Why people leave Dropbox
Dropbox is the service that made 'drop a file in a folder and watch it appear on all your devices' feel normal. It launched back in 2007, it's polished, and for the most part it just works. The catch: it's a US company that keeps your files on US servers — and over the years the experience has quietly grown more bloated and more expensive than the tidy little sync folder people fell for.
The everyday gripes
- The free plan is barely a plan. 2 GB free and a three-device limit. One phone's camera roll fills that, and then you're staring at an upgrade screen.
- Prices that quietly climb. Plans have crept up over the years, and the cheapest paid tier hands you a mountain of storage you may never touch — there's not much in between.
- The app got heavy. What started as a lightweight sync folder now ships with background processes, pop-ups, and updates that get your laptop fan going.
- Feature creep. Passwords, Backup, Transfer, document signing — Dropbox keeps bolting on extras and nudging you to try them, when all you wanted was a folder that syncs.
- Endless upsell nudges. Banners, notifications, and 'you're running low on space' reminders are just part of daily life in the app.
And the bigger one — where your data actually lives
- It answers to US law. Dropbox is headquartered in California, which puts it squarely under the US CLOUD Act — American authorities can compel access to your data wherever in the world it happens to sit.
- It can read your files. Dropbox isn't zero-knowledge. Files aren't end-to-end encrypted by default, so the company — and anyone who can legally lean on it — is technically able to see what you upload.
- Your data lives on US infrastructure. Most Dropbox storage runs on its own American servers, well outside the reach of GDPR and the data-protection rules Europeans are used to having on their side.
The good news: Europe has built genuinely excellent alternatives – encrypted, independent, and hosted on this side of the Atlantic. Here are the five we rate highest, scored on our EuroPoints system and ranked honestly, weaknesses and all.
1. Internxt
Internxt is our top pick, and it isn’t close on the numbers. Built in Valencia, it’s fully open-source, zero-knowledge encrypted, and ISO 27001 certified – the rare service that scores top marks on every pillar we measure. Your files are encrypted before they ever leave your device, so even Internxt can’t read them.
It’s the youngest name here, which means a smaller ecosystem than the giants, but for privacy-first storage that’s genuinely European top to bottom, nothing else matches it.
| Service | EuroPoints | Tier | Country | From | Open source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Internxt | 100 | Certified European | Spain | Free | Yes |
 Infomaniak kDrive | 95 | Certified European | Switzerland | Free | Partial |
 Proton Drive | 95 | Certified European | Switzerland | Free | Yes |
 pCloud | 93 | Certified European | Switzerland | €4.99/mo | No |
 Tresorit | 61 | Mostly European | Switzerland | €10/mo | No |
2. Infomaniak kDrive
If you’d rather your storage came with a full office suite attached, kDrive from Swiss host Infomaniak is the one to beat. Infomaniak has been employee-owned and running on 100% renewable energy since 1994, with no investors to answer to – and it shows in how steady the product feels.
It isn’t zero-knowledge by default, which is the main thing keeping it a hair behind Internxt, but for an everyday Drive replacement with collaboration baked in, it’s superb.
3. Proton Drive
Proton Drive is the storage arm of the Proton ecosystem – the same Geneva team behind Proton Mail and VPN. End-to-end encrypted, open-source, and ISO 27001 certified, with its own servers in Switzerland and Germany. If you already live in Proton’s world, the integration is hard to argue with.
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4. pCloud
pCloud’s party trick is the lifetime plan: pay once, keep the storage for good – a refreshing antidote to subscription fatigue. It’s Swiss, with an EU data region and a strong free tier. Encryption is an optional paid add-on rather than the default, which is the trade-off to weigh.
5. Tresorit
Tresorit is the enterprise-grade option, with serious zero-knowledge encryption and the backing of Swiss Post. It scores lower here mainly because it was acquired rather than independent, and it’s the priciest on the list with no standout free tier. But for businesses that want airtight security with a name behind it, it earns its place.
The verdict
If you want the most thoroughly European, most private option, Internxt is the clear winner. Prefer an all-in-one suite from a rock-solid Swiss host? Go for kDrive. Already a Proton user? Proton Drive is a no-brainer. Whichever you pick, you’ll be keeping your files in European hands – and that’s the whole point.
Frequently asked questions
What's the best European alternative to Dropbox?
By our EuroPoints score, Internxt comes out on top with a perfect 100 – it's Spanish, fully open-source and zero-knowledge encrypted. Infomaniak's kDrive and Proton Drive aren't far behind at 95, so the right pick really depends on whether you want raw privacy, a full office suite, or to stay inside the Proton ecosystem.
Are these alternatives more private than Dropbox?
Generally, yes. Several of them – Internxt, Proton Drive and Tresorit – are zero-knowledge encrypted, which means the provider itself can't read your files. Dropbox can't say the same, and all five are covered by European data law rather than the US CLOUD Act.
Can I get cloud storage from these for free?
Most offer a free tier to get you started – kDrive gives you 15 GB, pCloud 10 GB, and both Internxt and Proton Drive have free plans too. It's an easy way to test the sync and the apps before paying for anything.
Does anyone offer a lifetime plan instead of a subscription?
pCloud does – you pay once and keep the storage for good. It's rare in this space and a welcome break from yet another monthly subscription.
How hard is it to move my files off Dropbox?
Not very. Each of these has desktop and mobile apps that sync a folder just like Dropbox does, so in most cases it's a matter of installing the app, dragging your files in, and letting them upload.
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