Best Cloud Storage for Linux 2020: Pleasing the Penguin

Linux might only be on 2.6 percent of computers worldwide, but the penguin is popular with power users. Those users have it tough when deciding on a cloud storage service, though. Not because there are too many to choose from, but because a lot of services don’t support Linux. That’s why we decided to select the best cloud storage for Linux from among those that do.

While Linux might crash less often than some operating systems, your hard drive might still malfunction and cause you to lose your files. Floods, fires and other acts of nature might damage your hardware, too. Solid-state drives aren’t completely reliable, either, because they experience more data errors, even if they have a failure rate of less than 1 percent.

Moving your files to the cloud won’t make them immune to mishaps, but cloud storage services build their data centers to protect against them. They use multiple servers in separate locations to keep your files which makes your data redundant. That’s similar to how RAID works. Data centers also protect against intruders, natural disasters and rogue employees.

If you’re sold on the value of cloud storage we can move on to the list, but before we do, let’s talk about the criteria we used to make it.

Best Cloud Storage for Linux 2020

What Makes Cloud Storage the Best for Linux

Linux support is our main criterion. All services on this list support Linux, but we’re also going to see how good their user experience is. Though most Linux users are fond of working with the command line interface, having an easy-to-use graphical client won’t hurt. Plus, clients should work on web and mobile.

Then, we’ll look at the subscription plans. It’s best if they give a lot of storage for cheap. The more plans a service has the better because that makes it easier to find a suitable match for your setup. If your needs run high, though, read our unlimited cloud storage guide.

Your files should benefit from strong security while they’re in the cloud. How strong it is will depend on the level of file encryption, which protocols protect your files in transit, how secure the data centers are and more. It’s best to have zero-knowledge encryption because it ensures the privacy of your files. Two-factor authentication will help if someone steals your password.

Finally, the transfer speeds, which determines how fast you can move your files to the cloud, is important, too. The faster it is the better because nobody likes waiting for their upload to finish. Your transfer speeds will depend on how close you are to a server and your internet service provider.

Now that we have defined our criteria, let’s start with our top pick pCloud, which is a long-time favorite in our best cloud storage picks.

1. Best Cloud Storage for Linux: pCloud

Switzerland-based pCloud was launched in 2013. Besides being the top pick on this list it ranks near the top of our online storage price comparison. Plus, its desktop client works on Linux.

It’s enjoyable and easy to use. You can access it via the system tray icon. The interface is dull but clear and intuitive. You can also use the pCloud drive in your system files manager to access your files. 

Unlike the sync folder route, a network drive lets you access your files without downloading them first, which saves space on your hard drive. The downside is that your files aren’t available when you’re offline.

If you’re on a different computer and you want to access your files you can use the web client. It doesn’t have an attractive or modern look, but it won’t disappoint because it’s clear, easy to use, fast and offers a fluid experience. Keep in mind that it’s not good for transferring large files, though. You should use the desktop client for that.

The mobile app is simple and straightforward to use, too. The icons in the burger menu let you filter your files for photos, videos, documents and music. You can also use it to automatically upload photos and videos and to play audio and video files. It’s available for Android and iOS.

pCloud only has two personal plans: Premium 500GB and Premium Plus 2TB. The former is $4.99 per month and the latter is $9.99 per month. If you subscribe for a year in advance, the prices come down to $47.88 and $95.88 per year, respectively.

If you’re thinking about using pCloud for the long-term, you should consider a lifetime license because it’ll save you a lot of money in the long run. Currently, the prices are discounted, so the Premium 500GB license is $175 and the Premium Plus 2TB license is $375.

Before deciding to pay, though, you can use the free plan, which gives you 2GB after you register an account and up to 10GB of free storage if you complete a several-step process. Plus, every friend you refer gets you 1GB of additional space up to 20GB.

Other Reasons We Like pCloud

pCloud uses AES 256-bit encryption to protect files at rest and the TLS/SSL protocol to protect them during transfer against threats such as man-in-the-middle attacks. 

The service provides zero-knowledge encryption in the form of pCloud Crypto, which is a paid add-on that costs $3.99 per month. We suggest getting it because pCloud keeps your files in the U.S., which makes them subject to U.S. laws and regulations. Plus, readers tell us that pCloud will remove files that violate its terms if you don’t use Crypto.

Note that pCloud won’t be able to reset your Crypto folder password if you forget it. You can use some of the best password managers to keep from doing so.

pCloud uses two-factor authentication to protect your account if someone steals your password. That doesn’t mean you should be lazy and create a weak password, though. You should still make a strong one (read our guide on how to set up a strong password).

pCloud doesn’t have a global network of servers. It keeps them in the U.S.. That didn’t impact our transfer speeds, though, as our tests showed speeds comparable to other services. Plus, block-level transfer will help with subsequent uploads. If transfers take too much of your bandwidth you can limit them in the desktop settings.

