Comparison

pCloud vs MEGA

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

pCloud

Securely store and access your photos, videos, and documents from any device. Automatically back up media to free up phone space and stream content on the go. Share large files easily with others.

Highlights
  • Up to 10 GB free storage
  • Automatic photo and video backup
  • Stream HD videos and music
  • Send and receive large files
  • Offline file access
  • Military-grade encryption
Features
Read full description

pCloud - Secure Cloud Storage for Your Files pCloud is the secure place for your photos, videos, and documents - all in one app. Access your files anytime, anywhere, and keep everything safely stored and organized across all your devices. Back up your memories automatically, free up space on your phone, and enjoy your content on the go. Preview and edit your photos, stream HD videos, and listen to your music without downloading. Easily share large files with anyone, even if they don’t use pCloud. Start with up to 10 GB of free storage. Optionally, you can expand up to 10 TB of storage with monthly, annual or lifetime plans. Features: • Up to 10 GB free storage upon registration • Store and access photos, videos, and files • Automatic photo and video backup • Access your files anytime, anywhere • Stream videos and music instantly • Share large files with a link • Sync across all your devices • Simple, intuitive and easy to use • Add zero-knowledge encryption Terms of service: https://www.pcloud.com/terms_and_conditions.html Privacy policy: https://www.pcloud.com/privacy_policy.html

About

MEGA

Securely store, sync, and share your files with end-to-end encryption. Communicate privately with encrypted chat and video calls. Access your data from any device, anywhere.

Highlights
  • End-to-end encrypted cloud storage
  • Secure one-on-one and group chat
  • Encrypted audio and video calls
  • File upload, download, and sharing
  • Real-time folder updates
  • Cross-device access
Features
Read full description

MEGA is one app for everything private. Securely store, back up, share files, and chat, protected by true zero-knowledge encryption. Only you can access your files. Not even us. Store & back up - 20 GB of free encrypted cloud storage, no credit card required - Automatic camera backup for your photos and videos - Access your files from any device, anywhere, anytime - Restore previous versions with file version history Share & collaborate - Share files and folders with secure, password-protected links - Set expiry dates on shared links for time-limited access - Collaborate in real time with folder sharing - Transfer large files to anyone, no MEGA account needed Chat & meet privately - End-to-end encrypted one-on-one and group chats - Encrypted audio and video calls - Chat history synced automatically across all your devices Privacy by design - Zero-knowledge encryption, your data is encrypted and decrypted on your device only - MEGA cannot read your files, messages, or calls - Open-source code, publicly available and independently audited on GitHub - Your account recovery key ensures only you can access your data Start free with 20 GB of private cloud storage. Upgrade anytime for more space at mega.io/pricing Subscriptions renew automatically for successive periods of the same duration at the same price as the initial period chosen. You can cancel the automatic renewal of your MEGA subscription no later than 24 hours before your next subscription payment is due, via your Apple account settings page. All MEGA client-side application code is published on GitHub, for transparency. The code of our iOS mobile app is located at: https://github.com/meganz/ios App permissions (optional): Contacts: MEGA accesses your contacts so you can add them from your device. Microphone: MEGA accesses your microphone when you capture a video, make a call or record voice messages inside the app. Camera: MEGA accesses your camera when you capture a video or photo or make a call inside the app. Face ID: MEGA accesses Face ID to allow you to easily unlock the app's passcode when you enable this option. Local network: MEGA accesses your local network so you can place and receive calls through devices that are on the same Wi-Fi or other local network. Location: MEGA accesses your location when you share it with your contacts in chat. Add photos to photo library: MEGA accesses your photo library to add photos and videos to your device gallery. Photo library usage: MEGA accesses your photos and videos when you upload them, share them through the chat and when camera uploads are enabled. MEGA’s Terms of Service: https://mega.io/terms Privacy Policy: https://mega.io/privacy

Screenshots

pCloud4 screens
MEGA4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: pCloud at none against MEGA's shown. pCloud also leads on review sentiment (63% vs 46%) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). MEGA's advantage is ratings volume (107K vs 8.2K) and chart position (#38 vs unranked). On price, rating, update cadence and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. pCloud sells 13 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and MEGA sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $6.49 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for pCloud against 4.6 for MEGA. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: MEGA has 107K ratings behind it against 8.2K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 63% of pCloud's written reviews are positive against 46% of MEGA's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 weeks. Both last shipped on October 8, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
pCloud versus MEGA: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterpCloudMEGA
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (8.2K ratings) — better4.6 (107K ratings)
Positive reviews62.6% of reviews — better45.6% of reviews
Number of ratings8.2K107K — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 2 weeks
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank—#38 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size112 MB388 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPCLOUD LTDMega Networks LLC

