Best Cloud Storage Based on In-Depth Reviews
- 200+Hours of research
- 22+Sources used
- 19Companies vetted
- 5Features reviewed
- 5Top
Picks
- Choose a plan that allows you to upgrade the storage amount if needed
- A few companies offer free service tiers with up to 15GB of storage
- If your password is lost, stored encrypted data will be unretrievable
- Prices advertised in monthly figures may require you to pay for the year in full
How We Found The Best Cloud Storage Providers
Our Top Picks: Cloud Storage Reviews
As internet access becomes more widespread, the need for physical storage media has slowly but consistently decreased. Carrying data around on flash or external drives has turned into a less than optimal way to manage files as physical storage devices can get lost or damaged, stored data can be deleted, or devices can stop functioning.
Studies show that roughly one out of five external drives will stop functioning in the first four years. Retrieving data from these devices can cost anywhere from $100 up to $700, with no guarantee of recovering all the information.
Cloud storage keeps your information accessible and minimizes the threat of losing irreplaceable files. Our research evaluated more than twenty cloud storage providers based on their capacity to offer sufficient storage space, enhanced file management features, and seamless synchronization across devices and platforms. We also looked at security protocols, data monitoring, and encryption that enhance your data’s security.
OneDrive review
Best Cloud Storage for Families
Screenshot Microsoft.com, November 2020
Space for All In Your Household
Microsoft OneDrive offers cloud storage plus the added value of Office applications. The Microsoft 365 Family plan costs $9.99/mo or $99.99/year and accommodates up to 6 users, each with its own 1TB of storage, for up to 6TB per account. The plan includes fully installed versions of Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint for Windows or Mac. Each user can install the applications on up to 5 computers or devices running on Windows, Android, or iOS.
Documents and pictures can be accessed, shared, and edited while on the go, using OneDrive and Office mobile apps. Users may add identity verification, set expiration dates, or limited-time access to shared links. Microsoft OneDrive includes automatic backup and sync for desktop and mobile devices and a search tool to find files using keywords or dates quickly.
Users may also collaborate on Office documents in real-time and even access specific files without being online.OneDrive can restore your saved files to any previous point in time, up to 30 days before. The software includes ransomware detection to send alerts in malware attacks and recovery assistance in case of device loss or accidental deletion of files.
Other plans
For individuals, the Microsoft 365 Personal plan includes 1TB of storage for $6.99/mo or $69.99/year. If you’re looking for bare-bones storage, OneDrive Basic offers 5GB of storage for free or the One Drive Standalone plan, which provides 100GB of cloud storage for just $1.99 per month. For Businesses, Microsoft offers 1TB of storage with OneDrive as a standalone service for $5.00 user/month, or $10.00 per user/month for an unlimited storage version.
For those interested in using OneDrive in conjunction with other apps or integrations such as email hosting, the Microsoft 365 Business Basic plan costs $5.00 user/mo and includes 1TB per user. This plan gives users access to Exchange, OneDrive, SharePoint, and Teams. For those looking to access the full library of Office apps and features, including Access and Publisher for PC, the Microsoft 365 Business Standard plan costs $12.50 per user/mo with an annual subscription or $15 user/mo monthly.
Google Drive review
Best Cloud Storage for Business
Screenshot Google.com, November 2020
Designed with Business in Mind
Google Drive offers three business plans: Business Starter with 30GB of cloud storage for $6 user/mo., Business Standard with 2TB of cloud storage for $12 user/mo, and the Business Plus plan, with 5TB of cloud storage for $18 user/mo. All business plans include custom and secure business email, meetings for up to 100 participants, security and management controls, and Google Support.
On the Business Standard, you get the same features as the Business Starter plan plus the ability to record meetings and accommodate meetings of up to 150 participants. On the Business Plus plan, meetings can fit up to 250 participants, and attendance can be tracked. On this plan level, users also get additional security and management tools, including Vault and advanced endpoint management.
Custom Storage for Enterprises
Google Drive is also available for larger enterprises with customized integrations and features and unlimited storage space capabilities. At this level, Google provides S/MIME encryption for Exchange email hosting and a noise cancellation feature to reduce sound interference during video meetings.
Enterprise-level services can employ advanced security management and compliance controls, including Vault, DLP, data regions, and enterprise endpoint management. Two-step verification can be added to log in, as well as other group-based securities and controls.
Google One
Google One offers plans for individuals that can be shared with up to five family members. Plan features are the same for all three plans, varying only on the amount of data storage. The 100 GB plan costs $1.99/month (or $19.99/year), 200 GB plan costs $2.99/month (or $29.99/year), and lastly, a 2 TB plan is available for $9.99/month (or $99.99/year).
