Data encryption turns plain text (readable data, like what you’re reading now) into ciphertext (unreadable data that looks like this:

8f3c9a72e1b4d6f08a5c21d9e7b3f6421cd48f39fj0ac2x

Data encryption protects our emails, shared files, cloud storage, and pretty much all the activities we do online from hackers, data breaches, and ransomware.

Companies use many types of encryption to protect data; while all offer the same levels of security, there are differences when it comes to the privacy of your data.

As a result, it’s important to choose the right encryption for your business and personal needs, which we’ll cover in detail throughout this article.

Table of contents

• What are the different types of encryption?
• The most common encryption methods
• Future types of encryption: post-quantum cryptography
• Types of encryption for privacy
• What types of encryption do cloud storage providers use?
• What are the best types of encryption?
• Related products
• Frequently asked questions

What are the different types of encryption?

There are two main types of data encryption: symmetric encryption and asymmetric encryption. Hashing often falls into this category as it is a cryptographic technique used to protect and verify files and store or share passwords securely.

Symmetric encryption

Symmetric encryption secures data using the same secret key to both encrypt and decrypt it.

You use this secret key to encrypt the file, and the same secret key is needed to decrypt it and view its contents. Without the secret key, you would only see the encrypted data.

Symmetric encryption techniques and algorithms include

• AES (Advanced Encryption Standard)
• ChaCha20
• Twofish

Symmetric encryption is used to encrypt files, databases, messages, and large amounts of data.

Asymmetric encryption

Asymmetric encryption is a type of public key cryptography and protects data using two keys: a

1. Public key: Used to encrypt the message
2. Private key: needed to access data encrypted by the public key

Asymmetric encryption algorithms include:

• RSA
• ECC (Elliptic Curve Cryptography)

Asymmetric encryption is commonly used for secure communication, authentication, digital signatures, and securely exchanging encryption keys.

How hashing works with encryption techniques

Hashing isn’t one of the types of encryption, but it is used with cryptography to store and retrieve data.

Hashing is used to protect your passwords by storing the hash instead of the password.

For example, imagine your password is %jM/[]#b2zxvb.

When you create an account, the system runs your password through a hashing algorithm, producing something like:

%jM/[]#b2zxvb → $2b$12$LQv3c1yqBW

When you log in, it hashes the password you enter and compares the new hash with the stored hash. If they match, you’re allowed in.

To prevent problems if people have the same password, a salt is added to a hash, which is a random value added to each password before hashing. Even though both users have the same password, their stored hashes will be different because their salts are different.

The most common encryption methods

Advanced Encryption Standard (AES)

The Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) is a symmetric encryption algorithm that is the most frequently used method of data encryption globally. It is widely used in cloud storage, including Google Drive, iCloud Drive, and Internxt, as it is the standard used to protect and encrypt data.

AES encrypts data in fixed 128-bit blocks and supports three key sizes:

1. 128-bit
2. 192-bit
3. 256-bit

The key size determines how many encryption rounds are performed: AES-128 uses 10 rounds, AES-192 uses 12, and AES-256 uses 14.

The best encryption methods use AES-256 for maximum protection against brute-force attacks, which is why it is used for encrypted cloud storage, wi-fi security, VPNs, and more.

Rivest Shamir Adleman (RSA)

The Rivest Shamir Adleman algorithm is an asymmetric form of encryption. It relies on the difficulty of factoring very large prime numbers, making it computationally difficult to derive the private key from the public key.

RSA is commonly used for digital signatures, authentication, and securely exchanging encryption keys.

Twofish

Twofish is a symmetric encryption algorithm that encrypts data in 128-bit blocks and supports key sizes of up to 256 bits. It was one of the finalists in the competition that selected AES, so it is well-known for its security and can be used for file and folder encryption.

Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC)

Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) is a public-key cryptographic method that uses mathematical calculations involving points on a specific type of curve. Its security relies on the difficulty of determining a private key from a public key and is an encryption method used by Proton Drive.

ECC can provide the same level of security as RSA while using much smaller keys. For example, a 256-bit ECC key can provide security comparable to a much larger RSA key.

Future types of encryption: post-quantum cryptography

By 2035, the National Institute of Standards and Technology recommends companies change to post-quantum encryption to protect against the future threats of quantum computing, which could break modern types of encryption and cause major data breaches.

Lattice-based cryptography

Lattice-based cryptography is a leading approach to post-quantum cryptography.

It is based on mathematical problems involving points arranged in high-dimensional structures called lattices. These problems are believed to be extremely difficult to solve efficiently, even for quantum computers.

ML-KEM-512, ML-KEM-768, and ML-KEM-1024  (formerly known as Kyber) are the main types of encryption used in this cryptography to protect files using these new encryption methods.

Internxt Drive is the first cloud storage to have post-quantum encryption, using a combination of ML-KEM 512 and AES 256 end-to-end encryption to protect your files against current and future cybersecurity threats and big tech surveillance.

Types of encryption for privacy

Now we know the different types of encryption; as we mentioned at the beginning of this article, these encryption methods are highly secure, but not necessarily private.

Below you can see why.

In transit and at rest encryption

In transit encryption encrypts files or data while it’s sent over the internet; at rest encryption keeps data encrypted on servers.

Google Drive encryption, and its suite of products like Gmail, as well as other big tech companies, use it to secure your files.

However, your files and data are not encrypted on your devices; the keys are managed by the companies, so any files stored on their service can be decrypted and viewed by employees.  

So while this kind of encryption is secure, it’s not guaranteed if you want total privacy.

End-to-end encryption

End-to-end encryption, or zero-knowledge encryption, encrypts files directly on your device, meaning you manage the encryption keys.

This means nobody but you, or those you share files or send emails to, can access your private documents, emails, or folders.

Internxt Drive uses post-quantum end-to-end encrypted cloud storage to give you maximum privacy and an alternative to Google Drive, so nobody but you can view your files.

What types of encryption do cloud storage providers use?

Internxt Drive

Internxt Drive is the only provider thus far to use post-quantum encryption combined with the current gold standard AES-256 encryption.

All Internxt pricing plans benefit from this kind of encryption, and it is also used in Internxt’s file sharing features for Drive and Internxt Send to send files securely online.

Aside from Drive, Internxt uses its zero-knowledge encryption methods across its product suite: Internxt Mail, Meet, and the best alternative to Google Photos, Internxt Photos.

So with Internxt, you get the best encrypted and private cloud storage, as everything is encrypted on your device, giving you full control and zero access of your files by anybody but you.

Get started with post-quantum encrypted cloud storage for free with Internxt, or get 85% off all plans, which include the features below.

85% off all Internxt plans

Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox

Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, and many cloud providers use AES-256 encryption for files both at rest and in transit.

Dropbox also offers advanced encryption and key management for certain business plans, but standard Dropbox security does not provide client-side encryption by default.

So while your files are protected on the provider’s servers, it doesn’t automatically mean they cannot access the decrypted content.

Icedrive & pCloud

Icedrive uses Twofish with a 256-bit key for its client-side encryption, but only for its paid plans, so free plans are not end-to-end encrypted.

pCloud uses AES-256 encryption, but end-to-end encryption is only available on top of pCloud’s pricing plans with pCloud Crypto, so you have to pay more for privacy, or risk pCloud viewing your files.

If you’re wondering is pCloud safe without pCloud vault, there are reports online of lifetime cloud storage plans being deleted for violating pCloud’s terms, suggesting they could access your files.

Proton Drive

Finally, Proton Drive uses end-to-end encryption combined with Elliptic Curve Cryptography to protect your files and keep them private, even from Proton.

Like Internxt Drive, it is one of the best alternatives to OneDrive and other big tech services to consider if you want to combine encrypted cloud storage with a full privacy suite of products like VPN, email, and Meet.

What are the best types of encryption?

For maximum privacy, end-to-end encryption for email, messaging, and cloud storage ensures the service provider does not have access to the keys needed to decrypt your data.

As technology advances, so does encryption, which is why it’s important to combine end-to-end encryption with new post-quantum cryptography; for this, Internxt is the best choice to protect your privacy online.

Encryption is only one part of the equation, however. No matter the security of different encryption techniques, you still need to take caution when protecting your accounts using secure passwords, 2FA, and backing up copies of your files in the cloud.

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Frequently asked questions

What are the two main types of encryption?

The two main types are symmetric and asymmetric encryption. Symmetric encryption uses the same key to encrypt and decrypt data, while asymmetric encryption uses a public key and a private key

Is hashing a type of encryption?

No. Hashing is a separate cryptographic technique rather than a type of encryption. It is commonly used to protect passwords and verify data.

What is the best type of encryption for privacy?

For maximum privacy, end-to-end encryption is preferable because the service provider does not have access to the keys needed to decrypt your data. Combining end-to-end encryption with post-quantum cryptography can provide additional protection against future threats

Can encrypted data be hacked?

Strong encryption is extremely difficult to break through brute-force attacks, but encryption does not protect against every threat. Weak passwords, compromised accounts, stolen keys, or insecure systems can still expose data

Filen is a German cloud storage company with end-to-end encryption and support for various platforms to help you sync and back up your files in the cloud.

pCloud is a cloud storage company that’s been around for a bit longer, but it doesn’t offer zero-knowledge encryption as the default; you have to pay extra.

So Filen vs pCloud: which one should you pick?

This article compares both services, and when you should choose each one depending on the features you need, and how much you’re willing to pay.

• Filen vs pCloud overview
• Pros and cons of Filen and Proton Drive
• Filen vs pCloud free cloud storage
• Filen vs pCloud pricing comparison
• Filen vs pCloud features
• Filen vs pCloud vs Internxt Drive
• Filen vs pCloud: Which one should you choose?
• Related products

If you want lifetime cloud storage with post-quantum encryption, then you should consider Internxt, as it combines the end-to-end encryption Filen offers with lifetime options that also include VPN, Meet, Mail, Photos, and more.

Filen vs pCloud overview

Filen is a German and open-source cloud-storage company offering zero-knowledge encrypted file storage for all its free and paid plans. Filen mainly focuses on cloud storage features designed for privacy, with file syncing, sharing, encrypted notes, chat, and WebDAV and rclone support.

pCloud is a Swiss company headquartered in Baar, Switzerland. It provides conventional cloud storage, file syncing, automatic backups, file sharing, media storage/playback, and desktop and mobile apps. It offers business plans and lifetime plans for families and individual use.

The main difference to consider between Filen vs pCloud is that while Filen offers end-to-end encryption as standard, this is a paid add-on for pCloud, so you have to pay extra for private encryption.

pCloud is also not open source, so if you value transparency with open source cloud storage, you should consider Filen or Internxt Drive as an open source pCloud alternative.

Pros and cons of Filen and Proton Drive

Filen pros and cons

Pros

• Client-side, zero-knowledge end-to-end encryption
• Open source
• Plans up to 10TB
• CLI and rclone support

Cons

• Limited to cloud storage
• Free accounts can be deleted for inactivity
• No lifetime, business, or family plans

pCloud pros and cons

pCloud pros

• Popular for media and music streaming
• Automatic backups for photos and videos
• Additional features, such as pCloud Pass, available separately

pCloud cons

• Not open source.
• Standard pCloud storage is not zero-knowledge encrypted.
• There are reports of accounts being suspended/terminated after automated detection of prohibited or copyrighted content.

Filen vs pCloud free cloud storage

For free plans, Filen offers 10GB of free cloud storage with zero-knowledge encryption and limited access to its features. If you don’t use the account for more than three months, Filen will notify you beforehand that your account will be deleted for inactivity unless you log in again.

pCloud advertises 10GB of free storage, but you actually start with 2GB. To unlock the full 10GB, you have to do the following:

• Sign up for a free pCloud account → 2 GB.
• Verify your email → +1 GB.
• Upload a file → +1 GB.
• Download and log in to the pCloud Drive desktop app → +1 GB.
• Download and log in to the pCloud mobile app → +1 GB.
• Enable Automatic Upload in the mobile app → +1 GB.
• Invite friends who create a free account and verify their email → +1 GB per successful referral, up to the 10 GB total

Who wins? For free cloud storage, if you want zero-knowledge encryption, Filen or Internxt include end-to-end encryption for all plans. If you want the biggest free storage plan, Filen beats pCloud for privacy and storage without taking additional steps.

Filen vs pCloud pricing comparison

Monthly

Filen used to offer lifetime plans, but has since discontinued them, pCloud offers lifetime cloud storage, so if that’s your main need, you can check out pCloud or our lifetime cloud storage comparison article.

If you’re not ready to invest in a lifetime plan, then below is a comparison for Filen vs pCloud monthly and annual plans.

Who wins? Filen is 10% cheaper than pCloud for the 500GB plan, whereas pCloud is 25% cheaper than Filen for the 10TB plan, so it depends on how much storage you need.

Annual

As with most cloud providers, you can save more money if you pay annually, unless you choose a service like Apple, as iCloud pricing only allows for monthly subscriptions.

Below is the cost of a Filen vs pCloud annual plan.

Lifetime plans

As mentioned before, Filen no longer offers lifetime plans, so if you want the zero-knowledge encryption of Filen for a lifetime plan, without paying the additional pCloud crypto costs, then Internxt offers lifetime plans with an 85% discount with post-quantum and zero-knowledge encryption.

Below you can compare pCloud vs Internxt prices for lifetime plans.

Who wins? Internxt wins for its zero-knowledge encryption and full product suite included in its plans. You can also stack storage, or split payments with Klarna.

Filen vs pCloud features

For other features, Filen vs pCloud have difference in how their pricing works. Filen offers all its features included in its subscriptions which are:

• Unlimited bandwidth
• Unlimited uploads
• Client side encryption
• Zero knowledge technology
• Syncing
• Network drive
• File sharing
• Unlimited notes
• Unlimited chats

pCloud offers these features for its paid cloud storage plans:

• Automatic backup of selected folders from your computer
• Automatic camera/photo backup from your phone
• pCloud Drive, which lets you access cloud files like a local drive
• Built-in audio and video players
• Account Rewind, allowing you to restore your account or folders to an earlier point in time

For other features, these are available separately, and the cost is on top of the plan you have paid for, most notably zero-knowledge encryption.

To get private cloud storage with pCloud, therefore, you have to pay extra. pCloud Pass is another paid add-on, so to access these two features, you have to pay the initial cost of the plan, plus the cost of one or both of these services.

The costs of pCloud Crypto and pCloud Pass can be seen below.

pCloud Pass Premium

• Monthly: €2.99/month
• Annual: €29.99/year
• Lifetime: €149 one-time payment

pCloud crypto Monthly:

• €4.99/month + cost of your storage plan
• Annual: €49.99/year + cost of your storage plan
• Lifetime: €150 one-time payment

For Internxt, you get Internxt Drive post-quantum and zero-knowledge encryption as standards. All paid plans offer VPN, Antivirus, and backups, and the full features of a paid monthly or lifetime plan, as well as pricing, can be viewed below.

