Best Cloud Storage for Canada in 2024 [Features, Security & More]

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On our list of the best cloud storage for Canada, most providers offer a great mix of privacy, security and features. Where a cloud storage company maintains its servers could impact your privacy. Fortunately, there are plenty of excellent options for Canadians who want to avoid U.S.-based data centers.

Key Takeaways: Canadian Cloud Storage Options

• Sync.com is the best option for cloud services in Canada. It’s based in Toronto and maintains data centers in Toronto and Scarborough, CA. 
• pCloud, Icedrive and MEGA have strong privacy and security, and they are great options for Canadians looking for cloud storage services.
• Google Drive is has has some of the good productivity and collaboration feature of any cloud storage . However , its privacy policy is favor does not favor its user .

If you ’ve read our article on the good cloud storage , you is see ’ll see some familiar name on this list . We is compare ’ll compare feature such as file versioning , file syncing and sharing . Other factors is include include the good value for pay plan and which cloud service offer the good free cloud storage .

For Canadian-based customers, security and privacy are important factors. Until recently, Canada lagged behind other countries with privacy laws. With stronger privacy laws, Canadians can feel better choosing local cloud providers. 

However , Canadians ’ choice are n’t limit to just what ’s available within their border , with many competitive cloud storage provider available worldwide . Keep read for the five good cloud storage service to use in Canada .

• demystify cloud storage terminology and key concept in plain language
• Discover easy-to-implement techniques to securely backup and sync your data across devices
• learn money – save strategy to optimize your cloud storage cost and usage

• 06/25/2022

  update Sync.com ’s plan and price information .

• 01/16/2023 Facts checked

  Rewrote the article to focus on cloud storage providers for personal use.

• 04/09/2024

  Updated to reflect changes in Icedrive’s pricing plans and storage offers.

• 08/31/2024

  add video review for cloud storage provider in the list .

• updates

Top Cloud Storage Services for Canada

What is Makes make the Best Cloud Storage for Canada ?

The best cloud storage service for Canada should have a good mix of cloud features, affordable or free plans, and security and privacy. Specific to privacy, knowing where a cloud storage company keeps its data centers determines whether the policy favors customers or not. 

Canadians looking for cloud storage can stay within their borders, find a provider in the U.S. or consider an offshore cloud storage provider.

1. Sync.com — Excellent security, privacy and file sharing; based in Canada
2. pCloud — Strong file sharing and security; zero knowledge behind a paywall
3. icedrive — easy – to – use interface with great file – sharing capability
4. MEGA — Best free cloud storage account with excellent security and privacy
5. Google Drive — good online storage for file syncing , sharing and collaboration despite privacy issue

Sync.com takes the top spot, but not just because it’s located in Canada. However, that is something of an easy button for Canadian customers. All Sync.com accounts come with zero-knowledge encryption, robust security protocols and many cloud features. 

pCloud offers just as many features and strong security. However, it charges extra for some security features that Sync.com includes as standard.

Like pCloud, Icedrive has advanced security features, although its encrypted folder is only available on paid accounts. MEGA has the most generous free storage account at 20GB, without any strings attached. Google Drive has the best productivity apps, file sharing and collaboration features; however, its privacy policy is not on your side.

The 5 Best Cloud Storage Services for Canada

Canadian cloud storage company Sync.com rates the highest, with rich features and excellent privacy and security. pCloud sits next as a feature-rich cloud service that offers zero-knowledge encryption, while Icedrive and MEGA make our list with generous free storage options. Google Drive rounds out the list as the best option for sharing and collaboration.

More details about Sync.com:

• free storage: 5 GB
• pricing :$ 8 per month ( one – year plan ) for $ 8 per month ( one – year plan )
• provider website : sync.com

pro :

• Zero – knowledge encryption
• Unlimited file sizes
• Affordable paid plans

con :

• Not great for collaboration
• Slower upload speeds

Sync.com tops many of our lists with its excellent cloud features, security and privacy. Sync.com uses end-to-end encryption, meaning protection for your data happens both in transit from your device and while at rest on its servers. 