Dropbox review
Best Cloud Storage for Individuals
Screenshot Dropbox.com, November 2020
Dropbox for Home
Besides it’s well known 2GB of free storage, Dropbox offers plans suitable for both individuals and small businesses. For home users, the Personal Plus plan offers 2TB of storage for $9.99/mo. The Personal Family provides the same amount of storage space but allows for up to 6 users to share into the account for $16.99/mo. Data is stored after being processed through advanced encryption algorithms. Dropbox keeps deleted files and previous versions history for 30 days.
Personal and Family plans include file locking, web previews and comments, file requests, full-text search, document viewer history, and smart sync across computers and mobile devices. Users may also send files of up to 2 GB per transfer or request signatures for up to 3 documents per month through Dropbox’s eSignature software, HelloSign.
Dropbox for Professionals
Dropbox offers the Business Professional plan for those looking for a full suite of business-oriented features and integrations, including 3TB of storage ($16.58 /mo), file recovery, and version history for up to 180 days. Users may choose to add single sign-on (SSO) integrations as part of this plan. Dropbox allows unlimited API access to security and productivity platform partners and transfers of up to 100 GB.
Two other business plans are available for teams of three users or more: the Business Standard, which includes 5TB of share space for $12.50 per user/mo, and the Business Advanced for $20 per user/mo, with as much space as needed. The service allows team management features from a centralized console for administrators to assign tiered roles and keep track of changes to documents with audit logs, including tracking file changes and events.
Apple iCloud review
Best Cloud Storage for Mac Users
Screenshot iCloud.com, November 2020
Sync All Your Apple Products
Apple offers three data plans: 50GB for $0.99/mo, 200GB for $2.99/mo, and 2TB for $9.99/mo. Both the 200GB plan and 2TB plan can be shared with up to five family members. A free tier with 5GB is also available. iCloud Drive allows users to create and organize folders that automatically sync across all Apple devices, making changes immediately available on the cloud. Users can send private links to provide instant access to folders and files and control who gets to view, share, or edit the files directly from their phone, iPad, Mac, or Windows PC.
iCloud’s Photos feature uploads pictures taken with your phone or tablet directly to iCloud, maximizing space on your device. iCloud will only back up your devices when connected to power and Wi-Fi. Documents are not only stored, but all changes made on Apple’s apps, such as Pages, Numbers, Keynote, and Notes— including messages, address and phone books, presentations, spreadsheets, or changes in settings— are live updated across all devices.
Security
iCloud supports two‑factor authentication to ensure that only trusted devices have access to your stored data. Additionally, you can use content blockers to prevent sites and advertisers from creating a virtual “fingerprint” of your online activity to track you. The same can be done for social widgets such as “like” or “share” buttons and comment fields to prevent them from accessing your identity unless you choose to allow it. If using Safari as your default browser, you may select DuckDuckGo as the default search engine, so you can search online without being tracked.
Apple One
Apple One includes four Apple services: Apple Music, AppleTV, Apple Arcade, and iCloud with 50GB for $10.95/mo for individuals, or a $14.95/mo family plan that ups the shared storage space to 200GB. If you need more iCloud storage, you can buy additional data for a total of up to 4TB.
MEGA review
Best Free Cloud Storage
Screenshot Mega.nz, November 2020
One other provider matches mega’s 15GB base data allowance, but here’s where Mega has a leg up on the competition: you can perform menial tasks to expand the storage allowance. Most activities, such as installing MEGAsync or downloading the mobile app, will give you an additional 15-20 GB of storage space for around 180 days. However, inviting friends to the service will expand your storage space by 10GB each for a whole year.
Initial registration alone gives you 35 GB for 30 days, before returning to the base 15GB. Still, it’s enough storage to upload photos while traveling, hold files or information for a short term project, or any other modest data storage needs that don’t warrant contracting a full year of service.
Features
All of Mega’s plans allow users to transfer and download files through MEGA links, share files and folders across teams and send invitations to shared folders. Users can communicate through private and secure group chats and scan and create files using MEGA’s Mobile App for iOS, Android, and Windows Phone.
MEGA employs user-controlled end-to-end encryption. Stored data is encrypted with a key derived from your password, which means that the company has zero knowledge of your information. Only users have access to their passwords and data. If the password is lost, you’ll lose access to the data. MEGA recommends users print, store, or save the recovery key using a password manager to prevent this from happening.
The service enables two-factor authentication through Authy, Duo Mobile, Google Authenticator, or Microsoft Authenticator. File versioning and recovery features allow users to restore their data to a moment in time in case of a malware or ransomware attack. The service enables independent verification of its cryptography and publishes its design and security processes for open scrutiny.
Paid Plans
MEGA’s paid plan includes four plans for individuals and one business plan. For individuals, the PRO LITE plan includes 400GB of storage, allowing 1TB transfer for $5.92/mo*. The PRO I plan provides 2TB storage and 2TB of transfer for $11.85/mo*. The PRO II gives users 8TB storage and 8TB transfer for $23.71*, and the PRO III provides 16TB storage and 16TB transfer for $35.57*. Business plans are available on a per user basis, starting at $11.86*.
