Compared with the big international cloud services
Point by point, with the business plans of the big international cloud services. We compare features, rules and how the price is worked out, not the amounts.
In short: where we make a difference
- 01
Data in Italy, with an Italian provider
Documents stay in Armada’s Italian datacentres, under Italian and European law. With the big international cloud services Italy as a data location is often not available, or it is a paid add-on.
- 02
Transparent price per user and storage shared by the organisation
The price per user is published in the price list, the same for everyone, with no tiered plans to decode. The organisation buys the storage and all its users share it: whoever files more does not run out of room while others leave their quota empty. Elsewhere storage is often tied to each licence, and features change from one plan to the next.
- 03
A log that keeps an eye on us too
Every operation, including Armada’s as the provider, goes into a signed log kept for 24 months. Elsewhere the log usually lasts from 6 months to a year, or depends on the plan.
- 04
Antivirus and full-text search, included
Every uploaded file goes through the antivirus and the text of PDFs and scans becomes searchable, in every version. Elsewhere they are often partial, or cost extra.
- 05
Business rules without add-ons
Retention and legal hold (not the preservation required by Italian law) and access only from the office network are included in the Business and Public Sector versions. With the big international cloud services they often come only with the top plans, or at extra cost.
- 06
Real people who speak Italian
You talk to the people of HostingPerTe.it, who know your archive. And we move the archive you already have, with assisted migration.
At a glance
A summary of the full table below, where you find the details for each line. For the big international cloud services we consider the business plans.
| ArchiviOnline.it | Big international cloud services | |
|---|---|---|
| Italian company | Yes | NoOften based in the United States |
| Documents always in Italy | Yes | NoItaly is often not available, or costs extra |
| Machine reserved for the customer | YesAdd-on, on quotation (Business and public sector) | It dependsUsually Enterprise plans only, on quotation |
| Antivirus on every uploaded file | Yes | It dependsVaries: sometimes only some files |
| Full-text search in scans | YesOn every plan | It dependsBy plan, sometimes pay per use |
| Activity log | YesSigned, 24 months, provider included | YesUsually 6 months to a year, depending on the plan |
| Access from the office network only | YesBusiness and public sector | It dependsOften top plans only |
| Migration done by the provider | YesBusiness and public sector | NoUsually do it yourself, or paid |
| Support in Italian | YesPeople, ticket and phone | It dependsNot always guaranteed |
| Mobile app | NoVia the browser | Yes |
The comparison, point by point
For the big international cloud services we consider the business plans. Their features change from service to service and from plan to plan: so we describe the most common situation, and when a feature depends on the plan, we say so.
Scroll the table sideways to see every column.
| Feature | ArchiviOnline.it | Big international cloud services |
|---|---|---|
| Data and provider | ||
| Who provides the service | ARMADA S.r.l., an Italian company | Often companies based in the United States |
| Where documents are stored | In Italy, in the provider’s own datacentres; only the copies you ask for leave, for example the mirror copy to your own storage | In the United States or in Europe, depending on the plan; Italy is often not available, or it is a paid add-on |
| An installation reserved for the customer | Yes, as an add-on, on quotation: a dedicated instance on a virtual machine of your own (Business and Public Sector) | Usually not: infrastructure shared between customers; sometimes on Enterprise plans, on quotation |
| Document protection | ||
| Antivirus on uploaded files | Yes, on every file on upload: an infected file never enters the archive | Varies from service to service: on every file, only on files shared from outside, or not stated |
| Text recognition and full-text search | Included in every version, scans too | Depends on the plan: sometimes included, sometimes only on business plans or pay-as-you-go |
| Activity log | Every operation, the provider’s too, in a signed log kept for 24 months | Usually from 6 months to a year, depending on the plan; what the provider does in your archive is not normally shown |
| Retention and legal hold | Included in the Business and Public Sector versions (not the preservation required by Italian law: for that you need a qualified preservation provider) | Often only on the top plans or with paid add-ons |
| Access and sharing | ||
| Two-step verification required for everyone | Yes, the organisation decides; in the Public Sector version we make it required at handover | Usually yes, if the administrator enforces it |
| Access only from the office network | Yes, the organisation chooses the allowed addresses (Business and Public Sector) | Often only on the top plans, or not available |
| Links with password and expiry | Yes, with download limits and open notifications too; watermark included in every version and switched on for each link; in the Public Sector, at handover, we make password and expiry required | Usually yes; some services have no password on links |
| Custom branding | Yes: your organisation’s logo and colours; the logo in the app too (Business and Public Sector) | Depends on the service: often the logo only, or only on shared links |
| Support and moving in | ||
| Support in Italian | People from HostingPerTe.it, by ticket and phone, Monday to Saturday | Not always guaranteed: sometimes in English only, or through a reseller |
| Moving the archive you already have | We do it for you, with assisted migration (Business and Public Sector) | Usually self-service tools; help from the provider only for the largest contracts or at extra cost |
| Apps for computer and phone | Apps for Windows, macOS and Linux; on phones and tablets you use the browser | Apps for computers and for phones and tablets |
Where the others are ahead, said plainly
- Phone and tablet apps: the big international cloud services have them. With ArchiviOnline.it, on phones and tablets you use the browser, with nothing to install.
- Editing documents in the browser, several people at once: the big international cloud services build it in with their office software. ArchiviOnline.it is designed to file and find documents: previews are there, simultaneous editing in the browser is not.
- Longer version history: on the top plans some services keep versions for a year or more. By default ArchiviOnline.it keeps the last 10 versions of each file, for up to 30 days; in the Business and Public Sector versions different values can be agreed.
- End-to-end encryption: some services apply it to every file, others offer it as an option on some plans. ArchiviOnline.it encrypts files on its disks but does not use end-to-end encryption: that is what lets us run antivirus, text recognition, full-text search and previews on our own servers.
How we made this comparison
We compared ArchiviOnline.it with the business plans of the big international cloud services, reading their public documentation in October 2026. We do not go into the details of each service: their features change often and vary from plan to plan, so we report the most common situation. If you spot an outdated detail write to us and we will fix it.
Many of the big international cloud services belong to United States companies. US law (the CLOUD Act) allows US authorities to ask these companies for the data they handle, even when it is stored in Europe.
Let’s look at it with your documents.
We show you the archive and help you see whether it suits you. Free 7-day demo version, on request.