European alternatives to iCloud
Apple's storage-and-sync layer for photos, files and backups across its devices. Apple encrypts a lot and markets privacy hard, but it's still a US company on US infrastructure, and only Advanced Data Protection makes your files end-to-end encrypted.
Company information about iCloud
- Company
- Apple Inc.
- Headquarters
- Cupertino, United States
- Founded
- 2011
- Data jurisdiction
- United States
- Ownership
- Publicly traded
- GDPR
- No
- Open source
- No
- Infrastructure
- Own infrastructure
Why people switch away from iCloud
UK sought a backdoor to iCloud
The UK issued a secret 2025 order demanding Apple build backdoor access to encrypted iCloud data; Apple pulled Advanced Data Protection from the UK entirely rather than comply.
Answers to US law
Apple is a US company, so standard iCloud data sits under the CLOUD Act – American authorities can compel access wherever it's stored.
Full encryption is opt-in, not default
End-to-end Advanced Data Protection has to be manually switched on; standard iCloud backups remain accessible to Apple and to law-enforcement requests.
Everyday annoyances
- Free storage is stingy. Free accounts get just 5GB, shared across every Apple device signed into the account, filling up almost immediately.
- Family storage gets confusing. Shared plans and per-person quotas can be genuinely hard to track across a family's multiple devices and Apple IDs.
- Everything rides on one Apple ID. Losing access to your Apple ID can mean losing access to photos, backups and purchases all at once.
- Weaker outside Apple's ecosystem. Windows and Android access to iCloud features is noticeably more limited than the experience on Apple's own devices.
European alternatives to iCloud
Spanish zero-knowledge cloud storage founded in Valencia in 2020. Open-source, end-to-end encrypted, ISO 27001:2022 certified. Audited by Securitum in 2025. 1M+ users, EU data centres via OVHcloud, post-quantum encryption. Also offers VPN and antivirus.
French company offering /e/OS, a de-Googled Android operating system, and Murena Cloud, a privacy-respecting alternative to Google Workspace. Founded by Gaël Duval, creator of Mandrake Linux. Phones shipped with zero Google services. EU-hosted cloud.
End-to-end encrypted cloud storage from Proton AG in Geneva. Zero-knowledge architecture means even Proton cannot access your files. Own servers in Switzerland and Germany, ISO 27001 certified. Part of the Proton ecosystem alongside Mail, VPN, and Pass.
Swiss cloud storage with an optional client-side encryption layer. Lifetime plans available, EU data region.
Zero-knowledge encrypted storage for your photos and documents, built in Estonia. The server never sees your files – a private alternative to iCloud Photos.
Want more options? Browse all European Cloud storage alternatives →
People also replace
Box 
Google Drive 
Dropbox 
OneDrive 
Google Workspace 
Google Photos Start somewhere.
Switching everything overnight is not realistic. Start where it matters most: your email, your cloud storage, your business tools. Replace one thing at a time.
The European Alternative already exists.
Pick Europe.
Why avoid United States-owned services?
CLOUD Act
Forces US companies to hand over data stored anywhere in the world upon government request, including data on European servers.
FISA Section 702
Authorises mass surveillance of non-US persons using data held by US tech platforms, without a warrant or notification.
GDPR vs US law conflict
EU courts have repeatedly found that US surveillance law conflicts with European fundamental rights. Schrems I and II both invalidated EU-US data transfer agreements.