Tresorit Review
Tresorit has strong security and user-focused privacy. However, it is also a more expensive cloud storage service and isn’t particularly fast. Designed mainly for businesses, Tresorit does offer individual plans. We go into more detail with our Tresorit review to see if it meets your needs.
Tresorit cloud storage has a reputation for being one of the most secure cloud services available. Although it supports personal users, Tresorit shines brightest for business cloud storage users. Our Tresorit review will cover both personal and business options, as well as all the major cloud features.
Tresorit Review: Key Takeaways
- Tresorit has complete end-to-end encryption for all accounts.
- File sharing remains encrypted with other Tresorit users or outside contacts.
- Tresorit supports selective sync and has a desktop drive to free up space. However, it does not support block-level sync.
- Getting the most out of Tresorit’s plans, including add-ons, makes it an expensive service.
Tresorit has many elements you’d want in a cloud storage solution, such as those in the best cloud storage. As you might expect, it handles security and privacy very well. However, that comes at a price, literally, as it’s one of the most expensive options available. Stick with us as we thoroughly test the service in this Tresorit review.
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05/04/2023 Facts checked
Rewrote this Tresorit review to include updated information such as features and pricing.
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08/10/2023 Facts checked
Updated Tresorit’s pricing plans to include information such as free plan and storage.
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09/12/2023 Facts checked
Removed reference to Dropbox unlimited storage.
Tresorit Alternatives
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Tresorit Review: Pros & Cons
Pros:
- Great security & privacy
- Clean interface
- Selective sync
- Flexible file sharing
- Cloud drive folder
- Encrypted email attachments
Cons:
- No block-level sync
- Expensive plans
Features
Tresorit has many of the standard features you’d expect from a cloud service. Tabs on the left-hand side show your folders (also called “tresors”), shared links, file requests and integrations. If you pay for eSign, you’ll see that option as well.
Tresorit integrates seamlessly across your devices, although some functions and features are only accessible on certain platforms. A good example is Tresorit Drive.
Tresorit Drive
Tresorit Drive functions like a dedicated hard disk in the cloud. It’s beneficial if you want to save local storage space on your computer. The Tresorit Drive folder gets added upon account creation. However, to use it, you’ll need to enable it by finding it in finder on a Mac or in file explorer on Windows.
Enabling Tresorit Drive lets you determine which folders and files you keep locally or store only in the cloud. No matter the choice, you’ll have access to your account through the Tresorit Drive folder. Note that all new tresors or folders you create are cloud-only by default.
eSign
Tresorit’s eSign is a paid add-on for any account, individual or business. It’s a fast and easy-to-use feature that lets you send a PDF to anyone for a secure digital signature. For companies that frequently use non-disclosure agreements, contracts or sales agreements, eSign is worth considering.
Creating an eSign request happens from the dedicated tab on the left side of an account. The file must be a PDF with an area for signatures, or the process could fail. Once created, you add the necessary email address(es) with the option to add yourself as a signer.
Tresorit automatically encrypts the file when created, so there’s no option to add a password for added protection. However, you can set an expiration date ranging from one day to 999 days. Once created, you’ll get a link to send directly to needed signatories. There’s also an option to include the link in an email from a dropdown menu.
SwissID Sign
Not to be confused with eSign, SwissID sign is another additional paid add-on option that you’ll only see once you create an account. SwissID sign is a separate workflow from eSign, with the main difference being the access to a qualified electronic signature (QES). A QES qualifies as if the document was hand-signed.
The SwissID sign feature isn’t necessary for every account and has some specific use cases. It’s effective if you need the equivalent of a handwritten signature or instant verification of signatures. If your company deals with sensitive documents, the SwissID sign add-on is worth considering. For simple electronic signatures, stick with eSign.
File Requests
File requests work similarly to other cloud storage services. If you need a file from someone with a Tresorit account or from an outside source, file requests let you request and receive the file to your Tresorit account. You can name your file, choose the file destination and set an expiration date.
If needed, you can require email verification. Within the “file requests” tab, a checkbox lets you see file requests created by others. On a large team, this is a nice feature to help you track what’s coming and going.
Encrypted Email Integrations
Another paid add-on is the option to create encrypted emails. Purchasing the email encryption add-on will encrypt any attachments and the contents of emails. Without the paid add-on, all accounts have Outlook integration, which will encrypt only the attachment(s) you upload to an outgoing email.