We’ve placed pCloud at the top of this list because it has competitive prices, strong security, enjoyable and easy-to-use clients and fast speeds. If you want to learn the details about the service, read our pCloud review.

pCloud Review

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2. Tresorit

Tresorit is among the most secure cloud storage services thanks to its zero-knowledge encryption and other security features. It’s more expensive because of that, though.

Its desktop client works on Linux, and it’s clear and easy to use. It’s also one of the most enticing on the market. That said, the user experience is more complex because you need to create individual sync folders called “tresors” to sync files. 

You can also use the Tresorit web app to access your cloud storage. It has an attractive and minimal design that’s easy to navigate.

Tresorit’s smartphone app works on Android and iOS. You can use it to access your cloud storage, make files available for offline use and upload photos and videos from your phone. Plus, you can add a passcode lock to make it more secure.

The cheapest plan from Tresorit is Premium, which will set you back $10.42 per month and only gives you 200GB of storage space. The other personal plan, Solo, provides 2TB of space for $24 per month.

If you need storage for your business, you can use one of Tresorit’s business plans. Small Business is $20 per user per month for 1TB of storage for each user. Business is currently discounted 50 percent, which makes it $12 per user per month. If you need to accommodate 100 or more users, you need the Enterprise plan, which is $24 per user per month. 

There’s no free plan, but you can use a free trial to test the service.

Other Reasons We Like Tresorit

Tresorit uses AES 256-bit encryption to protect files at rest, zero-knowledge encryption to ensure your privacy and the TLS protocol to prevent attacks that target files during transfer. Plus, two-factor authentication is available to protect your account in case someone steals your credentials.

Tresorit has servers in Microsoft Azure data centers in Ireland and the Netherlands. Those data centers have 24/7 security, biometric scanning and surveillance. They also comply with the latest ISO standards. If you want to learn more about Azure, read our Microsoft Azure review.

We tested Tresorit’s transfer speeds during our Tresorit review. The upload speeds were average, but the download speeds were slower than we expected. If you find that Tresorit prevents you from doing your work or you’re on a limited data plan, you can limit the network bandwidth.

We’ve placed it second because of its high prices, but it’s a great service thanks to its strong security features and enjoyable user experience.

Tresorit Review

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3. MEGA

MEGA launched in 2013, and we often feature it in our security roundups thanks to its zero-knowledge encryption, which extends to sharing links. It’s also one of the rare services that offer Linux support. MEGA’s desktop client plays nice with the penguin and its clear and easy to use. 

The web client is straightforward and user-friendly. It’s also fast, lets you drag and drop your files anywhere to upload them and gives you quick access to the most useful features via the right-click menu.

The mobile apps work like a charm, and they’re available for Android and iOS. The main view of the screen lets you browse your files and the menu at the bottom lets you access chat, offline files, camera and upload and view shared folders. You can also enable automatic uploads of your photos and videos.

MEGA has four plans: PRO LITE, PRO I, PRO II and PRO III. You have to pay $5.69 per month for the PRO LITE plan, which gets you just 200GB of storage space and 1TB of transfer. PRO I is $11.20 per month and gives you 1TB of storage and 2TB of transfer. That’s more expensive than pCloud’s 2TB plan.

MEGA has no equivalent plan to that, but the PRO II plan gets you 4TB of storage and 8TB of transfer for $22.41 per month. PRO III offers 8TB of storage space and 16TB of transfer for $33.62 per month. If you pay for a year in advance for any plan, you get two months for free.

To sweeten the deal, MEGA offers a free plan which initially offers 50GB of free space, but that goes down to 15GB after a while.

Other Reasons We Like MEGA

MEGA advertises itself as the privacy company, so it’s no surprise that it offers private, end-to-end encryption to its users. It uses AES 128-bit which isn’t as strong as AES 256-bit, but nobody has been able to crack it as far as anyone knows. MEGA also uses the TLS protocol to protect data during transfer and offers two-factor authentication.

Plus, its source code is public, so anyone who wants to get an inside look at MEGA’s security can do so.

MEGA has servers in Europe, Canada and New Zealand, but that didn’t help us reach the speeds we expected. MEGA was slower than average, and it doesn’t help that it doesn’t use block-level file copying. On top of that, many users complain about its slow speeds in our MEGA review.

