🇫🇷 Comparison
Pli Scellé vs Google Drive for sharing sensitive data
Two tools, two purposes. Google Drive keeps your files in one place and lets you share them from any device. Pli Scellé transmits a sensitive item, encrypted end to end from the Discover plan, that erases itself at the expiry you set. Every fact about Google Drive below links to its official documentation.
Shared storage or ephemeral transmission
According to Google's official help, Drive keeps all your files together and lets you upload and share them from any device. It is an everyday work tool. 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. Each share has an expiry, after which the content is purged, with a maximum duration of 24 hours to 30 days depending on the plan.
Who can read the content
Google states that all files uploaded to Drive or created in Docs, Sheets and Slides are encrypted in transit and at rest with AES256. Google also offers optional client-side encryption: the organisation controls the keys, which sit in an external key service, and Google states that its servers then have no access to the content. This option is limited to some Google Workspace editions (Frontline Plus, Enterprise Plus, Education Standard and Education Plus), an administrator must turn it on, and Google notes that these files are not scanned for phishing and malware because it cannot access the content. Pli Scellé offers end-to-end encryption from the Discover plan: AES-256-GCM encryption happens in your browser, the key sits in the URL fragment and is never sent to the server. In end-to-end mode, Pli Scellé does not hold the key and cannot read your files. The Free plan does not include this mode.
Data region and jurisdiction
Google lets a Workspace administrator choose where data at rest is stored: the United States, the European Union (labeled Europe in the Admin console) or no preference, depending on the edition. For Drive, Google states that a file is stored in the region set by its creator's policy. Pli Scellé hosts exclusively in France, for every account, with no edition condition. On jurisdiction we only compare what Google documents: in the European Economic Area and Switzerland, Google's terms of service name Google Ireland Limited (Dublin) as the provider of Google services. We have not read an organisation's Google Workspace contract, and we found no official Google source on the Cloud Act, so these points are not compared. Pli Scellé is published by SHPV FRANCE SAS, under French law.
| Google Drive | Pli Scellé | |
|---|---|---|
| Encryption | In transit and at rest by default (AES256); optional client-side encryption, Frontline Plus, Enterprise Plus, Education Standard and Education Plus editions | End to end from the Discover plan, key never sent to the server |
| Data region | United States, European Union or no preference, depending on the edition; a file follows its creator's policy | France exclusively, all accounts |
| Time-limited access | Per person and per file, up to one year, with a Google work or school account | Share expiry then purge, maximum duration of 24 h to 30 days depending on the plan |
| Provider and jurisdiction | Google Ireland Limited for Google services in the EEA and Switzerland (terms of service); Workspace contract not read | SHPV FRANCE SAS, French law |
Official Google sources
What Drive is
Google Drive help: "Google Drive helps you keep all your files together."
Default encryption
Google Drive help: "All files uploaded to Drive or created in Docs, Sheets, and Slides are encrypted in transit and at rest with AES256 bit encryption." It adds that client-side encryption is an extra layer and that "Google cannot decrypt your files".
Client-side encryption
Google Workspace FAQ: "Supported editions for this feature: Frontline Plus; Enterprise Plus; Education Standard and Education Plus." Files are not scanned "because Google's servers don't have access to the content".
Data region
Google Workspace help: "Your location options are the United States, European Union (labeled Europe in the Google Admin console), or No preference."
Region of Drive files
"Google Drive stores files in the region designated by the data region policy of the file creator."
Access expiry
Google Drive help, section "More options with Google Accounts through work or school": "Give someone permissions to a file for a limited time" and "Choose a date within one year of the current date." The page does not say whether the file is deleted when access expires.
Provider in the EEA
Google terms of service: "In the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland, Google services are provided by, and you're contracting with:" Google Ireland Limited, Dublin.
What Pli Scellé adds for sensitive sharing
On the organisation side, SSO/SAML is available from the Essential plan and SCIM provisioning from the Pro plan. The audit log exists from the Essential plan, and restriction by IP address and by country from the Pro plan. Annual prices excluding tax are public: Free, Discover at €185, Essential at €560, Pro at €1,400, and Enterprise on request. Google Drive covers a broader scope of everyday work and storage. 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
- Does Google Drive encrypt my files?
- Yes. Google states that files uploaded to Drive are encrypted in transit and at rest with AES256. As an option, some Google Workspace editions add client-side encryption whose keys the organisation controls. Pli Scellé offers end-to-end encryption from the Discover plan, with a key the server never receives.
- Does Google Drive offer encryption with keys my organisation controls?
- Yes, as an option, with Google Workspace client-side encryption, limited to the Frontline Plus, Enterprise Plus, Education Standard and Education Plus editions. An administrator must turn it on. Google states that its servers then have no access to the content, and that these files are not scanned for phishing and malware.
- Where is data stored with Google Drive and with Pli Scellé?
- With Google Workspace, an administrator can choose the United States, the European Union or no preference, depending on the edition, and Drive stores a file in the region set by its creator's policy. Pli Scellé hosts exclusively in France, for every account.
- Can access to a Google Drive file be limited in time?
- Yes, for a given person, up to one year, with a Google work or school account. Google's help page does not say whether the file is deleted when access expires. With Pli Scellé, the share expires then the content is purged, with a maximum duration of 24 hours to 30 days depending on the plan.
- What is an alternative to Google Drive for sending sensitive data?
- For everyday work on files, Google Drive remains relevant. To transmit a sensitive item occasionally to a specific recipient, with an expiry, Pli Scellé is built for that use, with end-to-end encryption from the Discover plan.