File Versioning and Bandwidth
File versioning with Tresorit is determined by the plan you choose. Additionally, there’s no time limit on the versions, so you don’t have to worry about them disappearing. Personal plans will always have the 10 latest versions of a given file.
The Professional plan keeps 100 versions, the Business Standard gets 50 versions and the Business Plus plan also gets 100. The Enterprise plan supports unlimited file versions. If file versioning is important to you, check out the best cloud storage for file versioning.
Unfortunately, you can’t change or customize the versioning history. You can, however, change the bandwidth your account uses. Through the desktop app, within settings from the dropdown on your name, bandwidth is located in the “network” tab. There’s an option for upload and download rate limit in kB/s.
If you set bandwidth limits, there’s a third option to enable the bandwidth limit scheduler. This setting lets you determine the day and time to set bandwidth limits.
Tresorit Features Overview
Sync Folder | |
Block-Level Sync | |
Selective Sync | |
Bandwidth Throttling | |
Sync Any Folder | |
Max File Size | 20 GB |
Network Drive | |
File Link Sharing | |
Link Passwords | |
Link Expiry Dates | |
Folder Sharing | |
Folder Permissions | |
Link Download Limits | |
Upload Links | |
User Groups | |
Set User Roles | |
Monitor User Activity | |
Restrict User Storage | |
Remote Device Wipe | |
File Previews | |
Edit Files | |
In-App Collaboration | |
Office Integrations | |
Notes App | |
Media Playback | |
Mobile Apps | |
Deleted File Retention | |
Versioning | |
WebDAV | |
At-Rest Encryption | |
In-Transit Encryption | |
Two-Factor Authentication | |
Client-Side Encryption | |
Data Residency | |
SSO Integration | |
Custom Password Requirements | |
24/7 Support | |
Live Chat Support | |
Telephone Support | |
Email Support | |
User Forum | |
Knowledgebase | |
Free Plan |
Pricing
There’s no sugar-coating the higher cost of Tresorit’s plans. If you want an individual plan, the choices consist of Personal and Professional. All plans come with a 14-day free trial, except for the Enterprise plan. Tresorit offers a free plan which comes with some limitations such as 3GB storage.
Tresorit Pricing for Individuals
The Personal plan comes with 1TB of encrypted storage for $11.99 monthly when billed annually. The monthly cost runs $13.99. The Professional plan increases the storage to 4TB and includes additional features such as encrypted file requests and disabling downloads. The monthly cost when paid annually is $27.49, or $33.99 per month paid monthly.
Sync.com offers similar security and privacy but with more affordable plans: namely, its 2TB Solo Basic plan for $8 per month, billed annually, and its 6TB Solo Professional plan for $11.67 per month, billed annually ($24 per month paid monthly).
Tresorit Business Pricing
Tresorit’s business plans come with three options: Business Standard, Business Plus and Enterprise. Enterprise plans start at 50 users and require contacting Tresorit for custom-tailored requirements.
The Business Standard plan costs $14.50 per user per month with a minimum of three users, billed annually. Otherwise, it’s $18 per month per user. It comes with 1TB of encrypted storage per user.
The Business Plus plan also starts with three users and increases the storage to 2TB. It has additional features, including enhanced link security, document analytics and single sign-on. The Business Plus plan costs $19 per user per month when billed annually or $24 billed monthly.
Similar business competitors are far less costly, such as Dropbox Business, which offers its Standard plan with 5TB of storage per user for $15 per month billed annually. The Dropbox Advanced plan offers 15TB of storage for each user (minimum of three) and costs $24 per user per month when billed annually.
- 3GB
- 1TB
- 4TB
More plans
- Price per user (billed annually), Storage per user, User count: 3-9
- 1TB
- Price per user (billed annually), Storage per user, User count : 10+
- 2TB
- Price per user (billed annually), Storage per user, User count : 100+
Paid Add-Ons: eSign and Encryption
Tresorit offers two paid add-ons to its plans, with Tresorit eSign and Tresorit email encryption for Outlook. The prices vary depending on your plan choice (individual or business). Including the add-ons to the individual plans can rapidly increase the cost of Tresorit.
The individual Personal plan can only add eSign, for an additional $6 per month, billed annually or $7.50 monthly. The Professional plan can add eSign and email encryption. eSign costs $18 monthly on an annual plan or $22.50 monthly. Adding email encryption increases the monthly price on the annual plan to $33.49 billed annually or $41.49 billed monthly.
