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We built FormatFusion on one idea: your files are yours, and they shouldn't have to visit a stranger's server just to change shape. The natural follow-up question, and one we get asked, is where those files should live. Most mainstream cloud storage can read everything you put in it. These four services can't, and that's the bar for this list.
What "privacy-first" actually means here
The phrase gets thrown around, so here's the concrete test we applied:
- End-to-end or zero-knowledge encryption. Files are encrypted on your device before upload, and the provider does not hold the keys. If they get subpoenaed or breached, your data is ciphertext.
- Jurisdiction that helps you. Where the company answers to courts matters. Switzerland and the EU generally beat the US for consumer data protection.
- A business model that isn't you. You pay them; they don't sell ads against your data.
Price comparisons below are for roughly 1 to 2 TB of personal storage, the size most people actually need.
The comparison
| Service | Encryption | Jurisdiction | ~Price for 2 TB | Standout |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Proton Drive | End-to-end, always on | Switzerland | ~$10/mo (bundle) | Best ecosystem |
| pCloud | Zero-knowledge (Crypto folder) | Switzerland | ~$399 once | Lifetime pricing |
| Internxt | Zero-knowledge, open source | Spain (EU) | ~$300 once (varies) | Open source |
| Backblaze | Encrypted, provider-held keys* | US | $9/mo unlimited | Backup, not sync |
*Backblaze offers a private-key option for backups, with recovery tradeoffs.
Proton Drive: the default answer
Proton is the company that made encrypted email normal, and Drive inherits that pedigree: every file end-to-end encrypted with no off switch, Swiss jurisdiction, open-source clients, and a real track record of fighting data requests. The reason it tops this list is the bundle: one subscription covers Drive, Mail, VPN, Calendar, and a password manager. If you're assembling a privacy stack anyway, this is the shortest path to a complete one.
The tradeoff is speed and polish relative to the giants: sync is solid but not Dropbox-instant, and there's no way around paying monthly.
Best for: anyone who wants the whole privacy stack from one accountable company.
pCloud: buy it once, like software used to work
pCloud does something almost extinct in cloud storage: a lifetime plan. Pay once, roughly $399 for 2 TB at list price (it's discounted often), and the storage is yours for the life of the company, which is Swiss, profitable, and fifteen-plus years old. Over a decade, that's a fraction of any subscription.
One honest caveat: zero-knowledge encryption lives in a "Crypto" folder that costs extra (or comes with some lifetime tiers). Files outside it are encrypted in transit and at rest, but pCloud holds those keys. Put the sensitive stuff in Crypto and the media library outside, and the model works well. If you liked that our Pro license is pay-once, this is the same philosophy applied to storage.
Best for: people who hate subscriptions and can front the one-time cost.
Internxt: the open-source pick
Internxt is the smallest company on this list and the most transparent: zero-knowledge encryption on everything by default, fully open-source clients you can audit, EU jurisdiction, and frequent deep discounts on lifetime plans. It's the choice for people who want to verify rather than trust.
The tradeoffs are the ones young companies carry: fewer platform integrations, occasional rough edges, and the long-term-viability question every lifetime purchase involves. Encouragingly, they've been shipping steadily for years.
Best for: open-source diehards and lifetime-deal hunters.
Backblaze: the honest outlier
Backblaze is here for a different job. It's not sync storage; it's backup: $9 a month, genuinely unlimited, backing up an entire computer continuously. The encryption model is weaker by default (they can hold keys unless you set a private key, which changes recovery), and it's US-based. But no service on this list answers "my laptop died and I need everything back" better or cheaper.
Best for: the disaster-recovery layer under whichever service above you pick.
The short version
Want one company for your whole privacy stack? Proton. Hate subscriptions? pCloud lifetime, with sensitive files in the Crypto folder. Want to audit the code yourself? Internxt. And whichever you choose, Backblaze underneath is the cheapest insurance policy in computing.
Your files deserve better than being somebody's training data. That's true when you store them, and it's true when you convert them.