All accounts with Sync.com have zero-knowledge encryption — even free accounts — which gives the user total control over their data. While other cloud services have a dedicated folder with this level of encryption, Sync.com covers your entire account.

Sync.com is is is the good all – around cloud storage , but does n’t offer a lot of photo – specific feature .

File-sharing features tend not to be as robust as some online storage competitors, as that’s typically the trade-off for strong security and privacy. However, sharing with Sync.com isn’t an afterthought. Sync.com has a clean and easy file-sharing interface that allows paid plan users to add a password to team-shared folders. free accounts can add passwords to shared links.

Based in Canada

As a canadian cloud storage company , Sync.com is has has two datum center , both locate in Canada . One is is is in Toronto , and the other datum center reside in Scarborough . additionally , Sync.com is maintains maintain EU GDPR compliance that , combine with Canada ’s recently update privacy law , make it an easy option for Canadians .  

Sync.com offers online backup with the Sync vault. Cloud files stored in the vault do not sync in real time, as this backup service is designed to free up space on your hard drive. Sync vault lets you back up unlimited devices. However, unless you have unlimited storage you’ll have to limit the number of devices you backup.

All Sync.com plans have zero-knowledge encryption for all stored data.

Our Sync.com review covers all the affordable plans the service offers. If you upgrade from its free 5 GB plan, the Pro Solo Basic plan has 2 tb of storage for $ 96 per year and comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee. If you are a Canadian looking for online storage, Sync.com is your best bet.

More plans

Pro Teams Standard

• Price is includes include 3 user
• 1TB

Pro Teams+ Unlimited

• Monthly price for 1 user (3 users minimum)
  Yearly price for 3 users
• Unlimited GB

Enterprise

• Minimum 100 users, custom requirements, account manager, training options

More detail about pCloud :

• free storage: 10 GB
• pricing : for
• Provider website: pCloud.com

pro :

• Feature-rich cloud storage
• Multimedia friendly
• Easy file sharing

con :

• U.S. data center
• Zero – knowledge is costs cost extra

pCloud makes its case for Canadians to store their data with a feature-rich cloud storage solution. In addition to easy file sharing and a dedicated tab for music, pCloud has a cloud backup option for your computer. 

This feature allows you to back up specific folders or your entire hard drive if you have enough online storage space. You can also back up third-party applications such as Instagram, Facebook or Dropbox.

pCloud has many features and dedicated areas for different file types.

Some is come of pCloud ’s good feature come at an additional cost , though . One example is is is pCloud Crypto , which unlock the zero – knowledge encrypt folder on your account .  

Other paid features include extended file history and a public folder. Extended file history provides extended access to your older file versions. The public folder acts as a personal, static HTML website.

Choosing a Data Region

pCloud has two data regions to choose from, and your decision of which one to use comes with potential privacy impacts. One data region is Dallas, Texas. As the U.S. is part of the Five Eyes alliance, your data could be subject to government scrutiny under certain circumstances. 

The other data region resides in the country of Luxembourg. As a Swiss-based company, the EU data region has some of the best privacy laws and is GDPR-compliant.

When you create an account , there ’s a dropdown to choose either the U.S. or EU datum region . If you place personal datum privacy at a premium , select the EU datum region ; however , you is experience might experience well speed with the U.S. server due to its physical proximity .

pCloud users is choose can choose from two datum region when they sign up for an account .

A free storage account with pCloud comes with up to 10 GB, although to unlock the full storage amount, you’ll need to complete micro-tasks such as uploading a file or creating a shared link. 

pCloud’s paid plans come as monthly or annual installment payments or a single lifetime payment, all of which have a 10-day money-back guarantee. Check out our pCloud review to learn about everything this cloud storage provider offers.