For business plans, Tresorit eSign costs an additional $54 per user per month billed annually or $65 billed monthly, for both the Business Standard and Business Plus plans. Adding email encryption increases the Business Standard plan to $20.50 per month billed annually or $25.50 monthly. For the Business Plus, the price rises to $25 per month billed annually or $31.50 monthly.
Ease of Use
At first glance, Tresorit functions differently than some other popular cloud storage options (check out our Dropbox vs Tresorit article). Fortunately, it takes little time to become familiar with the Tresorit workflow. Tresorit makes the process easy with its new user onboarding.
Onboarding
Personal and business users go through an extensive onboarding process, which is good since using Tresorit is slightly different than other cloud providers. Immediately upon creating an account, you must download the Tresorit desktop app.
Account creation and setup happen through the app. However, once you’ve established your account, you can use either the desktop app or the web interface, as they work and look the same. You can follow the guided tour at your leisure or dive right in and start using Tresorit. The “get started” link will be available until you complete the checklist.
Deleted Files
The clean and uncluttered interface on the web and accompanying applications make navigating an account easy. One noticeable absence is a location for deleted files, making it a bit cumbersome to find what you deleted. Once you delete a file, you’ll see a small checkbox that says “show deleted.”
Deleting files happens in two ways. If you don’t choose permanent deletion, the file will remain on your account, and checking the “show deleted” box reveals all deleted files. Choosing permanent deletion removes the file from your account forever.
The desktop app allows you to remove all deleted files from your account. Within the “account” tab, you’ll see an option to “remove” and how much space deleted files take up on your account. Clicking “remove” will permanently erase all deleted files.
File Previews
Tresorit lets you preview most file types within the web browser. Word and PDF documents are examples, with a few options centered around how they’re displayed. Google Docs, however, do not preview.
You can preview pictures, although you can’t edit them. In fact, you can’t edit any file types while previewing them. Slideshows such as PowerPoint files successfully display. However, videos are not available for preview. Any file you try to preview that isn’t supported automatically gets downloaded to your device.
Native Applications
Tresorit has a desktop app for Mac, Windows and Linux, as well as mobile apps for iOS and Android. The desktop app mirrors the look and functionality of the web interface. Any folders you keep synced will have a green check mark. If not, you’ll notice a small cloud icon.
A noticeable difference between the desktop app and the web interface is the “recents” tab. This section shows you the most recent activity on your account and is available on the desktop app.
The mobile app shares many of the elements and functionality of the desktop app. The most notable differences are the ability to make files offline and the option to upload images from your camera automatically.
The offline option is only available on the mobile app. Any files you designate for offline show up in that tab. There isn’t much you can do with an offline file, but if you don’t have connectivity, you can still look at any files you designate for offline access.
The camera options are found in the settings tab. There isn’t a dedicated tab for your photos, and you can’t edit them within the mobile app. The Tresorit mobile app automatically converts your images and videos to JPG and MOV, respectively, when uploading.
When enabling camera upload, other options include keeping the original on your device, uploading automatically or uploading new photos.
Admin Center
Separate from your account settings is the admin center. The admin center contains all the analytical and granular information on your account. There’s a little crossover with your profile settings, namely with the billing tab; this information is the same.
The tabs on the left of the admin center page contain information on how you use your account. The dashboard provides a snapshot summary that includes storage used and devices connected. The “users” tab shows you everyone connected to your account. On personal plans, you’ll only see yourself and anyone you invite (which costs extra).
The business plans have more features within the admin center, with the Enterprise plan offering the most options. An example is within the “policies” tab. With a personal plan, you only get the default options. However, you can create custom policies with the more advanced business plans.
The “reports” tab is exclusive to business plans, while the “add-ons” tab shows you information on any add-ons you may have purchased. The “settings” tab offers little more than visual customization options, although you can add a professional logo to increase your branding awareness.
File Sharing & Syncing
Tresorit gives you a few different ways to share folders or files with people within the Tresorit ecosystem or outside of it. However, what you want to share and with whom you want to share it determines the sharing choices.
Each folder on your account shows whether you’ve shared it. Hovering over a folder or file brings up the share button. Specific to folders, you can only directly share a folder with another Tresorit user. This happens by inviting them to access a specific folder. If the person is not a Tresorit user, you can only send them a link to the folder.
