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In our digital age, having a reliable cloud storage provider is more important than ever. You want your office and personal work stored safely away from hackers or accidents.
Personal cloud storage got started in 2007, when Drew Houston, Dropbox's CEO, got sick and tired of losing his USB drive. So he created the first individual, small business cloud storage service. It was a radical idea in its time, and everyone loved it. Today, there are dozens of cheap or free cloud storage providers and services. But -- beyond giving you storage -- they're very different.
Also: Protecting your clouds
How do you choose which one is right for you? You could just pick based on how much free storage space you get. That's simple, but, a cloud storage service's real value comes from how well it works for you or your business. As you'll see, some work much better with some operating systems and business plans than others. 's top pick for best cloud storage overall isiDrive for its backup and storage options, easy pairing and compatibility and its affordable price.
See how iDrive stacks up to our other recommended cloud storage services.
iDrive features:Freestorage: iDrive starts its offers with 5GB for free
iDrive is for everyone who wants a cloud backup and cloud storage in an all-in-one. Its main job is backing up small businesses, but it also works well for personal cloud storage and file sharing.
Unlike many other cloud backup services, iDrive doesn't lock you down to a single computer. You can use one account to back up your Windows and macOS desktops, your Android smartphone and iPhones and tablets, and your network drives. There's also a Linux backup option, but it's meant for Linux servers. There is no desktop Linux storage client. Darn it! You can, however, use its web interface for manually uploading files.
Fornow, iDrive has a killer deal. It's the most storage for the least amount of money you'll find today. I use it to back up my massive media library of 1930s and '40s movies.
Normally, iDrive starts its offers with 10GB for free. That's okay, but if you want to make the most of it for backup, the real deal is in its Personal iDrive offerings. These start at$70 for 5TB for a year or an even better deal of$105 for 10TB annually. There are also business packages with unlimited users, but the price goes up for less storage.
If you're looking for a personal or small business backup, iDrive is a great choice. It's both easy to use and inexpensive. It's also good for cloud storage, and I'm very happy with it.
View now at IDrive View now at Google Play View now at Apple App store more buying choicesFree storage: Prime members get 5GB of storage for "free" with Amazon Cloud Drive
Amazon S3 from Amazon Web Services (AWS) is an object storage service, and it's a great service. But, that's not what individuals use. They use Amazon Cloud Drive for personal and small business uses -- and it's not a first-rate storage service.
Mind you, Amazon Cloud Drive is better than it used to be. Amazon Cloud Drive now has sync services for Android, iOS, macOS, and Windows. Alas, it still doesn't have a Linux client. The web interface, however, continues to be a bit klutzy.
On the plus side, Amazon moves files by using block-level file copying (aka "differential sync" or "delta sync"). With this method, which Dropbox also uses, you only send and receive the differences (the delta) between files when you sync a file. This makes syncing files much faster on these services than their rivals.
One nice feature, if you're anAmazon Prime member, is you also get unlimited, full-resolution photo storage and 5GB of video storage withPrime Photos .
Prime members get 5GB of storage for "free" with Amazon Cloud Drive for file storage. If you want more,Amazon's current annual storage plans start at 100GB for$19.99 a year and 1TB for$59.99. If you go monthly, for$2 a month you'll get 100GB of storage, for$7 a month 1TB, and for$12 a month 2TB. Other Amazon cloud plans will take you up to 30TB for, brace yourself,$1,799.70.
Amazon Drive is worth your time if you're an Amazon Prime member. If you're not, keep looking. You can do better.
View now at AmazonFree storage:OneDrive comes with 5GB of free storage
OneDrive is baked into Windows, and they're delicious together. As far as a Windows user is concerned, OneDrive is just another directory in the File Explorer -- talk about easy. Anyone can use it on the web, with a desktop app for Mac and earlier versions of Windows, and with OneDrive apps for Android, iOS, Windows Phone, and Xbox. Yes, Xbox.
Linux? No, not yet. The InSync client, which I've long recommended for Google Drive, also works with OneDrive. This program costs$30 for an individual lifetime subscription and$50 for a team license.
Microsoft OneDrive's real selling point -- besides working hand-in-glove with Windows -- is it integrates perfectly with Microsoft Office programs. With Microsoft 365, you can also collaborate with others in documents and spreadsheets in real-time with your partners.
OneDrive comes with 5GB of free storage. Microsoft 365 users get an extra terabyte per user starting with the$6-per-month subscription. This plan maxes out at six people or 6TB of storage. Microsoft 365 Business Standard users, who get access to the full online versions of Outlook, Excel, Word, and PowerPoint, at$12.50 per user per month with an annual subscription. If all you need is additional storage, you can add 100GB for$1.99 a month.