Who wins? For cloud storage alone, Filen is best if you only want cloud storage with zero-knowledge encryption. Internxt is best if you want a full privacy suite of secure video conferencing, encrypted email, and an alternative to Google Photos.

Filen vs pCloud vs Internxt Drive

Encryption

Both Filen and Internxt use zero-knowledge encryption, and you don’t need to pay extra to get it. If you choose pCloud, you either pay extra, or consider using a service like Cryptomator to ensure your files are private.

Filen’s encryption uses AES-256-GCM, and pCloud uses AES 256 in transit and at rest encryption for free and paid plans.

As pCloud doesn’t use end-to-end encryption unless you pay for it, there are reports of lifetime users having their lifetime plans deleted for copyrighted content, suggesting pCloud can view the contents of your cloud account and delete plans they believe violate its terms and conditions.

You can read more about this in our is pCloud secure article.

Internxt uses Kyber-512 post-quantum encryption, combined with AES-256.

This encryption protects your files against the future risks of quantum computers, which could break current data encryption technology, causing major data breaches.

Who wins? Internxt wins because of its post-quantum cryptography and zero-knowledge encryption. Encryption happens on your device, ensuring nobody can view your files, even Internxt.

Open source and security audit

Filen and Internxt are open source, pCloud is not, so if you want transparency, avoid pCloud.

Filen is not independently audited, but Internxt has been audited twice by Securitum to ensure it meets the security standards needed to protect your data.

Who wins? Internxt for being the only one that is both open source and security audited.

File sharing

If you want to know how to send files securely, Filen, pCloud, and Internxt have this option.

Internxt has the free file sharing service, Internxt Send, which you can use for free, as many times as you like and is a secure alternative to WeTransfer.

Filen lets you share files and folders that can be configured with view-only access, passwords, and expiration dates, and you can change or disable the sharing settings afterward.

pCloud has file sharing, branded links, and expiring links for its file sharing features.

Internxt Drive offers encrypted cloud storage and secure file sharing with password protection and restricted access to shared files at any time, you can share with as many users as you like and revoke access whenever needed.

Who wins? All three offer the same features, so it's a draw.

Platforms

Filen, pCloud, and Internxt all offer Windows and Mac support, and more advanced options, including:

• Linux
• WebDAV and CLI
• Rclone
• NAS support

Internxt is the only one with S3 cloud object support available as a separate subscription to manage large amounts of data.

Who wins? All three offer the same support across multiple apps, but Internxt slightly gains the edge if you also want object storage.

Compliance

Filen is based in Germany, so follows GDPR compliance laws, the same as Internxt.

pCloud’s legal entity is pCloud International AG, a Swiss company registered in Baar, Switzerland. But you can choose EU storage in Luxembourg or US storage in Dallas, so the privacy laws for those regions apply to your files.  

pCloud and Internxt offer SOC 2 and ISO compliance, with Internxt also offering HIPAA compliance.

Who wins?  Internxt if you want European cloud storage with multiple compliance certifications.

Business and family plans

Finally, Filen only offers personal plans, while pCloud offers family and business plans.

Internxt offers individual plans and enterprise cloud storage for companies that need to manage large amounts of data, and a cheaper alternative to AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud.

Who wins? pCloud if you want family plans, Internxt if you want cloud storage for large businesses.

Filen vs pCloud: Which one should you choose?

Filen and Internxt are a better alternative to pCloud if you want zero-knowledge encryption at no extra cost. Internxt is the better option if you want lifetime cloud storage.

If you want family plans, pCloud is a better alternative to Filen, it’s also a good choice if you want to stream files in the cloud.

We also cover Filen vs Proton Drive, if you want more options to consider.

For the best encrypted cloud storage, plus a wide range of products to protect you online, Internxt is the best alternative to Filen and pCloud, as it offers everything you need to protect your files, devices, and personal information online, at the best prices.

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Filen is a German company offering end-to-end encrypted cloud storage and notes. Proton Drive is also end-to-end encrypted and part of a wider online privacy suite of products, from VPN to Mail.

So which one should you choose?

Both offer the same encryption and are open source, so to help you compare both options, this article explains the features, privacy, and security of both to help you decide.

We will also offer Internxt as a solution to both if you want a lifetime plan that includes the rclone support of Filen and the privacy products of Proton.

Table of contents

• Filen vs Proton Drive overview
• Pros and cons of Filen and Proton Drive
• Filen vs Proton Drive pricing
• Features of Filen vs Proton Drive vs Internxt
• Filen vs Proton Drive: Which one should you choose?

Filen vs Proton Drive overview

Filen and Proton Drive both offer encrypted cloud storage, but what you get with each service overall is slightly different, so if you’re considering Filen vs Proton Drive, there are a few things to be aware of.

Filen is a European cloud storage provider with zero-knowledge encryption. It offers end-to-end encrypted storage, file sharing, desktop and mobile apps, synchronization, and lifetime storage plans. Filen is particularly attractive if your priority is private storage at a competitive price.

Proton Drive is part of the Proton ecosystem, alongside Proton Mail, Proton VPN, Proton Pass, and other privacy services. It offers file synchronization, sharing, automatic photo backup, and integration with the broader Proton ecosystem.

It is a strong choice if you already use Proton services or want a more established all-in-one privacy platform.

If your main priority is cloud storage, then Filen offers 10GB free cloud storage for you to try out the service. If you want everything integrated under one privacy-focused account, Proton Drive is probably the better choice.

If you're considering Filen with another company with Swiss privacy laws, then another option is pCloud, which we cover in our Filen vs pCloud article.

Pros and cons of Filen and Proton Drive

Filen pros and cons

Pros

• Client-side, zero-knowledge end-to-end encryption
• Open source
• Plans up to 10TB
• CLI and rclone support

Cons

• Limited to cloud storage
• Free accounts can be deleted for inactivity
• No lifetime plans

Proton Drive pros and cons

Pros

• Zero knowledge encryption
• Swiss privacy laws
• Drive is included in Proton’s privacy suite
• Encrypted file sharing

Cons

• No Linux support
• Maximum 2TB of storage
• CLI has fair-use limits
• No lifetime plans
• Platform is still undergoing development changes, so is less mature than other services

One thing Proton and Filen don’t offer is lifetime plans, so if you want to combine zero-knowledge encrypted cloud storage with a full privacy suite of VPN, Meet, Mail, and Photos, Internxt offers 85% off all lifetime plans, giving up to 5TB of cloud storage and a full privacy suite to protect you online.

Filen vs Proton Drive pricing

For free plans, Filen offers 10GB of free storage, but if you use a VPN or Tor proxy, you may be blocked, and your account may be deleted after three months of inactivity.

Proton offers 5GB of free storage, and like Filen, free plans include end-to-end encryption, which is different from other services, like pCloud, with pCloud pricing plans offering zero-knowledge encryption as a paid add-on.

Below you can find the pricing options for annual plans of Filen and Proton Drive.

Filen pricing

Filen pricing offers monthly and annual plans; you can also stack plans if you want more storage. Plans are not tiered, meaning you get all Filen’s features regardless of the plan you get.

Below are Filen’s annual pricing plans.

Filen used to offer lifetime plans, but they were discontinued in their last Black Friday deal, so you have to choose between a monthly or annual plan.

Proton pricing

Proton also offers monthly plans, with the option to choose from personal, business, or family plans, so if you need shared cloud storage, then Proton offers this, which Filen doesn’t.

For this Filen vs Proton Drive pricing comparison, below are the annual plans Proton Drive offers.

Filen vs Proton Drive: Which is cheaper?

As both Filen and Proton Drive offer 200GB and 2TB plans, Filen is up to 58% cheaper than Proton.

However, a 2TB Proton plan also includes Proton VPN, so if you want an encrypted VPN on top of your cloud storage, it may be worth paying the extra money.

Internxt vs Filen vs Proton Drive pricing

Below we compare Filen vs Proton Drive monthly plans against Internxt’s monthly plans, which are based on our special 85% offer, which you can get below on a monthly or lifetime cloud storage plan.

Internxt offers the most affordable cloud storage; therefore, with post-quantum encryption, which is not offered by Filen or Proton Drive.

You can also avoid subscriptions completely and get the same end-to-end encrypted cloud storage Filen offers, and the full privacy suite that Proton offers with an Internxt lifetime plan, with the plans and features shown below.

Features of Filen vs Proton Drive vs Internxt

Encryption

Filen, Proton, and Internxt all use zero knowledge and end-to-end encryption, so if your focus is privacy and you want a Google Drive alternative and other big tech companies, then all three offer the best encrypted cloud storage for free and paid plans.

Filen’s encryption uses AES-256-GCM, and Proton uses AES-GCM for file encryption with ECC Curve25519 for public-key cryptography.

Internxt is the first cloud storage with post-quantum encryption, so it uses Kyber-512 and AES-256 encryption to encrypt files directly on your device. This encryption protects your files against the future risks of quantum computers, which could break current data encryption technology, causing major data breaches.

Who wins? Internxt wins because of its post-quantum cryptography, future-proofing your files against future cyberattacks.

Open source and security audit

All three cloud providers are open source and can be verified by security experts as a secure and encrypted platform for your files.

Filen is not independently audited, but both Proton and Internxt successfully passed a security audit by Securitum, verifying that both have the necessary security to protect your data from hackers.

Who wins? All three are open source, but it's a draw between Proton and Internxt, as they have both been independently audited by a leading cybersecurity company.

File sharing

If you want to know how to send files securely, all three offer this option, and Internxt has an additional file sharing service, Internxt Send, which you can use for free, as many times as you like.

Filen lets you share files and folders that can be configured with view-only access, passwords, and expiration dates, and you can change or disable the sharing settings afterward.

Proton Drive offers public sharing links as well as direct sharing by email. You can give recipients viewer or editor permissions, protect links with passwords, set expiration dates, revoke access instantly, and monitor how many times a file has been downloaded.

Internxt Drive offers public and restricted file sharing links to share large files privately. You can protect files with passwords and restrict access to shared files at any time. There is also Internxt Send, a secure WeTransfer alternative for encrypted and secure file transfer.

Who wins? All three offer the same features, so it's a draw.

Platforms

For Proton vs Filen, Filen offers Linux support, so if you are a Linux user, then you should know that Proton doesn’t support Linux.

Both Filen and Internxt offer WebDAV, CLI, and Rclone support, as well as NAS support.

Who wins? Filen or Internxt are the better choice if you’re a Linux user, or want advanced cloud management with tools like CLI or NAS cloud backups.

Compliance

Filen is based in Germany, so follows GDPR compliance laws, the same as Internxt.

Proton is based in Switzerland, who claim to have the best privacy laws.

Both Proton and Internxt offer ISO 27001, HIPAA, and SOC 2 compliance, but Proton only offers these for businesses, whereas Internxt offers it for all users, including its S3 cloud object storage for enterprises.

Who wins? Proton if you want Swiss privacy laws, Internxt if you want European cloud storage with multiple compliance certifications.

Extra features

Filen mostly focuses on cloud storage, but it also offers Notes, an encrypted alternative to Google Docs Notes where documents can be shared and edited collaboratively with others.

Proton Drive offers a similar privacy-focused product bundle like Internxt Drive, which includes:

• VPN, Meet, Mail and Calendar
• Photos
• Docs and Sheets
• Sheets
• Pass

Internxt Drive plans include:

• Antivirus
• VPN
• Cleaner
• Meet
• Mail
• Photos

Who wins? It depends if you want just cloud storage or more products. But Internxt offers cheaper cloud storage with additional features.

Filen vs Proton Drive: Which one should you choose?

If you want the advanced cloud management features of Filen, such as rclone support, plus the privacy tools of Proton combined into one plan, then consider Internxt Drive, a Filen alternative and Proton alternative offering everything you need to protect your files and privacy online.

Between Filen and Proton Drive, Filen is better for cloud storage; Proton is better if you want extra features included in your plan.

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Filen offers 10GB of free storage, and plans ranging from 100GB to 10TB for monthly and annual plans.

Lifetime options used to be available, but Filen discontinued these during the last Black Friday sale.

If you’re still interested in Filen pricing and what features you get, we look at each plan, cost, features, and other alternatives.

But if you’re looking for an alternative to Filen, with post-quantum encryption and a full suite of privacy products, including VPN, Meet, Mail, and the best alternative to Google Photos, we also offer this solution with Internxt monthly and lifetime plans.

Table of contents

• Does Filen offer a free storage plan?
• Filen pricing plans in 2026
• Filen pricing plans: monthly vs annual savings
• Can I stack Filen pricing plans to get more storage?
• What you get with Filen pricing plans
• Filen lifetime pricing
• Which Filen pricing plan should you pick?
• Internxt vs Filen paid plan pricing comparison
• Internxt vs Filen features
• Related products
• Frequently asked questions

Does Filen offer a free storage plan?

Yes, Filen offers 10GB free cloud storage, which you can use for a lifetime with limited features compared to the options on the Filen pricing page.

If you want to sign up for a free plan with Filen, you should be aware that if you sign up using a VPN, Tor, proxy, relay, or a hosting/datacenter connection, you may not be eligible for the free storage.

So if you want a free plan, you have to use a normal wifi connection from your home.

A free plan comes with the following features:

Filen pricing plans in 2026

Filen offers monthly and annual plans from 100GB to a maximum of 10TB.

Starter (Annual plan only)

If you don’t need a lot of storage, you can start with a Filen Starter plan. There is no monthly option for this, so you have to pay annually for the following:

Filen pricing plans (monthly)

All monthly plans include the same features, regardless of the tier you choose; the only difference is the amount of storage you get.

Below are Filen pricing plans for its monthly subscriptions.

Filen pricing plans (annual)

If you’ve tried the Filen free storage plan and decided you want to pay once for the year instead of monthly, these are Filen’s annual plan costs.

Filen pricing plans: monthly vs annual savings

Like with Google One pricing plans and other providers, you can save more if you choose an annual plan over a monthly plan, so if you choose a Filen pricing plan paid yearly, you could save the following amounts depending on the plan you choose.

If you want to avoid subscriptions completely and want to look at lifetime cloud storage options, check out our lifetime cloud storage comparison article, or check out Internxt’s 85% lifetime plan discount.

Can I stack Filen pricing plans to get more storage?

Yes, you can stack two Filen plans for either the monthly or annual plan. For example, if you need more than the maximum storage of 20TB, you can add stack the Pro X plan with another plan of your choosing.

What you get with Filen pricing plans

Regardless of the paid plan you choose, all Filen pricing plans come with the following features:

• Unlimited bandwidth
• Unlimited uploads
• Client side encryption
• Zero knowledge technology
• Syncing
• Network drive
• File sharing
• Unlimited notes
• Unlimited chats

Filen is available on Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS and Android. Like Internxt, it also supports WebDAV and Rclone.

Filen lifetime pricing

Filen no longer offers lifetime plans; they stopped offering them after one final Black Friday deal. The reasons why are described on their blog; they may offer them again in the future, but if you can’t wait, try an Internxt lifetime plan instead.

