MEGA and pCloud are some of the best online storage options you can pick now. However, when shopping for one, you don’t want to rush your decision. While they’re safe, reliable, and fast, pCloud and MEGA are also different. Their differences are reflected in encryption, storage options, free plans, interface, and privacy.
Which one is better, though?
Well, after examining them in-depth, we liked pCloud a bit more than MEGA, but this doesn’t mean the latter is unworthy. As the two cloud storage companies offer a bit of everything for everyone, it’s vital to read this MEGA vs pCloud comparison and see which one is right for you.
We’ve assessed pCloud vs MEGA, and our thoughts on both are below — let’s dive right in.
MEGA vs pCloud: A Quick Comparison
| MEGA | pCloud | |
| 💾 Storage Sizes | 2 GB, 8 TB, 16 TB | 500 GB, 2 TB, 10 TB |
| ♾️ Unlimited Storage | No | No |
| 💸 Starting Price | $109.56 annually | $49.99 annually |
| 📁 File Versioning | 100 file versions | 15 to 365 days |
| 🌐 Block-Level Sync | No | Yes |
| 🔐 Zero-Knowledge Encryption | Yes, in all plans | Yes, paid additionally |
| 🆓 Free Plan Storage | 20 GB | 10 GB |
| ✅ Money-Back Guarantee | No | 14 days |
Applications and User Interface
Whichever cloud storage you pick, pCloud or MEGA, you’ll be acquainted with an easy-to-use web-based app. We’re focusing mostly on their web applications because they offer the most convenience, plus, they don’t take up space on your device, so they’re pretty handy.
pCloud houses its shortcuts on the left, while your files are on the right side of the screen. On the left, you’ll be able to access your backups, crypto folder, file requests, bookmarks, etc. To upload files, you can simply drag and drop them, or go for the “Upload” button instead.
To download your files, simply right-click on the ones you want, press “Download”, and you’re all set. In the same fashion, you can share your files, apply password protection, delete them, and so on. MEGA follows in a similar footstep, but its design is more “graphic”.
The default grid view looks stunning, although you can switch to the list view that pCloud uses by default if you deem it easier to use. Like pCloud, MEGA has its settings on the left, and at the top, you’ll find other functions like chat, VPN, contacts, notifications, and so on.
Both cloud storage providers let you download their apps with a click, directly from the web app.
pCloud and MEGA Desktop & Mobile Apps
Speaking of them, MEGA and pCloud support the following platforms:
- Windows
- macOS
- Linux
- Android
- iOS
Their Android and iOS clients are excellent, with neat features, such as automatic camera uploads, syncing, and many others. Their desktop apps, however, are different. We prefer pCloud in this regard, because it provides a few more tools on top — selective sync, for example.
The pCloud Drive, as the app is called, is your virtual drive, which allows you to access your files without downloading them. Simultaneously, it does NOT take up space on your hard drive, so each time you drag and drop the file onto the drive, you’re sending it directly to pCloud — you’re uploading it, essentially.
MEGA’s desktop app isn’t as great. You don’t get any extended functionalities, and worse yet, it’s not a virtual drive. Still, it’s useful for uploading larger files by dragging and dropping them to MEGA’s glued-to-taskbar application. You can also set up syncing and backups of certain files.
One of its better features is to stream select media from your cloud drive, which we used extensively.
So overall, both providers have highly compatible and easy-to-use clients with some unique functionalities. MEGA looks a bit more modern, while pCloud is slightly more intuitive, but as a whole, we think they’re equal in this round.
pCloud vs MEGA Features Comparison
During our MEGA vs pCloud assessment, we took special note of their features, because that’s what most people are looking for when buying cloud storage or even when they choose from one of many free cloud storage services. Luckily, there’s plenty to enjoy here.
File Syncing
Let’s start with syncing. MEGA and pCloud can sync your files across all devices, making sure you can access them at any time. Both applications support selective syncing, and in both options, we found the bandwidth management option, which allowed us to allocate a specific amount of bandwidth to that process.
The rest would be used for other internet activities.
Some of you might not know, but MEGA doesn’t offer block-level syncing. pCloud does! This means whenever the synced file is edited, pCloud will update only the altered part, while MEGA will update the whole file from the beginning, taking more time in the process.
Selective sync is on both sides, and that’s great, but MEGA is at a disadvantage on Windows/macOS/Linux because it doesn’t offer a virtual drive. As a result, files that you sync to your computer will take up space on the hard drive, which isn’t very convenient.
Cloud Backups
Cloud backups are available in both pCloud and MEGA.
While they’re not as feature-rich as IDrive in this aspect, it’s good to know you can back up specific folders and even whole drives. However, pCloud has an edge here because it lets you back up and import your files from other cloud storage services, such as:
- OneDrive
- Dropbox
- Google Drive
On top of that, pCloud supports so-called “ongoing backups” that fetch files from Google Photos and Facebook and bring them over to pCloud. Essentially, each time you upload a photo or a video to Google Photos, it will appear on pCloud. The same goes for Facebook uploads.
