Cloud storage is one of the best ways in the modern day to keep your files safe.
Whether you’re looking for a solution for work or personal use, this review will help you decide which cloud storage is best.
The hundreds of cloud storage providers out there make it easier than ever before to find a solution that matches your needs for a price you can afford.
In this review…
- Which cloud storage is best?
- Amazon Drive
- iCloud
- Dropbox
- OneDrive
- BackBlaze
- Box
- pCloud
- Free Trial Offers
- Wasabi
- SugarSync
- What is Cloud Storage?
- How to keep your cloud storage secure
- Which cloud storage is best for personal use?
- Which cloud storage is best for security?
- What is the best and cheapest cloud storage?
- Which cloud storage is best for videos?
- What is a cloud storage service?
- Which cloud storage is best for home use?
- Which cloud storage is best for small business?
Which cloud storage is best?
Click here to compare all cloud storage services.
Amazon Drive
3/5
As one of the biggest tech companies in the world, it’s no surprise that Amazon has its own cloud storage solution.
It’s a surprisingly basic and bare-bones product, however – only five gigabytes of storage for basic users, and it’s geared mostly towards storing your photos online, rather than any other file type.
It’s missing many of the features you would expect in a serious cloud storage solution.
For example, there’s no real option for desktop sync – you have to upload and download everything manually.
There’s also no quality-of-life features for two-way syncing, file versioning or backup restoration.
Like most of their products, it’s really meant for Amazon Prime subscribers, who get unlimited photo storage space.
All in all, this is a middle-of-the-line product that’s mostly good for casual cloud users.
Business users will likely find other cloud storage services better suited to their needs.
iCloud
3.5 / 5
One of the reasons Apple has become such a dominant figure in the technology world is just how wide their ecosystem is.
Once you buy into the Apple marketplace, there’s a product for almost everything you can imagine.
If you’re already an Apple fan, then, it makes a lot of sense to use their dedicated cloud storage solution, iCloud.
It’s simple and easy to use, and, as you would expect, offers native integration with many other Apple products, such as an iPhone app.
You only get 5GB for a basic plan – less than Google Drive’s 15 – and while the web interface is slick, it’s lacking some expected features, like being able to search through your files.
There’s also no Android app available, which is a pain for people wary of vendor lock-in.
iCloud’s best if you’re already a committed Apple fan for its integration with their other products.
People outside of that ecosystem can likely find better cloud storage solutions.
Dropbox
4/5
Ever since 2008, Dropbox has really been the company to bring cloud storage into the mainstream.
Their claim to fame has always been the service’s simplicity – they really pioneered the desktop sync model that gets taken for granted nowadays.
You only get a tiny two gigabytes for a free plan with Dropbox, and their plans tend to be more expensive byte-for-byte than other providers, like Google Drive.
On the upside, their collaboration tools for online documents are very full-featured and advanced.
If you work in the business world for long, you’re almost certainly going to end up using Dropbox to use a business’ partner’s files or resources.
All in all, Dropbox is a fine choice for both individual and business users due to its clean, simple interface and long legacy in the cloud storage space.
Just consider paying for a more expensive tier to get the space you need.
It offers cloud storage with collaboration tools, but is more expensive and less integrated than other big providers such as Google Drive.
OneDrive
4/5
OneDrive is Microsoft’s entry into the cloud storage arena, and it’s one of the strongest contenders in the field.
Free plan users get 5GB of storage, which isn’t much by itself.
Much more interesting is that people with Microsoft 365, the subscription service for Microsoft Office products, get an entire terabyte of storage.
Given that you might already be using Microsoft Office, that’s a massive amount of space to get for free.
In terms of usability, OneDrive comes with a great set of features and apps. It’s easy to share files with other people, even if they use storage providers besides Microsoft, and you can edit files collaboratively online.
If you’re a Microsoft 365 user, using OneDrive is easily the most sensible choice – a terabyte of storage won’t come cheap anywhere else.
