The short answer (checked 19 October 2026): you can no longer buy a Filen lifetime plan. Filen's pricing page says it has "removed our lifetime plans from the lineup for an indefinite period" and sells only monthly and annual plans. If you wanted Filen lifetime for one payment and files only you can read, the ShieldFive Founding Lifetime is 5 TB for €199 once, with every file and file name encrypted on your device before upload. €199 until 31 October 2026, then €249. Filen still has things we don't, listed below.
What happened to Filen lifetime
- June 2025: Filen said its Pro lifetime plans were being phased out permanently and would not return in future campaigns (Filen, 24 June 2025).
- Black Friday 2025: Pro lifetime came back once more, billed as the final return (Filen, 9 October 2025).
- January 2026: the Starter lifetime plan was paused.
- Today: the pricing page lists Pro I to Pro X as monthly or annual subscriptions, and its FAQ answers "Can I buy a lifetime plan?" with the removal notice quoted above.
If you already own a Filen lifetime plan, it keeps working. Filen's terms say lifetime plans "remain active as long as the service is online", and that lifetime accounts must sign in at least once every three years or the data is scheduled for deletion after reminder emails. There is no reason to move a plan you already own; this page is for people who missed the last sale.
What a Filen lifetime buyer was actually buying
People bought Filen lifetime for three things together. Here is where each one is available today:
| What you wanted | Filen today | ShieldFive Founding Lifetime |
|---|---|---|
| One payment, no renewal | No. Annual only: 2 TiB is €89.99 a year | Yes. 5 TB for €199 once, 30-day full refund |
| Files the provider cannot read | Yes, client-side encryption on every plan | Yes, every file and file name, on every plan, including Free |
| Desktop sync and phone apps | Yes: web, desktop sync, iOS, Android, CLI | Web and Android (in Google Play testing). No desktop sync client, no iOS app |
| Downloads | Unlimited bandwidth on every Pro plan | 200 GB of downloads every 30 days; reaching it pauses downloads, never deletes files |
| Open source | Clients are AGPLv3 | Crypto core only (Apache-2.0); the apps are closed source |
Filen figures from its pricing page on 19 October 2026. ShieldFive figures from the Lifetime page and Terms §5.3 and §5.4.
The cost of replacing Filen lifetime with a Filen subscription
The obvious alternative is to stay with Filen and pay yearly. Filen plans stack on one account, so the cheapest Filen setup that holds 5 TB is 2 × 2 TiB + 3 × 200 GiB, at €239.95 a year.
| Years | Filen (2 × 2 TiB + 3 × 200 GiB, annual) | ShieldFive Founding Lifetime |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | €239.95 | €199 |
| 3 | €719.85 | €199 |
| 5 | €1,199.75 | €199 |
| 10 | €2,399.50 | €199 |
The one-time price equals less than one year of Filen at current prices. Filen subscriptions can be cancelled at any time and never lock you in; the trade-off is that the bill continues for as long as you keep the files.
Other pay-once options, if you wanted Filen-style encryption
Only some lifetime plans encrypt every file on your device by default, which was the point of Filen:
- Internxt sells lifetime plans with zero-knowledge encryption by default: 1 TB €285, 2 TB €435, 5 TB €585, shown as 85% off (Internxt lifetime). It has desktop and iOS apps. Compared in detail in Internxt lifetime vs ShieldFive.
- pCloud sells lifetime plans (2 TB €499), but its default storage is not end-to-end encrypted; that is a separate €150 Encryption purchase for one Crypto folder (pCloud Encryption). See pCloud lifetime alternative.
- Proton Drive, MEGA and Sync.com encrypt by default but sell subscriptions only.
The full list, including Icedrive and Koofr, is in who still sells lifetime cloud storage.
Where Filen is better
Stated plainly, so you can decide:
- Apps. Filen has desktop sync, a network drive, iOS and a CLI today. If you need a folder on your laptop that syncs on its own, ShieldFive does not do that yet.
- Bandwidth. Filen lists unlimited bandwidth. The Lifetime plan includes 200 GB of downloads per 30 days, which suits an archive you read from occasionally, not a library you stream from daily.
- Open source clients. Filen's clients are AGPLv3. ShieldFive publishes its crypto core and file format, not its apps.
- Track record. Filen has run its encrypted service for longer. No external security audit of ShieldFive has been completed.
Where the ShieldFive Founding Lifetime fits
It fits if you wanted Filen lifetime for an encrypted archive: photos, scans, documents and backups you upload once and open from time to time. Every file and file name is encrypted on your device before upload; we store only ciphertext and never hold your keys. You can preview PDFs, images, spreadsheets and Word documents in the browser without downloading them, and share a file with a link that has a password, an expiry and a download cap.
What "lifetime" means: 99 years or until ShieldFive stops operating the service, whichever comes first, non-transferable (Terms §5.3). The Terms set no sign-in requirement for Lifetime plans. If the service ever winds down, you get notice and an export; the file format is open, so reading your files never depends on us.
Try it first
The free plan is 10 GB, encrypted the same way, with no card. Upload a few files, preview one, share one with an expiry and revoke it before you pay for anything.
Filen, Internxt and pCloud figures were read on each provider's own site on 19 October 2026. Prices change often; check the live price before you buy.