Internxt Review: 9 Pros and 2 Cons of Using Internxt Cloud Storage

In an age when most of us store our data online; privacy feels more important than ever. So, why is it so difficult to find when it comes to cloud storage?

Because it’s not just the hackers and viruses you need to be worried about – do you really want to trust your private information to another faceless corporate entity?

In this environment, a cloud storage like Internxt feels like a breath of fresh air. Today, we’ve tested their service for ourselves and explained their strengths and cons in this helpful guide. Read on, reader!

First – Who Are Internxt and What Sets Them Apart?

Internxt (pronounced: Inter-Next) is a cloud storage provider with an outspoken focus on privacy and security.

The story goes that their founder, Fran Villalba Segarra, started off working for an established internet hosting provider. It was there that he realized how open users’ data were to misuse and thought there must be a way to secure data without getting big companies involved.

After learning about Web3 and technologies like blockchain, peer-to-peer networks and so on, Fran went on to develop Internxt. What sets Internxt apart from the rest of the pack is their high obsession with protecting your data, even from Internxt themselves. More on that in a bit.

9 Things We Love About Internxt Cloud Storage

1. You Get True Peace of Mind Your Stuff Is Safe

If there’s one thing Internext is big on, it’s security.

But not just in the sense of keeping your data safe from malicious intruders, but also by giving you control over how private your stuff stays.

Internxt delivers on this in a few ways, but their emphasis on transparency caught our eye. See – Internxt isn’t just keen on protecting your privacy safe from outside threats like hackers, but even from Internxt itself.

Many people might be horrified to learn that many cloud storage providers, including Google Drive and Dropbox, have policies in place in which their employees CAN access your files stored on their servers.

Internxt, on the other hand, practice a ‘zero-trust policy’. In other words, it doesn’t matter whether or not you trust them – the system still works.

Think of it this way. Let’s say I sell you a combination lock. You set the combination on the lock. So now, only you can unlock it. It doesn’t matter whether or not you trust me, because you can trust the lock.

Their use of zero-knowledge technology means that, when you sign up, Internxt creates a passphrase based on your password, and then places that passphrase onto your client, rather than an Internxt server. Only you know what your password is and that places the power in your hands, not in the hands of the company.

And to prove that their “lock” can be trusted, Internxt is one of the VERY few cloud storage providers that is open source. Which means anyone can freely check their source code for anything fishy.

That means that absolutely no one is seeing your stuff.

2. File Sharding Technology Takes Your Privacy One Step Further

You might be thinking – sure – every cloud storage provider likes to talk about how secure they are.

But Internxt really walks the talk. One example is how they’re one of very few cloud storage providers that use an extra layer of security called ‘file sharding’.

In sharding, encrypted data gets broken down into little pieces called (you guessed it!) shards. These shards are scattered over multiple servers in decentralized storage locations.

By using peer-to-peer networks rather than a centralized system, it means that even if one server becomes compromised, your data stays safe, since it’s scattered across multiple systems that only you can access. Which means the power is in your hands and nobody else’s! It’s another win for privacy.

3. You’ll Get Access To Some Sweet Security Features

We were happy to read that Internxt recently commissioned Securitum, a leading European security auditing company, to run an independent security audit on their system.

And on top of that – here are a couple of other security features that go a long way:

Feel safe yet?

4. The Internxt Interface Is Dead Easy to Use

With all that focus on security, you might wonder if Internxt may be pretty complicated to use. The good news is that they’re extremely user-friendly!

In doing my research for this article, I’ve come to really love some of the features that Internxt has to offer. First of all, the user interface for Internxt Drive is clean and intuitive.

At first glance, it looks much the same as any other cloud storage platform but what I eventually came to appreciate was the lack of clutter. You’re not bombarded with thumbnails of notifications or suggestions on which file to open next. There aren’t tabs and a plethora of icons for other services.

And when you want to upload a file, you’re not asked if you want to create a document or spreadsheet or use a totally unrelated program. No, Internxt Drive is straightforward. It has a job and it focuses on that job. And that’s where the apps come in.

