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File Storage · head to head

Cloudflare R2 vs pCloud

Cloudflare R2 logo

Cloudflare R2

File Storage

S3-compatible object storage that charges nothing for egress to the internet

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
pCloud logo

pCloud

File Storage

Prices are final. No setup fees or other hidden charges

From
$199/one-time
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Cloudflare R2 has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Cloudflare R2 there is no archive tier below Infrequent Access, so genuinely cold data costs roughly ten to fifteen times what it would cost in a deep archive class and there is nowhere cheaper to lifecycle it to.; pCloud ultra plan has 10TB storage but only 2TB transfer traffic, creating asymmetry
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Cloudflare R2 and pCloud actually diverge.

Attributes where Cloudflare R2 and pCloud differ
AttributeCloudflare R2pCloud
Starting priceFree$199/one-time
Pricing modelPer gigabyte stored per monthone-time
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, APIWeb

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (File Storage).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Cloudflare R2

  • Zero egress billing
  • S3 API compatibility
  • Worker binding
  • Jurisdictional restriction
  • Infrequent Access tier
  • Custom domain serving

Only in pCloud

Nothing recorded that Cloudflare R2 does not also cover.

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Cloudflare R2

  • Serving a large media or asset library to the public where transfer out, not storage, is the dominant costnot pCloud
  • Hosting a container or artefact registry that thousands of CI runners pull from every daynot pCloud
  • Distributing model weights or open datasets that are downloaded far more often than they are updatednot pCloud
  • Moving off S3 specifically to stop paying data transfer charges on a read heavy bucketnot pCloud

pCloud

  • Long-term cloud storage with no monthly feesnot Cloudflare R2
  • File archival and backupnot Cloudflare R2
  • Secure file sharing with encryptionnot Cloudflare R2

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Cloudflare R2

  • There is no archive tier below Infrequent Access, so genuinely cold data costs roughly ten to fifteen times what it would cost in a deep archive class and there is nowhere cheaper to lifecycle it to.
  • Class A operations are billed at 4.50 USD per million, so a workload that writes millions of small objects can spend more on operations than on the storage those objects occupy.
  • Infrequent Access carries both a retrieval fee and a thirty day minimum storage duration, so data that is deleted or re-read sooner ends up more expensive than if it had stayed on Standard.
  • You choose a location hint rather than a region, so you cannot prove to an auditor which datacentre holds an object unless you use a jurisdiction restricted bucket, and jurisdictions are limited.
  • Support level follows your Cloudflare account plan rather than the storage spend, so a team on a low tier account gets ticket support with no storage specific SLA, and an R2 incident is a Cloudflare incident you cannot fail over from because the free egress only exists inside Cloudflare.

pCloud

  • Ultra plan has 10TB storage but only 2TB transfer traffic, creating asymmetry
  • Download traffic limited to plan tier; no unlimited transfer option

Pricing, plan by plan

Cloudflare R2

Free
  • Free tierFree
    • 10 GB stored per month
    • 1 million Class A operations
    • 10 million Class B operations
  • Standard$0.015/month
    • Per gigabyte stored per month
    • 4.50 USD per million Class A operations
    • 0.36 USD per million Class B operations
  • Infrequent Access$0.01/month
    • Per gigabyte stored per month
    • Per gigabyte data retrieval fee
    • Thirty day minimum storage duration

pCloud

$199/one-time
  • Premium 500GB$199/one-time
    • 500GB storage
    • 500GB transfer traffic
    • unlimited file uploads
  • Premium Plus 2TB$399/one-time
    • 2TB storage
    • 2TB transfer traffic
    • unlimited file uploads
  • Ultra 10TB$1190/one-time
    • 10TB storage
    • 2TB transfer traffic
    • unlimited file uploads

Which should you pick?

Choose Cloudflare R2 if

  • You need zero egress billing.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, API.
  • You also want s3 api compatibility.
Cloudflare R2 review

Choose pCloud if

Nothing in the data separates pCloud from Cloudflare R2 on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.

pCloud review

Questions people ask

Is Cloudflare R2 or pCloud better?
Neither clearly leads. Cloudflare R2 starts at Free and pCloud at $199/one-time, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Cloudflare R2 or pCloud?
Cloudflare R2 has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Cloudflare R2 and $199/one-time for pCloud.
Does Cloudflare R2 or pCloud run on more platforms?
Cloudflare R2 runs on Web, API. pCloud runs on Web.
Can I use Cloudflare R2 for free?
Yes. Cloudflare R2 has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. pCloud starts at $199/one-time.
What is Cloudflare R2 best used for?
Cloudflare R2 is most often used for serving a large media or asset library to the public where transfer out, not storage, is the dominant cost, hosting a container or artefact registry that thousands of ci runners pull from every day, distributing model weights or open datasets that are downloaded far more often than they are updated, moving off s3 specifically to stop paying data transfer charges on a read heavy bucket. Of those, serving a large media or asset library to the public where transfer out, not storage, is the dominant cost and hosting a container or artefact registry that thousands of ci runners pull from every day are not what pCloud is typically brought in for.
What can Cloudflare R2 do that pCloud cannot?
Cloudflare R2 covers Zero egress billing, S3 API compatibility, Worker binding, Jurisdictional restriction.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Cloudflare R2: Is egress really free, with no hidden transfer charge?

Yes for data served out of R2 to the internet. You still pay per operation for the requests that serve it, and if you pull data into R2 from another provider you pay that provider the egress on the way in.

pCloud: Can I recover deleted files?

Yes, you can restore previous versions and recover data from up to 30 days ago.

Source
Cloudflare R2: How does the total cost compare with S3 for a public download bucket?

Storage is more expensive per terabyte than S3 Infrequent Access, but S3 charges roughly 90 USD per terabyte served. Any bucket that serves more than about a fifth of its stored volume each month is cheaper on R2.

pCloud: What is the difference between lifetime and monthly pricing?

Lifetime plans are one-time purchases ($199-$1,190). Monthly options are also available but exact monthly prices are not specified on the pricing page.

Source
Cloudflare R2: Can I use R2 without using the rest of Cloudflare?

Yes, it works through the plain S3 API from anywhere. You lose the Worker binding and the free CDN caching in front of it, which is where a lot of the practical benefit sits.

pCloud: Is there a money-back guarantee?

Yes, pCloud offers a 14-day money-back guarantee with 256-bit SSL encryption protecting payments.

Source
Cloudflare R2: Does R2 have a cold archive class like Glacier?

No. Infrequent Access is the coldest tier, at two thirds of the Standard rate plus retrieval fees.

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