Icedrive Review 2025: Lifetime Cloud Storage?

Everyone knows Dropbox and similar services – but there are some lesser-known cloud storage providers that look great on paper. Take Icedrive for example: This Welsh provider offers 10 GB of free storage, attractive lifetime plans, and end-to-end encryption. But is there a catch?

We took a close look at Icedrive to find out if this cloud storage service can compete with the big names in the industry.

Icedrive calls itself a "next-generation cloud storage," but at its core, it works like any other cloud storage service: you can upload files to the cloud and access them across all your devices - through your browser, desktop, or smartphone.

Cloud storage services mainly differ in how they work, and we really like Icedrive's approach: the interfaces are fast, modern, and visually appealing.

Let's take a closer look at Icedrive's three interfaces:

The web interface lets you access your cloud storage content directly in your browser. It works great in practice: the interface isn't just user-friendly and logical, but also quick to respond - even when opening large folders. The cloud folders are clearly organized, and you can find all important features quickly.

The main menu on the left lets you switch between different areas of your cloud storage. Besides the home page "My Icedrive" that shows all your cloud files, there are separate sections for (E2E) encrypted files and shared items. Quick access to favorites, recently opened files, and the trash bin are also included. The navigation is well-thought-out and user-friendly.

Of course, there's a search bar that lets you look through all folders and file names in your cloud storage. Icedrive also includes the most important filters (name, size, last modified) and display options (list, grid view).

Using the "Add New" button in the top right, you can create new folders or upload files and folders from your computer to your cloud storage in just a few clicks.

Icedrive sticks to basic features. It includes a simple media player for photos and videos, but lacks a document editor: You can preview your documents but can't open or edit them directly in the cloud storage.

There aren't any other extras either: While other cloud storage services now offer e-signatures, chat features, or project management tools, Icedrive focuses on the basics: storing and managing files in the cloud. The web app handles these tasks smoothly.

Icedrive calls its desktop app "revolutionary" because it lets you access your cloud storage "just like a physical hard drive or USB stick."

The app mainly works as an access and sync assistant, letting you work with your cloud files directly in your file manager just like local files. This isn't really revolutionary anymore since most cloud storage services use similar approaches, even though Icedrive's "mount" feature has some advantages.

By clicking "Mount," you can display your cloud storage like a hard drive and access your Icedrive files. You can also set up syncing between local folders and the cloud (more about syncing in the next chapter).

Overall, Icedrive's desktop app is solid and works well, though it's not as groundbreaking as advertised.

With Icedrive's mobile app, you can access and manage your cloud storage files on the go. You'll find all the main features from the web app on your phone: you can access all areas of your cloud storage and share files and folders with others.

The app also includes some handy mobile-specific features. You can set up automatic sync for photos and videos from your device. You can also take photos directly within the app and save them straight to the cloud – though sadly, there's no document scanning feature.

Unfortunately, the mobile app falls a bit short compared to the web interface: offline access isn't reliable, the image viewer is slow, and the app isn't much to look at. It gets the job done – nothing more, nothing less.

Here's an overview of all platforms supported by Icedrive:

With Icedrive, you can access your cloud files across all your devices, both online and offline. You can organize your files directly in the cloud using the web app. On desktop, you have two options: "Mount" and "Sync".

The mount feature lets you add your cloud storage as an extra drive on your computer - just like connecting an external hard drive. You can access your cloud files right away without waiting for them to sync to your device.

It's handy because you can disconnect it just as quickly. The Icedrive drive only shows up when you actually need it.

Icedrive also supports regular syncing. You connect a local folder on your computer to a folder in the cloud. The contents update both ways: When you edit the local folder and its contents, the changes apply to the cloud folder too, and vice versa.

While Icedrive uses different names for these features, it basically covers all the standard features you'd expect from modern cloud storage:

There's also a simple cloud backup feature. It shows up as an alternative sync type: When you choose "Backup" instead of "Full sync", you set up a one-way sync between your computer and the cloud. Changes to local files automatically update in the backup, but changes in the cloud backup don't affect local files.

Icedrive keeps things simple with sync features. You won't find advanced controls like bandwidth limits, LAN sync, or proxy settings.

It's nice that you can choose how Icedrive handles deleted files, whether cloud-deleted files should be removed locally (and vice versa). You get three options: "Delete", "Don't delete", and "Move to trash".

On your phone, you can access cloud files both online and offline. You can manually download any files and folders you want to use offline.

Unfortunately, this feature isn't well implemented and seemed buggy in our review. The app doesn't show offline files in a separate section or mark them reliably. The difference between "Download" and "Offline access" is also confusing at first.

Files with offline access should show a green checkmark - in theory at least. In our review, this only worked for files, not folders. While the "Toggle offline" feature was available for folders, it didn't do anything.

On the other hand, the automatic photo and video sync worked reliably in our review.

