Filen
Client-side encrypted storage, sync and file sharing.
These notes concern product use. The sovereignty score follows its own rubric.
Popularity
About these numbers
The default ranking adds public rating counts collected from Google Play and the App Store storefronts checked. It includes both Android and iOS. This volume is a popularity signal, not a count of downloads or people.
Google Play provides its public counter. For Apple, we add available counters from France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States. Each profile shows this scope, which does not cover all countries. If one platform is missing, only the documented count is used. Android download thresholds and publisher-reported users have separate sorts and are never added to ratings. One person can rate on several platforms. Ties are sorted by name; profiles without figures follow.
The essentials
| Publisher based in | Germany |
|---|---|
| Access model | Free plan and paid options |
| Source consulted on | Oct 2, 2026 |
| Legal headquarters | 25/25 |
| Hosting | 25/25 |
| Ownership | 17/25 |
| Technical dependencies | 20/25 |
Access models are indicative. Refer to the official website for current prices and terms.
Check before choosing
A publisher’s country does not establish its independence. Ownership, subprocessors, data location and technical dependencies need a separate assessment.
Plan your switch
Test with non-sensitive data first. Check import and export options, essential features and plan terms before migrating.
How the score is calculated
Filen states it owns German hardware and has no outside investors. Stripe handles payment. The complete server and a recent audit remain to document.
The score covers documented criteria. For each of four dimensions, earned points are divided by the maximum for reviewed criteria, scaled to 25 and rounded. The four results form the score out of 100. Unknown items are excluded and reduce the separately displayed documentation coverage. Publication requires at least 60% of the rubric reviewed and 10 weight points in every dimension. A high score does not rule out dependencies in unchecked items.
Initial review of public documents. Publisher statements are identified in the dossier; they are not an independent audit.
Legal headquarters25/25
Calculation: 20/20 × 25 → 25/25
1.1 · Principal establishment
12/12Filen Cloud Dienste UG is established in Germany, according to publisher documents.
1.2 · Chain of control
8/8Partial documentation Filen describes a German company financed by founders and customers without outside shareholders. Publisher statement, not registry-verified.
1.3 · Legal exposure to document
—/5To document Not established in the sources reviewed.
Hosting25/25
Calculation: 16/16 × 25 → 25/25
2.1 · Production data
10/10The publisher locates files in Germany.
2.3 · Infrastructure operator
6/6Filen states it owns its hardware, colocated in German data centres.
Ownership17/25
Calculation: 17/25 × 25 → 17/25
3.1 · Ownership control
10/12Partial documentation Filen describes a German company financed by founders and customers without outside shareholders. Publisher statement, not registry-verified.
3.2 · Structural transparency
4/7The publisher publicly describes its structure. Beneficial owners have not been checked against a registry.
3.3 · Protection against a change of control
3/6Private company; this review has not documented a veto on changes of control.
Technical dependencies20/25
Calculation: 17/21 × 25 → 20/25
4.1 · Critical service dependencies
8/10Partial documentation Non-European providers identified in scope: Stripe. The inventory is not considered exhaustive.
4.2 · Distribution and access
5/5The service provides web access or a directly distributed desktop app.
4.3 · Openness and portability
4/6Files can be retrieved in their original format by download or sync. The full service is not assessed as self-hostable.
4.4 · Independent verification
—/4To document Not established in the sources reviewed.