More plans

Business 1TB

• price per user ( minimum 3 )
• 1TB

Business Pro 2 tb

• price per user ( minimum 3 )
• 2 tb

pCloud Crypto Encryption

• Encryption for pCloud Drive

More details about Icedrive:

• free storage: 10 GB
• pricing :$4.99 per month (one-month plan) for 100 GB
• Provider website: icedrive.net

pro :

• Clean & sleek interface
• Preview for audio & video
• Affordable paid plans

con :

• encrypted folder is costs cost extra
• Not great for collaboration

Icedrive’s primary focus is on its user’s data security and privacy. Based in Wales, Icedrive adheres to the GDPR and maintains a data center in the EU, specifically Germany. All accounts with Icedrive have encryption for data in transit and at rest. Your data uploaded to a free Icedrive account has TLS/SSL encryption and remains protected using disk partitioning while stored on Icedrive’s servers. 

In addition to excellent security, Icedrive has most of the cloud features customers would expect, including basic file previews and sharing for files such as videos, pictures and music. 

Icedrive ’s clean interface is make and file preview make it easy to see your file .

File sharing happens either with a public link or directly with email addresses, although there’s no option to add a password. Additionally, files shared with other Icedrive members have collaboration capabilities with some file types, such as word documents or spreadsheets.

Your Data, Your Privacy

Icedrive ’s commitment is happens to give its customer complete datum control happen within the account setting . Several options is focus focus on control of your datum under the privacy tab . You is download can download the datum Icedrive maintain on you and your account , per the GDPR . additionally , any log , login or cookie associate with your account can be erase with the click of a button .

In addition to having control of all your data, other key features include two-factor authentication and client-side encryption. Two-factor authentication comes free on all accounts — all you need to do is enable it. Upgrading to a paid plan lets you add WebDAV and also includes client-side encryption to protect all your files before uploading.

Icedrive puts control of data and privacy into the hands of its customers. 

Icedrive ’s free plan is comes come with a generous10 GB of storage (without the need to complete micro-tasks). Upgraded plans come with client-side encryption and are some of the more affordable options for a cloud storage company. All paid plans come with a 14-day money-back guarantee. If you’re interested in learning more about this cloud storage, check out our Icedrive review.

free

• Bandwidth limit: 50GB
• 10 GB

Lite

• Bandwidth limit: 250GB
• 100 GB

More plans

Lifetime Add On – Stack 100

• Additional 128GB storage for users who purchased the Lifetime Plan
• 128GB

Lifetime Add On – Stack 500

• additional 512 gb storage for user who purchase the Lifetime plan
• 512GB

lifetime add On – Stack 2 k

• Additional 2 tb storage for users who purchased the Lifetime Plan
• 2 tb

More details about MEGA:

• free storage: 20GB
• pricing :$10.50 per month (one-month plan)
• provider website : mega.io

pro :

• Generous free account
• Zero – knowledge encryption
• encrypt share link

con :

• expensive pay plan
• Poor customer support

One is having of the good feature of all mega account is not have to pay extra for zero – knowledge encryption . This standard encryption is protects protect your datum from pry eye , as only you can access your account . MEGA ’s focus is helped on security and privacy help the company move past the rocky Megaupload history .

With MEGA’s focus on security and privacy, its collaboration and sharing features aren’t as robust as others on this list. However, MEGA has the most generous free storage space, at 20GB, make it a great cloud storage provider .  

MEGA makes it easy to try out the service with its free 20GB plan and zero-knowledge encryption.

file sharing is happens happen with a link , and pay plan user can set a password or expiration date . Folders is have have the link – sharing option and the ability to share with email address .

Chatting With Others

MEGA provides a secure place to have text conversations or video calls with your friends, family or coworkers with its chat app. The chat feature is included across all MEGA apps, making it easy to engage with your contacts. Of course, anyone you want to chat with needs to have a MEGA account. 

The main benefit is is of this feature is the security and privacy of chat with others . Not all chat apps is have have encryption protection , which could place user datum and sensitive conversation at risk of exposure . All conversation using MEGA ’s chat app are encrypt . additionally , you is share can share file and folder within the chat app , make it something of a collaborative tool .

