Cloud storage services allow you to upload and share files with friends and colleges. Sync your documents across all of your computers and devices and collaborate on the same files with other people. Get free storage and boost it by referring friends or performing other tasks.
The amount of free space
Main features
Backs up photos automatically
Encryption of data
Supports third-party apps and services
Supported OS
Dropbox
It is a popular cloud solution supporting various third-party apps and services. It provides you with only 2 GB of free space but offers several simple ways of getting more like inviting friends to join and earning 500MB per referral. Open, upload, and share your Dropbox files from a desktop or mobile app, edit Microsoft Office documents from inside your browser, and have your images automatically backed up. Dropbox is provided for Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android and Windows Phone.
Main window
Features
- Supports a wide range of devices and platforms.
- Shares large files.
- Offers 256-bit AES encryption security.
- Can be accessed offline.
- Retrieves deleted files.
- Allows you to share data via links.
- Automatic backup.
- Preview option.
Advantages
- Offers various ways to earn free space.
- Allows you to access and edit documents online.
- Recovers deleted data.
Disadvantages
- Provides only 2 GB of free space initially.
- Uploading files can be very slow.
- No file locking option.
Google Drive
Google Drive lets you store and access your data on a computer, on the web, or on your smartphone. Each new user gets 15 GB of free space to use across Google Drive, Gmail, and Google Photos. Share your files and folders with particular people by sending them a public link via email. Tweak the settings to let them edit and download files or enable a file view-only mode. Create, store, back up, and collaborate on documents, use online office tools to modify them, etc. Use Google Drive on Windows, Mac, Android and iOS.
Main image
Features
- Integrations with third-party services.
- Online collaboration on documents.
- SSL encryption.
- File search using keywords.
- Automatic backup of images.
- Tweak privacy settings while sharing files.
Advantages
- Excellent collaboration and file sharing options.
- 15 GB of free storage.
- Multiple third-party integrations.
- Store email attachments and documents.
Disadvantages
- Shares storage with other services, like Gmail and Google Photos.
- Lacks password-protection for shared files.
- Might modify the formatting when converting PDF files.
Microsoft OneDrive
It is an online storage service from Microsoft that lets you view, store, back up, and share multimedia files and documents. As a free user, you gain only 5 GB of free space, but if you have Office 365, you'll automatically get 1 TB of space. Use a desktop program and mobile apps to upload folders and files of any type to OneDrive. View and save Microsoft Office documents to OneDrive and collaborate on shared documents with other users. It's available for Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, and Xbox One.
Main window
Features
- Integration with Microsoft Office.
- Real-time team collaboration.
- 256-bit encryption.
- Recycle bin option.
- Restores deleted files.
- Prevents data loss.
- Shows a map of the tagged location in photos.
- Includes an online text editor with syntax highlighting and code completion tools.
Advantages
- Integration with Windows 10 and Office 365.
- Collaboration on documents.
- Supports uploading and organizing files of any type.
- Allows you to edit files in real time.
Disadvantages
- Only 5 GB of free storage.
- Low data copying speed.
- The desktop version crashes frequently.
pCloud Drive
pCloud Drive offers 10 GB of free online storage and provides options to boost this space up to 20 GB with friend referrals and other simple actions. Share files and folders with non-users and compress your data to share as ZIP archives. Encrypt your sensitive data, restore previous versions of files and back up your images from Facebook, Instagram, and other social platforms. It works on Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, and Android.
Sync files
Features
- No speed limit caps.
- Filters files by their format.
- Comes with a recycle bin option.
- Uses TLS/SSL encryption.
- Restores previous versions of files.
- Backs up photos from social platforms.
Advantages
- Streams media files.
- Comes with 10 GB of free storage.
- Up to 10 GB of additional space can be earned.
- No speed or file size limit.
Disadvantages
- No online file editing options.
- Random speeds on downloads.
MediaFire Desktop
It offers unlimited bandwidth and gives you access to a tremendous 50 GB of free storage. You start off with 10 GB but can boost the space by as much as 40 GB by performing several activities like installing smartphone or desktop clients or sharing them on social platforms. Copy, move and manage the access to your data from the desktop or phone, upload multiple files at once, and create a one-time link to share a file only once. It isn't supported officially on Windows and Mac, but you still can try it on both these platforms as well as on Android and iOS.
Main Window
Features
- Supports viewing of multiple file formats.
- Comes with mobile and desktop clients.
- Allows you to upload multiple files at once.
- Shows previously uploaded items.
- Lets you manage access to your data.
- Captures and edits screenshots.
Advantages
- Creates one-time links.
- No bandwidth or download limit.
- Allows you to extend free storage up to 50 GB.
- Uploads very large files (up to 25 GB).
Disadvantages
- Requires to sign in once a year to prevent expiration of your account.
- Comes with ads and captchas.
Conclusion
We compared 5 different cloud storage services and found that Microsoft OneDrive and Google Drive offer the most comprehensive set of features for storing, viewing, and managing files in the cloud. Dropbox gets pretty close to the winners, still the initial 2 GB of free space is simply not enough.
Which cloud storage solution do you prefer and why? Please share your experience.
Google Drive screws up *.mobi and *.epub files
See Calibre for details - They strongly recommend against using it for eBooks