Cloud storage decision
Sync.com
A small team can build a usable, end-to-end encrypted personal storage and sharing workflow, but reproducing Sync's compliance certifications, enterprise admin features, polished desktop integrations, and brand-scale is impractical for a DIY replacement.
Visit website↗$4/mo
$48/yr
Read off the official pricing page.
$100one-off80 h to build
$25/mo8 h/mo upkeep
On cash alone, building overtakes the subscription at 9 seats.
Open-source builds that already do this
Every project below is open source and already does this job today. Fork one, self-host it, or take the parts you need - the build prompt further down assumes an empty file, and this is the shortcut past that. Licences differ; check the one on each card before you ship. All Sync.com alternatives, with the arithmetic →
What a replacement has to do
- Upload files from a client, encrypt them client-side, store encrypted blobs in object storage, and generate secure share links that recipients can use to download and decrypt.
What it still won’t have
- SOC 2 / HIPAA certification and related compliance guarantees
- Enterprise admin console and centralized billing
- Guaranteed 99.9% SLA and priority support
- Desktop OS-level integrations (Finder/File Explorer cloud-files) and polished clients
- Proven brand trust and a large existing user base
What remains hard
- Compliance and regulation
SOC 2 Type 1 System and Organization Controls (SOC) 2 Type 1 compliance built-in
- Compliance and regulation
HIPAA compliance Sync is committed to safeguarding personal healthcare information (PHI) by complying with government mandated regulations such as HIPAA
- Brand trust
Join over 2.7 million people who trust Sync to keep their files private, secure, and always accessible.
First-year cost
Keep paying
Paying is—cheaper in year one.
On cash alone, building overtakes the subscription at 9 seats.
Money you would actually spend
Time you would spend
—
What you would spend
What we assumed
The verdict above measures whether you could build it. This one is only about money.
Runnable build prompt
Build a minimal end-to-end encrypted cloud storage web app using Next.js (React) frontend, Node.js/Express backend, PostgreSQL for metadata, and S3-compatible object storage for encrypted blobs. Scope: user registration/login, client-side file encryption/decryption with Web Crypto, upload/download with resumable uploads, share links with expiry and optional password, account storage usage tracking, and basic audit logging. Out of scope: SOC2/HIPAA certification, desktop Finder/File Explorer virtual file system, mobile apps, enterprise admin console, and paid billing integration. Include error handling for failed uploads, encryption/decryption failures, and test coverage for upload/download, encryption routines, and share-link access controls.
How we checked
How the score was reached
- Partly verdict base52
- An open-source build was found+5
- 4 cited sources+3
- Price verified on pricing page+3
- Hard moats found in the evidence-3
- Evidence score60
The base comes from the verdict. Everything under it is a check that either happened or did not, and each one is a fact frozen in this record rather than a judgement made at render time - so the same evidence always produces the same number.
How scoring works →Cited sources · 4
Every page the run actually retrieved.
- official productSync | Secure Cloud Storage & Internet Storage Services
- official pricingSync | Compare Plans and Pricing for Individuals
- official docsSync | Secure Cloud Storage for Business
- open sourceSamuelAyibatarri/encryption-service
Integrity checks
What held up, and what did not.