*All of MEGA’s plans advertise cost in Euro. Prices are based on the current (as of 11/17/20) 1:1.19 euro to dollar exchange rate and are subject to change.
Further Insight into Our Methodology
Cloud storage is the fastest-growing data storage industry. Studies show that already 39% of businesses use cloud storage, with 20% more expected by 2022. Not only this, but our research found that as much as 94% of small organizations already rely on cloud storage for data storage and backup. Although cloud storage isn’t without its vulnerabilities, the truth is that services have come a long way to make sure storage is faster, safer, and readily accessible from just about anywhere you can get an internet connection.
Our review examined cloud storage services based on their price, free tier availability, file editing, and sharing features. We also examined supported devices and applications, security protocols, including the availability of two-factor authentication and end-to-end encryption— as well as customer service and support. Based on these criteria, we’ve selected services that provide trusted data infrastructure, productivity-enhancing features, and sufficient storage space for reasonable prices.
Storage Capacity
Our data storage demand is ever growing. High-resolution photos and videos occupy significantly more space than PDF and text documents. For this reason, we looked for companies offering no less than 1TB of cloud storage per user. Besides paid storage, we also examined free storage options, both as a solution for those looking for just a small amount of storage and as a trial version for those shopping for more extensive storage plans.
Features
Once your files are stored, you should be able to search, organize, and share them easily. Features such as temporary links, custom login, and identity authentication to access files, as well as integrations with other applications, facilitate secure file management. We preferred cloud storage that syncs stored data across all your devices so that changes you make on your home computer will match those that you’ll access from your mobile device at work. Only services that support both desktop and mobile versions have received our recommendations.
Security
No system is unhackable, and no software is infallible, but that doesn’t mean that there isn’t much that services can provide or that users can do to enhance the security of the stored data. Cloud storage that employs two-factor authentication, fingerprint recognition, tracking prevention, and other privacy-enhancing settings can go a long way in keeping your information safe from would-be hackers. For that matter, we recommend that you choose a service that adds end-to-end encryption to stored files.
Customer Service
Unfortunately, most companies we examined are lacking in their live support. For the majority of cases, assistance is only available through email help requests. Whenever possible, choose a service that offers live communication through phone or chat. Live tech support's response time can be crucial in stopping any data breach, resolving access issues, or helping you restore accidentally deleted files before they’re gone for good.
Price
Be aware that although most plans show monthly costs, many of them will require you to pay for the full year of service. Before you choose, make sure to use up any free trial periods, or better yet, any free storage offer. A free tier with a few gigabytes can give you valuable insight into the cloud storage service's overall functionality. These offer a great opportunity to test run features and upload time before diving into a full year commitment. When examining price, we considered storage space and the overall added value of features and applications such as productivity and security tools.
Helpful information about Cloud Storage
What To Watch Out For With Cloud Storage
Bandwidth Limitations
Depending on your internet connection and available bandwidth, some features may not function properly, especially upload time and synchronization. If you add your mobile device to your cloud storage, make sure that it won’t consume all your data. A good practice is to set your phone only to do uploads when connected to a wi-fi connection.
Accidentally Lost and Erased Documents
Companies have different policies when it comes to file retention. Before you subscribe, make sure to read the company's terms and conditions. Many cloud storage providers will retain files for anything from a week or two to as much as 180 days. Some services may even offer to retain previous versions of your documents or deleted files for up to a year for an additional fee.
No Automatic Synchronization
Most cloud storage services work as would an external drive. For a file to be saved or removed, the user needs to move said item themselves. If you prefer a service that automatically stores files, does computer backups, and stores the data from all your devices, you need an Online Backup service to perform these tasks.
FAQs about Cloud Storage
Is cloud storage safe?
Like all software, cloud storage is not without its vulnerabilities. Most companies employ advanced algorithms to encrypt and decrypt information, which adds substantial security to stored data. The information is virtually unusable without the password key that only you, the user, knows. Many services include two-factor authentication and other identity verification protocols to secure your account further. It’s best practice to use online accounts in conjunction with a password manager as many of these services offer deep-web scanning to alert you in case your email, password, or other personal information shows up on the web.
Can I run applications directly from cloud storage?
It depends on the program and your broadband availability, but in general, yes. Many applications and programs can now operate directly from cloud storage as they would from your computer’s hard disk. If you have questions about a particular piece of software functionality, contact tech support to make sure it's supported.
Does encrypting and decrypting stored data affect the quality of my files in any way?
No. Encryption algorithms are quite robust pieces of programming and are usually equipped with error correction codes that don't affect your files' quality.