BackBlaze
4.5/5
Click here to see the latest offers from BackBlaze.
BackBlaze offers a fairly unique service in the cloud storage world.
Rather than competing on specific storage caps, they let individual users backup their entire computers for a flat fee – unlimited data storage, in other words.
They also offer numerous plans for businesses, including server backups and S3-compliant cloud storage plans for those developing web apps – which is great for anyone setting up a business.
BackBlaze is simple and easy to use, making it appealing for individual users, but it also offers heavy-grade encryption and two-factor authentication for business clients who need to keep their data secure.
The one downside to their ‘unlimited data’ offer is that their subscription fees only cover one device, so if you need to back up multiple computers, you might want to check out another storage provider instead.
All in all, BackBlaze is one of the most attractive options on this list for individual and business purposes alike. Definitely check it out.
Sync – Best for teams
4/5
Click here to visit Sync cloud storage.
Which cloud storage is best for teams? Sync.com!
Sync’s main focus is on security and privacy: it offers end-to-end encryption, making it practically impossible for anyone to get at your data, even if Sync itself was hacked.
But that doesn’t mean it’s overly complicated.
It’s still easy to use, fast and offers a very well-developed suite of features geared for collaborative teamwork.
It’s a great choice for small offices who need to share private data and work on it together.
Another feature of note is that it offers full file versioning, which means that you can easily get back an older version of a file if you realise you’ve messed something up in a newer version.
A quirk worth mentioning is that Sync only takes annual payments, as opposed to the more common monthly payment plan.
For that reason, you should try out their free starter plan to check if it’s right for you before handing over your credit card.
You’ll get 5GB of storage with the free plan, which is more than enough to test things out with.
Box
3.5 / 5
Box is a cloud storage solution aimed primarily at business users, with many of its solutions being targeted at specific industries such as healthcare, construction or retail.
This is likely why its plans are, on average, more expensive than its competitors.
To make up for that, it offers several appealing features for business users.
For one thing, all of its major plans offer unlimited storage, meaning you can easily back up all the files you need.
It also integrates well with other services you might already be using, like Adobe products, Microsoft Office and accounting software like Intuit.
There are also several very advanced collaboration tools that let multiple team members work on files simultaneously and track each others’ progress.
This makes it very well-suited to office environments where several people need to stay informed of what everyone else is doing.
pCloud
4/5
Click here to visit pCloud.
pCloud differs from most other providers in the cloud storage space by offering an option for a one-off lifetime fee, rather than a monthly subscription.
This can often work out cheaper in the long term if you know you’re going to be using it for several months.
One of the biggest downsides to pCloud for business users is that it doesn’t offer any collaboration tools for your uploaded files, meaning that it’s not possible to easily share them with teammates or work on a document together without downloading it first.
It does, however, offer an integrated media player which makes it very well-suited for storing things like image and video content online, which could be useful as a company’s backup media server.
In addition, it’s based in Switzerland, meaning that it’s subject to some of the strictest data protection laws in the world.
If you’re regularly storing sensitive data online, this might be exactly what you need for some peace of mind.
pCloud offers free 10GB cloud storage, which is better than many of its competitors but still lagging behind choices like Google Drive.
Which cloud storage is best for data protection? pCloud is definitely up there!
Google Drive – Best for Google users
No surprises that if you’re wondering which cloud storage is best for Google users, this is it!
This is easily one of the biggest names in the cloud storage world.
Anyone with a Google account – half the world, essentially – instantly gets a free 15 gigabytes of storage, which blows most of their competition out of the water.
As you might expect, Google Drive is best if you’re already a Google user, as it integrates well with Android devices and their online suite of Microsoft Office-style productivity software.
There are some flaws, however. The web interface, while clean and pleasant to look at, isn’t very full-featured and doesn’t offer many ways to intelligently organise your files.
Thankfully, their Dropbox-style desktop sync app means you rarely have to deal with that yourself.
