Bigby vs OneDrive: an honest comparison
OneDrive comes bundled with Windows, Office and Copilot, which makes it the path of least resistance for millions. Bigby is the opposite: a deliberate choice of private, encrypted UK storage with no AI looking over your shoulder. Here is the comparison, trade-offs included.
Side by side
Pricing checked June 2026. Microsoft 365 pricing changes periodically, so treat theirs as approximate.
| Bigby | OneDrive | |
|---|---|---|
| Jurisdiction | UK company, UK servers, UK GDPR. No US parent, no CLOUD Act exposure. | Microsoft is a US company. Data subject to US law, including the CLOUD Act, wherever stored. |
| Content scanning | No scanning. Bigby does not open, scan or read stored files. | Files are scanned against Microsoft’s policies and indexed for search and platform features. |
| AI and your files | Stored content is never used for AI training or analysis. | Copilot is woven through OneDrive and Office and processes file contents. |
| Business model | Subscriptions only. Storage is the entire product. | Storage as a hook into the Microsoft 365 and Copilot ecosystem. |
| Encryption | Encrypted at rest on UK servers. | Encrypted at rest and in transit; Microsoft holds the keys and can access content. |
| Price for 1TB | £9.99 per user per month (Storage plan, annual billing). | Microsoft 365 Personal includes 1TB plus Office apps for around £7 per month. Better value if you want Office. |
| Free tier | None. | 5GB free. |
| Documents | Collabora docs, spreadsheets and presentations on Office plans. | Full Word, Excel and PowerPoint. The industry standard. |
| Mobile and OS integration | Web and desktop only at present. | Built into Windows, good mobile apps, automatic photo backup. |
| Exporting your data | WebDAV, standard tools, no export fees. | Straightforward via sync client or web download. |
Choose OneDrive if
You need real Word and Excel
Microsoft 365 Personal bundles 1TB of storage with the genuine Office apps for less than Bigby charges for storage alone. If your work demands full Excel, that bundle is honestly hard to beat on value.
You want zero-effort Windows integration
OneDrive is already in Windows, already backing up your desktop and photos, already signed in. Convenience this deep is worth something, provided you are comfortable with what it implies.
You want Copilot across your files
If an AI assistant that reads, summarises and drafts across your documents appeals to you, Microsoft is betting the company on it. That necessarily means your content is processed; some people consider it a fair trade.
Choose Bigby if
You do not want AI reading your files
Copilot’s usefulness comes from access to your content, and Microsoft is integrating it everywhere. Bigby’s commitment runs the other way: stored content is never scanned, analysed or used for AI training. If that is the storage you have been looking for, this is it.
UK jurisdiction is a requirement
Therapists, law firms, accountants and anyone holding client records under UK GDPR: Microsoft’s UK data centre options still sit inside a US legal entity. Bigby is UK-owned and UK-run, so the CLOUD Act simply does not reach it.
You want storage untangled from an ecosystem
OneDrive exists to keep you inside Microsoft 365. Bigby is storage with optional documents, WebDAV export and no strategy beyond doing that well. Plans from £3.99 per user per month, billed annually.
Frequently asked questions
Can I stop using OneDrive if it is built into Windows?
Yes. OneDrive can be unlinked from your Microsoft account and disabled or uninstalled, and Windows works perfectly well without it. Move your files out first, then unlink. Replacing it with Bigby’s desktop client gives you the same folder-on-your-computer experience, with the files landing on UK servers instead of Microsoft’s.
Microsoft offers UK data centres. Is that not the same thing?
Server location and legal jurisdiction are different questions. Data in Microsoft’s UK region is still held by a US company, and the CLOUD Act gives US authorities a mechanism to compel access to data held by US companies regardless of where the servers are. Bigby is a UK company on UK infrastructure, so UK law is the only law in the picture.
Can Collabora open my Word and Excel files?
Yes. Collabora is built on LibreOffice and opens and edits .docx, .xlsx and .pptx directly, in the browser, without converting your files. Everyday documents work well. Spreadsheets with heavy macros or deeply Office-specific features are the exception, so test your most complex files before committing to a full switch.
Is Microsoft 365 not better value than Bigby?
On storage plus apps per pound, yes, and we would rather say so than have you discover it mid-switch. Microsoft prices the bundle aggressively because it feeds the wider 365 and Copilot business. What you are buying from Bigby is not bulk storage; it is UK jurisdiction, no scanning and no AI processing, at a price that funds exactly that and nothing else.
Storage without a Copilot
Encrypted UK cloud storage from £3.99 per month. No scanning, no AI training, no US jurisdiction.
Annual billing · All prices in GBP · UK data residency · GDPR compliant