Customer experience

pCloud

All ratings8,177 ratings
Positive92.1%
Neutral2.8%
Negative5.1%
Written reviews831 reviews
Positive62.6%
Neutral11.3%
Negative26.1%

MEGA

All ratings107,184 ratings
Positive90.1%
Neutral2.8%
Negative7.1%
Written reviews1,121 reviews
Positive45.6%
Neutral11.0%
Negative43.4%

User reviews

pCloud

From 8.2K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Fast uploads and downloads
  • 🔒 Secure and encrypted storage
  • 👍 Convenient app integration across devices
  • 💰 Affordable lifetime plans
  • 📂 Flexible file organization

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Unreliable auto-upload feature
  • 🔍 Lacking advanced search and organization tools
  • 🔇 Subpar media player functionality
  • 🔒 Encryption features behind paywall
  • 🤔 Confusing free storage limits

MEGA

From 107K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Fast and efficient coding
  • 🔒 Encrypted and decrypted automatically
  • 👍 Easy to organize files into folders
  • 👍 User-friendly interface with flawless functionality
  • 🚀 Generous free storage

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Thumbnails take forever to load
  • 🐛 Video playback issues and glitches
  • 🐛 Insufficient transfer quota limits downloads
  • 🐛 Freezing and crashing issues
  • 🐛 Unreliable file uploads and downloads

Bugs and requests

pCloud

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Frequent app crashes and freezes
  • Inconsistent file syncing across devices
  • Issues with downloading and sharing files
  • Missing metadata and HEIC file support

Requested features

5 requests
  • Improved photo/video management and viewing
  • Background sync and auto-upload
  • Sorting and filtering options for files
  • Built-in text editor and note-taking
  • Gapless audio playback

MEGA

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Login circle with no reaction
  • Inability to view recent file uploads
  • Incorrect file order in offline downloaded folders
  • Inconsistent behavior when opening links in the app
  • Deleted files not actually removed from account

Requested features

8 requests
  • Background downloading support
  • Ability to delete chats and group chats
  • Custom folder icons
  • Separate camera upload folders for each device
  • Better Apple Files integration
Show 3 more
  • Alphabetic sorting for files
  • Video preview thumbnails
  • Offline file access

In-app purchases

13 purchases

pCloud

Subscriptions9
  • Premium$4.991 Month
  • pCloud Encryption$4.991 Month
  • Premium7 Days trial$4.991 Month
Show 6 more
  • Premium1 Month trial$4.991 Month
  • Premium Plus$9.991 Month
  • Ultra 10TB Monthly$29.991 Month
  • Premium$49.991 Year
  • pCloud Encryption$49.991 Year
  • Premium Plus$99.991 Year
One-time4
  • pCloud Encryption$149.99
  • Premium$219.00
  • Add Extra 2TB Lifetime Storage$279.00
Show 1 more
  • Premium Plus$499.00
10 purchases

MEGA

Subscriptions10
  • PRO LITE Monthly$6.491 Month
  • MEGA PRO I$12.491 Month
  • PRO I Monthly$12.491 Month
Show 7 more
  • PRO II Monthly$24.991 Month
  • MEGA PRO II$24.991 Month
  • PRO III Monthly$37.491 Month
  • PRO LITE Yearly$79.991 Year
  • PRO I Yearly$124.991 Year
  • PRO II Yearly$249.991 Year
  • PRO III Yearly$374.991 Year

Questions

Is pCloud free?
pCloud is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is MEGA free?
MEGA is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, pCloud or MEGA?
pCloud is rated higher. pCloud averages 4.7 out of 5 from 8.2K ratings, while MEGA averages 4.6 from 107K ratings.
Do pCloud or MEGA have ads?
MEGA shows ads; pCloud does not.
Which is updated more often, pCloud or MEGA?
pCloud ships an update every 2 weeks, and MEGA every 2 weeks. Most recently, pCloud was updated on October 8, 2026 and MEGA on October 8, 2026.

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