You can use an unlimited number of devices with Google Drive, another very attractive feature which makes it a common sight in business and enterprise environments.
Free Trial Offers
Every cloud storage provider wants you to sign up for their most expensive plan, but you can usually get by on the free plans with little difficulty.
It’s even possible to sign up for the free plans of multiple sites to combine the space they give you.
If you want to take the plunge and sign up for a monthly or annual paid plan, however, the smartest option is to always check if the service offers a free trial first.
After all, why not get a month of storage for free?
Compare cloud storage providers.
All of the providers above offer paid plans, but we also have two more bonus providers, each highly recommended, that offer free trials.
Wasabi
3.5/5
Unlike the other providers on this list, Wasabi doesn’t have a completely free plan available.
It does, however, offer a free trial that gets you a terabyte of storage for thirty days, which is plenty to get used to the service and decide if it’s right for you.
In terms of technical specs, Wasabi aims primarily to offer a basic cloud storage service compatible with Amazon’s S3 model rather than focusing on collaborative features.
If you’re looking for lots of fancy features or mobile apps, then, you’re likely going to be better off choosing a different service from this list.
To make up for that, its paid plans are very affordable on a business budget and its servers prioritise speed, security and uptime.
SugarSync
3/5
SugarSync is generally quite an expensive cloud storage service – around £7 a month – but it does offer a free trial which is useful for deciding whether or not it’s right for you.
The trial lasts for thirty days, comes with five gigabytes of storage and works across an unlimited number of devices.
As for the actual app itself, SugarSync aims to compete with apps like Dropbox on being as simple and easy to use as possible.
What makes it really stand out is that unlike Dropbox, you aren’t limited to only having one folder on your computer synced up with the web storage account – instead, you can add as many local files to the sync as you like.
It also comes with unlimited device syncing, which is very useful if you have a set of files that you regularly access from multiple computers or phones that need to stay up-to-date.
SugarSync does offer business plans with more appealing pricing than some of its competitors, but unfortunately its online collaboration features aren’t that impressive.
It might be useful to share multiple folders and files between team-mates, but if you want to go beyond that to edit documents online or track who’s accessed which files, you’re out of luck.
What is Cloud Storage?
Cloud storage services let you upload your digital files, such as photos, videos or text documents and store them online.
They’re most often used as a way to backup your important files, keeping them safe in the event of a computer crash, or to share them with other people over the internet.
When you upload something to ‘the cloud’, in reality it’s just being sent to a company’s server somewhere.
Google, Microsoft and Amazon all own massive server farms around the world solely for holding people’s data, for instance.
While most cloud storage systems offer free plans, you can usually only put up a small number of files – very rarely more than ten or so gigabytes.
This might be enough for casual users, but in a business environment you’ll likely want to pay for a serious plan.
Wondering which cloud storage is best for you? Compare all here.
How to keep your cloud storage secure
Using the cloud is a great way to make backing up your files and sharing them with others online easier, quicker and more efficient.
But putting anything online always comes with a security risk, so here’s 5 ways to keep your data and online storage safe.
Tip 1
Manage your passwords! Phishing attacks are the most common way online accounts get stolen.
This is especially important if you re-use the same password on multiple sites – only one of them has to get hacked for all your other accounts to become vulnerable.
To that end, you should change your passwords regularly or get a password manager program to do it for you.
You can also consider using a VPN for added security when using your device.
This list will help you choose the best VPN or check out this article to help decide if you need a VPN.
Tip 2
Make your passwords unpredictable.
Don’t use things such as family names, telephone numbers or pet names because this data could possibly be accessed by hackers on public websites such as Facebook.
Use a number of different letters, numbers or punctuation marks to make your passwords difficult to guess.
Definitely don’t just use normal words – these are very susceptible to ‘dictionary attacks’ by hackers.
This guide to small business cyber security will help you stay safe online.
