Yandex Disk earned its 80 million Android installs by giving away 5 GB of free cloud storage with automatic phone-camera backup that just works inside the Yandex stack. The trade-offs are real, though: ads in the free tier, account flow tied to Yandex ID, every byte stored under Russian jurisdiction, and a Premium ladder priced in rubles that climbs fast for anyone who actually needs the extra space. We compared seven Yandex Disk alternatives that handle photo backup, document storage, and file sync for users who want more space, fewer ads, or a different jurisdiction.
Quick comparison
| App | Free storage | Paid starts at | Encryption | Jurisdiction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google Drive | 15 GB | $1.99/mo (100 GB) | TLS in transit, server-side at rest | US |
| MEGA | 20 GB | €4.99/mo (400 GB) | End-to-end (zero-knowledge) | New Zealand |
| pCloud | 10 GB | €4.99/mo or one-time €199 | Optional Crypto folder | Switzerland (EU) |
| Proton Drive | 5 GB | €3.99/mo (200 GB) | End-to-end (zero-knowledge) | Switzerland |
| Microsoft OneDrive | 5 GB | $1.99/mo (100 GB) | TLS in transit, server-side at rest | US |
| Cloud Mail.ru | 8 GB | from 1 RUB first month | TLS in transit | Russia |
| Internxt | 1 GB | €1.99/mo (20 GB) | End-to-end (zero-knowledge) | Spain |
Why people leave Yandex Disk
- Free 5 GB fills up fast. Modern phone cameras shoot 12 MP HEIF photos and 4K video, and the free Yandex Disk allowance disappears in a couple of weekends. Google’s 15 GB and MEGA’s 20 GB free tiers are the obvious gap.
- Ads in the free app. Free users see promotional cards and Yandex-stack upsells inside the file browser. The Premium tier removes them; on competitors, the free tier is already ad-free.
- Russian jurisdiction. Files sit on Yandex infrastructure under Russian law. For business documents, client work, or anything that needs to live outside that jurisdiction, the constraint is hard.
- No end-to-end encryption. Yandex Disk encrypts in transit and at rest, but the keys live with Yandex. Zero-knowledge alternatives like MEGA, Proton Drive, and Internxt encrypt client-side so even the provider cannot read the files.
- Premium pricing climbs in rubles. The 1 TB tier is competitive locally, but anyone earning in another currency or paying with a foreign card pays a premium for the convenience.
The alternatives
Google Drive, best for general everyday use
Google Drive gives every Google account 15 GB free shared across Drive, Gmail, and Google Photos. The Android app is fast, the integration with Docs, Sheets, and Slides is the best of any cloud, and the upgrade path through Google One starts at $1.99 per month for 100 GB.
The 15 GB ceiling is shared, so a busy Gmail inbox or Photos library eats into the file budget quickly. There is no end-to-end encryption on personal accounts, and Google has clear access to file contents for indexing and AI features unless the user opts out.
Drive vs Yandex Disk: bigger free tier, better office-doc collaboration, US jurisdiction. Loses on Russian-language UX and on Yandex Plus bundle value if Music and Kinopoisk matter.
MEGA, best free tier with end-to-end encryption
MEGA is the only major cloud that gives 20 GB free with zero-knowledge encryption out of the box. Files are encrypted on the device before upload, so even MEGA cannot read them. The Android app handles automatic camera backup, password-protected sharing links, and chat with end-to-end encryption baked in.
The 20 GB free tier comes with bandwidth limits that occasionally throttle large transfers, and the Android app feels heavier than Google Drive’s. Paid plans start at €4.99 per month for 400 GB and scale to 16 TB, which is fair value but not the cheapest per gigabyte.
MEGA vs Yandex Disk: four times the free storage, end-to-end encryption, New Zealand jurisdiction. Loses on the integrated office editing that Google and Microsoft offer.
pCloud, best for one-time payment
pCloud is the cloud most people pick when monthly billing fatigue sets in. The lifetime plans (€199 for 500 GB or €399 for 2 TB) pay back inside two or three years compared with Yandex Premium or Google One. Storage sits in EU or US data centres on the user’s choice, and the optional Crypto folder adds zero-knowledge encryption for the files that need it.
The 10 GB free tier requires referrals to unlock fully, and Crypto is an add-on rather than the default. Sync speeds are good but not the best in class, and the office-doc editing layer is thinner than Google or Microsoft.
pCloud vs Yandex Disk: Swiss-EU jurisdiction, lifetime plans that beat ruble Premium on long horizons, and optional encryption that Yandex does not match. Loses on Russian-language UX.
Proton Drive, best for privacy-first storage
Proton Drive is built by the team behind Proton Mail, and it ships zero-knowledge encryption end-to-end as the default for every file, folder, and shared link. The Android app handles photo backup with the same encryption guarantee, and the wider Proton ecosystem (Mail, Calendar, VPN) lets one subscription cover most cloud needs.
