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EU VETTED

File sharing

File sharing and cloud storage services let you store, sync, and share documents across devices and with collaborators. For EU buyers, what to check first is whether files are end-to-end encrypted, where they are stored, and who owns the infrastructure. Leading European options on EU Vetted include Internxt (Spain, EU-owned, EU-hosted, E2EE), Nextcloud (Germany, EU-owned, EU-hosted, open-source), Tresorit (Switzerland, EU-operated, E2EE), and Proton Drive (Switzerland, EU-operated, E2EE).
See file sharing with zero US sub-processors
Guides for this category: German cloud providers· French cloud providers· Encrypted cloud storage

Showing all 20 alternatives in this category

Source: EU Vetted dataset, 20 products, methodology v2026.05, as of Oct 2026.

About File sharing

File sharing and cloud storage covers the services that let you store files off-device, sync them across your computers and phones, and share them with colleagues or external collaborators. The category includes encrypted personal cloud storage (Internxt, Filen, Proton Drive, Tresorit), team-oriented collaboration platforms (Nextcloud, leitzcloud), and lightweight file-transfer tools. It does not cover general-purpose productivity suites: only the storage and sharing layer.

What a cloud storage account holds is the reason CLOUD Act exposure draws sharper scrutiny in this category than in most others: contracts, financial records, personnel files, customer data, and source code can all sit inside the same account. If the operator is a US-incorporated company, CLOUD Act jurisdiction applies to the consolidated group regardless of where files are physically stored. This is the reason EU and privacy-conscious buyers look past the storage location field in a product's marketing and look instead at the operating entity's country of incorporation and ownership structure. Services like Google Drive, OneDrive, and Dropbox are US-owned and US-operated; European alternatives such as Internxt (Spain), Filen (Germany), Nextcloud (Germany), and Tresorit (Switzerland, EU offices) provide a different legal baseline.

The second critical dimension for this category is encryption architecture. A service that encrypts files only in transit (TLS) but stores them in decryptable form on the server means the operator (or any authority that serves the operator with a legal order) can access your file contents. Zero-knowledge end-to-end encryption, where the file is encrypted on your device before upload and decrypted only locally, removes the operator from the trust equation for file confidentiality. Internxt, Filen, Tresorit, and Proton Drive all use E2EE; Nextcloud does not enable E2EE by default but supports it via the End-to-End Encryption app. Whether a service enables E2EE by default is worth checking before ownership signal or compliance status, since it decides whether the operator can technically read file contents at all.

Feature comparison

Beyond compliance: how these alternatives compare on the capabilities you actually use day to day.

Table 2Capabilities by product
Feature Proton Drive Tresorit kDrive (Infomaniak) Internxt pCloud Nextcloud luckycloud Filen Koofr STRATO HiDrive Cryptee leitzcloud Jottacloud Icedrive Orbifs Hetzner Storage Share Doqubox Oodrive Wimi Leviia
Free storage 5 GB Not assessed 35 GB 1 GB 10 GB Not assessed Not assessed 10 GB 10 GB Not assessed 0.1 GB 0 GB 5 GB 10 GB 0 GB 0 GB 0.1 GB Not assessed 10 GB Not assessed
Paid storage (from) 200 GB 50 GB 3 TB 1 TB 500 GB Not assessed 10 GB 200 GB 25 GB 500 GB 10 GB 250 GB Unlimited 150 GB 1 TB 1 TB 0.3 GB Not assessed 25 GB 1 TB
Max file size Unlimited 2 GB Not assessed 1 GB Unlimited Unlimited 8 GB Not assessed Unlimited Unlimited Not assessed Unlimited Not assessed Unlimited Unlimited Not assessed Not assessed Not assessed 2 GB Not assessed
Photo sync Yes No Yes Not assessed Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No No Yes Yes No Yes No No No Yes
File versioning Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Not assessed Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes
Link sharing Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Platforms iOS macOS Windows Android Web iOS macOS Windows Android Linux Web iOS macOS Windows Android Linux Web iOS macOS Windows Android Linux Web iOS macOS Windows Android Linux Web iOS macOS Windows Android Linux Web iOS macOS Windows Android Linux Web iOS macOS Windows Android Linux Web iOS macOS Windows Android Linux Web iOS Android Web iOS Android Web iOS macOS Windows Web iOS macOS Windows Android Linux Web iOS macOS Windows Android Linux Web Windows macOS iOS Android Windows macOS Linux Web Web iOS Android Web Windows macOS iOS Android Web Windows macOS iOS Android Web Windows macOS

Source: vendor documentation, as of Oct 2026.

