File Storage · head to head
pCloud vs Scality RING
pCloud
File Storage
Prices are final. No setup fees or other hidden charges
- From
- $199/one-time
- Rated
- -
Scality RING
File Storage
Petabyte-scale object storage software on your own hardware
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: pCloud ultra plan has 10TB storage but only 2TB transfer traffic, creating asymmetry; Scality RING hardware is bought separately, so the software quote understates total cost and the buyer carries the sizing risk if the drive and server specification is wrong.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which pCloud and Scality RING actually diverge.
| Attribute | pCloud | Scality RING |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $199/one-time | On request |
| Pricing model | one-time | quote |
| Platforms | Web | Linux |
Identical on both: free tier (No), 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 pCloud
Nothing recorded that Scality RING does not also cover.
Only in Scality RING
- S3-compatible object storage
- File and object access
- Erasure coding
- Object lock
- Multi-site geodistribution
- Hardware independence
- ARTESCA
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
pCloud
- Long-term cloud storage with no monthly feesnot Scality RING
- File archival and backupnot Scality RING
- Secure file sharing with encryptionnot Scality RING
Scality RING
- A broadcaster archiving decades of video where hyperscaler storage and egress costs would be prohibitivenot pCloud
- A hospital group holding medical imaging on premises for data residency and retention reasonsnot pCloud
- An enterprise building an immutable on premises backup target for Veeam or Commvault with object locknot pCloud
- A service provider offering S3-compatible storage to its own customers on hardware it controlsnot pCloud
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
pCloud
- Ultra plan has 10TB storage but only 2TB transfer traffic, creating asymmetry
- Download traffic limited to plan tier; no unlimited transfer option
Scality RING
- Hardware is bought separately, so the software quote understates total cost and the buyer carries the sizing risk if the drive and server specification is wrong.
- Running distributed erasure coded storage requires operations skills, and organisations that expected appliance simplicity end up staffing a storage team they had not budgeted.
- Rebuild times after a drive failure on large capacity disks are measured in hours or days, and capacity planning has to leave headroom for that degraded window.
- Pricing is per usable terabyte and quoted, so cost comparisons against cloud object storage require modelling your own retrieval patterns rather than reading a rate card.
- Small deployments carry a minimum viable node count for erasure coding to work sensibly, which makes the entry footprint larger and less economic than the per-terabyte price implies.
Pricing, plan by plan
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$1190/one-time
- 10TB storage
- 2TB transfer traffic
- unlimited file uploads
Scality RING
On request- Scality RING$undefined/year
- Priced per usable terabyte, subscription or perpetual
- Server hardware purchased separately by the customer
- Support tiers quoted separately
- Scality ARTESCA$undefined/year
- Lighter object store for smaller footprints
- Priced per usable terabyte
- Commonly deployed as an immutable backup target
Which should you pick?
Choose pCloud if
Nothing in the data separates pCloud from Scality RING on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.
Choose Scality RING if
- You need s3-compatible object storage.
- You work on Linux.
- You also want file and object access.
Questions people ask
- Is pCloud or Scality RING better?
- Neither clearly leads. pCloud starts at $199/one-time and Scality RING at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, pCloud or Scality RING?
- pCloud starts at $199/one-time and Scality RING at On request.
- Does pCloud or Scality RING run on more platforms?
- pCloud runs on Web. Scality RING runs on Linux.
- What is pCloud best used for?
- pCloud is most often used for long-term cloud storage with no monthly fees, file archival and backup, secure file sharing with encryption. Of those, long-term cloud storage with no monthly fees and file archival and backup are not what Scality RING is typically brought in for.
- What can pCloud do that Scality RING cannot?
- Scality RING covers S3-compatible object storage, File and object access, Erasure coding, Object lock.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
pCloud: Can I recover deleted files?
Yes, you can restore previous versions and recover data from up to 30 days ago.
SourceScality RING: Do we buy hardware from Scality?
No. RING is software; you buy commodity servers and drives yourself, which is the point for buyers who want to rebid hardware at each refresh.
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.
SourceScality RING: Is it S3-compatible enough for backup software?
Yes, it is a common object lock target for Veeam, Commvault and Rubrik. Verify the specific S3 features your backup product needs during a proof of concept.
pCloud: Is there a money-back guarantee?
Yes, pCloud offers a 14-day money-back guarantee with 256-bit SSL encryption protecting payments.
SourceScality RING: What is ARTESCA?
A lighter object store from the same company, aimed at smaller footprints and backup targets rather than multi-petabyte archives.
Related pages
More on Scality RING
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