Folder Options
When creating folders, there are two options: classic or next-gen. A “classic” folder lets you store files, invite members and share links. With a classic folder, however, you can’t invite members to a subfolder; you can only send out links to them. For example, you can invite another Tresorit member to your main folder, but can only share any subfolders within that main folder with a link.
Creating a next-gen folder will allow you to do everything you can do with a classic folder except create links. However, you can invite members to subfolders. The ability to create links within the next-gen folder should come in the future. For now, you’ll need to decide how you want to share folders and create the correct folder type (classic or next-gen) accordingly.
Sharing Files
Sharing files only happens by creating a link. You can’t directly share a file by including an email address, although you can send a link using an email client. Depending on your plan, creating a link for a file or folder involves plenty of customization. Basic link settings let you limit the number of times a recipient can open a link. You can also set an expiration date or set a password.
Advanced settings let you enable detailed access logs. Other advanced settings let you require an email to view the link or disable downloads. You can also set up an email notification to yourself when someone opens the link.
Tresorit Paths
Tresorit paths let all members of a “tresor” share items using the access route. This includes files and subfolders. To copy the Tresorit path, the file must be in a folder. Any files you upload directly to your account that aren’t in a folder won’t have a path.
Choosing the three dots icon when hovering over a folder or file will show the option to “copy Tresorit path.” This option will copy the path to your clipboard and let you paste it into the body of an email, instant message or wherever else you need to. To access a Tresorit path, the recipient must also use Tresorit.
Folder Sync
Any folders you create, or files you upload to your account using the website, are not automatically synced across your devices. Additionally, because of Tresorit’s strict encryption, it does not support block-level sync. Any changes you make will require the entire file to be uploaded and downloaded.
If desired, it is easy to keep your account folders synced across your devices. The option to do so is found only in the desktop app. Select any folder and enable the “sync this folder” option. When you enable selective sync, you’ll have the option to change the folder. Doing so lets you choose any folder on your device; it doesn’t have to be in the Tresorit drive folder.
If you use network-attached storage (NAS), Tresorit supports syncing with stored data. Once you create a tresor (folder) for the NAS, enable selective sync. Change the path of the folder to the NAS path. Click “sync now,” and your NAS data will sync with your Tresorit account.
Speed
Typically, one of the trade-offs for tight security and user-centric privacy is slower upload and download speeds. Fortunately for Tresorit, that isn’t the case. CPU performance and functionality weren’t significantly impacted during our speed tests, even with large file transfers. With both uploads and downloads, Tresorit went right to max speed with minimal drops in performance.
To ensure a fair and uniform test environment, we upload the same combination of files totaling 5GB of data. From a virtual machine hosted in Dublin, Ireland, we cap speeds to 100 Mbps from a max speed of 1Gbps. The below speeds are the results of our Tresorit testing.
↕️ | 1st test | 2nd test | Average |
---|---|---|---|
Upload | 0:07:57 | 0:08:17 | 0:08:07 |
Download | 0:08:15 | 0:07:43 | 0:07:59 |
Overall, Tresorit’s speeds were very good and are similar to our previous Tresorit review. Check out our list of the fastest cloud storage if speed is your need. However, if you value privacy and security with solid speed, Tresorit is a good option.
Security
Tresorit’s main goal centered around creating a secure product, which it accomplished. Data security and account protection are strong features of Tresorit. Foremost with Tresorit is true end-to-end encryption. This process encrypts your files before uploading or downloading them.
Looking a bit deeper, Tresorit encrypts the file metadata using randomly generated unique encryption keys connected to your user profile. Additionally, Tresorit cannot access these encryption keys or your password. If you forget your login credentials, Tresorit can’t help you, although you can reset your password, so not all is lost.
Tresorit protects your data at rest with AES 256-bit encryption. It also applies this level of encryption for folder sharing, sending shared links and email attachments. Tresorit uses the TLS 1.2 channel to encrypt communications between clients and servers.
A published white paper on Tresorit’s encryption processes goes into great detail on its different security levels. If that granularity isn’t for you, rest assured that Tresorit is a secure cloud service.
Account Settings
Beyond the underlying security infrastructure, information and steps are available to the end user to understand account security and keep it protected. A “security” tab is within the account profile, which is different from the admin center. You’ll need your account password whenever you want to access this section.
