In case you didn’t know, MEGA is the spiritual successor to the renowned but now-defunct Megaupload. Unlike its competitors, MEGA offers users the largest free, fully featured cloud storage in the world. As a free user, you can store up to 20GB in your MEGA account. Furthermore, it offers end-to-end encryption, so not even the supplier itself can access the content.
However, is it the best cloud storage solution? In this article, we’ll check its most interesting competitors to find out.
What’s a Secure File Sharing Program?
There’s file sharing and then there’s secure file sharing. This is an important aspect that often gets overlooked. Anyone can simply email a file to somebody else or put it on a USB flash drive, which has enormous vulnerability issues.
To counter this, secure file-sharing software works by storing files securely on the provider’s servers, keeping them in sync with all authorized users, and allowing for the safe transfer of data with protocols such as SSH. Some even let you activate permissions for different users to view files, etc.
Organizations need to use this type of secure software or service since it minimizes the risk of unauthorized parties accessing the information. A USB drive can be infected with malware, and emails can be intercepted or misdirected too.
When you’re handling sensitive files such as confidential documents or legally binding files such as contracts, the damage that can come from unsafe sharing and allowing unauthorized parties to view private data can threaten a company’s very existence. This is when secure file-sharing software can make a significant difference.
What to Look For in a Secure File-Sharing Program?
The best secure file sharing Software should accommodate each client’s needs. That said, there are some highly-recommended features to look out for when you’re considering this type of software. These include:
- End-to-end encryption
- Permission settings per user
- Large file transfers & storage
- Controlled access from anywhere
- Synchronization between team members
- File categorization view
- Latest security features and regular updates
An Overview of MEGA
MEGA is an excellent choice among its competitors when you need a cloud-based file-sharing system. Its main highlight is privacy. With MEGA, only the sender and receiver can view the content being transmitted. This is thanks to its secure, end-to-end encryption system.
However, that’s not all. Unlike most of its competitors, it offers a generous free account with 20GB of storage, and fast transfer speeds which can even be used for encrypted video and audio calls.
In case the free version isn’t enough, they have one of the least expensive alternatives on the market, starting with the Pro Lite plan at $4.90 per month. This gets you 400 GB of storage, and you can transfer up to 1 TB of data per month.
Main Features of MEGA
These are the most important aspects when it comes to the MEGA platform:
- End-to-end encryption
- Generous free plan
- Mobile and desktop apps
- Download files with no sign-up
- Back up and recover files
- Messaging within app
- Encrypted video and audio calls
End-to-end encryption
This means that only the sender and the receiver have the keys to decrypt and view the information. Not even the platform provider has access to your content.
Generous free plan
It’s rare to find a free option offering as much as 20GB of free storage and top speeds.
Mobile and desktop apps to access data
You can access MEGA’s features via a handy desktop app or on the go with their mobile app. It’s available for both Android and iOS.
Download files without signing up
One of the best features of MEGA, when compared to its competitors,c is that it allows you to make your files downloadable by anyone – without requiring them to register.
Backup and recover files
MEGA is perfect for backing up files and recovering them later. When you delete a file from MEGA, it makes the file invisible. It’s only deleted after the configurable period has passed.
MEGA is an ideal alternative for businesses where there’s a lot of file sharing involved. This can happen in an accounting or law firm, or anywhere where confidentiality is paramount. Not only that, but any organization that handles large files will also benefit from using this alternative.
Communication with team members via the app
Thanks to its chat app, your team can communicate without needing to use a separate platform. Team members can chat and view each other via video call as an alternative.
Encrypted video and audio calls
Perhaps the most important aspect of MEGA Chat is that all communications are encrypted with the same protocol used for files. Not even MEGA knows the content of your calls and video streaming. This is something almost no other competitor offers.
Pros and Cons of MEGA
Not everything is perfect, and as such, MEGA also has some downsides when compared to its competitors. Here are a few of the good and the bad aspects of the service:
Pros
- Solid referral program
- Free storage
- Fast data transfers
- Very easy to use
Cons
- No chat or phone support
- Limited features compared to other services
An Overview of ownCloud
Of course, MEGA isn’t alone in providing cloud-based file sharing and storage. Among its alternatives, there’s ownCloud. Like other competitors, this platform offers many features revolving around file sharing and collaboration. However, they go a step beyond and offer an interface that works great for teams collaborating remotely.
For example, there’s the Spaces concept, which makes it easy to manage your files. It also has integration with all major office software such as Microsoft 365 and OnlyOffice. There are many alternative plugins you can use like sync for calendars and contacts.
You can use it for free if you host it on your own server, and the basic plan starts from $5 per user per month. If you prefer to use ownCloud’s server, the basic plan is $13 per user per month.
Main Features of ownCloud
Compared to MEGA and other competitors, ownCloud offers some advantages, especially with its various productivity tools. Here are the key features:
- Free plan for hosting on your server
- Integration with popular office programs
- Pricing based on number of users
- Great file-management features
- Desktop and mobile apps
- Zero-knowledge security
Free plan for hosting on your server
In this MEGA competitor, if you decide to use your own server instead of ownCloud’s, you can get a free plan.
Integration with popular office tools
You can integrate ownCloud seamlessly with office suites like Microsoft Office and other alternatives. This allows your team to keep working with your preferred apps while taking advantage of ownCloud’s features.
