- Category
- Files · SaaS alternative
- Cost
- Freemium
- Country
- Germany
- Licensing
- Mixed
- Platforms
- Web · Linux · macOS · Windows · iOS · Android · CLI
Pros and cons
+ what works
- +Client-side AES-256 encryption of file contents, names, and folder structure by default
- +German jurisdiction under GDPR
- +All clients open source under AGPLv3
- +10 GiB free tier, with paid plans starting at 1.99 EUR per month for 200 GiB
- +Multiple access paths: native sync, network drive, WebDAV, S3 gateway, CLI, SDKs
− watch out for
- −Server-side code is not open source, so end-to-end claims cannot be fully audited
- −No public third-party security audit listed
- −Smaller operation than Proton or Tresorit, with a thinner track record
- −Free signup eligibility is gated by IP reputation; VPN and shared networks may be refused
- −Not self-hostable
Privacy notes
Files, filenames, and folder metadata are encrypted on the client with AES-256 before upload, so Filen holds the ciphertext but not the keys. Sharing uses link-based access with optional passwords. Filen Cloud Dienste UG is based in Germany; servers are in Germany under GDPR. The clients (desktop, mobile, CLI, S3 and WebDAV gateways, SDKs) are AGPLv3 on GitHub, but the server-side code is not published, so the encryption claims are verifiable on the client side only.
Tags
#e2ee · #zero-knowledge · #german · #cloud-storage · #gdpr
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