pCloud is personal and team cloud storage, known for its virtual drive app, lifetime plan options, and an optional client-side encryption add-on. SteadyLink is file hosting for publishing: each file gets one permanent delivery link, and replacing the file publishes a new revision behind that same link. If you want a large, long-term home for your own files, pCloud is the better fit. If you want to publish files on websites, emails, or QR codes and keep updating them without breaking links, SteadyLink is built for that.
Summary
pCloud is storage first. Its desktop app shows your cloud files as a drive on your computer, it offers sharing through links and public folders, and it is often chosen by people who want to pay once rather than monthly, or who want files encrypted on their own device before upload through pCloud Encryption.
SteadyLink is delivery first. The link https://cdn.steadylink.io/a/ASSET_ID serves the file directly from a CDN, with documented cache behavior. Replacing the file creates a numbered revision, the link starts serving it, and a pinned link such as ?v=3 keeps serving one exact revision.
Comparison
| SteadyLink | pCloud | |
|---|---|---|
| Core focus | Publishing files at stable links | Storing, syncing, and sharing personal and team files |
| Desktop app | No sync drive; a CLI and an S3-compatible API for tools like rclone | Yes, a virtual drive app |
| Pricing model | Monthly or annual plans, with a Free plan | Subscription and lifetime options; check their current pricing |
| Client-side encryption | No; files are scanned for malware, which requires reading them | Available as a paid add-on; check their docs |
| What a link opens | The file itself | Typically a pCloud download or preview page; check their docs for direct links |
| Update the file, keep the link | Replace creates a new revision; the link is unchanged | Depends on how the file is updated; check their docs |
| Revision history | Every replacement is a numbered revision with restore | File versioning and rewind features, depending on plan |
| Link to an exact old version | ?v=N, cached immutably | Check their docs |
| Image resizing by URL | Yes, width, height, fit, and format parameters | Check their docs |
| Approvals for outside uploads | Replacement requests and request links | Upload links for receiving files; check their docs |
Pricing changes often and the two products are priced around different things, so compare SteadyLink pricing with pCloud's current pricing page for your own usage.
What pCloud does better
- Long-term personal storage. pCloud is designed to hold large collections of files, photos, and media, and its lifetime plans appeal to people who want to avoid ongoing subscriptions.
- Client-side encryption. With the pCloud Encryption add-on, selected files are encrypted on your device before they are uploaded, so pCloud cannot read them. SteadyLink does not offer this, because it scans every file before serving it.
- Drive integration. The desktop app makes cloud files feel like a local drive, which suits everyday work on many files.
- Media playback. pCloud includes viewers and players for photos, audio, and video in its apps.
What SteadyLink does better
- Direct delivery. Links return the file itself, so they work in
<img>tags, download buttons, emails, and QR codes without a landing page in between. - Replacement as the main workflow. Open the file and choose Replace; the link stays the same. From a script:
steadylink replace bucket:key ./new-file. - Predictable caching. The stable link is cacheable for five minutes, so updates reach viewers within a short window. Pinned links are cached for a year and never change.
- Version control for published files. Every replacement is a revision you can restore, and any revision can be shared on its own pinned link.
- Publishing controls. Malware scanning before delivery, public or private files with revocable signed links, scheduled publishing, and replacement requests so outside contributors can send new versions for you to approve.
Who should pick which
Pick pCloud if:
- You want a long-term home for a large personal or team file library
- Client-side encryption of your stored files matters to you
- You like working from a virtual drive on your computer
- A lifetime plan fits how you prefer to pay
Pick SteadyLink if:
- You publish files that other people, websites, or apps link to
- The file behind a link changes and the link must stay the same
- You want revision history, rollback, and pinned versions for every published file
- You need direct delivery with image resizing and clear cache behavior
The two also work side by side: keep your working files and archives in pCloud, and publish the final versions that need a permanent public link through SteadyLink.
Try it
For the core workflow, see how to get a permanent link to a file you can update. The stable links concept page explains links, revisions, and caching, and you can start on the Free plan to try it.
Questions
- Is SteadyLink a replacement for pCloud?
- Not for general storage. pCloud is built for holding and syncing large file libraries. SteadyLink is built for publishing files at stable links you can keep updating.
- Does SteadyLink offer client-side encryption like pCloud Encryption?
- No. SteadyLink scans every file for malware before serving it. pCloud offers client-side encryption as an add-on; check their current docs.
- Does SteadyLink have a lifetime plan?
- No. SteadyLink has a Free plan and paid monthly or annual plans. See the pricing page for current limits.
- Can I use pCloud and SteadyLink together?
- Yes. Keep working files and archives in pCloud, and publish the final versions that need a permanent public link through SteadyLink.