HiDrive (STRATO)

HiDrive is the cloud storage product of STRATO GmbH, a Berlin hosting company founded in 1997 and part of IONOS Group SE. HiDrive stores files only in Germany, in two data centres STRATO runs itself, so there is no third-party operator between the company and the disks. HiDrive holds ISO 27001 certification from TÜV Nord and carries the Trusted Cloud label of the German economics ministry.

Encryption on HiDrive is a choice rather than the default. End-to-end encryption is an option at 2 € a month extra, which means that without it STRATO runs storage it is technically able to read: the same trade pCloud makes with its Crypto add-on. For files that must stay confidential from the provider, the add-on is the part of the price to include from the start.

HiDrive starts at 6 € a month for 500GB and 7.50 € for 1TB, including VAT, with first-year discounts and one month free on selected plans such as Starter. A family plan covers five users, and automatic backups run with a retention period you set yourself. The ownership is worth knowing: STRATO belongs to IONOS Group SE, so HiDrive is one product inside a larger hosting group.

What HiDrive (STRATO) does well

• Files stay in Germany, in two data centres STRATO runs itself
• ISO 27001 certified by TÜV Nord, with the Trusted Cloud label of the German economics ministry
• Optional end-to-end encryption for 2 € a month
• Family plan for five users
• Automatic backups with a retention period you choose

Where HiDrive (STRATO) falls short

• End-to-end encryption is a paid add-on rather than the default
• Closed source, so the encryption add-on is a claim rather than code you can read
• First-year discounts apply, so the renewal price is the one to budget for
• Part of IONOS Group SE, so the product sits inside a larger hosting group

Standout feature. HiDrive keeps every file in two German data centres that STRATO operates itself, so no outside infrastructure provider sits between the Berlin company and the hardware.