Internxt Review

You’d think viewing files online would be easy to pull off, but it’s not that simple when client-side encryption is involved. Some technical wizardry is required to let you access and preview encrypted files through a web browser. According to our hands-on testing, Internxt is semi-successful at carrying this out. 

When we uploaded files directly through the browser, we were able to preview them just fine. We tested several file types, including DOCX and PDF documents, JPEG and PNG images, MP3 music files, and MP4 videos. It can take more than a minute to preview a file for the first time, though.

Internxt can play audio and video files, offering dedicated media players for each type. Both the audio and the video player let you change the playback speed, and the video player can pop out so you can keep watching while browsing your files. If you want a more capable service though, check out our list of the best cloud storage for music.

Internxt is one of the only cloud providers to not offer any kind of file versioning. This means you can’t restore a previous version of a file. Thankfully, your deleted files are stored in the trash until you permanently delete them. Deleted files never expire on their own, though they do count toward your total storage quota.

You can also back up folders on your device instead of syncing them. You can set this up to happen at the time interval of your choice — either hourly, four times a day, twice a day or daily. However, you can’t share backed-up files; you can only preview or download them. 

Internxt bundles two online security services together with its cloud storage, namely a VPN and antivirus. The VPN is available in a limited capacity for free users, who can access only its French servers. The antivirus is exclusive to paid plans.

Internxt’s VPN comes in the form of a browser extension (for Chrome and Chromium-based browsers). Depending on your plan, you can choose between up to five servers (France, Germany, Poland, the U.K. and Canada).

The antivirus is folded into the Internxt Drive desktop application and can protect your device from malware. You get active protection from viruses and other malware, as well as the ability to do a full system scan or run custom scans.

Internxt doesn’t require much setup aside from installing the app and signing in. The exception is setting up a backup, if you choose to do so. Here’s a quick walk-through of the desktop app.

1. Open the Internxt Desktop App

   Click on the system tray icon to open Internxt. Here, you’ll find a settings icon and shortcuts to the web app and Internxt folder.

   

2. Open the Settings

   Clicking the gear icon will open the settings, where you’ll find your preferences, a button to force your files to sync, a bug report button, a support link and options to log out or quit the app.

   

3. Open the “Preferences” General Tab

   The “preferences” menu has three tabs: “general,” “account” and “backups.” The “general” tab lets you name your synced device, modify startup behavior and change the app’s language and appearance.

   

4. Open the “Account” Tab

   The “account” tab displays your storage use, an option to upgrade your plan and a “log out” button.

   

5. Open the “Backup” Tab

   The “backup” tab shows your active backups, and it lets you choose folders to back up and establish how frequently backups happen. You can also force a backup and download or delete a backup.

   

The Internxt desktop app works using the traditional sync folder method. The app automatically installs this folder on your Mac or Windows device, and everything you copy into this folder is synced to the cloud automatically.

On Windows, you’ll find the sync app in the system tray, which isn’t ideal. It pops up as a small window, and every time you click away the Internxt window closes. This can make using the app needlessly finicky.

The Internxt website is simple to use and easy on the eyes. The web app lets you upload and manage files, as well as share files and folders. Opening a file for the first time can take a while as the initial preview generates, though responsiveness and overall navigation have improved since our last review.

Internxt’s mobile app is very basic. It does nothing besides let you access and upload files. Conspicuously absent is the option to automatically upload photos from your phone to the cloud, which is a basic cloud storage feature for a mobile app.

Internxt also works with WebDAV, Rclone and other command-line interface tools. It certainly isn’t meant for newbies, though, as you’ll need the exact ID number for any folder you want to access (found using the LIST command). Once there, you can use standard WebDAV commands to manipulate files and folders.

A free account comes with just 1GB of storage. When we last reviewed Internxt, you could get more free storage space by installing the app and inviting friends, but this is no longer an option. Thankfully, we found no features locked behind a paywall, apart from the antivirus. We suggest our best free cloud storage guide for alternatives.