Now, the only way to get a lifetime plan with Filen is if you choose their free account. If you don’t log into this account after three months of inactivity, however, your account will be deleted.

You can also consider other plans that offer lifetime plans, such as Internxt, or compare Filen vs pCloud if you want a lifetime family plan.

Which Filen pricing plan should you pick?

All Filen plans are meant for individual users, as there are no business plans available, but if you’re wondering which Filen pricing plan is right for you, here are some general guidelines.

• Choose the Free/Starter plan if you just want to try Filen or need a small amount of cloud storage without paying.
• Choose Pro I (200 GiB) if you want the cheapest paid option at €1.99/month and don't need much storage.
• Choose Pro II (500 GiB) if you want the best balance of price and storage for everyday use.
• Choose Pro III (2 TiB) if you want a lot of storage without it being too expensive.
• Choose Pro X (10 TiB) if you want the maximum storage available in one plan.

Internxt vs Filen paid plan pricing comparison

Internxt vs Filen monthly cost

Starting with monthly plans, here is a comparison between Internxt and Filen paid plans paid monthly.

Internxt pricing is based on the 85% special offer, which you can get below.

Internxt vs Filen paid plan pricing comparison

Starting with monthly plans, here is a comparison between Internxt monthly and monthly Filen paid plans.

Based on the comparison between an Internxt monthly plan and the Filen pricing model, you could save more money and get more storage with Internxt for these plans:

• Internxt 1 TB: 100% more storage than Filen 500 GB, while costing 62.66% less (€1.49 vs €3.99).
• Internxt 3 TB: 50% more storage than Filen 2 TB, while costing 66.74% less (€2.99 vs €8.99).
• Internxt 5 TB: 50% more storage than Filen 10 TB? No — compared with Filen 2 TB, it gives 150% more storage while costing 50.06% less (€4.49 vs €8.99).

Internxt lifetime vs Filen annual

Unlike Filen, Internxt offers post-quantum and encrypted cloud storage with lifetime plans, which you can stack if you need more storage later.

So if you want to avoid the subscription costs of a Filen pricing plan, you could save the following by investing in an Internxt lifetime plan.

All paid Internxt plans include encrypted cloud backups, VPN, and Antivirus. While you can back up your files with Filen, it doesn't offer the full privacy suite Internxt offers, which you can view below.

Internxt vs Filen features

Now we’ve compared Filen pricing with Internxt; below is the list of features, max storage, and other comparisons if you’re considering Internxt vs Filen.

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Frequently asked questions

Is Internxt cheaper than Filen?

Yes.  Internxt can offer more storage for less money on several comparable monthly plans, especially when using its 85% special offer. Internxt’s 1TB plan costs €1.49/month, compared with €3.99/month for Filen’s 500GB plan.

Does Filen offer lifetime plans?

No. Filen discontinued its lifetime plans after its final Black Friday deal. Its free account is technically available for life, subject to its inactivity policy.

How much does Filen cloud storage cost?

Filen offers 10GB free storage, with paid plans starting at €1.99/month for 200 GiB. Paid plans go up to 10 TiB, with monthly and annual options available.

Does Filen have a free cloud storage plan?

Yes. Filen offers 10GB of free cloud storage for life, although the free plan has fewer features than its paid plans.

Does Filen offer discounts on its paid plans?

Yes. Filen's annual plans cost less overall than paying monthly, allowing users to save by paying for a full year upfront. Lifetime plans are no longer available.

Google Sheets is a necessary tool for many businesses and individuals and is popular due to its live collaboration, ease of use, accessibility, and seamless integration with other Google Workspace applications.

However, as part of the Google Drive workspace, Google Sheets is not end-to-end encrypted, so if you need to store your sensitive spreadsheets privately, then this article will offer a secure and encrypted cloud storage solution to store your folders and protect them with end-to-end encryption.

We also cover the best Google Docs alternative, so you can get everything you need for your spreadsheets and documents without compromising your privacy.

Table of contents

Why choose an alternative to Google Sheets?

Privacy and data ownership

Privacy and data ownership are important reasons when considers what the best Google Sheets alternative is, especially when spreadsheets contain personal, financial, or business information.

Google operates a broad ecosystem of services, and information from your Google account is collected across those services (Chrome, YouTube, etc) and used for personalization and other purposes, depending on the applicable service and your Google activity history settings.

For Google Sheets specifically, Google may process or collect:

• Spreadsheet content you create, upload, or receive
• Comments and notes
• Formulas and other spreadsheet data
• Search queries you make within Google Sheets
• Your email address, used for account access, synchronization, and notifications
• Your location information in certain circumstances
• Performance data
• Crash and diagnostic information
• Data stored on your device if you enable offline access

Outside of Google Sheets, the broader Google ecosystem collects a large amount of personal data across its services, so you may not only need the best alternative to Google Sheets, but alternatives to Google in general.

To learn more about what information Google collects and processes, visit our website below.

End-to-end encryption

Google Sheets and, by extension, Google Docs, Gmail, and Google Photos all encrypt your data both:

• In transit, when data moves between your device and Google's servers.
• At rest, meaning while your files are stored on Google's servers, they are encrypted using AES-256 encryption.
• Files are not encrypted on your device before data is moved between your device and Google’s servers.

A Google Drive encrypted folder is not end-to-end encrypted, as Google retains control of the encryption keys, meaning the company can technically access the decrypted data when required to provide its services, meaning Google could access and view:

• Customer names, contact details, and other personal information
• Financial records, budgets, and revenue figures
• Employee information and payroll data
• Business plans and confidential strategies
• Contracts and pricing information
• Intellectual property and proprietary data
• Passwords, API keys, or other credentials if users store them improperly

The best alternative to Google Sheets to protect this sensitive information from data breaches or big tech surveillance offers cloud storage with zero-knowledge encryption, such as Internxt Drive, where the provider encrypts files on your device and can never access the contents of your files.

Reduced dependence on Google

While Google’s integration is convenient, it can make users or businesses increasingly dependent on one provider to manage their data.

For example, if you need to back up your spreadsheets as extra insurance to protect your files against accidental deletion, ransomware, or data loss, then Internxt Drive and Internxt S3 cloud object storage offer end-to-end encrypted backups as an extra security measure to back up your files and get a private Google Drive alternative.

Different pricing options

Google Sheets is free for personal users, but using Google Workspace for businesses requires a subscription; and Google One pricing offers more storage and features, so choosing between these depends on your needs.

This can make costs increase as a business grows, particularly when more employees need access to the service.

The best option to avoid Google One subscriptions is to choose companies that offer lifetime plans, such as Internxt Drive, or if your business uses Google Cloud object storage, then alternatives such as Internxt S3 offer fixed S3 storage costs per month, with no egress or ingress fees.

European alternatives

Google has paid over 100€ million in fines due to violations of European privacy laws managed by GDPR, causing many businesses to switch to European tech companies for stronger European business and personal data protection laws.

For European cloud storage and the best Google Sheets alternative to back up, store, and sync your spreadsheets, Internxt Drive and S3 is a European cloud storage provider based in Valencia, Spain, and is also ISO 27001, HIPAA, and SOC 2 compliant, offering the best data protection for all industries.

Features of the best alternative to Google Sheets

Automatic backups

Automatic backups protect your spreadsheets from accidental deletion, corruption, or unwanted changes. A good Google Sheets alternative should regularly save copies of your files in the cloud, allowing you to restore an earlier version when needed.

Internxt Drive lets you automatically back up your files every 1, 6, or 12 hours, or manually if you need to back up files less often.

Internxt S3 also allows back ups for petabytes of data, and S3 object lock, which makes objects immutable for a period of time to prevent accidental changes or deletion.

Syncing

Automatic synchronization keeps spreadsheets updated across your devices. With Internxt Drive, you get syncing across all major devices, including Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, and Android.

Ultimate plans include cloud management for WebDAV and rclone, plus NAS support for QNAP and Synology.

Any changes you make to a spreadsheet in Internxt Drive on one device are automatically reflected on your other connected devices, ensuring you always have access to the latest version.

File versioning

File versioning keeps previous versions of your spreadsheets, allowing you to review or restore an earlier version if important data is accidentally changed or deleted.

Secure file sharing

Secure file transfer allows you to share spreadsheets with others while controlling who can access, view, edit, or download them. Features such as password protection and access controls are both available with an Internxt plan to send up to 10GB of files via an encrypted link or email.

If you want to share files online privately for free, then Internxt Send is a free file sharing service to send files that are protected with end-to-end encryption.

Storage and pricing

The best Google Sheets alternative should offer enough cloud storage for your needs at a reasonable price.

Google Drive offers 15GB of free storage, which can be upgraded with a Google One plan, with storage going up to 2TB for monthly or annual plans.

If you want to avoid subscriptions completely, or choose a cheaper monthly plan with more storage, then Internxt offers plans starting from 1TB and up to 5TB, with affordable lifetime cloud storage plans available so you can avoid the cost of a Google subscription completely.

What is the best alternative to Google Sheets?

Internxt Drive

Internxt Drive is the best alternative to Google Sheets if you want to store, back up, sync, share, and protect your spreadsheets in the cloud with post-quantum and zero-knowledge encryption.

Unlike Google, it is also open source and fully transparent for security experts to review and check the code to ensure there are no backdoors to your data.

If you want to migrate your files from Google Drive, Internxt Drive offers a fully end-to-end encrypted vault for your spreadsheets, accessible only to you.

Aside from cloud storage, Internxt also offers alternatives to other Google products, including:

• Internxt Meet: the best video conferencing tool for privacy
• Internxt Mail: encrypted email
• Internxt Photos: the best alternative to Google Photos

Get started with an Internxt free cloud storage plan, or get an exclusive 85% discount on all plans following your exclusive link below and check out all the features of our Essential, Premium, and Ultimate plans.

Internxt vs Google comparison

Now we have covered why Internxt is the best alternative to Google Sheets to store your spreadsheets in privacy, below you can find an overview of Internxt vs Google Drive.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the best alternative to Google Sheets?

Internxt Drive is a strong alternative to Google Sheets for users who want to store, sync, back up, and share spreadsheets with a focus on privacy. It uses zero-knowledge encryption to protect files so that only the user can access their contents.

Is Google Sheets secure?

Google Sheets uses encryption in transit and at rest and provides security features such as access controls and two-factor authentication. However, users looking for zero-knowledge or end-to-end encrypted cloud storage may prefer a privacy-focused alternative to store their spreadsheets, like Internxt Drive.

What is the best cloud storage for spreadsheets?

The best cloud storage for spreadsheets depends on your requirements. Users prioritizing privacy should look for end-to-end encryption, secure sharing, file versioning, synchronization, automatic backups, and strong access controls.

Can I use Google Sheets without Google Drive?

Google Sheets files are integrated with Google Drive for storage and management. If you want to store spreadsheet files separately from Google's ecosystem, you can export them and store them in Internxt Drive.

Google Photos is part of the Google suite of products that offers cloud storage, syncing, backups, and AI integration for advanced photo searching and image recognition.

However, due to limitations in privacy and with Google focusing on its AI integration, many people are searching for the best Google Photos alternative, which leans more towards the privacy and protection of Photos in the cloud, rather than surveillance and data collection.

This article will cover what to look for when searching for a Google Photos alternative, features, pricing, and what is the best cloud storage for Photos that protects your privacy.

Table of contents

• Why choose an alternative to Google Photos
• What you should look for in the best alternative to Google Photos
• What is the best Google Photos alternative?
• Internxt Photos vs Google Photos comparison
• Related products
• Frequently asked questions

Why choose an alternative to Google Photos

Protect your personal information

When you use Google Photos, you aren’t just storing your photos in the cloud; Google's current privacy documentation explicitly states it can process photos and videos to gain information and make inferences about you and the people in your photos.

This means when you take a picture and store it in Google Photos, you’re giving Google access to:

• Where you live and frequently travel
• Who your family and friends are
• Your relationships
• Your habits and routines
• Your interests and possessions
• Important documents and IDs
• Information about your children
• Potentially sensitive events, locations and activities

All of these insights represent a deep invasion of your privacy and personal life. To protect your photos from Google, the best Google Photos alternative won’t use your personal information to improve its services.

Free from AI surveillance

Google Photos integrates with Gemini AI and is increasingly becoming a service powered by AI rather than cloud storage for photos.

Gemini can use information from your Photos library, including photos, videos, face groups, and your Google Account history and information. You can ask Gemini questions about your photo collections, and Google describes features that can infer information about people and your life from the library.

Protect your files with end-to-end encryption

One of the major differences between Google, OneDrive, Dropbox, and companies like Internxt is the type of encryption used, and who can decrypt this data and access your photos in the cloud.

Google Photos and Google Drive encrypt files while they are sent to the cloud and are encrypted on Google’s servers.

This means that Google holds the keys to encrypt your data, and can therefore technically access your files or give access if government or law enforcement request it.

With end-to-end encryption, your photos remain totally private and inaccessible to everyone, even the cloud provider, because the encryption happens on your device.

Greater control over your data

Google is an advertising company as well as a technology company.

Although Google specifically says it doesn't use personal content from Google Photos for personalized advertising, its broader business model relies heavily on collecting and processing information to provide, personalize, measure, and improve services.

So for people concerned about privacy, the best Google Photos alternative store your photos securely, with end-to-end encryption, without extensive data processing, collection, or surveillance.

Freedom from subscription models

Finally, another reason people choose alternatives to Google Photos is to avoid paying increased monthly or annual costs of Google One’s pricing and to avoid dependence on Google’s services.

This is where lifetime cloud storage plans, like those offered at Internxt, mean you pay once and access the services forever, giving you a cloud storage solution where you can keep your photos forever.

What you should look for in the best alternative to Google Photos

End-to-end encryption

Neither Google Photos nor Google Drive folders use end-to-end encryption to protect data, so without zero-knowledge encryption, your Photos, documents, and any other files stored can technically be seen by Google employees.

With Internxt Drive and Internxt Photos, your folders are protected with end-to-end and post-quantum encryption. Not only are your files inaccessible to everyone, including Internxt, but they are also protected against future threats of quantum computers, which could break current encryption protocols.

Pricing

Google Drive offers 15GB of free cloud storage, or you can upgrade to a Google One plan, which is a recurring monthly or annual subscription.

Plans range from 100GB to 2TB of shared storage and automatic backups between Drive, Photos, Gmail, and other suites, such as Google Docs.

If you want to avoid subscription plans altogether, then an Internxt lifetime plan starts at 1TB and goes up to 5TB, which you can later upgrade to get more cloud storage.

This is a particular advantage for photographers needing cloud storage, as it avoids subscriptions and offers a one-time payment to store terabytes of your photos in the cloud.

Additional features

When choosing the best Google Photos alternative, you should consider whether you just need cloud storage for photos, or other features.

