File Storage & Backup · head to head
pCloud vs IDrive
pCloud
File Storage & Backup
Prices are final. No setup fees or other hidden charges
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
IDrive
File Storage & Backup
Affordable online backup with multiple device support
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only IDrive has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: pCloud headline lifetime prices are discounted promotional prices; the Premium 500GB lifetime plan is listed at $299 struck through down to $199, and Ultra 10TB at $1,890 down to $1,190, so the full non-promotional price is materially higher; IDrive the advertised annual rates are first year introductory prices, with standard pricing applying from the second year onward
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which pCloud and IDrive actually diverge.
Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (File Storage & Backup).
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 pCloud
Nothing recorded that IDrive does not also cover.
Only in IDrive
- Multiple device backup
- True archiving
- Continuous protection
- IDrive Express
- Snapshots
- File sharing
- iOS
- Android
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
pCloud
No use cases recorded yet. See the pCloud review.
IDrive
- Online backup for computers, servers and mobile devicesnot pCloud
- Backing up multiple machines under one accountnot pCloud
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
pCloud
- Headline lifetime prices are discounted promotional prices; the Premium 500GB lifetime plan is listed at $299 struck through down to $199, and Ultra 10TB at $1,890 down to $1,190, so the full non-promotional price is materially higher
- Ultra 10TB plan's download link traffic is capped at 2TB, the same limit as the much smaller Premium Plus 2TB plan, despite the 5x storage difference
IDrive
- The advertised annual rates are first year introductory prices, with standard pricing applying from the second year onward
- The two year offer discounts only the first year, so the second year reverts to the full rate
- Team plans tie user and computer counts to the storage tier, so 10 TB means exactly 10 computers
- Business storage costs far more per terabyte than Personal, at $719.88 a year for 1.25 TB against $143.88 for 5 TB
Pricing, plan by plan
pCloud
On requestNo published plan breakdown. See the pCloud review.
IDrive
Free- Personal$4/month
- 5TB storage
- Unlimited devices
- IDrive Express
Which should you pick?
Choose pCloud if
Nothing in the data separates pCloud from IDrive on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.
Choose IDrive if
- You need multiple device backup.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Windows, Mac, Linux, Web.
- You also want true archiving.
Questions people ask
- Is pCloud or IDrive better?
- Neither clearly leads. pCloud starts at On request and IDrive at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, pCloud or IDrive?
- IDrive has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for pCloud and Free for IDrive.
- Does pCloud or IDrive run on more platforms?
- pCloud runs on Web. IDrive runs on Windows, Mac, Linux, Web.
- Can I use IDrive for free?
- Yes. IDrive has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. pCloud starts at On request.
- What can pCloud do that IDrive cannot?
- IDrive covers Multiple device backup, True archiving, Continuous protection, IDrive Express.