> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://efreedirectory.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# Sync Free Is 5GB With Real Encryption. That Is the Trade.
- URL: https://efreedirectory.com/sync-com-free-plan-limits/
- Published: 2026-10-22T11:25:20.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-22T11:25:20.000Z
- Description: Five gigabytes is small. Being the only mainstream drive that encrypts even the free tier is what makes the number worth paying attention to.
- Author: Alpesh Gevariya
- Tags: tool, Cloud Storage

**Sync gives 5GB free with end-to-end encryption on every tier including the free one, up to five connected devices, three shared links and 30-day file recovery. Personal 1TB is $12 a month with a first-year discount that works out to $9 a month. Nothing on the free plan requires a card.**[1](#sources)

Most free storage tiers make you choose between space and privacy. Sync does not offer much space, but it offers the privacy at zero, and for a particular kind of user that is the whole decision.[2](#sources)

## The plans, measured

|               | Free       | Personal 1TB                  | Solo 5TB                       |
| ------------- | ---------- | ----------------------------- | ------------------------------ |
| Price         | $0         | $12/mo, $9 first-year average | $24/mo, $21 first-year average |
| Storage       | 5GB        | 1TB                           | 5TB                            |
| Devices       | 5          | Unlimited                     | Unlimited                      |
| Share links   | 3          | Unlimited                     | Unlimited                      |
| Encryption    | End-to-end | End-to-end                    | End-to-end                     |
| File recovery | 30 days    | 30 days                       | 30 days                        |

**Prices measured on 22 October 2026.** Vendor plan terms, allowances and prices change without notice, so treat every figure on this page as a dated snapshot rather than a permanent fact. Where a number here differs from the vendor's own pricing page, the vendor's page is correct and the figure above is simply older than it.

The advertised monthly price and the annual price differ. Sync's individual plans are sold annually, and the $9 and $21 figures are the monthly equivalent of the discounted first year. The regular monthly rate is shown as the higher number.

## What end-to-end encryption actually means here

Files are encrypted on your device before they are uploaded, and the key is derived from your password. Sync does not hold the key, which means it cannot read your files and cannot reset your password without you losing access to the data.

That last point is the honest cost, and it is worth sitting with. If you forget your password and have not set up recovery, the data is gone. No support ticket recovers it, because the company genuinely cannot decrypt it. Every provider that offers real end-to-end encryption has this property, and any that does not is not offering real end-to-end encryption.

Sync also states that it does not track user activity or sell data, and holds SOC 2 Type 1 certification. Those claims are the vendor's own, and they are the kind of thing that matters more than a storage figure when the product is privacy.

## What 5GB covers

Smaller than Google by a factor of three, bigger than Dropbox by a factor of two and a half. In practice, it is a document allowance.

| What you are storing           | Typical size | Fits in 5GB           |
| ------------------------------ | ------------ | --------------------- |
| Encrypted notes and text files | 20KB         | Effectively unlimited |
| Scanned PDF                    | 3MB          | About 1,600           |
| Phone photo                    | 4MB          | About 1,200           |
| Encrypted archive              | 500MB        | About 10              |
| Minute of video                | 130MB        | About 38              |

## The three share links are the tightest limit

Five devices is workable. Three shared links is not. A share link is how you send someone a file or folder without an account, and three concurrent links run out quickly if you work with clients.

The workaround is to delete old links, which means old recipients lose access to files they may still need. This is the free plan's real ceiling, more than the storage, because it forces a behaviour change rather than just a cleanup.

## When the free plan is enough

A personal encrypted archive. Tax records, identity documents, contract scans, password backups. A few gigabytes of files that should not be readable by the storage company, kept in sync between a laptop and a phone.

It is also a reasonable second location for anything already backed up elsewhere. Five gigabytes is enough for the documents that would be genuinely painful to lose, and encryption at rest means a breach at the provider exposes nothing readable.

## When it stops being enough

The fourth share link, or the first video. At that point Personal at 1TB is a fair price for what is included, since unlimited devices and unlimited share links remove both ceilings at once.

Compare the price honestly against the field: Sync's 1TB costs more than [Dropbox Plus at $9.99](https://efreedirectory.com/dropbox-free-plan-limits/) and far more than [Google's 100GB at $1.99](https://efreedirectory.com/google-drive-free-plan-limits/). You are paying a premium for the encryption, and it is the only reason to choose it.

## How it compares

On raw space, [MEGA's 20GB](https://efreedirectory.com/mega-free-plan-limits/) beats it and [pCloud's 10GB](https://efreedirectory.com/pcloud-free-plan-limits/) doubles it. On privacy at the free tier, Sync is alone: [Dropbox](https://efreedirectory.com/dropbox-free-plan-limits/), [Google Drive](https://efreedirectory.com/google-drive-free-plan-limits/) and [OneDrive](https://efreedirectory.com/onedrive-free-plan-limits/) all encrypt at rest with keys the provider holds.

## Frequently asked questions

**Is Sync free really end-to-end encrypted?**  
Yes. Encryption applies on every plan including free, with keys derived from your password on your device.

**What happens if I forget my Sync password?**  
Without a recovery option, the data is unrecoverable. Sync cannot reset a password it does not hold the key for.

**How many devices can I use on Sync free?**  
Five. Paid plans remove the device limit.

**How many share links do I get free?**  
Three at a time. Deleting one frees a slot.

**Does Sync offer a free trial of paid plans?**  
Sync provides a limited trial of paid features, but the permanent free tier is 5GB and does not expire.

*Limits and prices verified against Sync's own pricing pages on 22 October 2026.*

## Sources

1. Sync pricing for individuals: [www.sync.com/pricing-individual](https://www.sync.com/pricing-individual/?ref=efreedirectory.com).
2. Sync free cloud storage: [www.sync.com/free-cloud-storage](https://www.sync.com/free-cloud-storage/?ref=efreedirectory.com).

*All sources are the vendor's own plan or documentation pages, checked on 22 October 2026\. Plan terms change without notice, so confirm current limits before you rely on them.*