For a private alternative to Google, Internxt not only offers a Google Photos alternative, but alternatives to other services, including:

• Internxt Meet: Secure and encrypted alternative to Google Meet
• Internxt Mail: Private and encrypted alternative to Gmail

Plus, Internxt also offers additional products to protect your privacy online with:

• Internxt VPN
• Antivirus
• Cleaner
• Internxt Send

Internxt also supports advanced cloud management tools with CLI, Rclone, and NAS support for QNAP and Synology, also available.

The full list of features can be found below, and you can claim an 85% discount on any of these plans by following this exclusive discount link.

Get 85% off

Transparency

An open source alternative to Google, like Internxt, makes its source code publicly available. This transparency means security researchers and the wider community can examine the code for potential vulnerabilities, hidden data collection, or other privacy concerns.

Internxt has also been security audited twice and has been verified that the security of the platform is secure against hackers and data breaches.

Data protection

Google is based in the US, but also follows GDPR privacy laws. Despite this, it has paid over €100 million in fines for GDPR violations, showing its lack of concern when it comes to protecting your data.

If you’re looking for European cloud storage that protects your data with GDPR regulations, then Internxt offers GDPR cloud storage, as it is based in Valencia, Spain.

It also offers ISO 27001, SOC 2, and HIPAA compliance to ensure you get the maximum protection for your data, regardless of the industry.

What is the best Google Photos alternative?

Internxt Photos is the best alternative to Google Photos thanks to its post-quantum and zero-knowledge encryption, open source software, and European privacy laws.

With affordable lifetime plans up to 5TB, and a wide range of products included in an Internxt plan to protect your privacy, Internxt is the best cloud storage to migrate your files from Google and protect your privacy.

Internxt Photos allows you to automatically sync your photos, so your albums and memories are always up to date. It also includes automatic backups, so your memories are protected from accidental deletion or data loss.

Get started with Internxt for free, or claim your 85% discount to start protecting your photos in total privacy with the best encrypted cloud storage on the market.

Internxt Photos vs Google Photos comparison

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Frequently asked questions

What is the best alternative to Google Photos?

Internxt Photos is a privacy-focused alternative to Google Photos that offers automatic photo backups, end-to-end encryption, open-source software, and European data protection. It also offers lifetime cloud storage plans up to 5TB.

Is there a more private alternative to Google Photos?

Yes. Internxt Photos is designed as a private alternative to Google Photos, using end-to-end and zero-knowledge encryption so that your photos remain inaccessible to Internxt and other third parties.

Does Google Photos use AI?

Yes. Google Photos integrates with Gemini and uses AI to search, organize, and analyze photos. Gemini can use information from your Photos library to answer questions and provide insights about your photos.

Can Google access my Google Photos?

Google encrypts photos stored on its servers, but Google Photos does not use end-to-end encryption. This means Google can technically access stored content under certain circumstances, such as when required by law.

Does Internxt Photos use end-to-end encryption?

Yes. Internxt Photos uses end-to-end, zero-knowledge encryption, specifically Kyber 512 and AES 256 encryption. This means photos are encrypted before being uploaded, and Internxt cannot access their unencrypted contents.

Can I automatically back up photos with Internxt?

Yes. Internxt Photos supports automatic photo backups, allowing you to keep your photos and memories securely synchronized with the cloud.

Can I migrate my photos from Google Photos to Internxt?

Yes. Internxt can be used as an alternative destination for your Google Photos library, allowing you to move your photos to encrypted cloud storage and reduce your dependence on Google's ecosystem.

Google Docs is a popular document creation tool and a free service included with Google’s product suite for live collaboration, sharing, syncing, and more.

However, like Google Drive, Gmail, and other services provided by Google, Google Docs does not offer privacy for your documents as it is not end-to-end encrypted. This lack of privacy, and other features that writers may need, mean you need an alternative to Google Docs that meets your requirements.

To cover this, we cover what is the best alternative to Google Docs so you can create, manage, and protect your files with the services we cover within this article.

We also cover the best alternative to Google Sheets, if you're looking to move away from the Google Workspace entirely.

Table of contents

• Why writers look for alternatives to Google Docs
• What makes the best Google Docs alternative?
• Best Google Docs alternatives for writers
• Google Docs alternative for writers: Comparison of services
• Related products
• Frequently asked questions

Why writers look for alternatives to Google Docs

Writers look for the best Google Docs alternative for several reasons.

Privacy is a major concern, as Google is not end-to-end encrypted or open source, so it lacks the transparency and privacy of your files, as Google may access the contents of your sensitive documents stored on the servers they manage.

Some writers also need more advanced writing features than Google Docs provides, such as tools for long-form writing, research management, detailed formatting, version control, and professional editing.

Cost and flexibility can also influence the decision; not everybody needs the services Google offers, and instead prefer a one-time payment or tools dedicated to content creation specifically.

What makes the best Google Docs alternative?

The best Google Docs alternatives for writers will depend on what features you need most from the software. A strong alternative should offer reliable document creation and editing, while improving on areas where Google Docs may fall short.

If your focus is on private cloud storage for the projects you store in the cloud, then an encrypted cloud such as Internxt Drive offers private cloud storage for your files with zero-knowledge encryption.

Collaboration, offline access, pricing, and advanced writing features and organization are also factors that you should consider, which will cover with the Google Docs alternatives mentioned in this article.

Best Google Docs alternatives for writers

Below is a comprehensive list of Google Docs alternatives for writers from cloud storage, project management, tools for writers, and more.

Internxt Drive

Best for writers who prioritize privacy, secure cloud storage, backups, and syncing to protect and store documents with end-to-end encryption.

Internxt Drive is the best Google Docs alternative for writers who want to store, backup, and sync their work in the cloud in total privacy.

Internxt Drive plans include end-to-end post-quantum encryption, meaning you can store your work in the cloud knowing it's protected from big tech companies spying on your documents. With Internxt’s encrypted cloud storage, everything is encrypted on your device, so nobody but you can view the contents of your work.

As an alternative to Google Drive and Google Docs, Internxt also offers the following features in its cloud storage:

• Secure file sharing: Send files privately with encrypted file sharing and password-protected documents.
• Encrypted backups: Keep your documents backed up in the cloud to protect against ransomware and accidental data loss.
• File syncing: Keep your files up to date and accessible across all devices and operating systems, including Linux.
• Invite, share, and collaborate: Share your files with others to edit, upload, and make changes to your documents.
• File versioning: If you need to go back to a previous version, Internxt allows file versioning to restore documents.
• Full privacy suite: Other alternatives Internxt offers to Google include: Photos, Mail, and Meet.

Internxt offers monthly and lifetime plans for up to 5TB, 3TB more than Google One plans. You can also save 85% on all plans using the link below, and check out the full list of features that make Internxt the best Google alternative for Docs, Drive, Gmail, and more.

Google Docs alternative for writers: Comparison of services

Now we have covered all the alternatives to Google Docs, below you can find a summary of other services to help you choose the best Google Docs alternative for you.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the best Google Docs alternative for writers?

The best Google Docs and alternative to Google’s service is Internxt Drive, as it offers full privacy and end-to-end encryption, allowing you to store, back up, sync, and share files securely.

For dedicated writing software, alternatives like Scrivener is a good choice.

Is there a better alternative to Google Docs?

Yes. Alternatives can offer features that Google Docs does not focus on, including more advanced formatting, dedicated long-form writing tools, stronger privacy, offline functionality, or better project organization. The best choice depends on what you need from your writing software.

What is the best free alternative to Google Docs?

For writing and cloud storage, Internxt and Microsoft offer free plans and alternatives to Google and Google Docs.

Zoho Writer is another strong free option with extensive writing, editing, and document features.

Is Microsoft Word better than Google Docs for writers?

For writers who need advanced formatting, professional document creation, templates, reviewing tools, and long-form writing features, Microsoft Word can be a better choice, but it also doesn’t offer end-to-end encryption.

What do professional writers use instead of Google Docs?

Professional writers use different tools depending on their work.

Scrivener is popular for books and complex manuscripts; Notion is useful for writing combined with research and project management, and specialized privacy-focused tools like Internxt is better for storing and sharing your work privately.

Most successful hacks and data breaches are perpetrated through email. In a perfect world, everyone would find safer methods for communication, but since email isn't going anywhere anytime soon, encrypted email is our best option.

Since Internxt doesn't have its own encrypted email yet, we've assembled a list of the best encrypted email services you should use in the meantime.

Why Encrypted Email?

Can you name another service you use more to transmit confidential information? Email, for better or worse, is used for everything from work communication to transferring critical personal documents. Our email address serves as our identity online. Every one of our accounts is tied to our email in some way, shape, or form. The real question is: why would you not choose an encrypted email?

While phishing and email spoofing can be prevented by being vigilant and smart about which emails you open. Encrypted email can help you avoid other email security issues like hijacking among many others.

By encrypted email, we mean services utilize total end-to-end encryption. That means the communication is encrypted before the message leaves your device and stays encrypted until it reaches its final destination. Only when the information reaches the authorized recipient is the message decrypted into readable text.

The Best 8 Encrypted Email Providers

Nowadays, many different encrypted email services are on the market. Some great, some good, and some GDPR-compliant. Here, in no particular order, are the best encrypted email providers in 2026.

Internxt Mail

Internxt Mail is part of Internxt's encrypted cloud storage solution with post-quantum end-to-end encryption to ensure your emails remain private and inaccessible to everyone except you and your recipients.

All of Internxt's products are open source for full transparency so security experts can verify there are no backdoors or vulnerabilities to your data. Internxt also offers GDPR, ISO 27001, SOC 2 and HIPAA compliance, offering high standards of security for all data types and industries.

Internxt Mail offers full privacy for your messages, and is part of the Internxt Ultimate monthly or lifetime plan, which also includes NAS support for QNAP and Synology, and access to all of Internxt's features.

To get Internxt Mail and Internxt's full privacy suite, click the link below to get your exclusive 85% discount on all Internxt plans.

StartMail

StartMail is a popular privacy-focused email service famous for allowing users to protect themselves with anonymous aliases. Founded in the Netherlands, StartMail is feature-heavy and focused on providing an extremely secure email platform and nothing else.

Speaking of features – inbox layout options, search, spam, and organizational filters, custom domains (with paid plans), and the ability to migrate emails and contacts are just a few of the perks of StartMail. Security-wise, Startmail comes with 2FA, PGP encryption and signatures, default blocking tracking pixels, hidden IP addresses, and malicious link protection.

StartMail's main niche is its unlimited aliases. These are different email addresses you can create and delete at any time that can be used to keep your main address exclusive and prevent spam, phishing, and fake messages.

Tutanota

Tutanota is an end-to-end encrypted, open-source email and calendar service based in Germany, and that's it. Though it has few other services, what Tutanota lacks in size, it makes up for in professionalism.

With a free and paid plan that's only €1/month, Tutanota offers a lot of protection for a low price. End-to-end encrypted, 2FA, zero-knowledge search, login protection, custom domains, inbox rules, with more features on the way. There's a lot to like about Tutanota, especially regarding transparency. Their source code is published on GitHub (same as Internxt), they post their company roadmap on their website, and they are ridiculously easy to contact directly.

In addition to email and calendar functions, Tutanota offers Secure Connect, an encrypted contact form for websites that allows for safe two-way communication between businesses and their clients. Secure Connect can send and receive files using a temporary email or your regular email account, and be customized to fit a company's needs and aesthetics.

Proton Mail

Proton Mail is an encrypted email service based in Switzerland that offers a free basic version to everyone and a paid version promising more features and convenience. With a clean web app and mobile apps on the Google Play Store and Apple App Store, it's super-easy to access your encrypted email.

A handy feature called Proton Bridge allows users to link their Proton account to their favorite email client without sacrificing security. Proton also has encrypted Proton Calendar, VPN, and Drive services for those looking to branch out.

Proton's Mail service is much more advanced than similar services by other providers. It's easy to see why Proton has become one of the more prominent names in the encrypted email game.

It also offers Proton Drive, a zero-knowledge cloud provider and competitor of Internxt Drive and Mail.

Posteo

Sustainable, independent, and ad-free, Posteo is the green choice for encrypted email based in Germany. If minimizing your carbon footprint is essential to you, look no further than Posteo.

Not only does 100% of the energy used to power their service come from renewable sources, but the company also strives to be sustainable in every other way imaginable. Financially they avoid debt. They are incredibly progressive with employee contracting. They only offer vegetarian lunches in the office, donate to NGOs, push public transportation, and stress efficiency in everything they do.

Posteo's encrypted and open-source email and calendar service is solid, with tons of features like an encrypted address book and the ability to pay anonymously. Their customer service is also top-notch. If you need a simple but safe email and care about people, the earth, and doing the right thing, Posteo is the move.

Mailfenc

Mailfence is a highly secure, affordable, and mature email service based in Belgium. The encrypted service offers a long list of security features like PEM and 2FA; all hosted on their local servers in-house.

Mailfence encryption happens in the browser and is fully interoperable with any OpenPGP service. With digital signatures, Mailfence users can digitally sign emails and guarantee the recipient that you and only you have sent them. Mailfence also has the Keystore, where you can easily create, import, publish and manage OpenPGP keys without installing any extra software.

Other Mailfence services include Messages, Calendars, Documents, and Groups. Mailfence is well on its way to becoming a solid alternative to Google Workspace.

PreVeil

PreVeil is an encrypted email service with a big emphasis on business compliance in the US. What makes PreVeil unique is integration.

While PreVeil does have a web and mobile app, PreVeil Email also lets you send and receive encrypted emails using your existing email address. PreVeil can integrate with mail clients like Outlook, Gmail, and the Mail app on Mac while also working on browsers and mobile devices. If you want encryption but aren't ready to leave your current service and address, PrevVeil is the ultimate compromise.

Indeed more business-focused; if you are interested in enterprise solutions or US government compliance, PreVeil has your encryption needs covered.

Librem Mail

Librem Mail, and its overarching ecosystem Librem One, is part of an office-type suite from Purism, the self-described "social purpose company." Purism believes in complete and total digital freedom and even creates its own hardware free of firmware.

Think of Librem mail as the company's answer to Microsoft Office or Apple productivity tools. And no, you do not need to use Purism devices to operate Librem Mail. Librem Mail is an end-to-end encrypted and decentralized email account. Features are pretty standard compared to other providers, but the service goes further than most by deleting all unencrypted mail after 30 days.

All Librem One products (Mail, Chat, Social, Tunnel) work with most devices and operating systems. Purism is all about not locking users into one brand or service.

Best Alternative to an Encrypted Email Service

If you're just too comfortable with your Gmail and really can't switch over to a fully encrypted service, an anonymous email generator or email sharing software is another option.

An email generator will automatically create you a temporary email address and temporary inbox you can use to communicate with untrustworthy sites or unverified people. And with the help of email sharing software, you can do 2-way sync your entire Gmail email inbox and automate the entire process.

