Tresorit Review

We’re tackling file viewing first because Tresorit has some limitations that users should know about.

For example, although you can open photographs and files like PDFs and .doc, there’s no video playback functionality on the web app; you can upload videos, but you must download them to watch them (though you can view videos on the mobile app without downloading).

Check out our best cloud storage for video for some alternative services.

We should also note that although you can view your files within the platform, you can’t edit them at all. Editorial teams will need to download a document, edit it and then reupload it if they want to make changes.

Tresorit does keep a record of file versions, so you can at least analyze file changes inside the platform. The number of file versions Tresorit stores depends on your plan:

Tresorit’s file management system is pretty standard. You can create folders and subfolders, but you can’t color-code them like you can with Google Drive. 

Users can sort files in lists or tile views; however, you can’t access file previews. This is common for privacy apps, yet other services like Sync.com have found ways to overcome this hurdle.

Files are sorted in alphabetical order only — you can’t sort them by “date” or “last modified.” The search function is also very basic, allowing you to search only by the file name. This is fine in most cases, but alternative services let you search using descriptions or specific contents within a file.

File requests are an excellent way to collaborate with other team members, especially when working remotely. You can create folders and ask both internal and external users to add their files, and everyone can access them from separate devices. This feature is available only to Business users and those on the Personal Pro plan.

You have the option to add more security measures when you create encrypted request links. You can select an accessibility time frame and request users to add their emails to access the folder. This helps admins monitor who can access the folder. We welcome this feature, but it still doesn’t make Tresorit one of the best cloud storage for collaboration.

Business users gain access to the e-signature tools. This is especially useful for legal, employee and financial contracts. Rather than using a third-party app, like DocuSign, you can send documents via your Tresorit account and request signatures — all records remain private thanks to its end-to-end encryption. 

Though you can send and manage documents, it’s worth noting that you can’t create them within Tresorit. Unlike other secure file sharing services, Tresorit doesn’t have a native document creator, nor does it integrate with services like Microsoft Office or Google Workspace.

SwissSign is different from your standard e-signature. The issue with eSign is that it’s much easier to contest contracts from a legal standpoint. SwissSign solves this problem by making your contracts just as valid as ones that were signed by hand.

It costs more, but you likely won’t need it for all contract types. It’s certainly useful for legal contracts, financial agreements or any other high-level agreements where a standard e-signature doesn’t offer enough protection, earning Tresorit a spot in our best cloud storage for law firms guide.

Gmail and Outlook integrations are available for all user types. This is an interesting feature because neither Google Workspace nor Microsoft offers advanced encryption for their email clients, meaning both companies can access your data. Tresorit aims to soothe this pain point by offering email encryption features to protect the files you share.

Outlook integration takes the form of a plugin, whereas Gmail integration involves a browser extension. With Outlook, you gain access to end-to-end encryption for your attachments and email contents. In contrast, only file attachments are end-to-end encrypted with the Gmail extension.

We spoke to Tresorit’s support team, and they advised us that Outlook emails are stored on Tresorit’s servers, not Microsoft’s, when you add the plugin. In theory, this should provide client-side encryption, as Microsoft won’t be able to scan your email contents. It also makes man-in-the-middle attacks much more difficult.

We like Tresorit’s approach to platform design. It has a clean user interface, good copy spacing and an elegant font that’s easy on the eye. Each feature occupies a logical space, with most of them living in the left-hand menu. The software lacks the option to color-code your folders, but you can add a custom logo and switch between light and dark mode.

Accessing the marketplace and installing plugins requires no prior knowledge of these features. Simply select the app you want to integrate and log in to your account. The web browser extensions work only on certain browsers, like Chrome and Firefox, so you can’t install them on Safari. This means Tresorit may not be the best cloud storage for Mac.

Tresorit is one of the best cloud storage for business, and it differs slightly for personal accounts. In addition to the standard view for your files, there’s an “admin center” view. Here you can access users, available storage space and linked devices. You can also produce some detailed reports pertaining to file sharing, access logs and user permissions.

The Tresorit desktop client on macOS and Windows mirrors the same design on each respective operating system. After installation, the clients exist as a sync folder in Finder or File Explorer. This simple and common approach offers the best way to seamlessly manage files without being overwhelmed by a third-party app interface.