Pricing based on the user count
The price you pay for ownCloud depends mainly on how many users you need, so it’s fully scalable and there are several options.
Great file-managing features
ownCloud’s file manager is simple to use and has many features for secure sharing and controlling access to documents.
Desktop and mobile apps
If you prefer an app as an alternative to using your browser, you can download the dedicated desktop or mobile app for this MEGA competitor.
Zero-knowledge security
This term is closely related to end-to-end encryption since it basically means the same: the company has zero knowledge of the content in your files. Thanks to this secure end-to-end encryption, it can’t view them.
ownCloud shines best when used as an integral solution for companies. It’s particularly useful for Microsoft Office corporate clients and other similar alternatives for its many features that enhance productivity.
Pros and Cons of ownCloud
Among the pros and cons of ownCloud, the following are the most important:
Pros
- Phone and online support
- Works on Linux, Mac, and Windows
- Free trial version
- Many integrations like Open API, Dropbox, and others
Cons
- No video and audio streaming
- Slow interface sometimes
- No video viewer
An Overview of Bitwarden
Another interesting MEGA competitor is Bitwarden. This tool is marketed as a password manager, but it also offers data transmission with end-to-end encryption. This means that you can also store items in your vault, and others can view them. It’s also open source, meaning that anyone can improve its code.
Of course, being a password manager, it has many tools to enhance password security, such as a username and password generator, something that’s absent from MEGA and other competitors. And the good news is that all core features are free for personal use. Paid plans for personal users start at $10 per year and $3 per user per month for businesses.
Main Features of Bitwarden
Here are some key features of Bitwarden:
- Password manager
- Cloud-based or self-host
- Security compliance
- Synchronization
- Cross-platform
Password manager
Bitwarden not only lets you transfer files, but it’s a powerful password manager too. Unlike its competitors, it lets you view, generate, store, and secure passwords from anywhere.
Cloud-based or self-host
Just like ownCloud and other alternatives, you can use Bitwarden on your own server or opt for their cloud-based servers.
Security compliance
Bitwarden is very vocal when it comes to transparency. This MEGA alternative gets regular audits from third parties and the code is open source, so anyone can check it out and view the code.
Synchronization
This MEGA competitor has an automatic synchronization feature, with instant sync for items in your vault, and 30-minute sync for items owned by your organization. Of course, it lets you manually synchronize your data too.
Cross-platform
Bitwarden is one of the most compatible alternatives across systems. You can use it on most operating systems, and it also offers extensions for Chrome, Safari, and many other browsers.
Even though Bitwarden is a good choice for both enterprise and regular consumers, it offers great tools for individual use. This MEGA competitor offers extra value for companies where there are remote workers since there are complimentary Bitwarden plans for them and their families.
Pros and Cons of Bitwarden
As with any product, Bitwarden has advantages and disadvantages.
Pros
- Allows easy password creation
- Can check and customize its code
- Unlimited devices
- Free plan
Cons
- Clumsy interface
- Limited customer support
- No encrypted video or audio calls
MEGA vs. ownCloud vs. Bitwarden – Which is the most secure?
The good news is that MEGA and its competitors are equally secure when it comes to file transfers, but Bitwarden takes the lead thanks to it being audited by third parties.
All three alternatives offer zero-knowledge encryption. This means the provider doesn’t have any knowledge of the contents you’re storing or transmitting, and it can’t view them. However, Bitwarden is the only MEGA competitor that publicly announces that it gets regularly audited by third-party security firms. Besides, since it’s an open-source project, anyone can view the code.
In the case of MEGA and ownCloud, there’s no way to review the code. This makes it difficult to 100% ascertain what they propose, even though their reputation precedes them.
Another Alternative to MEGA
If you’re looking for a straightforward alternative to sending files, SecureDocSharings is a solid choice. It not only allows you to control who can view your documents but also lets you track the interactions.
Just like the other MEGA competitors, you can send encrypted documents with a drag-and-drop interface and there’s the added benefit of document analytics. You can see how many times a file was viewed, how long users interacted with your file and more. You can also set expiration times and password protection when sharing. All of this comes for free, unlike most competitors.
This platform is a great alternative when you need secure file-sharing without all the extra features that other services provide. For example, if you need to share private files safely and don’t need office productivity tools or integration, this is an interesting choice.
Why is SecureDocSharings the Best Platform for Sharing Documents Securely?
One of the best things about SecureDocSharings is its simplicity. You simply drag and drop your documents to the website. You can later set a link and control access to it in several ways, such as requiring an email address or password and setting whether the file is downloadable or only viewable online.
Again, the key aspect is simplicity and security. With SecureDocSharings, only the intended recipient will get the file and be able to interact with it, even if the link is made public. Best of all, unlike MEGA alternatives, everything takes less than a minute.
Final Thoughts
MEGA is one of the best-known cloud-based file services on the market, but other competitors like ownCloud and Bitwarden each have their own strengths and weaknesses. All alternatives offer top-notch security for your information and teamwork. Which service you choose depends on your needs and workflow, and it’s great that there’s plenty of choice.
These alternatives might look similar on an initial view, but the key features are what make the difference, such as whether they offer secure, encrypted video stream views, are open source, or offer scalable plans and more alternatives.
However, if all of their extra features are unnecessary for you, other simpler solutions like SecureDocSharings might be a better suit for your file-sharing needs.
