You, the reader, are undoubtedly already familiar with several cloud storage services including Google, Microsoft, Apple, and others. But which of these (or maybe an unknown firm) is the best fit for your needs?
Here, we’ll break down the differences between the best cloud storage options and maybe answer that question for you.
Of course, everyone has their own idea of what’s “best.” The reason is, it has nothing to do with how much space you get for your money alone.
Simply put, the cloud is just an online storage space. It’s helpful for archiving and sharing your media files, but what really matters is how you can engage with your images, videos, documents, and music.
Every cloud service allows you to share individual files or folders with others by means of a unique URL. That’s great news because it means you can send considerably larger files than an email can handle, making it a great option for sending videos.
If you use a cloud storage service like Google, Microsoft, Apple, Dropbox, or anyone else, you can rest assured that your data is safe and secure, and you only need to pay for the space you really use.
Google Drive
Google Drive provides 15GB of free storage space to everyone with a Google account. Anything you want to ensure the security of the can is backed up here: files, pictures, and videos.
Drive’s user interface is uncluttered, straightforward, and easy to pick up in no more than two minutes. That’s not to suggest it’s lacking in features, though; Drive has apps for PC, Mac, iOS, and Android, and you can share URLs to folders (and choose how much access the receiver gets) and access a file even if it’s open on another device.
Drive’s compatibility with Google’s free office tools, which you can access from any online browser or native app on your phone or tablet, is a major plus.
Microsoft OneDrive
In Windows 10, Microsoft’s OneDrive online storage service is built in. As with many other services, the initial free tier of 5GB will be used shortly.
Options for keeping data stored purely online, rather than taking up space on your device, include the Files On-Demand settings, automated photo backups, sophisticated search tools, mobile and web access to OneDrive, and more.
If you need more space, you can pay $1.99 / £1.99 a month to upgrade to 100 GB, but that still won’t get you Microsoft Office or any of the other Office products.
Mega
Originally, Mega, based in New Zealand, gave new customers 50GB of free space, but today they only get 15GB, with more space awarded for achieving certain milestones on the service.
You can do so by doing things like verifying your account, downloading the Mega apps, and inviting others to use Mega. The fact that the duration of bonus storage varies from 30 days to a year based on the accomplishment adds another layer of complexity.
Premium plans start at $4.90/£4.27/month for 400 GB, then go to $9.80/£8.56/month for 2 TB, $19.61/£17.13/month for 8 TB, and $29.42/£25.69/month for 16 TB. This is the same amount of free data as competing services.
pCloud
When compared to competitors like Google, Microsoft, and Amazon, pCloud lacks features such as office suites, video content, and more. The Swiss firm instead concentrates on what it does best: ensuring the integrity and accessibility of your data across all of your devices.
However, in order to access 3GB of that free 10GB, you’ll need to do things like install the mobile app, upload a file, and invite your friends to use the service.
You can upload any file that fits within your storage quota, and thanks to versioning, you can get any of your files back within 30 days if you delete them.
In the web browser version of pCloud, you may examine popular file kinds and utilize them to play saved music.
pCloud claims to use 256-bit AES server-side encryption to keep your data safe, and it stores five copies of your files in multiple locations. For an additional $4.99 / £4.99 a month, or a one-time price of $125.00 / £125.00, you can purchase client-side encryption, which encrypts your data before it leaves your device.
Sync.com
The Canadian company Sync.com provides both individual and enterprise subscriptions. Since it is a ‘zero-knowledge platform, information is encrypted locally before being sent to the cloud, where it remains secure. It’s a lot like Mega and Tresorit, then.
One minor downside is that there is only one paid plan option. The cheapest paid package on Sync is for 2TB (Solo Basic), while the free option only offers 5GB. The price is low, too, at only $8 or £6 a year (not per month).
The name says it all: you can synchronize your data between your device and the cloud using one of the available apps for Windows, macOS, Android, or iOS. You can choose which files are stored only in the cloud and which are also stored on the device to save up space on the latter.