File Sharing
On the file-sharing front, both MEGA and pCloud do a tremendous job. You can take advantage of:
- Password-protected links
- Link expiry dates
- Permission management
In pCloud, we loved the option to send direct email invites, although using simple password-protected links works wonderfully, as well. pCloud also comes with the Branding function, which lets you personalize the link with a bespoke message, logo, or cover.
MEGA works similarly and doesn’t take any risks, which is excellent. Like pCloud, it allows you to invite someone to a folder, which that person can access with a MEGA account. Apart from the password, each MEGA link is encrypted, so it comes with a decryption key.
It can be sent along with the file, so that the person who previews it immediately views the decrypted version. For added safety, you can send only the file and then send the decryption key separately, which is convenient.
File Versioning
Compared to Internxt from our recent review, MEGA and pCloud offer file versioning. It’s a nice tool to have because you can save different versions of the same file and revert to one of the previous versions if you see fit.
pCloud’s premium version has a 30-day file versioning, while the free version offers 15 days. If you opt for a Business plan, pCloud will increase it to 180 days, and if you pay even more on top, you get a 12-month file versioning.
MEGA handles file versioning differently. There’s no definitive time frame, instead, it keeps up to 100 versions of the file. For example, if you make 110 edits to the file, let’s say a document, the first 10 versions will be deleted to make space for the latter 100.
To be honest, we’re not sure which one we love more. 100 file versions are more than enough, but then, pCloud’s time limit allows you to alter the file even 1,000+ times during 15, 30, 180, or 365 days.
Quality-of-Life Features
In the Dropbox vs pCloud comparison we recently completed, we criticized the latter for not including extensive file-editing tools. Both MEGA and pCloud allow you to preview documents, but not edit them. Dropbox, for example, even includes a photo/video editor and a file converter.
On the brighter side, MEGA and pCloud have a few extras that we love to call quality-of-life features.
Whenever we use pCloud, we enjoy its built-in media player. It allows us to create playlists and listen to some kick-ass music that doesn’t take up space on your laptop or computer. MEGA, however, allows for extensive collaboration with built-in chat and meeting functionalities in the web application.
It functions similarly to Facebook Messenger in a way that you can send GIFs and emojis, as well as share files. Furthermore, you can organize group chats and enjoy both audio and video calls.
While both cloud storage companies offer a myriad of features, pCloud has an advantage over MEGA. We gave it a point because of comprehensive cloud backups, block-level syncing, and its excellent virtual drive on desktop platforms, which MEGA doesn’t offer.
How Fast Are pCloud and MEGA?
Our pCloud vs MEGA cloud storage speed comparison is on the way.
We tested both side-by-side by measuring their upload and download times using their web application on our Windows 11 computer. We did this by using the 1 GB RAR file packed full of mundane stuff like photos, videos, documents, and some random applications.
Once the file was made, we uploaded it to MEGA and pCloud and measured the time it took. We then downloaded the file from both services (one by one, not simultaneously) using our Brave browser. To give the results some context, here’s our internet connection speed:
Now, here’s a MEGA vs pCloud transfer speed comparison that we’ll examine together:
| MEGA | pCloud | |
| 🔼 Upload Time | 15.6 minutes | 14 minutes |
| 🔽 Download Time | 3.3 minutes | 3.1 minutes |
Both providers perform well, but MEGA was a smidge slower than pCloud. The difference isn’t night and day, and on average, we can say MEGA’s transfer speeds are ~10-15% slower. pCloud uploaded our file in about 14 minutes, while MEGA took 15.6 minutes for a 1 GB file.
The difference of about 100 seconds isn’t that big of a deal. However, when we move from 1 GB to 100 GB or more, those seconds can accumulate and drastically alter your experience. In this scenario, pCloud would be way faster, and instead of seconds, we would have to work with minutes, potentially hours.
Once again, pCloud asserted dominance over MEGA by offering superior transfer speeds, both upload and download. It’s no surprise, given that pCloud also topped our list of the fastest cloud storage providers based on our up-to-date real-world tests.
pCloud vs MEGA: Security, Encryption, and Privacy
Which cloud storage is safer, MEGA or pCloud? It’s hard to tell, because both display a high level of security in both free and paid versions.
Let’s start with their basic encryption protocols. Files on the cloud are encrypted with 256-bit AES encryption, while TLS/SSL encryption is applied to files in transit.
The former prevents brute force attacks, while the latter ensures no one can “snatch” the files in transit in a MitM attack. Additionally, MEGA and pCloud offer 2FA, which prevents unauthorized access, and again, protect your files from being stolen and manipulated.
Zero-Knowledge Encryption
One thing we haven’t addressed in this pCloud vs MEGA test is zero-knowledge encryption.
Yes, both are encrypted cloud storage services, but they have different approaches. pCloud charges you for its zero-knowledge encryption additionally. It then includes a Crypto Folder, where you can drop your files and have them encrypted.