Internxt’s paid plans come in capacities of 1TB, 3TB and 5TB. At first glance, Internxt has some of the most affordable cloud storage in the market, but the 80% discount is for the first subscription; renewal prices increase by about 4x.

For example, the 3TB plan costs just $4.40 per month on a yearly plan, though this renews at $19.99 per month the next year. 

To provide consistent service to users, most cloud storage services don’t have this first-year discount followed by an increase in price; it is a strategy more common with online security technology services, like VPNs.

The low initial cost is certainly generous, though we’re not fully convinced that the service is worth the higher renewal cost, even with the added VPN and antivirus. You’ll find the lifetime plans offer much more value.

Internxt’s lifetime plans come in 1TB, 3TB and 5TB capacities. You can get a 3TB plan for a one-time payment of $399.80. 

That beats out pricing from other lifetime cloud storage options from Sync.com and Icedrive. In comparison, the 2TB Sync.com lifetime plan costs $595, while the Icedrive 2TB lifetime plan costs $479

The same month-long money-back guarantee applies to all lifetime plans. 

Internxt’s upload speeds weren’t bad, though it was almost a full minute slower than the top performer. Downloads have gotten marginally faster since we last reviewed Internxt, but it still performed poorly, often struggling with large files and archives. 

Having slower speeds isn’t unusual for very secure cloud services that have client-side encryption across the service; Sync.com also ranks toward the bottom of our speed tests. However, if you need to upload or download multiple folders at a time, expect it to take a bit longer than other services. Check out our fastest cloud storage article to see how Internxt’s speed test results stack up against competitors.

File syncing is basic, taking place via the Internxt folder that the desktop app installs on your device. Anything you place in this folder is uploaded to the cloud, but changes made in the cloud aren’t reflected back to the folder. Files are set to cloud-only by default. Obviously, if you delete a cloud-only file from the cloud, you won’t be able to access it on your device.

Internxt employs a slew of advanced security features, the most impressive of which is its implementation of post-quantum encryption. It uses the Kyber-512 key encapsulation mechanism for your encryption key, plus AES-256 encryption at rest. In lay terms, this means it’s nearly impossible for even a quantum computer to force its way into your files.

Other security measures include two-factor authentication to protect your logins, and data duplication across multiple servers to protect your data from server hardware failures and natural disasters.

Yes, Internxt uses zero-knowledge encryption, which is also known as client-side or end-to-end encryption (though these terms aren’t fully interchangeable). This encryption method ensures Internxt can’t access your data — only you can access your own files.

Internxt protects all your files this way, as opposed to services like pCloud and Icedrive, which give you just one client-side encrypted folder.

Internxt’s privacy policy is a lot to dig through in a lengthy document. To the company’s credit, though, it’s not cluttered with legal jargon and aims for clarity. It details the data Internxt gathers, how it uses that data and how long the company stores it. 

Thankfully, Internxt keeps collected data to a minimum, gathering only the information it needs to provide you with its service, such as your email address and any data you provide to support reps. The website also collects a tiny amount of information. None of this data is ever sold to third parties.

Apart from this, Internxt is based in Spain — an EU country — which means you’re covered by the GDPR. The GDPR is a law that defines how businesses process user data. It is one of the strictest privacy laws in the world, so your data will be well protected.

We contacted Internxt’s support team multiple times. Each time we had to wait anywhere from several hours to up to a day for a reply. This was especially frustrating when the first reply from the agent was, “What operating system are you using?” instead of providing at least a partial answer. 

Support isn’t available over the weekend, and we never received answers to questions we asked during the weekend. As for the quality of the replies we did get, they were mostly cookie-cutter responses linking to its knowledgebase and blog.

pCloud is a zero-knowledge cloud service that offers a backup feature similar to Internxt’s, but it manages much faster speeds and more reliable syncing. Client-side encryption is a paid add-on, though, and it covers only one folder. Read our full pCloud review for more.

Dropbox isn’t exactly private. However, it offers many productivity and collaboration features, such as direct integration with Microsoft Office and Google Workspace. It also has some of the most polished sync apps on the market. Read our full Dropbox review for more.