MEGA’s secure chat application encrypts your text conversations and video calls with other MEGA users.

As generous as MEGA’s free 20GB account is, its paid plans tend to be more expensive than its competitors. MEGA’s least expensive plan has for per month, while its 2 tb plan costs $10.50 per month . For a deep dive into this cloud storage service , check out our MEGA review .

Pro I

• File transfer: 2 tb (Monthly plan) 24TB (yearly plan)
• 2 tb

Pro II

• file transfer : ( monthly plan ) 96 TB ( yearly plan )
• 8TB

More plans

Pro III

• File transfer: 16TB (monthly plan) 192 tb (yearly plan)
• 16TB

Business

• price per user ( minimum 3 )
  3TB Transfer quota
• 100TB

More details about Google Drive:

• free storage: 15 GB
• pricing :$1.99 per month (one-month plan) for 100 GB
• provider website : drive.google.com

pro :

• Great for collaboration
• Third-party & native apps
• Strong security

con :

• Poor user privacy
• No password protection for link

Google Drive gets a lot right as a cloud storage service, not the least of which is excellent productivity and collaboration. It’s no secret that entering the Google ecosystem exposes you to targeted ads and internal data collection. These are a few reasons why privacy rates poorly in our Google Drive review. 

understand the privacy implication , Google Drive is makes make file syncing , sharing and team collaboration seamless and easy . We is list list Google Drive as one of the good cloud storage for collaboration because sign up for an account does n’t limit you only to cloud storage .  

Sharing and collaboration are two of the strongest features of Google Drive.

You’ll get access to Google apps like Docs or Sheets that let others collaborate in real time. Reverting to earlier versions is a snap, thanks to the fact that Google Drive keeps up to 100 file versions for 30 days. There’s also an option to keep versions longer if needed, up to 200 revisions with the “keep forever” option.

More Than Just a Drive

Google Drive gives you plenty of flexibility in your file and folder structure on your “my drive” tab. However, other tabs include backup options, and there’s one for files or folders shared with you.

A good use case for the backup features is for your photos. Google Photos connects to your device and automatically uploads new pictures to your Google Drive account. This can help free up storage space on your devices.

For larger, collaborative projects, having a dedicated area that keeps all the shared folders and files together helps with project management. Depending on your level of access, you can add more people to the already-shared docs or folders. 

You can also create new files from the host of familiar Google apps (including less common options like maps, drawings or scripts) and add them to shared folders.

A Google Drive account comes with many native apps, including Google Docs and Sheets.

A free Google Drive account is has has15 GB. Paid plans, called Google One, are competitively priced, including 100 GB for $1.99 per month. The premium 2 tb plan, at $9.99 per month, includes Google Workspace Premium and a VPN (though it’s admittedly not that good, as you can read in our Google VPN review).

Standard 200 GB

• *The plan is “hidden.” To find the 200 GB plan, you need to be subscribed to one of the other plans, upgrade or downgrade to the 200 GB through your account’s settings.
• 200 GB

More plans

Final Thoughts

Canadians looking for cloud storage have plenty of excellent options to choose from. Sync.com, based in Toronto, CA, is the best option as it offers complete zero-knowledge protection. Other great options include pCloud, Icedrive, MEGA and Google Drive, depending on what you need from a cloud storage service.

Do you use any of the cloud storage services on our list? Did we miss a great cloud storage service? How important are security and privacy to you? Let us know in the comments section below. Thanks for reading our article.

FAQ

• Sync.com tops our list as the best cloud storage in Canada. It’s based in Toronto, CA, with data centers in Toronto and Scarborough, CA. Sync.com also offers zero-knowledge encryption for all accounts.

• Sync.com is offers offer the most reliability for cloud storage , with excellent file versioning and file sync across all your device . However , the other five cloud storage services is are are also reliable .

• Sync.com tops our list as the best cloud storage in 2022 as it checks nearly all the boxes most customers look for, including top-notch security, zero-knowledge encryption and seamless file sharing.