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.
- A history of major breaches. A 2012 breach exposed roughly 68 million account credentials, and stolen employee sign-in details led to a further breach in 2022 – a track record worth weighing before trusting it with sensitive files.
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 is PickEurope's scoring system. It rates each service out of 100, across legal jurisdiction, ownership, data sovereignty, and accountability. Learn more → 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 software has publicly available code, which anyone can inspect, so claims about privacy and security can be independently checked. Learn more → , Zero-knowledge encryption means the service provider never holds the key to your data. They store it, but they cannot read it, even if compelled to. Learn more → , 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.
Client-side encryption is post-quantum ready, which is unusually forward-looking for a consumer storage app, and the open-source clients mean the encryption claims can actually be verified rather than just trusted.
The ecosystem of apps beyond core storage – VPN, antivirus – is newer and less battle-tested than storage-only specialists, and the total user base is still small next to Dropbox or Google Drive.
| 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.
The free tier is more generous than most cloud storage rivals, and syncing across desktop, mobile and web feels every bit as polished as Dropbox.
Third-party app integrations are much thinner than Dropbox or Google Drive, and support documentation outside French and German can feel a step behind.
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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 encryption means only the sender and receiver can read a message. Not even the company running the service can access it. Learn more → , 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.
Zero-knowledge encryption means even Proton itself can't read your files, and it slots straight into the same login as Proton Mail, VPN and Pass if you're already in that ecosystem.
It's a newer product than Proton Mail, so features like advanced sharing controls and desktop sync are still catching up to more established competitors.
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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.
A one-time lifetime payment instead of a subscription is a rare option in cloud storage, and the built-in media player streams video and audio straight from your account without downloading first.
Files aren't encrypted by default – the zero-knowledge layer is a separate paid add-on – so out of the box this is convenient storage rather than a privacy tool.
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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.
Zero-knowledge encryption is on by default for every file, not a paid add-on, and folder-level sharing controls are more granular than most encrypted storage competitors.
Pricing runs noticeably higher than mainstream cloud storage for comparable space, and the free tier is quite limited before you have to upgrade.
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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