into this service.
The second factor is security - Since a cloud service provider is primarily
designed to help keep data, its defense has to be impermeable so that hackers wouldn’t be able
to steal your sensitive data. This section reviews pCloud’s performance in that regard.
The third factor is privacy – With many countries around the world upholding intrusive
laws and regulations, we will discuss pCloud’s privacy policy in this section.
The fourth factor is the interface – A good cloud storage service is one that is both functional and
easy to use, so we dedicate this category to reviewing everything about pCloud’s interface.
The fifth factor is technical support – Every user tends to reach a bottleneck at some point,
so it’s important to choose a company that you can call on when you encounter problems.
In this category, we will check how reliable pCloud is when it comes to customer support.
Finally, we will consider pricing – The top companies know the importance of being competitive
when it comes to pricing. So, how reliable are pCloud’s prices? In this section, we will review
the company’s entire pricing structure. Let’s get started.
But first, we ask for a small favour. A lot of time and effort went into creating this video.
You would be doing us a massive favor if you just hit the like button right now and subscribe
to our channel. We really need your support to continue, so please go ahead and like this video.
Also, what’s your favourite cloud storage solution? Let us know in the comments below.
We would love to hear your thoughts and will reply to your comment.
With different cloud storage services staking different claims about being the best nowadays,
we know choosing the right option can be a difficult task,
especially if you’re not tech-savvy. During the past few months, we have ranked,
rated, and reviewed all the best cloud storage providers out there.
Right now, we believe pCloud is the best of the bunch. With its frill of awesome features,
unbreakable encryption, easy-to-use clients, and competitive pricing,
there is no doubt in our minds that pCloud is the best cloud storage service out there.
Also, The Cyber Lab viewers can get a special 65 percent discount on pCloud. All you have to
do is to click the official link we have added in the description box down below
and this discount will be automatically applied.
But keep in mind that this offer is only available for a limited time, so hurry up!
Icedrive is our second-best pick, while iDrive now ranks third on our list. We have also added
discounted links for both of these services in the description section of this video.
Now, back to the pCloud review. First, let’s take a look at
the features offered by pCloud. pCloud is a very robust service,
boasting all the features that most people ask for in a cloud service provider.
The first feature we will mention is how the service automatically synchronizes
changes across all your connected devices. This way, you won’t need to bother about
manually removing outdated versions. If you wish, however, you can
also read older files by using file versioning or rewinding your account.
That said, we believe the service’s most important features are its media-management tools.
You can use these tools to compress and resize media files without needing to leave your account.
Additionally, the service provider is level with big rivals in terms
of file versioning and sharing. With these functions, you can effortlessly share files
with team members and save numerous edits. The fact that pCloud does not impose limits
when it comes to file size is another nice feature that deserves a mention. It’s especially useful
for designers, photographers, filmmakers, and other creatives who regularly work on large files.
Consequently, creatives can upload as many HD videos or images as possible,
depending on your allotted space. Alongside direct uploads, this cloud
service provider also allows users to upload their files from other platforms like Google Drive,
Dropbox, OneDrive, URLs, Facebook, and Instagram. Another nice feature you will find on pCloud is
Drive tool, which functions as a virtual hard drive. Without consuming your disk space,
this service can imitate local storage. Photographers hate quality loss, so to
help maintain their pictures, pCloud also allows users to save their pictures in the RAW format.
The good thing is that, unlike most competitors in the market, pCloud works efficiently with RAW
images. Plus, users can preview their images on mobile or in their browser.
Lastly, pCloud comes with a browser extension named pCloud Save. With this extension,
users can directly save images in their web browser to their pCloud drive.
It’s also easy to do: just right-click on the image, and you will see the option.
You may find this feature useful when in search of relevant images for your project.
For the frills of features pCloud comes with, it gets the full 5 out of 5 marks in this section.
The next aspect we will bring under the microscope is security.
Generally, pCloud performs admirably when it comes to security, boasting numerous
security-oriented features that send a clear message – security is highly prioritized.
For maximum protection, the company transfers all data using reliable TLS/SSL encryption,
and also secures all files with AES 256-bit encryption, both at rest and in transit.
According to the company, an independent cybersecurity firm has audited server-side
encryption. However, we can’t confirm the veracity of this claim as we
haven’t seen the audit’s results. But we believe it’s an indication
that the service is safe. Besides, it’s always nice for a closed-source software
to undergo an independent third-party audit. Another reason why we believe this provider
is trustworthy is that it offered a cash reward in the past, challenging any ethical
hacker to find a loophole in its server-side encryption. For about six months, exactly 2,860
hackers tried to hack or find the vulnerabilities in its server-side encryption, all to no success.
Therefore, even if the company’s claim about the audit can’t be verified,
we witnessed the challenge, at least. And to us, it’s very encouraging.
It's also a nice thing for data security that users can choose end-to-end encryption
for their data. However, free users can’t enjoy this feature, which literally means free users
could have their data read by the company since they retain control over their encryption key.
This might be a red flag since it means free accounts are susceptible to hackers. Meanwhile,
it’s also not enough to be subscribed to the service to use end-to-end encryption; you must
also activate “Crypto.” Without activating the “Crypto” feature on your paid account,
your data could be vulnerable as well. Once you use the Crypto feature, though,
you can access and utilize private encryption keys to secure your data with end-to-end encryption.
Just bear in mind that if you lose the password, you will never be able to retrieve your files.
Overall, pCloud is quite big on security, so it gets 5 out of 5 points in this category.
Our next focus is privacy. pCloud is a Switzerland-based company,
and as we all know, Switzerland is a country with no compulsory data-retention regulations or laws.