MEGA Review

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4. Dropbox

Dropbox has been a household name for a long time. It’s popular due to its great user experience, which includes Linux support.

To use it on Linux, you have to install its desktop client, which consists of a system tray icon and a sync folder. That’s the common model of sync, which Dropbox invented in 2007. The client is thin, so you’ll find what you need without hassle.

The web client has the same features. It’s clear, easy to use and fast. You can just drag and drop files to start uploading them.

The mobile app, which is for Android and iOS, is a breeze to use, as well. It lets you automatically backup your photos and videos, scan documents, make files available offline and access Dropbox Paper. If Dropbox Paper is new to you, you can learn more about it in our Dropbox Paper review.

Dropbox keeps its pricing scheme simple, as it only has two plans for personal users. The first  one, Plus, is $11.99 per month or $119.88 per year. It provides 2TB of storage. If that’s not enough space for you the next plan, Professional, gives you 3TB for $19.99 per month or $199.00 per year.

Before deciding to subscribe, you can test Dropbox by using its free plan. It offers a meager 2GB of storage.

Other Reasons We Like Dropbox

Dropbox uses the TLS protocol with AES 128-bit to protect your files during transfer and AES 256-bit to scramble your files at rest. That’s a good level of security, but Dropbox decrypts your files to extract metadata for indexing when they reach its servers and re-encrypt them afterward. 

Plus, your metadata remains in plaintext on a separate server. That means private encryption isn’t available. To get around that, you can use Boxcryptor, a private encryption add-on, to make sure nobody at Dropbox can read your files. You can learn more about it in our Boxcryptor review.

Though it lacks private encryption, Dropbox doesn’t lack two-factor authentication. Plus, you can monitor linked devices, active web sessions and third-party apps with access to your account from the security page of your account. If you think something is suspicious, you can disable access to your account.

Dropbox keeps its servers in the U.S. so your transfer speeds will depend on how close you are to them. That said, Dropbox was fast in our transfer tests, and it performs even better when transferring already-uploaded files thanks to block-level sync. Dropbox invented it so it’s no wonder it works so well. You can see the speed test results in our Dropbox review. 

Dropbox Review

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5. Koofr

Koofr is a Slovenia-based cloud storage service that strengthens the ranks of services that support Linux. The desktop client follows the common sync model, and you won’t have any issues using it because it’s clear and intuitive. 

If you’re on the move you can rely on the web client. It’s also user-friendly. It has a lot of negative space, which makes it clear and lets you quickly find what you’re looking for. It works fast enough that you feel like you’re working with a desktop app.

The smartphone app is available for iOS and Android. It’s simple to use and the interface is clear and attractive. It has the same features as the web app but it also lets you use files offline. You can upload existing media files, as well as photos and videos as soon as you take them.

Koofr has good plan flexibility thanks to its five paid plans, but their value isn’t something to brag about. 

The first plan, S, is only 57 cents per month and it gets you 10GB of storage space. M costs $1.14 per month for 25GB. L will get you 100GB for $2.28 per month. XL is $4.55 per month for 250GB and, finally, XXL is $11.38 per month for 1TB of space.

The free plan, Starter, offers you 2GB of storage space which is a tiny amount but enough to test the service.

Other Reasons We Like Koofr

Koofr uses AES 256-bit to scramble your files at rest and the TLS/SSL protocol to protect them on their way to its servers. Unfortunately, there’s no private encryption to ensure your privacy.

How close you are to Koofr’s servers will play a big part in how fast your transfer speeds will be. We were relatively close when we performed our speed tests, so our speeds were fast. That said, Koofr doesn’t use block-level sync to speed up subsequent uploads. You can learn more about Koofr’s speeds and its other features in our Koofr review.

Koofr Review

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Final Thoughts

Though there aren’t many services that support Linux, there are great services among those that do. From them we’ve picked pCloud to be the top service thanks to its strong security, competitive prices, good user experience and fast speeds.

pCloud is our top pick, but that doesn’t mean the others on this list aren’t viable options, at least in specific use cases. If you value your security you might be willing to pony up more cash and subscribe to the more expensive Tresorit. Alternatively, you can subscribe to MEGA which is cheaper and has a 15GB free plan but doesn’t have fast and stable transfer speeds.

Dropbox has fast speeds and uses a block-level sync algorithm, along with a user experience that’s at the forefront of cloud storage services, but it doesn’t pack as many security features as our top two picks and it’s not cheap. Lastly, you could go with Koofr if you don’t need a lot of storage space and you don’t mind the lack of private encryption.

What do you think about our picks? Do you have a favorite? Is there a service that we’ve missed? Let us know in the comments below. Thank you for reading.