Internxt’s Desktop App

The desktop app impressed me.

It’s a small file and the installation process is super quick. Once you’ve installed and synced up your desktop, you’ll be able to access the entirety of your files on Internxt from your desktop and interact with the files much like you would any other file on your desktop.

This makes navigating through your files a whole lot easier.

Internxt’s Mobile App

Much like the desktop app, the mobile app lets you easily use Internxt on your phone. You won’t have to go to their site on a browser to access their services.

The mobile app also offers even more security as Internxt has recently added a new biometric lock feature that unlocks using your Face ID, fingerprint or PIN.

5. Internxt Photo – Free up Your Phone Storage

Once you’ve installed their mobile app, you’ll also be able to use a nifty feature they offer called Internxt Photo. This is where you can sync your mobile device to the Internxt cloud storage in a location called Photo Gallery.

The awesome news? This effectively gives your phone extra storage space for your photos.

If you’re on a free account, that’s 10 GB of extra space. If you’re on the 200 GB plan, then that’s a whopping extra 200 GB of storage space for your phone.

On top of that, by storing your photos in the Internxt Photo Gallery, it means they’ll enjoy the same security protocols that’s provided to all your files and you won’t have to worry about losing them later on.

Your photos will be available on all your devices, and syncs up automatically. That way, even if you lose or break your devices – your precious holiday snaps are all safe!

6. Send Large Files Easily and Securely

Their Internxt Send service allows you to send large or multiple files securely.

It’s a simple interface that will allow you to upload files or folders up to 5 GB in size, with Internxt planning to remove all size limitations in future (although for now, you’ll have to live with a 5 GB limit).

Once you’ve uploaded what you want to share, simply share via a link which will automatically expire in 15 days for your protection, or via email.

We found it really helpful!

7. They Offer Lifetime Plans!

On a dollar-by-dollar basis, if we compare Internxt’s pricing with other cloud storage providers, it’s clear they aren’t the cheapest around.

The annual price for 2 TB of storage on Internxt comes to an average of 9.53 USD a month, which is less than Dropbox, but more pricey than folks like pCloud and Sync.

But where the good value really shows up is in their Lifetime Plans.

Of course, Lifetime Plans are relatively rare. Most providers would rather you pay for their service in perpetuity.

But what I really like about the Lifetime Plans is simply how fast it pays itself off. Using the competitively priced Annual 2 TB Plan as the yardstick, a quick calculation shows that the Lifetime 2 TB Plan pays itself off in just under 3 years.

Then, adjusting for the storage size provided, both the 5 TB and 10 TB Lifetime Plans pay themselves off in a little under 2 years.

Whichever plan you use, depending on your individual or company needs, these are the best bang for your buck, simply because of how fast they can pay themselves off.

8. They Offer a Range of Tiers (Bonus: Unlock Extra Storage for Free!)

If you’re not up for a Lifetime Plan – you’ll still be happy to know there’s a package for everyone. The packages scale up reasonably, so that you can pick a package to better match your current needs. It’s not a case of going from a 20 GB plan straight to a 2 TB plan.

What’s more – Internxt will give you 2 GB of free storage, just for signing up. But by doing a few simple steps, you can get yourself up to 10 GB of free storage for life!

Just follow the steps in the image below to not only get 10 GB and remember, you still get all the features and services offered by Internxt, such as Photo and Send.

The other great thing about the pricing on Internxt is that regardless of which package you choose, you’ll have full access to all the features, including access to Internxt Photo and Internxt Send.

9. They Give Around the Clock Customer Support

You can contact their 24/7 customer via e-mail – but what’s even more special is that you can get in touch with their Live Chat! Not all cloud storage providers offer this – so it’s definitely worth a mention.

They also have a thorough Frequently Asked Questions section that should get you up and running pretty quick.

My experience with them is that they are very quick to respond and their responses have been quite comprehensive. Of course, experiences may differ but mine have been good so far, and I’ve tested them all around the clock.

What We Don’t Like About Internxt Cloud Storage

1. They’re Secure But Also a Bit Slow

The big downside to Internxt is that as a result of all the security protocols, it does slow down the service.

