TeraBox offers 1 TB of free cloud storage — more than any major competitor. But the free plan comes with restrictions that TeraBox doesn't advertise upfront. Before you commit your files to it, here's what you're actually getting.
This is the biggest frustration. TeraBox officially claims free speeds of 1.5–6.5 MB/s, but real-world tests consistently show 300 KB/s to 2 MB/s for shared links. Premium users get 15–20 MB/s. The throttle exists specifically to push you towards a paid subscription.
Free accounts can store a maximum of 500 files. That sounds like a lot until you start backing up photos — 500 images is one holiday. This limit is rarely mentioned in TeraBox marketing.
Free accounts upload one file at a time. No batch uploads, no folder uploads. For large backups, this makes the 1 TB feel pointless — uploading 500 files one by one takes forever.
When you delete a file (or it's removed by TeraBox), it stays in the recycle bin for only 10 days before permanent deletion. There's no recovery after that.
The free tier shows advertising throughout the app and website. Banner ads, interstitial ads, and ad-funded download pages. This also affects anyone opening your shared links — they see ads before they can download.
TeraBox is operated by Flextech Inc. (Japan), but its technology and parent trace back to Baidu (China). The privacy policy is nearly 5,000 words long. TeraBox does not offer zero-knowledge encryption — meaning the company can technically access files stored on its servers. For sensitive files, this matters.
| Feature | TeraBox Free | Google Drive | MEGA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free storage | 1 TB | 15 GB | 20 GB |
| File size limit | 4 GB | 5 TB | Unlimited (free tier speed-limited) |
| Download speed | Throttled (~500 KB/s) | Full speed | Transfer quota limited |
| Privacy | No E2E encryption | No E2E encryption | E2E encrypted |
| Ads | Yes | No | No |
TeraBox wins on raw storage. Google Drive wins on speed and ecosystem. MEGA wins on privacy. For storing sensitive files, MEGA's end-to-end encryption is the only trustworthy option in this comparison.
Most people encounter TeraBox through shared links — someone sends a video or file, and you need to download it. For this use case, the free plan's limits don't matter because you're not storing anything. But you still hit the speed throttle when downloading.
The fix: use an online TeraBox downloader that resolves the shared link server-side and delivers the file at full speed. No account needed, no throttle, no ads.
TeraBox's 1 TB free tier is genuine but comes with significant trade-offs — throttled speeds, a 500-file cap, single-file uploads, pervasive ads, and privacy concerns. It's usable for low-stakes, temporary file storage. For anything important, use Google Drive, MEGA or another provider with stronger privacy guarantees. And for downloading shared links, skip the app entirely and use a free online downloader.
Ready to open a TeraBox link?
▶ Open TeraBox DownloaderYes, TeraBox offers 1 TB of free storage. However, the free plan is limited — throttled download speeds, a 500-file cap, single-file uploads, ads, and no end-to-end encryption.
Download speed is throttled to around 500 KB/s–2 MB/s, you can store a maximum of 500 files, uploads are one file at a time, deleted files are permanently removed after 10 days, and the experience is ad-heavy.
TeraBox is operated by a Baidu-affiliated company and does not offer zero-knowledge encryption. It's fine for low-risk, non-sensitive files. For anything personal or confidential, use a provider with end-to-end encryption like MEGA.
TeraBox offers 1 TB free vs Google Drive's 15 GB. But Google Drive has faster downloads, no ads, a better ecosystem and stronger trust. TeraBox wins on storage, Google wins on everything else.
Not through the TeraBox app or website — free accounts are throttled. Use an online TeraBox downloader to fetch shared files at full speed without an account.