🇫🇷 Comparison
Pli Scellé vs Dropbox for sharing sensitive data
Two tools, two purposes. Dropbox stores and syncs your files over time. Pli Scellé transmits a sensitive item, encrypted end to end, that erases itself after it is read or after a deadline you set. Here are the verifiable differences before you choose.
Durable storage or ephemeral transmission
Dropbox is a cloud storage and sync service. Your files stay available as long as the account exists, replicated across your devices. It is a strong tool for working on documents over time. Pli Scellé answers a different need: sending a password, a contract, a GDPR export or a confidential document to a specific recipient, without the data settling anywhere. The share expires between one hour and thirty days depending on your setting, then the purge deletes the content with no residual copy. These are not two versions of the same product. They are two distinct uses. If you want a sync vault, Dropbox does the job. If you transmit a sensitive item occasionally and it must not linger, Pli Scellé is built for that.
Who holds the decryption keys
This is what separates the two approaches most clearly. Dropbox encrypts files at rest with AES-256 and transmits them over TLS. By default, Dropbox retains the decryption keys: the service can technically access the content, which is not zero-knowledge. Dropbox recently introduced optional zero-knowledge end-to-end encryption, limited to team folders on paid plans, where only the team holds the keys. Pli Scellé applies zero-knowledge by default, on every share. AES-256-GCM encryption happens in your browser, the key sits in the URL fragment and is never sent to the server. Pli Scellé cannot read your files, even under legal pressure, because it does not hold the key. You decide who receives the link and the key it carries.
Jurisdiction and the Cloud Act
Dropbox Inc. is a US company, subject to US jurisdiction and therefore to the Cloud Act, which lets US authorities request data held by a US provider, including data stored outside the United States. By default, Dropbox data resides in US data centers. EU residency exists, but only for eligible paid plans (from ten licenses, annual billing, on migration request), and the company remains subject to US law. Pli Scellé is published by SHPV FRANCE SAS and hosts exclusively in France, outside the scope of the Cloud Act, for every account with no license condition. Data and jurisdiction stay French end to end.
| Dropbox | Pli Scellé | |
|---|---|---|
| Zero-knowledge encryption | Optional, team folders on paid plans only (keys held by default) | Default on every share, key never sent to the server |
| Jurisdiction and Cloud Act | US company, subject to the US Cloud Act | SHPV FRANCE SAS, French law, outside the Cloud Act |
| Default hosting | Data centers in the United States (EU residency for eligible paid plans only, 10+ licenses) | France exclusively, all accounts |
| Ephemeral sharing and self-destruction | Persistent storage, no automatic content expiration | Expiry 1 h to 30 d then purge, no residual copy |
| Product purpose | Cloud storage and sync | One-off transmission of sensitive data |
| Entry price | Limited free tier, then paid plans | Free tier, then Discover at €185/year excl. tax |
What Pli Scellé adds for sensitive sharing
Beyond encryption, Pli Scellé includes features designed for controlled transmission. Receive links let a third party drop an encrypted file to you without creating an account. A ClamAV antivirus scans content. There is no tracking. On the organisation side, SSO/SAML is included from the Essentiel plan, SCIM provisioning arrives with Pro, alongside an audit log and an IP allowlist. Annual prices excluding tax are public: Free, Discover at €185, Essentiel at €560, Pro at €1,400, and Enterprise on request. Dropbox covers a broader scope of collaboration and storage, with its own team features. The decision is not which is better in absolute terms, but which fits what you transmit: a shared workspace, or a sensitive item that must disappear after use.
Frequently asked questions
- Is Dropbox GDPR compliant?
- Dropbox states that it complies with GDPR and offers standard contractual clauses. The nuance is jurisdiction: because Dropbox is a US company subject to the Cloud Act, US authorities can request data even when hosted in Europe. EU residency exists but is limited to eligible paid plans. Pli Scellé hosts in France and stays under French law for every account.
- Does Dropbox offer end-to-end encryption?
- Yes, but optionally and with limits. Dropbox's zero-knowledge end-to-end encryption covers team folders on paid plans. By default, Dropbox holds the keys and can access the content. Pli Scellé applies zero-knowledge on every share, with nothing to enable, and never holds the key.
- What is the best French alternative to Dropbox for secure sharing?
- For sync and durable storage, Dropbox remains relevant. To transmit a sensitive item occasionally, encrypted and ephemeral, hosted in France and outside the Cloud Act, Pli Scellé is built specifically for that use, with zero-knowledge by default.
- Where is data stored with Dropbox and with Pli Scellé?
- Dropbox stores by default in US data centers, with EU residency available for some paid plans (from ten licenses, annual billing). Pli Scellé hosts exclusively in France, for every account, with no license condition.
- Why choose ephemeral sharing over cloud storage?
- Data stored durably increases the exposure surface: it stays accessible, backed up, potentially copied. Ephemeral sharing limits the risk window. With Pli Scellé, content erases after it is read or after the deadline you set, with no residual copy, which reduces the exposure of a sensitive item you transmit only once.