The implication for users is that they can trust the company to keep their data as it’s
meant to be – that is, private. Perhaps, this explains why many high-profile data-handling
companies are based in the country. As we already mentioned, however,
it should be noted that free users don’t get to secure their data with end-to-end encryption.
Therefore, if pCloud is ever compelled to, they would be able to hand over their data to the
government. While this is unlikely, considering how liberal the country is, it’s a possibility.
Moving on, as a new user on pCloud, you are given an option
to decide where your data will be stored. Of course, different data centers come with
different advantages and disadvantages, so you will need to be really careful here.
For instance, Europe’s Luxembourg center comes with file transfers via TLS/SSL
and SSAE 16 SOC2 Type II certified. Meanwhile, the US center comes with the potential of your
data being read by probably the most intrusive government in the world, the US government.
Sadly, the US is the default data center for existing users as the company is trying its best
to devise a solution that will let current users change their preferred data center.
Before then, we recommend using the Crypto feature as an existing customer so that the company itself
wouldn’t be able to read or access your data. For these reasons, pCloud gets 4 marks out of
5 in the privacy category, slightly missing out on the full marks.
And with that said, we will now move on to the user interface.
To their credit, pCloud has a fairly intuitive user interface,
offering compatible clients for a number of high-profile platforms. While the
service can be accessed online, there are also compatible clients for both Android and iOS.
Users can also download browser extensions for Opera, Firefox,
and Chrome. With these browser extensions, you can also directly download files to your pCloud drive.
Setting up your pCloud account takes only a minute. You can either choose a paid plan or
a free plan, which has 10GB of storage. Once you sign up, you will be impressed
with its quite simple but classy design. There is a menu bar on the left-hand side
of the interface for the desktop client, which has links to significant areas, like folders,
backups, and shared content. On what’s left of the interface, there is a file viewer that
you can set to a grid or list view and organize by file’s name, size, or age.
In a nutshell, file management is seamless on pCloud. You can sync and manage your pCloud files
through the Drive app for macOS and Windows. Across all the service’s clients, pCloud’s
interface is clean, crisp, and straightforward. In fact, when you browse through the photos stored
on pCloud’s drive on mobile, it feels exactly as if you are exploring your phone’s normal gallery.
In this category, it would be unfair to give pCloud anything less than 5 marks.
Next, let’s review pCloud’s performance when it comes to customer support.
pCloud gets our commendation for many things, but not for its quality of support. This company,
though impressive on other fronts, is bang average when it comes to customer support, a claim that is
magnified by its lack of live chat support. If you wish to get in touch directly with
the company, the only option you have is phone support. The catch here, however,
is that they use a Swiss phone number, so they operate on their home country’s business hours.
Obviously, this makes things inconvenient for customers in other parts of the world,
especially the US. For instance, Switzerland is 9 hours ahead of Washington,
so if you reside in the US capital, you must call pCloud before 8 am according to your time.
And, needless to say, this is less than ideal. Normally, this wouldn’t have been a problem if
there was a live chat feature, but this is one area where pCloud heavily disappoints. Since there
is no live chat support and the phone support may be inconvenient, your best bet is email support.
However, response via this channel may take several days or a few hours, depending on your
luck. To their credit, when they do reply, their responses are usually detailed and extensive,
showing comprehensive knowledge of the service. Because of the lack of live chat support,
pCloud scores 3 out of 5 for support. For most people, the pricing structure
is often a huge factor when weighing the option of choosing a product.
How reasonably priced is pCloud? Let’s find out. The company offers a functional free plan that
many people will find really appealing. The free plan comes initially with 4GB, but you can
extend it to up to 10GB by verifying your email address and inviting your friends to the service.
While having to invite friends to earn more storage space may be a little annoying,
it's standard practice nowadays, especially with tech companies. But that's a little price
to pay for enjoying a free plan as most cloud service providers are hardly that generous.
Every cloud service provider often falls into either of two categories – unlimited
supported devices or unlimited storage. For this service, it is the former, allowing you
to use your account across an unlimited number of devices. The company currently offers two
plans – Premium 500GB and Premium Plus 2TB. The plans share a lot of similarities,
with the only difference between them being the storage cap.
While currently discounted, the 500GB plan costs $47.88/year, while the 2TB plan costs $95.88/year.
If you’d prefer a lifetime subscription, they cost $175 and $350, respectively.
For people who are afraid of long-term commitments, there are monthly plans as well.
It should also be noted that there are two special plans – Family Plan
and Business Plan. While the former provides 2TB that is meant to be shared between up to 5 users,
the latter offers many company-oriented benefits, like file access management,
activity monitoring, and team organization. At the moment, the Family plan costs $500,
which is a one-off lifetime payment, while the Business plan doesn’t have a fixed price.
Its price is based on the number of users, but the price range begins at $287.64 per year. However,
keep in mind that the stipulated prices are currently discounted.
When it comes to pricing, pCloud bags all the 5 points.
To sum up, we think that pCloud is an excellent service, especially at a time when the big boys
like Gmail, iDrive, and Dropbox seem almost unparalleled in terms of overall performance.
Despite only breaking onto the scene recently, pCloud has reached incredible heights,
boasting a service that combines functionality, security, and efficiency.
See the official links we have added down below for a special 65 percent discount
on pCloud. This discount won’t be available forever, so hurry up!
So that’s the end of our in-depth review of pCloud. We hope you enjoyed watching this video.
Let us know about your feedback in the comments section down below. And don’t forget to like this
video and subscribe to our channel. The next video is a must-watch. It’s
our rundown of the best cloud storage providers out there, so don’t miss it.