If you're already a Microsoft 365 user, this is a no-brainer. OneDrive is perfect for anyone who uses Windows and Microsoft Office every day.
View now at Microsoft View now at Google Play View now at Apple App more buying choicesFree storage:Box starts out with a free cloud storage account and 10GB of storage
Like most cloud storage services, Box has clients for Mac, Windows, iOS, and Android. It also supports Blackberry. It, however, doesn't support Linux. There is a third-party program, ExpanDrive, which enables Linux users to work with Box.
For $7 a month, the Business Starter Plan lets you upload files up to 2GB and provides you with 100GB of space. But while Box is a fine cloud storage service, where it really shines is as a groupware or workflow application. Used that way, it enables you to share files with colleagues, assign tasks, leave comments on someone's work, and get notifications when a file changes. It's integrated with Google Workspace and Microsoft Office 365.
The Box Business Plan for small and medium-sized businesses starter package begins at$5 a month for up to three users with 100GB of storage. The next step up in business plans is$15 a month for three users and unlimited -- yes -- unlimited storage.
Again, Box's real selling point is its combination of storage and office software.
View now at Box View now at Google Play View now at Apple App more buying choicesFree storage: Dropbox Basic's free storage is only 2GB
Dropbox came first, so it's no wonder that so many of us have Dropbox accounts. Sure, Dropbox Basic's free storage is only 2GB, but you can use it on any platform. You can get your files from Dropbox's website, desktop applications for Mac, Windows, and Linux, the native file systems, and the iOS, Android, and Kindle Fire mobile apps. Heck, even Blackberry phones are still supported. It's a snap to set up, and you need not worry about syncing files for a second.
Dropbox's personal plans move up to 2TB for$12 a month if you need more storage. Dropbox Business plans start at$18 a month for Teams with 5TB of storage. The Advanced option gives you unlimited storage at$30 per user per month, starting with at least three users. That amounts to a starting price of$90 a month. These latter plans come with a 30-day free trial.
As always, Dropbox shines for its sheer simplicity -- and the simple fact that you can use it on almost any platform you care to name. If you value simple, fast, and easy, Dropbox should be your first choice.
View now at Dropbox View now at Google Play View now at Apple App more buying choicesFree storage: You get 15GB of free storage and an excellent office suite
Google Drive used to be just storage. But then Google took its online office suite, Google Docs, and pasted them together into Google One. Now, you get 15GB of free storage and an excellent office suite by just having a Google account. It's good enough that many businesses and Chromebook users are now using it as their complete cloud-based office. I use it all the time myself.
Google Drive comes with clients for most operating systems, except, oddly enough, Linux. Google has promised there would be a client for ages, but it's never arrived. There is, however, an excellent third-party Linux commercial client, Insync. This program costs$29.99 for an individual lifetime subscription and$49.99 for teams.
Need more storage? No problem. Under the name Google One, Google Drive storage prices start at$2 per month or$20 a year for 100GB. Or, for$3 a month or$30 a year, you get 200GB. At the higher end, for 2TB, you pay$10 per month or$100 annually. You can share your storage with up to five other people with all these plans.
You can also use the Google One app on both Android and iOS devices to automatically back up your smartphones. This includes your device data, multimedia messages, and photos/videos in their original quality.
One of Google Drive's best features is its integration with Google search. So, for example, if you've lost track of a file but remember a couple of words in it, it's easy to find. I use this feature almost every day.
View now at Google One View now at Google Play View now at Apple App store more buying choicesFree storage: As much storage as you have available on your machines
Nextcloud is an open-source program that enables you to set up your own cloud storage service using your existing servers and hard drives. This do-it-yourself cloud is for everyone who values security and privacy.
You can use Nextcloud to set up cloud storage either on an office server or off your own external servers. How much storage can it give you? How much do you want? I have a 4TB Nextcloud drive in my office and another terabyte off my co-hosted server rack. Still, NextCloud, while easy to set up for a Linux power user, might prove a challenge for some.
Nextcloud is also evolving. It started as a standalone Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) file storage cloud. It's been adding in more services, making it more of an all-in-one office suite like those offered by Google and Microsoft. The latest edition, Nextcloud 21, is also much faster than previous versions. Nextcloud comes in both a free and a business edition. With the free version, you set it up yourself using your own computers. Here, you get as much storage as you have available on your machines.
If you don't want to run it yourself, the business version. Nextcloud Enterprise, comes with basic support for up to 100 users at
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