Here's a comparison of Icedrive's main sync features:

For a smooth user experience, syncing should happen quickly and quietly in the background. Three main factors matter here:

To ensure a fair comparison, we tested all providers under the same conditions: All cloud storage services had to sync an identical test folder - containing 10,000 files, 10,000 folders, 100 photos (about 500 MB), and one large video (about 500 MB) - using a 400 Mbps connection.

Here are the results:

Icedrive's performance results are mixed. While download speeds were solid, uploads were quite slow. CPU usage was terrible: Icedrive was by far the most resource-hungry cloud storage in our comparison.

Almost all cloud storage services in our comparison synced faster and more reliably than Icedrive - while using fewer system resources.

While Icedrive isn't mainly a collaboration platform, it still offers some features that make working together easier. You can share folders and documents, and communicate with your team members - though only through comments.

Let's start with file sharing. Like most cloud storage services, you can share files in two ways:

When sharing by email, you can choose between two permission levels: Users with "Read Only" access can only view and download content, while users with Editor permissions can make changes (if they have an Icedrive account).

The "Access Control" tab shows you who has access to the file or folder.

For link sharing, there are several settings under "Link Settings," but they're only available to paying customers. The premium plans offer solid options: You can set expiration dates, add password protection, and limit downloads.

Icedrive also supports file requests. You can create a link to an upload portal where recipients (even without an Icedrive account) can upload files to your cloud storage.

User roles are limited and there's no proper team management. This makes Icedrive better suited for small teams or personal use. However, if you need to occasionally share or manage documents together, Icedrive has all the basic features you need.

Here's a comparison of Icedrive's main sharing features:

Each shared document has its own "Discussion" section where you can leave comments for your team members and react with emojis. It's also helpful that you can see what's happening in shared folders and documents under the "Collaboration Activity" in the "Collaborate" section.

Real collaboration platforms like OneDrive, Google Drive or Dropbox are still ahead of Icedrive. There's no document editor for real-time collaboration in the cloud, and Icedrive doesn't offer integrations like Microsoft 365.

Here's how Icedrive's collaboration features compare to other providers:

Icedrive calls itself "the world's most secure encrypted cloud storage." On paper, this sounds promising: cutting-edge encryption and zero-knowledge technology should protect users' privacy.

However, in practice, customers need to trust the provider because there's a lack of transparency: There are no independent audits, certificates, or detailed information about data security.

While most providers use the common AES standard, Icedrive uses the Twofish algorithm. The files are also split into small pieces and encrypted separately before transfer, which adds an extra layer of security.

Icedrive also supports end-to-end encryption: Files in the "Encrypted" folder are encrypted directly on your device (client-side encryption) before being uploaded to the cloud. This protection extends to file names and folder structures.

Icedrive promises to follow the zero-knowledge principle - meaning that only users have the decryption keys. Not even Icedrive can access the content.

The downside: This end-to-end encryption is only available in paid plans. For all other users - and files outside the "Encrypted" folder - regular server-side storage applies.

Unfortunately, you'll have to take Icedrive at their word regarding security standards. Since they use proprietary software, technical details aren't publicly available.

This is common in the cloud storage industry, where there are few open-source options. However, many other providers make up for this lack of transparency with trust-building measures.

Icedrive could get independent third-party audits or provide internationally recognized certifications, but they haven't done so yet. They also don't publish transparency reports about government requests and other important information.

Another downside is that users can't choose where their data is stored. While Icedrive has servers in Germany, the UK, and the US, users can't pick their preferred storage location. This could be a problem for European users who want to keep their data exclusively in the EU.

Also, while Icedrive claims to be GDPR compliant, their GDPR policy is just a few lines long.

Here's a comparison of Icedrive's main privacy features:

Icedrive offers two types of plans: Standard plans and Lifetime plans:

There's also a generous free plan that gives you 10 GB of storage at no cost. However, it has a monthly bandwidth limit of 50 GB.

Here's a current overview of Icedrive's plans:

If we set aside the lifetime plans, Icedrive's prices are in the middle range - not the cheapest, not the most expensive. When we compare monthly costs for 100 GB, 500 GB, and 2 TB plans, Icedrive sits right in the middle. Unfortunately, they don't offer special team plans with discounts for multiple users.

For free storage, Icedrive is quite generous: only MEGA and Google Drive offer more.

Here's our comparison table of monthly cloud storage costs:

Icedrive shows there are interesting cloud storage options beyond the big names. This Welsh platform impresses with fast, user-friendly apps and an innovative "mount" feature that displays your cloud storage like an external drive at the click of a button. It also offers strong security features and potentially attractive lifetime plans.

However, Icedrive can't match the market leaders in most aspects. Its features are limited, especially for collaboration, and sync performance was disappointing in our review. While security standards look great on paper, the service lacks transparency and independent audits to build user trust.

If you're looking for a simple, streamlined cloud storage service with modern apps, Icedrive is worth checking out.

How satisfied are Icedrive users with the platform? We looked at review sites and compiled the most common feedback:

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