Tip 3
Keep your antivirus and spyware software up to date.
It’s very easy to get infected with malicious programs that can monitor everything you type into a web browser, including your passwords and bank account details.
Tip 4
Learn the warning signs for phishing emails. You should never click on any link in any email unless you’re absolutely sure it’s coming from a reputable source – and even then, you should be careful.
Even clicking a file just once can infect your computer and put your passwords at risk.
Phishing emails often contain grammatical mistakes, or come from fake addresses that try to mimic those of real businesses.
Companies like Google or Amazon will never ask you for your passwords over email – no exceptions.
Tip 5
Consider turning off automatic upload features if you have sensitive information or pictures on your device.
While it’s convenient to let cloud storage apps upload all your files for you, they can’t tell what files are personal and which ones aren’t.
Once a file’s been uploaded, it can be harder than you think to get rid of all traces of it online – even when you delete them, they usually stay in the cloud storage app’s recycle bin for several weeks.
If you’re concerned about privacy, it’s usually best to only upload files manually. That way you can always keep track of what’s online.
Which cloud storage is best for personal use?
The cloud storage best for personal use is whichever is easiest for you to use.
Accessibility and user-friendliness are more important than filesize or security.
Why? Because it doesn’t matter if a service offers you 1000 terabytes of space that you never use because it’s too cumbersome to work with.
For that reason, the best cloud storage for personal use is likely Dropbox, because of how easy it is to get set up and use on a daily basis.
Which cloud storage is best for security?
The most secure cloud storage provider is Sync.com. Unlike many other cloud storage systems, they offer end-to-end encryption.
This means that your files can’t be intercepted while you’re uploading them, and that they’ll stay secure even if Sync itself gets compromised.
As a bonus, even Sync itself can’t see your files – only you have the passwords for undoing their encryption.
If cyber security is a concern of yours, be sure to check out this list of antivirus software to help keep your website safe.
You can also compare antivirus software to help find the right one for your device.
What is the best and cheapest cloud storage?
If you’re deciding which cloud storage is best overall for Google users, we recommend Google Drive.
Getting fifteen gigabytes of space for free is just something that very few other providers are willing to match.
We also highly recommend pCloud and BackBlaze.
Compare cloud storage servers here.
Which cloud storage is best for videos?
If you have a lot of footage to store from video editing, you may be wondering which cloud storage is best for your large files?
If you need to store lots of videos online, you’re going to need a cloud storage provider who offers lots of space – videos are one of the biggest file types out there.
In addition, you’ll also want a cloud system that lets you preview and play your videos online.
Needing to download an entire video before you can play it can quickly get anyone if you have hundreds to look through and want to find just one!
To that end, pCloud is the best cloud storage solution for videos.
You can get up to two terabytes of storage, and its integrated media player works great on both desktop and mobile devices.
What is a cloud storage service?
A cloud storage service is simply a web app that lets you upload your files to store them online.
These files can be anything from pictures and movies to text documents or whatever else you store on your computer.
Cloud storage is an essential business technology for those of you looking to grow your business whilst keeping your information safe and secure.
Which cloud storage is best for home use?
Wondering which cloud storage is best for personal use?
When it comes to home use, how simple a cloud storage service is to use is often more important than storage limits.
Regular people don’t need to backup several hundred gigabytes of files – just their most important holiday photos or work documents.
To that end, one of the most simple cloud storage apps out there is Dropbox.
Its free plan is quite small, but its focus on seamless desktop syncing makes it perfect for home use.
Which cloud storage is best for small business?
Microsoft’s OneDrive is a particularly attractive cloud storage solution for small business owners, as many of them will already be subscribing to Microsoft 365 for Word, Powerpoint, Excel and other vital productivity tools.
If you’re deciding which cloud storage is best for teams, we recommend Sync.com.
Having this subscription entails a free terabyte of storage on OneDrive, which instantly makes it the best free storage plans out there.
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