Peergos Review, Pricing & Features

Peergos review covering this open-source, peer-to-peer encrypted storage and social network protocol: features, pricing, pros, cons, alternatives.

Category
Cloud Storage
Pricing
Open Source, from Free (self-hosted or free public beta account)
Verified
Not yet
Last updated
July 19, 2026
Founded
2013
Headquarters
Not publicly disclosed
Free PlanWindowsAndroidOpen SourceFreemiumSelf-HostedMac

Overview

Peergos began in 2013 as a side project among a group of friends, including co-founder Ian Preston, and has grown into an open-source, peer-to-peer encrypted global filesystem and application protocol. It is fully free and open source, with clients licensed under GPL and the server under AGPL.

Built on top of IPFS for decentralized data storage and routing, Peergos encrypts all data client-side before it ever leaves a user's device, and has been security audited by Cure53, positioning it as a privacy-first alternative to mainstream cloud storage and social platforms.

Key Features

Peergos encrypts files client-side in independently encrypted 5MiB chunks using TweetNaCl, and goes further than typical encrypted storage tools by hiding metadata such as filenames, file sizes, directory structure, and social-graph information from the server.

Beyond file storage, Peergos includes a secure messenger, an encrypted email client and bridge, and a private social networking layer that lets users follow or friend each other without exposing their friendship graph.

Pricing

Peergos has no subscription pricing since it is a volunteer-driven open-source project rather than a commercial company. Users can try it through a free public beta hosted at peergos.net.

Alternatively, users and organizations can self-host their own Peergos instance using local disk storage or S3-compatible object storage, in which case the only cost is their own infrastructure.

Key Features

Pros & Cons

Pros

  • Strong, audited (Cure53) end-to-end encryption of both data and metadata
  • Fully open source under GPL/AGPL licenses
  • Combines file storage, messaging, email, and social networking in one privacy-first platform
  • Self-hosting option gives full control over infrastructure
  • Free public beta available for users who do not want to self-host

Cons

  • Smaller community and ecosystem compared to mainstream cloud storage providers
  • Self-hosting requires technical setup and ongoing maintenance
  • Feature set and polish are less mature than commercial alternatives like Dropbox or Tresorit
  • Limited mobile app maturity compared to established competitors

Pricing

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Peergos free?

Yes, Peergos is free and open source; the public beta is free to use, and self-hosting only costs your own infrastructure.

What encryption does Peergos use?

Peergos encrypts data client-side with TweetNaCl before upload, and also protects metadata like filenames and directory structure.

What is Peergos built on?

Peergos uses IPFS for decentralized storage, routing, and retrieval of encrypted data.

Can I self-host Peergos?

Yes, Peergos can be self-hosted using local disk storage or S3-compatible object storage.

Does Peergos have social networking features?

Yes, it includes a private social layer for following or friending other users without exposing the friend graph.

Has Peergos been security audited?

Yes, the project has been audited by the security firm Cure53.

When did Peergos start?

Peergos began as a side project in 2013.

What license does Peergos use?

Peergos clients are licensed under GPL and the server under AGPL.

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