Zero-knowledge encryption allows only you to access the file. Not even the cloud storage provider can access and/or modify it. MEGA’s approach is a bit better in our book, as zero-knowledge encryption works out of the box and is applied to all files, whether it’s a free or a paid version.
It also hands you the encryption keys to your account, giving you full control over your files. This is a double-edged sword because if you lose your encryption keys and login details, you’re losing your files permanently.
That said, it’s good to be cautious around MEGA, but in a good way. This is NOT a criticism.
Privacy Remarks
Privacy-wise, pCloud is easily one of the best options. It has a no-logging policy and is based in Switzerland, with extremely favorable privacy laws. Not to mention, it also uses multiple data centers in the US and Luxembourg for file redundancy, to prevent potential losses if one server accidentally malfunctions.
There’s no way of losing a single bit with pCloud.
MEGA has multiple data centers as well. More so than pCloud. However, while the provider uses client-side zero-knowledge encryption, its privacy policy implies there’s some logging going on — your IP address, OS, file sizes, some timestamps, and a few more bits of data.
On the other hand, MEGA also publishes transparency reports that outline government requests for various bits of user data. Since MEGA uses said encryption, it can’t access users’ sensitive data, and thus, isn’t able to provide much to the authorities.
Make no mistake — these are safe and secure cloud storage providers from top to bottom. Still, we’d give pCloud a point here because it’s more privacy-friendly and its reputation is untarnished by privacy concerns, as is the case with MEGA. We, however, still prefer MEGA’s free end-to-end encryption.
MEGA vs pCloud Price Comparison
MEGA and pCloud offer a variety of subscription plans and storage sizes. While MEGA offers just four Pro plans and one customizable Business plan, pCloud comes with a total of nine Individual, two Family, and two Business plans. For full information about its pricing, refer to our pCloud analysis for 2026.
This time, we’ll focus on MEGA’s Pro and pCloud’s Individual plans for the sake of simplicity.
The provider offers 2 TB, 8 TB, and 16 TB plans at $109.56/year, $219.24/year, and $328.8/year, respectively. These are MEGA’s annual plans that are 16% cheaper than monthly plans, so you can calculate the price in that case on your own. Each plan has some bonus features.
There’s MEGA VPN, plus Mega Pass, a password manager for added convenience.
Unlike pCloud, MEGA doesn’t offer Lifetime plans, but in pCloud, you can get 10 TB of Lifetime storage at only $1,190, 2 TB for $399, and 500 GB for $199. If that’s an overstretch, the provider offers the same plans paid annually at $199.99 (10 TB), $99.99 (2 TB), and $49.99 (500 GB), respectively.
If even THAT is an overstretch and you’re a masochist who loves spending more without reason, you can pay monthly. In that case, 10 TB of storage will be $19.99/mo, with the other two costing $9.99/mo for 2 TB and $4.99/mo for 500 GB.
For those interested, pCloud Encryption costs $150 for a lifetime or $49.99 annually.
If we exclude pCloud encryption, pCloud is a cheaper option in the long run, with MEGA offering more storage (up to 16 TB). It also comes with a VPN plus password manager, neither of which impressed us in practice.
Their paid plans are very discint price-wise, and while MEGA boasts larger storage options, pCloud is incredibly affordable while not lacking storage in any way. That said, pCloud is way less expensive and will be a superior option for making extra savings.
Are Their Free Plans Any Good?
If you need cloud storage for videos or other typically large files, and don’t have money to spend, MEGA will be far better. It offers 20 GB of free space, where you can upload whatever you want.
Restrictions apply in:
- Transfers
- File sharing methods (no password protection, expiry dates, etc.)
- File versioning
- Call duration (1 hour)
- Call participants (up to 100)
- Support (basic, instead of priority)
Overall, the experience is phenomenal, except for file sharing, which is painfully limited and devoid of password-protected links, which sort of makes it less secure.
pCloud gives you up to 10 GB of free storage and 15 days of file versioning, which is “okay” at best, but obviously not better than MEGA. It has similar restrictions. For some reason, the branding functions work. But then, password protection and expiry dates for links are locked.
The good thing is that pCloud doesn’t limit transfer speed. Thus, you can enjoy a snappy experience with lightning-fast transfers without spending a cent.
In general, MEGA is a bit better option than pCloud as free cloud storage. Since most users look to maximize their free cloud storage, MEGA’s 20 GB will be more satisfying than pCloud’s 10 GB.
The Bottom Line: Choose pCloud Over MEGA
After the full assessment, we can confidently say that we prefer pCloud over MEGA. Some things are better realized on MEGA, such as its end-to-end encryption, larger cloud storage, and a handy chat function, which enhances its collaborative capabilities.
However, pCloud wins in all the crucial rounds. These rounds include security/privacy, speed, affordability, and features. With its flexible business and family plans, pCloud seems to be more “approachable” than MEGA, whose expensive prices across the board aren’t for everyone.
Now that you have our final verdict, feel free to choose your side. This is all you should know about both.