Here, you can enable two-factor verification (recommended). The rest of the security section provides information on your account. You will see all linked devices and any active web sessions. Information includes the IP address and approximate geographical location. The last bit of information shows you failed login attempts.
Privacy
Equally important as security is Tresorit’s level of user privacy. Tresorit is a Swiss-based company, meaning it adheres to (and Tresorit users enjoy) what’s considered the best privacy laws in the world. Tresorit uses zero-knowledge encryption, which protects your account and sensitive data, as your password stays with your device.
Tresorit goes out of its way to ensure compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and also aligns with HIPAA-compliant regulations and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA).
Its clear and concise privacy policy supports Tresorit’s stringent stance on privacy. It is among the easiest to read and comprehend among cloud storage providers. Tresorit is transparent in the data it collects on you and for what purpose.
A good example is your personal data. Tresorit uses your email and billing information to set up your account. Another example is unencrypted information like a folder’s name. Tresorit captures only the information required to enable sharing when sharing a folder.
Within your account, there are a few areas where you can see or monitor the data Tresorit has. In the admin center or your profile, under billing, if you need to sign a data processing agreement, you’ll see that option. If you decide your time with Tresorit is ending, you can completely and permanently delete your account and all associated data.
Data Centers
It’s worth noting that even though Tresorit is a Swiss-based company with a clear and concise privacy policy, not all of its data centers are in Switzerland. It operates data centers in the following locations:
- 🇮🇪 Ireland
- 🇬🇧 U.K.
- 🇺🇸 U.S. — East
- 🇺🇸 U.S. — West
- 🇨🇦 Canada
- 🇩🇪 Germany
- 🇨🇭 Switzerland
- 🇫🇷 France
- 🇸🇬 Singapore
- 🇳🇱 Netherlands
- 🇦🇪 UAE — Dubai
- 🇧🇷 Brazil
Depending on your plan (the Business Plus or Enterprise), you can choose which data center your account uses. In the admin center, you’ll see the data residency option and the current location under the “policies” tab. With the right plan level, you can choose the data center. The plan we tested didn’t have this option. However, the default location was Ireland.
Customer Service
Tresorit provides several avenues for users to get help, information or answers. On the main home page is a dropdown menu called “resources.” The resource library contains a curated list of guides, whitepapers and data sheets. A blog and a newsletter offer additional ways to stay informed. However, the main location for customer support is the knowledgebase.
The knowledgebase contains all the FAQs, searchable by typing in a question. We found that the best way to search is just to enter a keyword for what you’re looking for. Categories on the left side of the page allow for quick navigation to popular topics.
If you can’t find the answer or the help you need, you can submit a request with the link at the top right of the page. Submitting a request asks for standard form information and includes the option to attach a file. Typical response time indicates several hours or up to a day. However, our inquiries were addressed rapidly.
Tresorit does offer a live chat, which is available for all accounts. However, the live chat is only available on the Tresorit site; you can’t access it while in your account or on the knowledgebase site. Additionally, your account type determines what level of support (and options) you get. Both Personal and Business Standard plans have live chat and email support.
Business Plus and Enterprise plan users have additional support options, such as scheduled phone support (not available with the Business Standard plan). The Enterprise plan gets all the previous support options, immediate phone support, personalized onboarding and custom deployment.
The Verdict: Is Tresorit Worth It?
Tresorit is not worth it, even though its not a bad service. The high price makes it hard to recommend compared to other secure cloud storage services, and this is especially true for individual users, as Tresorit focuses more on businesses.
Productivity and collaboration work adequately as long as it’s with other Tresorit users. However, to get the most out of Tresorit, you’ll likely spend more than you would with some Tresorit alternatives.
What’s your experience been like using Tresorit? Are you considering switching after reading our Tresorit review? If you run a business, does Tresorit meet your needs? Are you looking for a cloud storage or cloud backup solution? Let us know in the comments section below. As always, thanks for reading our article.
FAQ
Tresorit focuses primarily on business and enterprise users and offers a secure, end-to-end encrypted cloud storage experience. It puts user privacy first.
Yes. Tresorit is one of the most secure and private cloud storage providers available.
Yes, Tresorit offers a free plan which comes with certain limitations such as 3GB storage. Also, all Tresorit plans (save the Enterprise plan) come with a free trial.
Tresorit maintains and operates servers in several countries, including the EU, U.K., U.S., Singapore and Brazil.