Most temporary emails are free and give you a disposable email address that dissapears or self-deletes once it becomes inactive. If you don't want to completely migrate to an encrypted email service, an email generator is a good compromise that can help to keep you real accounts safe and free of spam.

What Is the Best Encrypted Email Service?

When it comes down to one encrypted email service, Posteo is our favorite choice.

While it lacks an entire ecosystem like many other services, what Posteo does set out to do, it does well. The fact that it's free and open-source and follows sturdy privacy and social philosophy, not just in product but in practice, is a huge plus. Sustainability and open-source software is the future, and Posteo understands

If you want more services under one umbrella, you may want to go another route like Internxt or Proton, but if you just want an encrypted email service provider you can trust and not think twice about, commit to Posteo.  To help you make an informed decision, many online resources allow you to create infographics that compare and contrast different encrypted email services.

Transfer Large, Encrypted Files With Internxt Send

While encrypted email is a convenient way to send sensitive information, many services limit the size of files you can send. Instead of trusting your internet provider with all of your confidential information, send large files with Internxt Send instead.

With no first or third-party access to your information, even Internxt can't access or view the data you transfer. Internxt Send is open-source, end-to-end encrypted, and completely free. Share via your preferred encrypted email tools or copy and paste a share link into your favorite encrypted messenger app. Don't let your email provider dictate your privacy. Share safe with Internxt.

Yahoo email may not be the most popular email option in 2026, but it is still an active service with millions of users.

If it is on your list of potential email providers, this article will cover:

• Is Yahoo email secure?
• Features, free storage, and pricing
• How secure is Yahoo email, encryption, and privacy
• Security and privacy concerns
• A private alternative to Yahoo

If you’re looking for an end-to-end encrypted email specifically, you can try Internxt Mail, now with an 85% discount on all Ultimate monthly and annual plans, which includes 5TB of encrypted storage and access to all of Internxt's features.

Table of contents

• About Yahoo email
• Is Yahoo email secure?
• Is Yahoo encrypted?
• Is Yahoo private?
• Is Yahoo email secure from hackers?
• How to get more security for your Yahoo account
• Best secure and private alternative to Yahoo
• Related products
• Frequently asked questions

About Yahoo email

Yahoo was initially launched in 1997 and is still active in 2026 with approximately 225 million users.

It is available via web browsers and mobile apps and continues to receive updates and new features. Although not as popular as Outlook or Gmail, it is one option to consider if you need an extra email for business or personal use.

Before we cover is Yahoo email secure enough to meet your needs, we will first cover what features it offers in the table below.

Is Yahoo email secure?

Yahoo is secure in the sense that it has advanced security features that protect your account, but its main limitation is that it is not an end-to-end encrypted email service.

Yahoo uses TLS encryption to protect data while it’s transmitted to your device and on Yahoo’s servers. However, as Yahoo manages the encryption keys, they can theoretically decrypt and access the contents of your email, severely limiting the privacy of the messages you send.

Therefore, Yahoo should be considered secure, but not as private as an email service specifically designed around end-to-end encryption, such as Internxt Mail, where emails are encrypted on your device and can only be read by you and your intended recipients.

Is Yahoo encrypted?

Yes, Yahoo Mail uses data encryption, but it is important to understand what type of encryption it provides and the difference between zero-knowledge encrypted services.

Yahoo Mail uses TLS encryption for emails sent between your device and Yahoo's servers to prevent hackers from intercepting and reading your messages. Once emails reach Yahoo’s infrastructure, they are protected using approved encryption methods such as AES and RSA.

Is Yahoo private?

Having covered is Yahoo email secure relating to encryption, there are other privacy topics that you should know regarding Yahoo email.

According to Yahoo’s privacy policy, Yahoo states that its systems may analyze and store communications content, including incoming and outgoing emails, attachments, and other communications.

This analysis is used for functions such as spam filtering, searching your mailbox, travel information, and other Mail features.

For your personal information, Yahoo states it collects the following data from your account:

• IP addresses
• Device identifiers
• Cookies
• Browser information
• Location information
• Search activity
• How you interact with Yahoo and certain third-party websites and apps

Advertising is another major reason Yahoo collects information about your device activity, inferred interests, location, searches, and other information to provide you with personalized advertising.

While you can control these settings in your account to limit the amount of data you share with Yahoo, if you don’t know these beforehand, your Yahoo account is severely limited in relation to privacy, as Yahoo relies on your data for its services to function.

Is Yahoo email secure from hackers?

Yahoo’s encryption is designed to protect your emails from hackers, but despite that, Yahoo has a past of security breaches, hacks, and paying millions in fines for lack of proper data protection.  

Similar to past Dropbox data breaches, Yahoo has suffered from the following security incidents over the years.

The 2013 and 2014 breach information is based on Yahoo's own security notices and the Yahoo data breach settlement documentation.

So, if you are evaluating is Yahoo email secure in 2026, the accurate conclusion is that Yahoo has a serious historical security and privacy record, which may make you want to consider other email providers, which we cover in our article on best encrypted email services.

While these past incidents do not necessarily mean that Yahoo Mail is currently insecure, they are important historical factors when comparing Yahoo with other email providers.

How to get more security for your Yahoo account

Use a strong password and two-factor authentication

For all accounts, you should change passwords at least every three months using a strong password generator to create passwords that are secure against hacking attempts.

All of your accounts, including Yahoo email, should combine this strong password with two-factor or multi-factor authentication to confirm it is you trying to access your email, and not somebody trying to hack your account.

Account recovery

Keep your recovery information secure, up to date, and your recovery email and phone number are still accessible, so if you forget your password, you can still access your email.

Your recovery accounts should also have strong passwords and two-step verification where available.

Check login activity

Check your recent login activity regularly, and if you see a login or security change that you do not recognize, investigate it immediately and change your password if necessary.

Yahoo also sends alerts when important security settings are changed so you can take action quickly to protect your account.

Identify phishing attempts

Yahoo will never ask for your password through email or a phone call, so if you receive a phishing email, phone call, or text message saying there is a problem with your account, do not enter your Yahoo credentials on links sent through suspicious messages.

Check email filters

Attackers can create a filter that automatically moves incoming security alerts, password-reset emails, or other important messages into another folder so you never see them. Yahoo specifically recommends checking for unfamiliar filters after suspicious activity.

Best secure and private alternative to Yahoo

Internxt Mail is the best encrypted email alternative to Yahoo, Gmail, and Outlook, as it guarantees the privacy of your messages and attachments with end-to-end Kyber 512 and AES 256 encryption.

With Internxt, only you and the people you send emails to can view its contents; not even Internxt can access them, as all data is encrypted on your device before transmission and in Internxt’s data centers.

All your data with Internxt is protected by European GDPR privacy laws, and Internxt is fully audited, open source, and compliant with ISO 27001, SOC 2, and HIPAA, offering the best data protection for all data and industries.

So while Gmail and Yahoo email use your data for advertising, profit, and data surveillance, Internxt focuses on guaranteeing your privacy with its encrypted cloud storage, email, and full privacy suite.

Get started with Internxt Drive for free, or get access to Internxt Mail with your exclusive 85% discount on monthly and lifetime plans, using the link below, where you can also see the full features of all Internxt plans.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the best alternative to Gmail?

Internxt Mail is the best alternative to Gmail as it protects your messages with post-quantum end-to-end encryption, including with Internxt Drive, so nobody but you, or who you send emails or share files with, can access your files.

How secure is Yahoo email?

Your personal information is collected, analysed, and used by Google and Gmail to improve its services. While Google offers strong security and encryption when sending emails, it is still not the most private method, so you should consider using end-to-end encrypted emails.

Is Yahoo email secure?

Yes.

Yahoo uses in-transit and at-rest encryption, spam and malware protection, phishing detection, and security features such as two-step verification to protect your account and emails from data breaches and cyberattacks, but there are better options if you want encrypted and fully private email providers, like Internxt Mail.

Is Yahoo secure for confidential documents?

Yahoo protects emails and attachments with encryption during transmission and encrypts stored data. However, Yahoo does not provide end-to-end encryption, so highly confidential documents may require additional protection or encrypted email alternatives.

Is Yahoo email end-to-end encrypted?

No.

Yahoo encrypts emails in transit using TLS and encrypts stored emails at rest. However, standard Yahoo does not provide end-to-end encryption, so they can decrypt the contents of your emails as they manage the encryption keys.

Does Yahoo email encrypt attachments?

Yes. Attachments in Yahoo are encrypted during transmission and when they are stored, like the contents of the email body; however, attachments are not end-to-end encrypted.

Google has strong security measures, encryption, and account settings to secure your Gmail account, but as we will see throughout this article, Google doesn’t use end-to-end encryption and prioritizes using your data for profit, rather than protecting your privacy.

In this article, we will cover:

• Is Gmail secure and private?
• 5 ways to add security to your Gmail account
• The best private alternative to Gmail

Table of contents

• How secure is Gmail?
• Is Gmail encrypted?
• Is Gmail private?
• Is Gmail secure from hackers?
• How to get more security for your Gmail account
• Best secure and private alternative to Gmail
• Related products
• Frequently asked questions

How secure is Gmail?

Gmail is highly secure, with encryption in transit and at rest, strong spam and malware protection, phishing detection, suspicious-login alerts, and features such as two-step verification and passkeys.

However, security ≠ privacy.

Gmail protects your account and data from unauthorized access, but standard Gmail is not end-to-end encrypted, meaning Google can technically access email content, so your messages, attachments, cloud storage, and photos are not secure from Google’s surveillance.

This goes for similar email providers, such as Yahoo email and Outlook's encryption, which also use in-transit and at-rest encryption on servers they manage.

Is Gmail encrypted?

Gmail uses encryption in transit (TLS) to protect emails while they travel between Gmail and your recipients and uses encryption for emails for data at rest, which protects emails stored on Google’s servers.

In terms of encryption, when asking is Gmail safe and secure, yes, it is, but Gmail is not a private email as it doesn’t use end-to-end encryption.

In the same way as Google Drive encryption, Google holds the encryption keys to emails you send and receive on its servers. As a result, Google can decrypt these messages, view their contents and attachments, and hand this data to third parties.

For true privacy for your emails and cloud storage, Internxt Drive and Internxt Mail offer end-to-end encryption, which encrypts everything on your device before it is sent over the Internet and stored on Internxt’s servers.

This way, unlike Google, nobody but you and your recipients can see the contents of your private emails.

Is Gmail private?

No, although Google is secure, the lack of end-to-end encryption mentioned before means Google can decrypt your email at any time as they manage the keys on their servers.

When you use Gmail, it collects the following data from you:

• Email data, including the emails, attachments, contacts, and other content you store in Gmail.
• Location information
• Gmail search history, including recent searches you make within Gmail
• Advertising interactions, such as which Gmail ads you click or dismiss
• Scans your email content to enable smart features

And it doesn’t stop there; if you use Google Chrome, an Android device, or YouTube, then Google collects and analyzes your data from these services, too.

This, on top of the €100 million+ Google has paid in GDPR fines, shows Google relies on profiting from your data, rather than protecting it.

Is Gmail secure from hackers?

You may be concerned about the privacy of Google and asking yourself how secure is Gmail from hackers and data breaches?

Google has advanced security measures to protect accounts from hackers, but if a data breach did happen on Google’s servers, your data could be exposed due to the lack of zero-knowledge encryption.

This is true for all big tech companies, as seen by Dropbox, where a security incident exposed 68 million user passwords.

With Gmail, you can add extra security measures to protect your account from hackers, and for more privacy in the cloud, you can encrypt a Gmail folder and check and limit the data you share with Google.

For Gmail, the security steps below will help you add more security to your Gmail.

How to get more security for your Gmail account

Set up a strong password

A strong password or passphrase is the first step to take when you set up a Gmail account to protect it from hackers that use brute force or dictionary attacks.

If you already have a Gmail account, or any account for that matter, you should change your password at least every six months, or if you suspect an attack on your account.

Setting up a strong password is easy with Internxt’s strong password generator, where you can create a strong password or passphrase, and check its strength with our free password checker.

Turn on Two-Factor Authentication

Google offers multiple options for 2FA, known as two-step verification, to add an extra security step to confirm it is you trying to access your account, and not a hacker or other unauthorised party.

The options to set up two-step verification can be found on Google’s help center.

Identify phishing emails

Businesses normally train employees to spot phishing emails, but it’s just as important in your personal life, as phishing has consistently been in the top three major causes of data breaches. So learning how to identify a phishing attack will help keep your Gmail account secure.

Use S/MIME encryption

Google offers enhanced encryption, or S/MIME, similar to Outlook encryption. However, this is aimed at enterprise users, and you’ll need to pay for an eligible paid Google plan to use it.

Even if you do have this enhanced encryption, they are still not end-to-end encrypted, so emails may still be accessed by Google, and S/MIME encryption only works if the recipient has it enabled.

Set up Google’s Advanced Protection Program

Finally, Google offers an Advanced Protection Program, which it describes as offering the most advanced security for people who are targets of cyberattacks, such as governments, business leaders, etc.

The program requires a security key to protect sensitive documents or other personal Google data. So even if a hacker accesses your login credentials, they can’t sign into the account without this passkey.

Best secure and private alternative to Gmail

Having covered is Gmail secure, and the extra security measures you can take, you may be wondering what is the best encrypted email and alternative to Gmail is.

Internxt Mail is the best private email to encrypt your messages on your device, so only you and your recipient can view its contents and attachments. All of your data is protected by post-quantum and zero-knowledge encryption, and Internxt never uses your data for profit.

Internxt is also independently audited by Securitum, the same company that audits Proton, and is fully open source and transparent.

With Internxt, we have nothing to hide, except your data.

Mail is part of Internxt’s Ultimate monthly or lifetime plan, which gives you everything you need to migrate your data away from Google and start protecting the privacy of your cloud storage, email, and more.

The full features of our plans can be found below, and you can claim 85% off any monthly or lifetime plan with our special offer link below.

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Internxt Mail - The Best Encrypted Email for Privacy.

Internxt Mail is an encrypted email solution that keeps your inbox safe. Thanks to post-quantum encryption, Internxt is the most secure email service for privacy.

The Best Encrypted Email for Privacy.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best alternative to Gmail?

Internxt Mail is the best alternative to Gmail as it protects your messages with post-quantum end-to-end encryption, including with Internxt Drive, so nobody but you, or who you send emails or share files with, can access your files.

Is it safe to send personal information through Gmail?

Your personal information is collected, analysed, and used by Google and Gmail to improve its services. While Google offers strong security and encryption when sending emails, it is still not the most private method, so you should consider using end-to-end encrypted emails.

Is Gmail safe and secure?

Yes.

Google uses encryption, spam and malware protection, phishing detection, and security features such as two-step verification to protect your account and emails from data breaches and cyberattacks, but there are better options if you want encrypted and fully private email providers.

Is Gmail secure for confidential documents?