The free tier starts at 5 GB, the same as Yandex Disk’s free allowance. Paid plans begin at €3.99 per month for 200 GB. There is no public office-suite integration, and shared collaboration features lag the bigger clouds.
Proton Drive vs Yandex Disk: Swiss jurisdiction, zero-knowledge encryption, polished privacy posture. Loses on integrated office editing and on raw free storage.
Microsoft OneDrive, best for Office users
OneDrive ties straight into Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook. For anyone already running Microsoft 365, the cloud storage comes bundled (1 TB for personal subscribers) and the file picker inside Office for Android lands on OneDrive by default. The Android app handles automatic camera backup and offline sync per folder.
The free 5 GB tier matches Yandex Disk and trails Google Drive’s 15 GB. There is no end-to-end encryption on personal plans, and Microsoft pushes Copilot upsells inside the OneDrive UI on the free tier.
OneDrive vs Yandex Disk: tighter Office workflow, US jurisdiction, identical free allowance. Loses on Yandex-stack features like Disk’s photo organiser and shared photo timelines.
Cloud Mail.ru, best Russian-jurisdiction switch
Cloud Mail.ru is the natural local alternative for users who want to stay inside Russian infrastructure but leave the Yandex stack. Free storage starts at 8 GB (more than Yandex Disk’s 5 GB), the Android app supports automatic photo backup, and the Mail.ru ecosystem ties cloud, mail, and calendar together.
Free users see ads similar to Yandex’s, the Mail.ru jurisdiction profile is comparable, and the Android UX feels older than the rest of this list. Paid storage starts as low as 1 RUB for the first month before settling into the regular tier.
Cloud Mail.ru vs Yandex Disk: more free space, same jurisdiction, different ad mix. Worth it for users frustrated specifically with Yandex but not ready to leave Russian-hosted cloud.
Internxt, best small-tier zero-knowledge option
Internxt is a smaller, EU-based cloud built on zero-knowledge encryption with open-source clients. The Android app is clean, the photo-backup workflow is straightforward, and the company publishes its code on GitHub for independent review.
The free 1 GB tier is the smallest on this list, so Internxt only makes sense for users on a paid plan from the start. Plans begin at €1.99 per month for 20 GB and scale up to 10 TB, which is competitive once the entry tier is paid for. Sharing collaboration features are basic.
Internxt vs Yandex Disk: Spanish (EU) jurisdiction, zero-knowledge encryption, and open-source clients. Loses badly on free storage but wins on auditability for users who care.
How to choose
If the only goal is more free space, MEGA at 20 GB or Google Drive at 15 GB are the obvious picks. If end-to-end encryption matters, MEGA, Proton Drive, or Internxt are the only options on this list that actually deliver it. For Office users, OneDrive. For users who want to stay inside Russian infrastructure but leave the Yandex ecosystem, Cloud Mail.ru. For long-horizon value without a subscription, pCloud’s lifetime plans pay back inside two or three years.
Stay on Yandex Disk if Yandex Plus already covers Music, Kinopoisk, and Maps and the bundled storage tier (currently 200 GB or 1 TB depending on Plus level) is enough. The integration with the Yandex stack is real, and the Russian-language UX is the most polished in the local market.
Frequently asked questions
How much free storage does Yandex Disk give? 5 GB on a new account. Yandex sometimes runs promotions that add temporary bonus space, but the baseline is 5 GB.
Which Yandex Disk alternative gives the most free space? MEGA leads with 20 GB. Google Drive is next at 15 GB shared across Drive, Gmail, and Photos. Cloud Mail.ru offers 8 GB at sign-up.
Is Google Drive better than Yandex Disk? For free storage, office editing, and global collaboration, yes. For Russian-language UX, Yandex Plus bundle value, and integration with the rest of the Yandex stack, Yandex Disk still has the edge.
Which alternative has the strongest privacy? Proton Drive, MEGA, and Internxt all use zero-knowledge end-to-end encryption: files are encrypted on the device before upload and the provider cannot read them. Among those, Proton Drive’s wider ecosystem (Mail, VPN, Calendar) is the most useful if privacy matters across more than just storage.
Can I move my files from Yandex Disk to another cloud? Yes. The cleanest path is to sync the Yandex Disk Android app to a folder on a desktop, then upload that folder to the new cloud’s desktop client. There is no first-party migration tool between Yandex Disk and the alternatives on this list.
Is Cloud Mail.ru a real alternative if both are Russian? For users specifically frustrated with Yandex’s UX, ad load, or Premium ladder, yes. The jurisdictional profile is comparable, but the apps and pricing are independent products.
