Sync.com Alternatives (2026): 9 Private Cloud Storage Tools

If you're leaving Sync.com, decide first what kind of privacy you need: files the provider can't read, files held in a country you choose, or files on servers you control. The nine below cover all three, but their privacy claims sound alike, so the list is kept short and the rest of the page is about telling those claims apart and testing them on a real client folder before you move anything.

Nine private storage services

Every privacy and encryption point below is how the provider describes itself on its own site; the client-folder test further down is how you check it for yourself.

Cryptee

A small encrypted home for photos, videos, documents and notes, with its own writing editor built in.

Cubbit

S3-compatible object storage spread across regions, where you pick the country your data lives in; more a building block for firms than a desktop drive.

Degoo

Photo-first cloud backup with AI photo features, where zero-knowledge encryption is an optional mode rather than the default.

Filen

An end-to-end encrypted cloud drive with open-source apps and a network drive option, pitched at people who want privacy without fuss.

Hetzner Storage Share

A web host's managed Nextcloud service, giving a team shared files, user groups and desktop and phone apps without running a server themselves.

Icedrive

Cloud storage that mounts on your computer like an extra disk, so files open from the cloud without filling your laptop.

Internxt

Encrypted storage for files and photos that sells itself as the European answer to big tech, with open-source code.

MEGA

Encrypted storage wrapped in a wider suite, with sharing, private chat and meetings, a VPN and a password manager under one login.

ownCloud

File sync and share software you run on your own servers, in a data centre you choose, or as a hybrid of both.

Three meanings of private

When a storage company says private, it means one of three things, and they aren't interchangeable.

Start with whether the provider can read your files. With what providers call end-to-end or zero-knowledge encryption, files are scrambled on your device before upload and only you hold the key. That protects you from a breach at the provider and from anyone asking the provider for your data, because there's nothing readable to hand over.

Location is a separate question. Some clients, especially in legal, health and public sector work, ask which country their data is held in, and an encrypted drive in the wrong jurisdiction doesn't answer them. Here you're choosing a provider for its location and its contracts, not only its maths.

Then there's control: you, or a host you pick, run the software, so you decide where it lives, who has admin access and when it's updated. That's the most private of the three in one sense and the most exposed in another, because a server nobody patches isn't private for long.

It's easy to leave Sync.com wanting the first and assume you're getting the second. Work out which one your clients would ask about, and shortlist from there.

The approaches, and what each one costs you in convenience

Encrypted cloud drives are the closest swap for Sync.com: install an app, sign in, your folders sync. The trade is convenience. Because the server can't see inside your files, browser previews, full-text search and real-time co-editing can be limited or missing. That's the point of them, but a team used to editing together in the browser will feel it in the first week.

European and distributed storage answers the where question. Some of it looks like a normal drive; some of it is object storage built for developers and backups, which a non-technical team won't want to use directly. Ask exactly where data sits, including backups and replicas, and get the answer in writing.

Self-hosted or managed open source gives you the most control and the most to look after. Running it yourself means updates, backups and security are yours. A managed host sits in the middle: the open-source software, kept running by someone else, and Hetzner Storage Share is one example of that middle route.

One name you'll still see on older lists of private storage is SpiderOak. Its homepage now pitches zero-trust security for robotics and automation, so it no longer reads as a storage service for a small team, and it isn't included here.

An hour with a real client folder

Feature tables won't tell you whether a service survives contact with your clients. This test will, and it takes about an hour per shortlisted service.

Make a test folder that looks like real work: a large video or design file, a spreadsheet, a PDF contract and a folder of photos. Upload it and time how long it takes to appear on a second device. Then share it with someone who isn't technical, ideally a friendly client, and give them no instructions beyond the link.

Watch three things. Can they open and preview the PDF in a browser without installing anything? Can they upload a file back to you? Do they get stuck on a password, an app download or a warning screen? If they need help, you'll be giving that help every week.

Finish by testing recovery. Delete a file and restore it, then find the provider's instructions for a lost password. On a zero-knowledge service that answer matters more than any feature, because if the provider can't read your files, it may not be able to get them back for you either.

Getting your files out of Sync.com first

Sync.com's own help article on downloading or exporting all your data, which I read on 13 November 2026, splits the job three ways, and the order matters more than the new provider you pick.

For a big archive it points you to the desktop app. The catch is the Vault: files kept there won't come down through the app, so sign in to the web panel, open Vault and move them into the Files tab first. Then open your Sync folder and look for cloud-only files. Right-click the folder and choose Always keep on this device on Windows, or Download now on a Mac, wait until every download has finished, and copy the lot to a folder outside Sync before you upload anything anywhere new.

For a handful of files, the web panel packages your selection as a ZIP, though the same article warns that download size limits depend on your browser. On a team account, start earlier than you think. The help page says admins can't reach other users' private files, so each person either downloads their own or moves what matters into a shared folder the admin owns. Get that done while everyone still has a login, and while you can still open the share links you've sent clients and note which ones need replacing.

What private storage costs

Some of the encrypted drives and photo backup services here offer a free tier, which is enough to run the client-folder test without paying anything. For client files, check what a free plan includes before you rely on it, and don't read a free tier as a preview of what the paid plan does.

Past the free tier, what you pay for depends on the type. On an encrypted drive it's storage space and the number of people who need accounts. On object storage, check whether you're charged for data moved out as well as data stored, because leaving means moving all of it. On the self-hosted route the software is the small part: the server, the backups and the hours someone spends patching it make up the rest, and none of that shows on a price page. I haven't quoted figures because they change, so compare on the vendor's own page on the day you buy and look at the renewal price, not only the first year.

Mistakes people make leaving Sync.com

• Taking the privacy claim on trust. Every vendor makes one; read how keys are handled and what happens when you lose your password.
• Moving the whole archive first. Move one active project, live with it for a fortnight, then move the rest in batches.
• Forgetting shared links. Every link you've sent a client points at the old service, so list the important ones before you close the account.
• Picking self-hosting with nobody named to run it.
• Closing the old account before the new one has passed the client-sharing test and a restore.

Where to start, depending on who you are

If you're a freelancer who mainly wants files encrypted and away from big tech, an encrypted cloud drive is the simplest move, and the one that feels most like what you had. If your clients ask where their data lives, start with European or distributed providers and get the location in writing. If you have someone technical, or you're happy to pay a host, open-source sync and share gives you the most control. And if your team edits documents together all day, test the encrypted options hard before committing, because that's where they ask the most of you.

Whichever you choose, keep your current account running until the client-sharing test has passed, and move one active project before your whole archive. Rules on client data vary by sector and country, so check with your regulator if you hold sensitive records. For more options, see my lists of Nextcloud alternatives and Dropbox alternatives, and my guide to cloud storage for business.

Do you make private cloud storage? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place on this list.

Want your tool on this list? Featured spots and reviews here are paid partnerships. Here's how to partner with me.

Questions people ask

What happens if I forget my password on a zero-knowledge service?

It depends on the service. Because the provider says it doesn't hold your key, it may not be able to reset your password and recover your files for you. Set up whatever recovery key or recovery option the service offers on day one, and store it somewhere safe and offline.

Can I still use desktop apps such as Word or Photoshop with encrypted storage?

Yes, through the synced folder or mounted drive on your computer: files are decrypted on your device, so desktop apps open them normally. What tends to suffer is editing in a web browser and live co-editing with others.

Do my clients need an account to open files I share?

Not necessarily. Some services open a share link straight in the browser, sometimes behind a password; others nudge the person towards an app or a sign-up. Check what the person on the other end sees, which is exactly what the client-folder test above is for.