Gmail protects emails and attachments with encryption during transmission and encrypts stored data. However, standard Gmail does not provide end-to-end encryption, so highly confidential documents may require additional protection or zero-knowledge encrypted services like Internxt Mail.

Is Gmail encrypted?

Yes. Gmail encrypts emails in transit using TLS and encrypts stored emails at rest. However, standard Gmail does not provide end-to-end encryption, so they can decrypt the contents of your emails as they manage the encryption keys.

Does Gmail encrypt attachments?

Yes. Gmail encrypts attachments during transmission and when they are stored, like the contents of the email body; however, attachments are not end-to-end encrypted.

Outlook is part of the Microsoft ecosystem of OneDrive, Teams, SharePoint, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Copilot.

It offers plans for individuals, families, and businesses and cloud storage of up to 6TB. For this article, we will cover is Outlook secure for your needs, whether you need an email service with end-to-end encryption for your privacy needs, and the following topics.

• How secure is Outlook email?
• Outlook security features and settings
• How to encrypt emails in Outlook
• How to secure your Outlook account
• Encrypted email alternative to Outlook

Table of contents

• How secure is Outlook email?
• Is Microsoft Outlook private?
• How to send an encrypted email with Outlook
• Is Outlook secure for my personal data or private emails?
• Is Outlook secure? An overview of the biggest privacy risks
• How to secure your Outlook account
• Alternative to Microsoft Outlook
• Related products
• Frequently asked questions

How secure is Outlook email?

Yes, Outlook is secure and has various built-in and personalized security features you can configure to ensure the security of your Outlook email.

For email, cloud storage, or any other services that take potentially confidential information to send over the internet, there are two things to consider: security and privacy.

So is Microsoft Outlook secure? Yes, it has various security features including:

1. Encryption: Outlook uses encryption to help protect your emails and data during transmission and storage.
2. Multi-factor authentication: Adds an extra layer of protection by requiring additional verification when signing in, making it harder for someone to access your account even if they know your password.
3. Spam filtering: Automatically detects and filters unwanted or suspicious emails to reduce the risk of spam and malicious messages reaching your inbox.
4. Phishing protection: Helps identify suspicious emails and links that may attempt to steal passwords, financial information, or other personal data.
5. Malware protection: Scans emails and attachments for potentially harmful content, helping protect users from viruses and other malicious software.
6. Suspicious activity detection: Microsoft monitors accounts for unusual sign-in activity and can alert users when potentially unauthorized access is detected.

Is Microsoft Outlook private?

Is Outlook a secure email? Yes.

Outlook uses encryption in transit and at rest to help protect your emails and data, but Outlook security and privacy are two different things, similar to other services which don't use end-to-end encryption, like Gmail and Yahoo email.

Security is about protecting your Outlook account and emails from threats such as hackers, malware, phishing, and unauthorized access.

Privacy is about controlling who can access, process, or use your data, including whether the service provider itself can access your email content.

Because Outlook is not end-to-end encrypted, Microsoft can still access and process the contents within its systems.

How to send an encrypted email with Outlook

If you have a paid OneDrive plan, you can encrypt the message before sending it to prevent the recipient’s email provider from accessing the encrypted content in the following steps:

• Open Outlook and select New mail.
• Compose your email and add the recipient.
• Select Options or the three-dot menu in the message window.
• Select Encrypt.
• Choose the available encryption option, such as Encrypt or Do Not Forward.
• Finish your message and select Send.
• The recipient receives the protected message and may need to authenticate with Microsoft or use a one-time passcode to view it.
  

From there, you have the following encryption options to choose from:

1. Do Not Forward: Keeps the email encrypted and prevents recipients from copying or forwarding it. Microsoft Office attachments remain encrypted after download, while PDFs and images may be downloaded without encryption.
2. Encrypt: Keeps the email encrypted within Microsoft 365. Recipients can access the message and attachments through Outlook or a Microsoft 365 Message Encryption portal.
3. No permission set: The default option. Outlook uses opportunistic TLS to encrypt the connection between Microsoft and the recipient's email provider.

These options, however, still use Microsoft-managed encryption to protect the message and restrict access. Microsoft retains control of the encryption keys, so the message is not encrypted in a way that only the sender and recipient can decrypt.

For true end-to-end encrypted email that encrypts files on your device and ensures only you and your recipient can read its contents, you need a private email like Internxt Mail.

Outlook encryption overview

Is Outlook secure for my personal data or private emails?

Outlook can process your email content

Microsoft's privacy statement says it collects information about people's interactions with its products and services, including diagnostic and usage information, and explains that personal data can be processed to provide, secure, and improve its products and services.

Here is the direct passage from Microsoft’s terms and conditions:

“We use the data we collect to provide you with rich, interactive experiences. In particular, we use data to:

• Provide our products, which includes updating, securing, and troubleshooting, as well as providing support.
• Improve and develop our products.
• Personalize our products and make recommendations.
• Advertise and market to you…”

In Outlook, this information can include:

• Suggested Replies
• Rich locations
• Calendar-related functionality
• Online services
• Other cloud-backed features

To turn off this setting, follow these steps:

1. Open Outlook
2. Click the View tab
3. Select View settings
4. Select General
5. Select Privacy and data
6. Select Privacy settings
7. Find Connected experiences
8. Turn off / uncheck “Turn on experiences that analyze your content”
9. Click OK
10. Restart Outlook

How secure is Outlook email with Copilot?

If Copilot AI is available in Outlook, it can potentially use relevant emails and other Microsoft 365 information to answer a question or summarize information.

For AI, Microsoft goes on to say:

“Our processing of personal data for these purposes includes both automated and manual (human) methods of processing [...]

“As part of our efforts to improve and develop our products, we may use your data to develop and train our AI models.”

This information can include:

• emails
• files
• Teams chats
• meetings
• people
• other organizational information

To prevent Outlook from processing your email content, follow these steps:

• Open Outlook in your browser
• Click the ⚙️ Settings icon in the top-right
• Select Copilot
• Find Turn on Copilot
• Switch it Off
• Close and reopen Outlook if necessary

Security for business and school accounts

If you use Outlook with a work or school account, your mailbox is part of your organization’s Microsoft 365 environment.

This means you should not treat it like a completely private personal email account. This means that the organization has administrative and compliance capabilities to allow authorized access to your data when necessary.

As a result, you should not assume that a work or school Outlook mailbox is private, even if you are the only person who normally accesses it.

Is Outlook secure for free plans?

Outlook offers 15GB of storage and 5GB of free cloud storage for OneDrive, with OneDrive paid annual and monthly plans available for up to 6TB for individuals, families, or businesses.

For free Outlook.com accounts, advertising and your privacy are major factors to take into consideration, as all free accounts display ads in your Outlook account.

These ads can use your searches, past purchases, use of Microsoft products, online activity, and data associated with your Microsoft account to personalize ads.

Despite this, your email content is not shared with advertisers, and these vendors do not receive the content of your emails, and advertisers don't get your personal Outlook information.

You can turn off personalized advertising by going to Settings > General > Advertising Preferences. This does not remove the ads, but the ads you do see may be less relevant.

Is Outlook secure? An overview of the biggest privacy risks

When analyzing is Outlook a secure email, the answer is yes, but privacy is another matter, as we have covered in this article.

Below you can find the overview of the biggest privacy risks for Outlook when considering the question of how secure is Outlook email in relation to your privacy.

Highest:

1. There is no default end-to-end encryption: Although Microsoft 365 protects data with encryption, ordinary messages remain accessible to Microsoft’s service infrastructure.
2. Work or school accounts aren't truly private because your organization can have extensive administrative, compliance, and eDiscovery capabilities.
3. Copilot can use authorized Microsoft 365 content, including your email, as grounding/context.

Medium:

1. Some connected experiences analyze Microsoft 365 content.
2. Microsoft collects service and diagnostic information, with some controls available to users.
3. Advertisements for free Outlook.com accounts, although Microsoft explicitly says it doesn't scan email contents to target Outlook ads.

Lowest:

1. Data collection: Microsoft collects basic information associated with your Microsoft account, such as your name, contact details, account information, and preferences to operate and manage your account.
2. Third-party services: If you connect Outlook to third-party applications or services, those services may receive or process information from your account according to their own privacy policies. The privacy implications therefore depend partly on which integrations you enable.
3. Cookies: Outlook uses cookies and similar technologies for functions such as authentication, preferences, security, analytics, and advertising.

How to secure your Outlook account

When securing any of your online accounts, the basic security settings you should use are a strong password combined with multi-factor authentication.

For Outlook specifically, you can increase the security and privacy settings of your account by following the recommendations below.

Alternative to Microsoft Outlook

Now that we have covered is Outlook secure for your private emails and how to modify your Outlook settings, if these settings still aren’t enough and you want a fully end-to-end encrypted email, free from AI, ads, and Big Tech surveillance, then Internxt Mail is the best alternative to Outlook.

Internxt Mail uses post-quantum end-to-end encryption that encrypts your emails on your device before sending, meaning nobody but you and your recipient can access the contents. This means you can send confidential documents, photos, and private emails to anyone, knowing they cannot be hacked or seen by unauthorized parties.

For businesses, Internxt is GDPR, ISO 27001, HIPAA, and SOC 2 compliant, so you get secure cloud storage with Drive, combined with the best privacy for your business emails.

Mail is part of Internxt’s Ultimate plans, which you can get started with from €1.99/month, or avoid subscriptions completely with an Internxt Ultimate lifetime plan, which you can get for up to 85% off below.

Aside from mail and encrypted cloud storage, Internxt also offers NAS and rclone support, Meet, Mail, and Internxt Photos to automatically sync and backup your albums. The full features of Internxt are below and on our Internxt pricing page.

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Internxt VPN — Encrypted and Private VPN

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Frequently asked questions

Is Outlook end-to-end encrypted?

No, not by default. Standard Outlook email does not provide end-to-end encryption between the sender and recipient. Additional technologies such as S/MIME can provide message-level encryption, but the best alternative is end-to-end encrypted email providers like Internxt Mail.

Can my employer read my Outlook emails?

If you use a work or school Outlook account, your organization controls the Microsoft 365 environment. Depending on its policies and configuration, authorized administrators may have access to tools for compliance, eDiscovery, retention, legal holds, auditing, and security investigations.

Is Outlook safe if I have a free plan?

Free Outlook.com includes security protections such as encryption, spam filtering, malware protection, and account security features. However, it is ad-supported and has additional privacy considerations compared with paid Microsoft 365 plans.

For Android users, all the photos you take are automatically backed up into Google Photos; the same goes if you have Google Photos on iOS or your desktop devices.

But what if you don’t want to automatically back up your Google Photos?

Or what if you no longer want to be a part of Google’s business model that profits from your data?

Luckily, this article gives you an easy and step-by-step guide on how to stop Google Photos backup, and why Internxt is the perfect alternative to Google that respects the privacy of your photos and your data.

Table of Contents

What is Google Photos backup?

Google Photos backup is included in the app and automatically uploads your photos and videos from your phone or tablet to your Google Photos account. Once enabled, new photos and videos are backed up automatically over Wi-Fi or mobile data, depending on your settings.

Backed-up photos and videos count toward your Google One plan, so 15GB if you use Google’s free cloud storage, or up to 2TB. Google Photos backup is shared across Google Photos, Google Drive, and Gmail.

The advantages of cloud storage backups mean you can access your files from any device signed in to your Google account, and you can restore your files in case of accidental deletion, lost device, or if your device becomes compromised by ransomware.

Why people turn off Google Photos backup

Turning off your Google Photos backup can have its advantages, one of the main ones being privacy.

When Google Photos backup is enabled, your photos and videos are automatically uploaded to Google's cloud servers, and as Google manages your encryption keys, they could potentially access your photos stored in its servers.

If you want your photos backed up with end-to-end encryption, then Internxt Drive encrypted cloud storage and Internxt Photos offer post-quantum encryption, ensuring nobody but you can access your backed-up photos.

Other reasons include:

• Storage limits: Backups in Google Photos, so disabling it can avoid cloud storage full messages.
• Reduce mobile data usage: Uploading large photos and videos can quickly consume your monthly data allowance.
• Battery life: Backing up photos can increase battery consumption, especially when backing up large albums.
• Backups are stored in another cloud: This helps avoid duplicate uploads, saves cloud storage space, and ensures new photos are only backed up by services like Internxt that respect user privacy.

What happens when you turn off Google Photos backup?

Before we learn how to stop Google Photos backup, we should know what happens to your photos in the cloud when backups are turned off.

Once turned off, Google Photos will update your settings with the following changes:

• Photos already backed up remain in Google Photos.
• New photos and videos stop uploading.
• Photos stay on the device unless manually deleted.
• Difference between disabling backup and deleting photos.

How to stop Google Photos backup on Android and iOS

If you want to disable Google Photos backup on Android and iOS, you can turn off Backup in the app's settings. This stops any new photos or videos from being uploaded, but it doesn't delete the files that have already been backed up to your Google account.

1. Open the Google Photos app on your Android device.
2. Tap your profile picture or initials in the top-right corner.
3. Tap Photos settings.

1. Tap Backup.
2. Turn off the Backup toggle.

How to disable Google Photos backup on Windows and Mac

To turn off Google Photos backup on your desktop, follow these steps:

1. Open Google Drive for desktop on your Windows PC or Mac.
2. Click the Google Drive icon in the system tray (Windows) or menu bar (Mac).
3. Click the Settings icon, then select Preferences.

1. In Google Photos, click a folder to open its settings.

1. Turn off Back up to Google Photos or remove the folder from backup.

1. Click Done and Stop backing up to save your changes.

After doing this, new photos and videos from your computer will no longer be uploaded to Google Photos.

1. Repeat steps 3–5 for each folder listed on Google Photos.
2. Click Save to apply your changes.

Why should you stop Google Photos backup?

Google has paid hundreds of millions in GDPR fines due to breaches in privacy laws, including a €10 million fine for passing identifying information of people who requested deletion to third parties without consent.

With the increased integration of Gemini AI, which analyzes your photos for advanced facial recognition, including identifying people who may not use Google. This means Google can learn more about where you live, work, and other private information about your personal life.

Google Photos and Google Drive encryption is not end-to-end encrypted for your photos, folders, or your metadata, which means the privacy of your folders and personal information is all available for Google to see.

It’s also concerning that, due to Google’s lack of transparency as a closed-source service, we have no way of knowing what other methods Google or Gemini AI use that could be a breach of our privacy.

Alternatives to Google Photos

Internxt Drive

Internxt Drive is an open-source, European cloud storage with zero-knowledge encryption to store and back up your photos in total privacy.

As a private alternative to Google Photos, Internxt offers end-to-end encrypted cloud storage that means nobody but you, not even Internxt, can view your Photos, or any other files, as only you hold the decryption key.

Internxt paid plans also offer alternatives to Google’s products so you can fully deGoogle your life, including:

• Internxt Meet: private video calling and an alternative to Google Meet
• Internxt Mail: alternative to Gmail

For the full list of Internxt’s features, check out our plans below or view the full pricing and get 85% off all Internxt plans.