When you upload a file, your file is automatically encrypted, which is great in terms of convenience but that does mean that it’ll take a little longer to upload that file.

How long depends on the file size. A 100 KB file like a .jpg could add on less than a second per file. While larger or more numerous files are uploaded notably slower when compared to other cloud storage platforms.

Once the file has been uploaded, it can be interacted with quickly and easily. But that initial delay is a really notable drawback in this day and age, where we expect, nay demand, that everything be done with the utmost immediacy.

Below we see a quick test, where it took a little over a minute to upload 5 image files that are all a little under 1 MB in size. A single 4.3MB image I tested only took about 20 seconds to upload and process, despite being about the same size as all 5 smaller files combined.

This is due to how each file is uploaded consecutively, rather than concurrently. So there’s a delay between each file that can add up if you’re trying to upload a lot of files at once.

We also had a browse of some reviews from TrustPilot that said something similar. The slower speeds compared to other services is noticeable and a personal turn off for myself as well.

2. They Can Be Collaboratively Clunky

The other downside to Internxt as a result of its dedication to security, is that it’s somewhat of a hassle to collaborate with it. This isn’t as big a deal as the somewhat reduced speed, but like the speed issue, it can add up.

Basically, after you upload a file and it automatically gets encrypted, you can’t share it right away. Instead, you have to click on the file to generate a link. Which is all well and good security-wise, but it’s an extra step when you just want to share and collaborate on a project.

By itself it’s not too bad but it’s an inconvenience that adds up. It can be a real hassle when there are a lot of files you need to share at once, because you can’t generate a link for multiple files at once.

Internxt’s Plans and Pricing

Internxt has a number of plans and as mentioned previously, one good thing about the plans is that they scale up gradually to meet your personal or business needs.

Whilst not the cheapest on the block, they are competitively priced for the amount of features and security offered.

Free Plan

The Free Plan starts you off with 2 GB when you sign up and by doing a few simple actions such as downloading the apps and uploading files, you get additional storage space. This can bring you up to a total of 10 GB of free storage space that’s yours for life.

Monthly Plans

The monthly plans are quite competitive.

For just $0.99 per month, you get 20 GB of storage space. At $4.49 per month, this will net you 200 GB of storage. Moreover, the $9.99 per month plan provides you with 2 TB of storage. Taking the current conversion rates into consideration, this is actually cheaper than some of their competitors.

* Price is billed monthly.

Annual Plans

For more savings, you can opt into the Annual Plans.

For just $10.68 per year ($0.89 /mo), you get 20 GB of storage space. At $41.88 per year ($3.49 /mo), this will net you 200 GB of storage. Finally, for $107.88 per year ($8.99 /mo) provides you with 2 TB of storage. This is still one of the best options available when put up against their competitors.

* Price is billed annually.

Lifetime Plans

I’ve raved about their Lifetime Plans above and how much they can save you – but I’ll say it again. If you’re looking for a longer term solution to keep your files safe, a lifetime plan can really help you save in the long run.

For a one time payment of $299, you get 2 TB of storage space for life. For a one time payment of $499, you get 5 TB of storage space for life and for $999, you get 10 TB of storage space for life.

Learn more about Internxt lifetime plans here.

Verdict: Is Internxt Right For You?

Whether we realize it or not, cloud storage has become a growing part of our lives, particularly post-pandemic. Even if you’re not using it directly, chances are the lady behind the counter is using it for her daily statistics or friends are using it when they share their selfies with you via social media.

So if you’re going to use it yourself, you should know what’s valuable to you. If you value the privacy and security of your data at a competitive price, then Internxt may be worth checking out.

Internxt goes above and beyond in protecting you and giving you ownership of your own data, so they’re quite good for entrepreneurs and businesses.

If you don’t particularly care for the security of your data, say, because that data is non-critical, then you might consider other cloud storage providers. We wouldn’t say Internxt is the best cloud storage for quick collaboration and fast workflows. For security features though – it’s hard to beat.