One of our biggest worries nowadays is running out of space on our devices. And of course we know that photos, videos, and files take up the majority of this precious space. The other thing that you probably have in the back of your mind is the fear of losing or breaking the device where you store all your memories. But that’s what cloud storage services are for. It’s the best solution for these problems, so you can stop worrying about running out of space or losing your precious memories.
There are tons of services that offer cloud storage features and that also let you consult and download your files at any time. It’s a good idea for backing up or for sharing files that take up a lot of space.
Among this huge selection of different apps, we’re going to analyze Google Drive, OneDrive, Amazon Cloud, iCloud, Mega, and Dropbox. Six of the most popular options, so that you can decide which one fits your needs best. And you can also choose between their paid and free versions.
Google Drive
This is one of the most popular options, especially among Android users where Google services are connected to certain apps by default. Google Drive lets you store up to 15 GB for free, but if that’s not enough, you can pick one of the plans to increase this space, from the most basic of 100 GB per month for $1.99 to 30 TB for $299.99 per month.
If you’re a Google app user and you tend to use these apps on your smartphone, Google Drive is the best option for storing your data in the cloud. You’ll have the option to recover it at any moment from your phone or any other device in internet access. You have Google’s 2-step verification, a bonus for those of us whose entire life is connected to Google, and you can also use Drive as a container for files, paperwork, or memories without worrying about security.
- Unlimited space for photos
- 15 GB for free
- Storage plans in Google Drive: 15 GB and unlimited photos (free) | 100 GB ($1.99/month) | 1 TB ($9.99/month) | 2 TB ($19.99/month) | 10 TB ($99.99/month) | 20 TB ($199.99/month)
- Available for Web | Desktop | Android | iOS
- Security: AES-256 and two-step verification
- Strength: Complete integration with the Google ecosystem
OneDrive
This comes integrated with Windows 10, making it the perfect cloud storage option for Windows users. It offers less free space than Google (only 5 GB instead of 15 GB), but you can also increase this by purchasing plans, attractive since they’re associated with Office 365. You can get 50 GB for two dollars a month. And if you sign up for Office 365 Personal, which will cost you 69 dollars a year, you’ll get 1 TB of space and all the useful tools of Office 365.
OneDrive has another advantage and that’s how it shares files, making it simple to share photos, videos or anything else with your friends thanks to its connection with social networks. Its data is also encrypted in 128-bit AES and it also has two-step verification. For users who use this Windows package, OneDrive is a great option.
- 5 GB of free space
- OneDrive storage plans: 100 GB ($1.99/month) | 1 TB + Office 365 for $69.99/year.
- Available for: Web | Desktop | Android | iOS
- Security: 128-bit AES and two-step verification
- Strength: Perfect for using with Office 365
Dropbox
The basic version of DropBox works the same as usual, with 2 GB of free space, which can be extended to up to 16 GB. You’ll receive 500 MB extra for each friend you invite and who ends up using the app, 1 GB extra for installing Mailbox and 3 GB for activating automatic photo uploading on your device. And you can always increase capacity by paying: you can get 1 TB for $9.99 per month.
If you get the version Dropbox Plus, for $9.99 a month, you can configure permissions for the files you share, if you want them to be read-only or if you want to allow other users to edit or delete them. Dropbox is one of the most popular choices, one of the best cloud storage services and most people know of it. In addition to saving files and being able to access them anywhere, you can also create passwords and expiration dates for shared links.
It’s easy to use, compatible with most apps, and also has security tools including two-step authentication and the files stored in Dropbox are encrypted through AES 256-bit encryption. Its simplicity and wide acceptance are its strong points.
- 2 GB of free space, which can be extended up to 16 GB without paying
- Storage plans in Dropbox: 2 TB for $9.99/month | 3 TB for $16.58/month
- Available for Web | Desktop | Android | iOS
- Security: 128-bit AES and two-step verification
- Easy to use, can access it from any service, and the possibility to get free storage without having to pay for it.
Amazon Cloud
If you’ve ever done any online shopping, then you know Amazon and you probably even have an account. If you’re an Amazon Prime member, you already have unlimited photo storage and 5 GB for videos, music, and other files. And if you want more, you can access the paid version for $60/year for 1 TB of storage.
The Amazon Drive app has a simple and easy to use interface. The files saved in the Amazon Drive folder are automatically stored in the cloud and you can access them whenever you want. It offers a comprehensive backup service and has become one of the best choices for cloud storage. If you’re a regular Amazon user, it may be worth it to join one of the paid plans to take advantage of the Cloud subscription, a service that’s growing and may become one of the top choices among users.
- Free space: 5 GB and unlimited photos
- Plans: 100 GB ($11.99/year) | 1 TB ($59.99/year)
- Available for Web | Desktop | Android | iOS
- Security: two-step authentication and AES-256
- Strengths: convenient and complete
iCloud
Apple’s cloud storage app can only be used on the brand’s smartphones and tablets, and doesn’t have an official app for Android, so it’s more limited than other options. Although there are some methods to use it from Android, iCloud is ideal if you have an iPhone or an iPad.
It offers 5 GB of free storage that you may fill up quickly, since you’ll need more to use the full range of Apple’s iCloud services, including online backups of your iOS devices. You have to pay $0.99/month for 50 GB, $2.99/month for 200 GB, or $9.99/month for 2 TB.
If you’re an iPhone user, you’ll find complete iCloud integration with your phone, so it could be a convenient option. But the fact that other users with other operating systems can’t access it, leave it behind other options.
- Free space: 5 GB
- Plans: 50 GB ($0.99/month) | 200 GB ($2.99/month) | 2 TB ($9.99/month)
- Available for: Web | Desktop | iOS
- Security: 128-bit AES and two-step verification
- Strength: Ideal for Apple users and compatibility with Apple products
MEGA
MEGA is one of the best cloud storage services: it offers 50 GB of free storage and some great paid plans, too. You can get 1 TB for only $9.99/month or 4 TB for $19.99/month: pretty good deals in comparison with the competition. Plus, it gives more bandwidth with each package, and this will let you share and receive files with your friends. One of the great things is the possibility to share files with other MEGA members. It’s easy: you send an invitation to a friend and you set the level of permission that they have for the files, if they can see it, edit it, etc.
It also lets you send links to friends that aren’t MEGA users, although in this case, it’ll send an encrypted key privately to let them access the files. Mega doesn’t have any way to access your information and both the security and the free 50 GB make it a great option. MEGA is one of the best cloud storage services that exists.
- Free space: 50 GB
- Storage plans: 200 GB ($4.99/month) | 1 TB ($9.99/month) | 4 TB ($19.99/month) | 8 TB ($29.99/month)
- Available for: Web | Desktop | Android | iOS
- Strengths: up to 50 GB for anything you want and the possibility to share files with people who don’t have the service.