Internxt Photos

Internxt also offers end-to-end encrypted backups with Internxt Photos to sync and backup files to keep your memories updated, accessible wherever you are, and protected from data loss.

Internxt Photos offers a completely ad-free experience, free from the data tracking and AI of Google Photos to ensure your photos remain yours, private, and secure.

Photos is included in the Internxt Ultimate plan, which also includes NAS cloud backup support if you need extra backup for your photos on your QNAP or Synology device.

You can test Internxt for free, or if you’re ready to make the switch from Google, claim your 85% discount below!

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Frequently asked questions

How to stop Google Photos from backing up?

Open the Google Photos app, tap your profile picture, go to Photos settings > Backup, and turn off the Backup toggle. This stops new photos and videos from being uploaded to your Google Photos account.

Does turning off Google Photos backup delete my photos?

No. Turning off backup only stops future uploads. Photos already stored in Google Photos and those saved on your device remain unchanged.

Can I stop backing up only certain folders?

Yes. On Android, open Photos settings > Backup > Back up device folders, then turn off backup for any folders you don't want to upload, such as Screenshots or WhatsApp Images.

How do I stop Google Photos from using mobile data?

Open Google Photos, go to Photos settings > Backup > Mobile data usage, and disable mobile data backup. Photos and videos will then only back up over Wi-Fi.

Why is Google Photos still backing up after I turned it off?

Check that Backup is disabled on every device using your Google Account. If uploads are still in progress, Google Photos may be finishing files that were queued before you turned backup off.

Can I pause Google Photos backup?

Google Photos doesn't have a dedicated pause option. You can temporarily stop uploads by turning off Backup and re-enabling it when you're ready.

How do I delete backed-up photos without deleting them from my phone?

Turn off Google Photos backup and disable sync on all devices using the same Google Account before deleting photos from Google Photos. Otherwise, the photos may also be removed from your device.

What's the difference between Sync and Backup in Google Photos?

Backup uploads your photos and videos from your device to your Google Photos account. Sync keeps changes, such as edits or deletions, consistent across devices signed in to the same Google Account.

Our iPhones now have the capability to take amazing, high-quality photos and videos, but they can quickly eat up your storage if you don’t know how to reduce photo size on iPhone, or how to compress a photo on iPhone.

If your cloud storage runs out, you can use the methods in this article to free up the space on your phone or back up your photos on another private alternative to iCloud Photos, like Internxt Drive and Photos.

This article will show you the best methods to optimize your storage, free up your space, compress files, and get the most out of your storage space.

Table of contents

• Why you would need to reduce file sizes on iPhone
• Image settings and file compression on iPhone
• How to reduce photo file size on iPhone from your settings
• How to free up iCloud storage space
• How to compress a photo on iPhone without losing quality
• Overview of how to reduce photo file size on iPhone
• Running out of iPhone storage? Here are your options
• Related products
• Frequently asked questions

Why you would need to reduce file sizes on iPhone

You may be wondering why your cloud storage is filling up so quickly, and it could be due to many factors such as file format, sizing, duplicate photos etc.

So reducing the file sizes and optimizing storage has several benefits, including:

• Free up storage space without deleting as many photos.
• Make it easier to email or upload photos that exceed file size limits.
• Speed up backups to iCloud or other cloud backup services.
• Store more photos on your iPhone or cloud storage account.
• Reduce the amount of storage used by photo libraries and backups.

Image settings and file compression on iPhone

HEIC vs. JPEG

Since iOS 11, Apple has used HEIC (High-Efficiency Image Container), as the default format for all its photos.

The benefit of HEIC images is that they shrink your image file size by up to 50% compared to JPEG files without compromising quality.

Another benefit is that when you share photos, it automatically converts them to a JPEG file if the device doesn’t support HEIC.

JPEG is the most widely used photo format because it’s compatible with all devices and websites, so knowing how to convert from HEIC to JPEG can be useful in some cases if you have an iPhone.

How to reduce photo file size on iPhone from your settings

To start with, Apple has built-in settings you can start with when looking for the best options on how to reduce photo file size on iPhone, which you can try out before using third-party tools.

Switch from High Efficiency to Most Compatible (JPEG).

Switching from High Efficiency will save photos in HEIC, which is almost half the size of JPEG and will help you save and back up more photos.

1. Open your iPhone Settings
2. Go to Camera > Formats
3. Select High Efficiency
   

Turn off Live Photos

Live Photos capture a still image along with a few seconds of video and audio before and after you take the picture.

Turning them off saves only the still image, which uses less storage space and reduces the file size of each photo.

• Open the Camera app.
• Tap the Live Photos icon (the circle icon at the top right).
• When the icon shows a slash through it, Live Photos is turned off.
• Take your photo normally.

Optimize iPhone Storage

If you are getting cloud storage full messages on your iPhone, one way to free up space is to use the following Optimize Storage option.

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Tap your name at the top of the screen.
3. Tap iCloud.
4. Tap Photos.
5. Turn on Sync this iPhone if it isn't already enabled.
6. Select Optimize iPhone Storage.
7. Your iPhone will automatically replace full-resolution photos and videos with smaller versions as more storage space is needed.
   

How to free up iCloud storage space

As well as reducing photo size on your iPhone, another good practice is managing duplicate photos, backing up important photos, and deleting any unwanted photos.

The best solutions to free up your photos cloud storage on iPhone are:

• Enable iCloud optimization: This should be your first step. It’s the most seamless solution.
• Clean out duplicates: The Photos app automatically finds duplicate photos for you. Go to Photos > Albums > Utilities > Duplicates and merge them to save space. If you don’t see this option, your phone just hasn’t found any duplicate images to merge yet.
• Delete unwanted shots: Regularly review your camera roll for blurry photos, accidental screenshots, and multiple takes of the same scene. A little housekeeping goes a long way.
• Keep copies in another cloud: You can free up your iCloud space by backing up your files with another cloud storage provider like Internxt Drive or Internxt Photos; both offer zero-knowledge encryption and automatic backups for extra protection against data loss.

How to compress a photo on iPhone without losing quality

If you’re wondering how to compress a photo on iPhone, unfortunately, you can't compress a photo without any quality loss, but you can reduce its file size while keeping the quality virtually unchanged by using these methods:

• Keep the photo in the HEIC format instead of converting it to JPEG.
• Resize the image dimensions slightly (for example, from 4032 × 3024 to 2048 × 1536).
• Use a high-quality compression setting (around 80–90% quality) when saving as JPEG.
• Remove unnecessary metadata, such as location information, if it isn't needed.
• Use a compression app or online tool that lets you control the compression level so you can balance file size and image quality.

Internxt File Compressor

Internxt File Compressor offers free file compression for a variety of file formats, including JPG and PNG images, MOV, ZIP, PDF, Word, Excel, and PPT.

If, for example, you want to know how to compress a photo on iPhone, follow these steps:

1. Visit https://internxt.com/file-compressor/compress-jpg
2. Drag and drop your file(s) or click Upload JPG file
3. Once the compression is complete, your file will automatically download
4. Store the new compressed file in your cloud storage

Overview of how to reduce photo file size on iPhone

Now you know how to reduce photo file size on iPhone, and the different benefits of each way. Below you can find a quick summary of which method is best for.

Running out of iPhone storage? Here are your options

The different methods in this article will help reduce photo file size on iPhone, but if you need cloud storage for photographers, or you tried all the options above, and your storage is still full, then you may want to try the options below.

Upgrade your iCloud plan

A free iCloud plan offers 5GB of free cloud storage spread across its product suite; if you need to upgrade, then iCloud offers monthly plans for up to 12TB.

Prices vary by region, but you can check out the full pricing in our article below.

Back up photos with Internxt

If you’re looking for private cloud storage for photos, Internxt Drive is an open-source and European cloud storage alternative to big tech companies like Google Photos and iCloud.

These companies don’t use end-to-end encryption by default, so the privacy of your photos isn’t as strong as Internxt’s zero-knowledge encrypted cloud storage.

Internxt also offers Internxt Photos, with the same end-to-end encryption. Photos offers a secure cloud storage for Photos solution to automatically back up and sync your files, and is free from AI, ads, and other invasions of your privacy found in Google or other services.

Premium and Ultimate Drive plans also include Internxt Cleaner, a tool to free up duplicate and junk files on your device, so you can get even more cloud storage for photos.

Monthly and lifetime plans are available for up to 5TB, with lifetime plans stackable for up to 100TB.

So if you need an encrypted cloud storage with secure backups to keep your photos secure, try out Internxt for free, or check out the features of our paid plans below, and get an 85% discount on all Essential, Premium, and Ultimate plans.

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Frequently asked questions

How do I reduce the MB size of a photo on iPhone?

You can reduce the MB size of a photo by resizing it, compressing it with a photo compression app or online tool, or converting it to the HEIC format. These methods reduce the file size while maintaining good image quality.

Can I compress photos without losing quality?

No. Any form of compression reduces image quality to some extent. However, using HEIC or light compression can significantly reduce the file size with little to no noticeable difference in image quality.

How do I email photos under a file size limit?

When attaching photos in the Mail app, iPhone lets you choose a smaller image size before sending. You can also compress or resize the photos beforehand or upload them to cloud storage and share a link instead of sending them as attachments.

To send a large number of files, consider file sharing services like Internxt Send.

Why are my iPhone photos so large?

Modern iPhones capture high-resolution photos with advanced image processing, and features like ProRAW and Live Photos can further increase file sizes. Larger photos provide better detail but use more storage space.

Is HEIC smaller than JPEG?

Yes. HEIC files are typically around 50% smaller than JPEG files while maintaining similar image quality, making them a better option for saving storage space.

How do I make a photo under 5 MB, 10 MB, or 20 MB?

Resize or compress the photo until it meets your target file size. Many photo compression apps and online tools let you choose a maximum file size, making it easy to create photos under 5 MB, 10 MB, or 20 MB.

Thanks to smartphones, taking photos has become an important part of our lives to share moments with friends and family.

Thanks to cloud storage services, we can store, share, back up, and sync our photos easily, but finding the best way to share photos online privately can be a bit more challenging.

This is due to the fact that the most popular cloud storage services for photos, like Google Photos and iCloud, offer secure storage and automatic backups and syncing, but they don’t provide full end-to-end encryption.

To help you find the best way to share photos online privately, we offer fully end-to-end encrypted services in this list to guarantee the privacy of your photos.

Table of contents

• Why you need the best way to share photos online privately
• What are the best ways to share photos online privately?
• Cloud storage
• File sharing
• Email
• Messenger apps
• Related products
• Frequently asked questions

Why you need the best way to share photos online privately

When you’re looking into methods to share photos securely, you’re likely to encounter Google Photos under cloud storage, WeTransfer for file sharing, or WhatsApp for messenger.

While these offer ways to share photos securely, by encrypting photos in transit and on their servers, they don’t offer the best encryption for private photo sharing. For the best way to share photos online privately, you need end-to-end encrypted services.

End-to-end encryption encrypts photos on your device with your own private key, so unlike Google encryption, WeTransfer, or other services, nobody but you or those you share your photos with can view your files, folders, or photo albums.

What are the best ways to share photos online privately?

End-to-end encrypted cloud storage and file sharing are the best ways to share photos securely for large photo albums. Emails are another option, but have stricter limits, but it will work fine for smaller folders.

Finally, encrypted messengers are the final option. Below, you can find the best services to share photos online securely without compromising privacy.

Cloud storage

Internxt Drive

Internxt Drive secure cloud storage offers post-quantum and end-to-end encrypted file sharing to share large videos or photos with a limit of up to 10GB, enough to share:

• ~20,000 photos at 500 KB each (compressed web images)
• ~10,000 photos at 1 MB each (high-quality smartphone photos)
• ~5,000 photos at 2 MB each (full-resolution JPEGs)
• ~2,000 photos at 5 MB each (high-resolution DSLR or modern smartphone images)
• ~500 photos at 20 MB each (RAW or professional-quality images)

With Internxt’s focus on privacy for private photo sharing, you can switch from Big Tech services that use your photos to train their AI models and get the best cloud storage for photographers, businesses, or for your own private and personal cloud storage needs.

For additional security, Internxt Drive combines private photo sharing via encryption with password-protected photo sharing for total protection and peace of mind when sharing photos online.

To share photos online privately with Internxt Drive, follow these steps:

• Create a free account at internxt.com
• Upload your photos by dragging and dropping your files, or clicking “Upload files”
• Right-click on the folder you want to share
• Choose the invite option if you want to share files via email
• Click "Copy Link" to generate your secure, encrypted link to your shared files
• Choose restricted to limit who can see your files
• Choose "Protect with Password" for extra security

To restrict access, you can view all the photos you shared via the “Shared” tab in your Internxt account and follow these steps:

1. Log in to your Internxt account
2. Click the Shared tab
3. Right-click the file you want to stop sharing
4. Click Manage Access
5. Choose Stop sharing to stop anyone from accessing the file

For secure cloud storage for photos, Internxt offers an open source, and European cloud storage alternative to big tech with an emphasis on privacy for your data, photos, and personal information.

You can combine Internxt with our full product suite, including Internxt Photos for 85% off by clicking the link to our special offer below.

File sharing

Internxt Send

Send offers encrypted file sharing for free and unlimited use to share photos securely for files up to 5GB.

You can share photos via an email or link, and shared files will automatically expire after 15 days for your security.

For the best way to share photos online privately using a free file sharing service with end-to-end encryption, visit send.internxt.com and follow these steps:

1. Drag and drop the files you want to share or click “Upload files”
2. Click “Send link” to create an encrypted link you can share with others
3. Click “Send email” to send the link via email and add your personalized message
4. Wait for your files to upload; encryption happens automatically
5. Once uploaded, you can start sharing your files
   

Email

While sending large files via email is difficult due to the size restrictions (normally around 20 or 20MB, you can still share photos securely via email for smaller photo albums or individual photos.

In the same way as cloud storage and file sharing, the best way to share photos online privately via email is using an end-to-end encrypted email provider.

Internxt Mail

Internxt Mail is an end-to-end encrypted email to send messages and attachments in total privacy.

Internxt offers the best email for privacy, as nobody but you and your recipients can view the email contents, making it the perfect solution for private photo sharing if you want to send smaller files.

Mail is available for all Ultimate lifetime and monthly plans, and with it, you get access to Internxt’s full product suite, including password-protected photo sharing, NAS cloud backups, VPN, and more, which you can check out below.

Messenger apps

One common way to share photos securely is via WhatsApp, as this is the messaging app the majority of people use to share photos with family.  

What most people don’t know, however, is that although WhatsApp uses end-to-end encryption, it shares metadata with Meta, its parent company.

You can learn more about WhatsApp and privacy in our article below.

Is WhatsApp safe for sending private photos?