Switching from US file sharing?

Side-by-side European alternatives (same hosting, ownership and CLOUD Act checks) for the US tools most often replaced in this category.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best EU-hosted file sharing and cloud storage service?
Nextcloud (Germany), luckycloud (Germany), and leitzcloud (Germany) are EU-owned, EU-hosted, and sit outside CLOUD Act jurisdiction; Internxt (Spain) and Filen (Germany) are also EU-owned and EU-hosted, keeping data at rest in the EU but carrying a minor CLOUD Act flag from a transient sub-processor. The best pick depends on your use case: Nextcloud is the most flexible for self-hosted team environments; Internxt and Filen offer zero-knowledge encrypted cloud storage for individuals and teams; luckycloud provides a DSGVO-certified hosted cloud option for German and DACH buyers.
Is there a GDPR-compliant file sharing service?
Yes. Services operated by EU-incorporated companies with EU-only infrastructure and published DPAs are GDPR-compliant in their processing role. Nextcloud (Germany) and luckycloud (Germany) publish detailed DPAs and sub-processor lists; leitzcloud (Germany) issues its AVV (DPA) through the customer portal rather than at a public URL. Here, 'GDPR-compliant' describes documented practice, not a certification stamp; check each vendor's DPA against the specific data categories you plan to store before adopting it.
Does cloud storage data fall under the US CLOUD Act?
If the cloud storage service is operated or ultimately owned by a US-incorporated company, the CLOUD Act can in principle compel it to produce data it controls regardless of where that data is stored. Google Drive, Dropbox, and OneDrive are examples where this applies. EU-owned services such as Internxt (Spain), Filen (Germany), and Nextcloud (Germany) are not subject to that direct exposure, provided they do not use US sub-processors for the primary data path.
What is end-to-end encryption in file storage, and why does it matter?
End-to-end encryption (E2EE) means files are encrypted on your device before they leave it, and decrypted only by you or explicitly chosen recipients. The storage operator cannot read your file contents even if compelled by a legal order. Services with genuine E2EE on all stored files include Internxt, Filen, Tresorit, and Proton Drive. Services without it (including most business-grade hosted Nextcloud instances) can technically access your files if the server is seized or court-ordered.
Can I use a European file sharing service to collaborate with teams?
Yes. Nextcloud is the strongest EU option for team collaboration. It includes document editing, calendar, contacts, video calls, and shared drives in a single self-hosted or managed deployment. leitzcloud and luckycloud offer managed hosted alternatives suited to DACH business teams without self-hosting overhead. Tresorit and Proton Drive support real-time collaboration features alongside E2EE. For most business teams, Nextcloud (self-hosted or via a managed provider) or leitzcloud is the starting point.
What is the difference between self-hosted and managed cloud storage?
Self-hosted storage (Nextcloud, Vaultwarden-style) runs on servers you control, giving you full data sovereignty but requiring IT overhead for updates, backups, and security hardening. Managed cloud storage (Internxt, Filen, Tresorit, luckycloud) runs on the vendor's servers; you trust the vendor but avoid the operational burden. The right choice depends on your organisation's technical capacity and risk tolerance. Nextcloud bridges both: you can self-host or use any of hundreds of managed hosting providers.
How do I migrate from Google Drive or Dropbox to a European alternative?
Most EU cloud storage services accept file import via their desktop sync client or a one-time migration tool. For Nextcloud, the built-in external storage connector or the Nextcloud migration wizard handles Google Drive imports. For Internxt or Proton Drive, download your existing files and re-upload via the desktop client. Shared links and collaborative permissions do not transfer automatically; plan to recreate share settings after migration. Business-critical shared folders should be migrated in a parallel-running period before cutting over.