You can download files from the sync folder only if you need to interact with them. This is also useful if you need offline access to a file when you don’t have an internet connection. Additionally, you can export files from third-party apps directly to your Tresorit folder, and they’ll immediately begin to upload to the cloud.

Similar to the web and desktop apps, the mobile apps are extremely simplistic in design. You’ll arrive at the “all files” page when you open the app — simply tap a folder to open it up. In the bottom menu, you can select the “+” symbol to upload a file. You can also select the “offline” tab to view files or folders without an internet connection.

We dove deeper into the settings to see what level of functionality we could tweak. You can set smartphone photos and videos to upload automatically while ensuring that the files remain in their original format. Note that Tresorit automatically converts images to JPG and videos to MOV.

The app is available in five languages: English, Spanish, German, French and Hungarian. Other useful mobile app features include a document scanner and a built-in camera app that automatically uploads the image. There’s also a very basic notes app, which is missing from the web and desktop clients.

Unfortunately, Tresorit doesn’t have the best free plan. You get only 3GB of storage space and a maximum file size limit of 500MB for uploads. All paid plans come with a 14-day free trial, but you must add a credit card to access it, which is slightly frustrating. Check out the best free cloud storage services for more options.

You can pay monthly or yearly for a Tresorit subscription. Annual plans drive down the overall monthly cost by around 20 percent, so it’s worth it if you can afford the upfront payment. There are three paid options on both the personal and business plans. 

You’ll get more storage space and feature functionality the higher up you go: up to 4TB on the Professional plan, while Business Plus offers 2TB per user for 10 or more users.

You have the option to share individual files or entire folders. This can take the form of a link, or you can invite others via email. It also offers granular permissions: manager, editor and viewer. The manager can add a message to shared files, giving them a more personal touch. We found file sharing to be seamless across desktop, web and mobile.

Password protection is available for all the files you want to share. You can also add an expiry date to limit access, plus control the number of downloads. Admins can even obtain detailed access logs to see who has accessed a file. It’s also possible to disable downloads completely and require users to add their email addresses before accessing files.

File syncing is fast and consistent — we could access our files on multiple devices as soon as our upload was complete. Tresorit lacks block-level sync, which means it doesn’t provide incremental updates for edited files. You can use selective sync though, which lets you sync specific files and folders of your choosing.

Personal and business users can activate two-factor authentication to log in to the platform. You can receive unique login codes via text, phone, email and an authenticator app. There’s also a “failed login attempts” feature that helps you monitor whether unauthorized users are trying to access your account.

Tresorit uses industry-leading encryption methods to protect your files when in transit and at rest. The company received ISO 27001 certification from an independent audit firm that’s part of the globally trusted TÜV Rheinland group. Tresorit uses Microsoft Azure’s cloud infrastructure to store data, which has a solid reputation.

Tresorit offers client-side, zero-knowledge encryption to ensure your files remain truly private, so you don’t have to worry about their staff accessing them. 

This feature is included across all platforms and on all Tresorit plans, even the free account. There’s no separate encryption folder, either — every file you upload to the platform will have client-side encryption. If client-side encryption is important to you, see our best cloud storage for zero-knowledge encryption guide.

Tresorit’s privacy policy is clearly written, but it’s quite long. We did some digging to see how this privacy-centric provider processes its users’ data. It collects standard information, such as your name and email. Tresorit states that it uses this information to manage its services and send in-house marketing updates, which you’re free to opt out of at any time.

One section of the policy states that the company may share data with third parties for “online marketing.” We reached out to a rep at Tresorit who told us this relates only to marketing materials pertaining to Tresorit, and its users “won’t receive any marketing email from other companies.”

Icedrive offers a similar sleek design that’s easy to use overall. For us, Tresorit has a better, more refined desktop app that makes file management much easier compared to Icedrive. However, Icedrive does offer video playback across platforms and file previews. It’s also cheaper and includes lifetime plans, which is a plus. Learn more in our Icedrive review.

There are similarities between these services, but each takes a slightly different approach. For example, instead of a plugin, Proton Drive offers its own email client with client-side encryption. It’s also more expensive. 

Like Tresorit, Proton Drive is based in Switzerland, so you can enjoy the same robust privacy regulations. You can read more about Proton Drive and all its other features in our Proton Drive review.