We therefore recommend choosing an option from our secure messenger apps list, with one of the best options being Signal.

To share photos securely with Signal, follow these steps:

1. Download the Signal app and create an account.
2. Tap the pencil icon to start a new message, and either find a contact by their phone number, invite them to Signal, or select a contact from the list.
3. In the chat, you can select a photo that’s already on your phone by tapping the plus sign icon. Or you can tap the camera icon to take a new photo or video. The benefit of creating the photo directly in the Signal app is that it won’t save to your phone or get backed up in the cloud.
4. Tap the blue arrow to send.

Signal also lets you turn on disappearing messages and send group photos, so for the best way to share photos online privately via messenger, try using Signal over WhatsApp.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the most secure way to send pictures?

The most secure way to send pictures is by using an end-to-end encrypted messaging application, cloud storage, and file sharing. This way, only you and your chosen recipient have access to the files. Examples include Internxt Drive, Send, Mail, and Signal for secure messaging.

How can you share a photo album online?

The easiest way to share a photo album online is to put all the pictures into a folder on your computer. Then upload the folder to Internxt Drive or Send. From there, you can share a link to your photo album.

What is the best way to store thousands of photos?

Internxt Photos and Internxt Drive can back up many thousands of pictures and ensure your privacy by default. Google Photos doesn’t include end-to-end encryption, and uses AI data training to improve its services at the cost of the privacy of your photos.

Is Google Photos safe for private photos?

Google Photos is a secure platform that protects your photos with encryption during transfer and while they're stored on Google's servers. It also supports security features like two-factor authentication (2FA) to help protect your account from unauthorized access.

However, despite its security, Google Photos is not private.

Google can access your photos to power features such as facial recognition, object detection, automatic organization, and search. While these features are useful, they also mean your photos aren't completely private from the service provider.

Is it safe to send photos by email?

Email is convenient but isn't always the most private option, especially for sensitive photos. Secure file sharing services with end-to-end encryption offer stronger privacy and better control over access.

What's the difference between encrypted and password-protected photo sharing?

Password protection restricts access to anyone who knows the password, while encryption protects your photos from being read by unauthorized parties during storage and transfer.

Encrypting files has become the new norm for the digital services we use online, from VPN, email, and cloud storage.

Without it, our data is openly available for anyone to read, compromising our confidentiality, privacy, and security and potentially costing businesses millions in compliance fines.

This comprehensive guide therefore offers you a comprehensive guide on how to encrypt files to ensure your data remains protected by covering the following topics:

• How to encrypt a file on different devices
• Encrypting files before uploading to the cloud
• Cloud storage with zero-knowledge encryption
• Avoid common encryption mistakes

By the end, you will be able to encrypt files with your chosen apps, learn more about cloud storage such as Dropbox and Google Drive encrypted folders, and when to choose a zero-knowledge or cloud storage service to protect your data from being leaked online.

Table of contents

• Why encrypting your files matters
• Different methods of encrypting files
• How to encrypt files on different devices
• How to encrypt a file on mobile devices
• How to encrypt different file types
• Best services for encrypting files
• How to avoid common mistakes when encrypting files
• How to ensure your encrypted files stay protected
• Related products
• Frequently asked questions

Why encrypting your files matters

1. Protect private and confidential data: encrypting files in cloud storage, emails, or file sharing services transforms the plain text of your file to an unreadable format (ciphertext) so neither hackers nor any other unauthorised parties can access your files.
2. Preservation of privacy: Encrypting files on your devices or external drives helps keep your personal information private by making it unreadable to anyone without the correct encryption key or password. If your device is lost, stolen, or accessed without your permission, encrypted files remain protected even if someone can physically access the storage.
3. Compliance: Many industries require encryption to comply with data protection regulations like GDPR, HIPAA, or other regional requirements to demonstrate that companies take the necessary measures to protect against data breaches.
4. Secure file sharing: When sending files over networks, encryption protects your information during transmission.

Different methods of encrypting files

There are multiple ways to encrypt files depending on where they're stored, how they're being shared, and the level of protection required.

File encryption encrypts individual files or folders, making them accessible only with the correct encryption key or password. This is ideal for protecting specific documents before storing or sharing them.

Full-disk encryption encrypts an entire storage device, such as a computer's hard drive, SSD, USB flash drive, or external hard drive. It protects all data on the device and helps prevent unauthorized access if the device is lost or stolen.

For cloud storage encryption, providers like Google Drive, OneDrive, or Dropbox encrypt files only after they reach their servers.

These secure cloud storage, but as the providers stores files on servers they own and manage the encryption keys, employees can access or give access to data to law agencies if required.

Private cloud storage for your files uses client-side or zero-knowledge encryption to encrypt files before they leave your device, ensuring that only you can access their contents because files are encrypted and keys are managed on your device, so nobody but you can access your data.

How to encrypt files on different devices

How to encrypt a file on Windows

1. Right-click on the file or folder you want to encrypt.
2. Select “Properties” from the context menu.
3. Click the “Advanced” button in the General tab.
4. Check the box next to “Encrypt contents to secure data.”
5. Click “OK” and then “Apply.”
6. Choose whether to encrypt just the file or its parent folder as well.
7. Click “OK” to complete the process.

Once complete, your file shows a padlock to confirm your file is encrypted.

How to encrypt a file on MacOS

To encrypt data on your Mac device, MacOS offers built-in encryption options with FileVault and Disk Utility.

With FileVault enabled, it encrypts the entire startup disk, protecting all files, applications, and system data on your Mac. Anyone without your account password or recovery key cannot access the contents of the drive if the device is lost or stolen.

To enable FileVault on your Mac:

1. Click the Apple menu and open System Settings.
2. Select Privacy & Security, then scroll down and click FileVault.
3. Click Turn On FileVault.
4. Enter your Mac administrator password if prompted.
5. Choose how you want to unlock your disk if you forget your password. You can use your Apple Account or create a recovery key to store in a safe place.
6. Follow the on-screen instructions to confirm your choice.
7. Restart your Mac if prompted. macOS will begin encrypting your startup disk in the background, which may take a few hours.

Disk Utility allows you to create encrypted folders that act as secure virtual folders for storing sensitive files. You can also encrypt external storage devices such as USB flash drives and external hard drives.

Access to these files requires the correct password, so Disk Utility is a useful option for protecting specific files or storage devices without encrypting your entire Mac.

To do so, follow these steps:

1. Open Disk Utility from Applications > Utilities.
2. Go to File > New Image > Blank Image.
3. Enter a name for the disk image, choose where you want to save it, and specify its size.
4. Select an encryption level (128-bit AES or 256-bit AES).
5. Create and verify a strong password for the encrypted disk image.
6. Choose a disk image format and click "Save."
7. Double-click the encrypted disk image and enter your password to mount it.
8. Drag the files you want to encrypt into the mounted disk image.
9. Eject the disk image when you're finished. Your files will remain encrypted until you mount the disk image and enter the correct password again.

How to encrypt a file on mobile devices

Android

If you have screen lock enabled on your Android devices, then your data will be encrypted, and files stored on your device are unreadable without your PIN, password, or biometric authentication.

To check that your Android device is protected:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Tap Security & privacy or Security (the name may vary depending on your device).
3. Set up a PIN, password, or pattern if you haven't already.
4. Enable fingerprint or face unlock if your device supports biometric authentication.
5. Verify that your device encryption is enabled. On most recent Android devices, this is turned on automatically and cannot be disabled.

iOS

iPhone and iPads automatically encrypt all data stored on the device using hardware-based encryption.

Once you set a passcode, encryption is enabled by default, protecting your files, photos, messages, and other personal data if your device is lost or stolen.

To ensure your iPhone or iPad is encrypted:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Tap Face ID & Passcode or Touch ID & Passcode.
3. Enter your current passcode or create one if you don't already have one.
4. Scroll to the bottom of the screen and confirm that "Data protection is enabled" appears.

While both iOS and Android encrypt the data stored on your device, this protection only encrypts your local storage.

If you upload files to cloud storage or share them with others, you'll need to use encrypted cloud storage or file encryption tools if you want the files to remain protected outside your device.

How to encrypt different file types

How to encrypt a PDF file

Encrypting a PDF file is useful to protect documents containing financial records, legal contracts, medical information, business reports, personal data, or confidential work files.

To do so, follow these steps:

• Open the PDF in Adobe Acrobat Pro.
• Select All tools > Protect a PDF > Encrypt with Password.
• Choose whether you want to require a password to open the document or only to restrict editing and printing.
• Enter a strong password and confirm it.
• Click Apply to encrypt the PDF.
• Save the encrypted PDF to complete the process.

How to encrypt Microsoft Office documents

As Google Docs doesn’t allow you to password-protect documents, one workaround is using  Microsoft Office documents to protect sensitive Word, Excel, or PowerPoint files from unauthorized access.

If you want to protect financial information, business reports, contracts, personal data, or confidential work for an Office document, follow these steps:

1. Open the Word, Excel, or PowerPoint document you want to encrypt.
2. Click File > Info.
3. Select Protect Document (or Protect Workbook/Protect Presentation).
4. Click Encrypt with Password.
5. Enter a strong password and confirm it.
6. Save the document to apply the encryption.

How to encrypt a ZIP file

ZIP compresses and combines one or more files and folders into a single file. File compression reduces the overall file size, helping to free up space in cloud storage, and making it easier to store, upload, share, or download multiple files at once.

ZIP files can also be encrypted with a password using the following steps:

• Install a file archiving tool that supports encryption, such as 7-Zip or WinRAR.
• Select the file or folder you want to compress.
• Right-click the selection and choose Add to archive.
• Choose ZIP as the archive format.
• Enter a strong password in the encryption section.
• Select AES-256 encryption if the option is available.
• Click OK or Create to generate the encrypted ZIP file.

Best services for encrypting files

Internxt

With Internxt, you get encrypted storage that doesn’t require any extra steps when encrypting files. So if you’re wondering how to encrypt a file to protect your files in the cloud, Internxt does this all for you.

Internxt uses AES-256 and Kyber-512 post-quantum encryption for all free and paid plans, and you hold the encryption keys so you, and only you, can see your files.

Thanks to this zero-knowledge policy, your files are encrypted automatically on your device, during transit, and on Internxt’s servers, but because you hold the encryption keys, neither Internxt nor anybody else can view the contents.

The same applies when you share files online with Internxt: you don’t have to create an encrypted file beforehand; Internxt Drive creates an encrypted link with password protection, and you can also send encrypted files for free with Internxt Send.

On top of Internxt’s secure cloud storage, Internxt also offers more encrypted services to ensure your data remains private online with the following services:

• Internxt Meet: secure video calling
• Internxt Mail: encrypted and private email
• Internxt VPN: a private and encrypted VPN

For encrypting files and more, get started with Internxt for free, or choose from any paid lifetime or monthly plan below.

Cryptomator

With Cryptomator or a Cryptomator alternative, you can encrypt files to secure data to encrypt files on your device before uploading them to cloud storage providers like Google Drive or OneDrive to guarantee they cannot view the contents of your encrypted folders.

How to encrypt a file with Cryptomator:

1. Install Cryptomator and open the application.
2. Create a new vault and choose where if you want to save it in a cloud storage folder or on your computer.
3. Create a strong password for the vault. This password is required to access your encrypted files.
4. Copy or move the file you want to protect into the unlocked vault.
5. Cryptomator automatically encrypts the file as it is saved inside the vault.
6. When you have finished, lock the vault from the Cryptomator application.

How to avoid common mistakes when encrypting files

Data encryption is almost impossible to break; if encrypted data is hacked, it is likely due to these common errors:

1. Weak passwords: Attackers use advanced software to try to crack passwords; if you repeat or use weak passwords, it makes it easier for them to access your encrypted file or cloud storage accounts.
2. Losing a backup key: If you forget your password, you cannot regain access to your files because only you know your encryption credentials, causing the data to be permanently lost.
3. Not backing up encrypted data. Encryption does not protect against accidental deletion, hardware failure, or corruption. Keep backups of your encrypted vault in a separate location.

To prevent these mistakes, ensure you use a strong password or passphrase to protect your files and accounts, store your backup key in safe places you can always access whenever needed, and follow the 3-2-1 backup rule to protect important files against data loss.

How to ensure your encrypted files stay protected

1. Use strong, unique passwords or passphrases to protect encrypted files and accounts.
2. Enable multi-factor authentication whenever possible.
3. Keep all software up to date to protect against newly discovered vulnerabilities.
4. Back up encrypted files regularly and store backups in a separate, secure location.
5. Store passwords and recovery keys securely, such as in a trusted password manager.
6. Lock or unmount encrypted vaults when they are not in use.
7. Choose zero-knowledge cloud storage providers.
8. Verify that files have been encrypted successfully before deleting the original copies.
9. Securely erase unencrypted copies of sensitive files once they are no longer needed.
10. Use trusted, well-maintained encryption software that has been independently audited.
11. Follow the principle of least privilege by only giving access to encrypted files to people who need it.
12. Periodically test that encrypted files and backups can still be accessed and recovered.

Related products

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Frequently asked questions

Can encrypted files be hacked?

Encrypted files cannot be easily hacked if they use modern encryption standards such as AES-256 and are protected by a strong password or encryption key.

If encrypted files are hacked, it is likely due to misconfigured security settings, weak passwords, stolen encryption keys, or software vulnerabilities rather than breaking the encryption itself.

Can a cloud provider see my encrypted files?

If you upload files to cloud storage services like Google Drive, Dropbox, or OneDrive without encrypting them before they’re uploaded to the cloud, the provider can technically access your data because they do not use end-to-end encryption for standard file storage.

While these services encrypt data in transit and at rest to protect it from external attackers, they retain the encryption keys needed to decrypt your files.

If you encrypt your files before uploading them or use a cloud storage service with end-to-end encryption, like Internxt, only you hold the decryption key. This not even the cloud provider can view your file contents, even though they store the encrypted data on their servers.

What happens if I forget my encryption password or backup key?

If you forget your encryption password or lose the encryption key, you will permanently lose access to your encrypted files. Most encryption methods cannot recover encrypted data without the correct credentials, so it is important to store recovery keys securely.

Can I encrypt files before uploading to Google Drive?

Yes. Encrypting files before uploading them to Google Drive adds an extra layer of security. Only someone with the correct encryption password or key can access the file, even if your cloud account is compromised.

Is AES-256 secure?

Yes. AES-256 is one of the most secure encryption standards available today. It is widely used by governments, financial institutions, and cybersecurity professionals to protect sensitive data and is considered resistant to current brute-force attacks when paired with a strong password.

Can encrypted files be recovered?

Yes, but only if you have the correct password, encryption key, or a valid recovery key. Without these credentials, recovering properly encrypted files is generally not possible.

Which file types can be encrypted?

Almost any file type can be encrypted, including documents, PDFs, spreadsheets, images, videos, audio files, databases, archives, and backups. Encryption works on the file's contents rather than its format, making it compatible with virtually all file types.

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