Phone storage maxed out? Does your computer’s hard drive function as though it is made from molasses that goes uphill? Best Cloud Storage Apps, there are other choices out there, so before blindly upgrading your iCloud or Google Drive storage because you “can’t even”, make sure to read on.
Yet we have way too many cloud storages.How do you choose? The choice between the two is not to be determined mainly by price and gigabytes. It is about the features for sure, but not just about numbers, it is about a soul connection.The on-the-go creator?The HIPAA-compliant counselor?The 500-photos-a-day-er? A family of seven hundred devices?The new remote team? The digital hoarder who keeps saving backups of backups of their backups is nontheless.(Three cheers for redundancy!)
Is this your first time without using floppy disks or you are overflowing with documents while already in the balloon? Either way that cloud storage fits you perfectly can be found among these applications.
I have revised this article for the past two years. This time what I did is after spending many weeks testing different cloud storage options based things on I am here to note which one is the best for you.
What makes the best cloud storage app?
Based on decades of digitally storing my work and life stuff, these five features are what I think matter most for good cloud storage software:Based on decades of digitally storing my work and life stuff, these five features are what I think matter most for good cloud storage software:
- Amount of storage.More = better? There’s more to it than just that though; for example, monthly limits on transfers, what kind of files you’re able to save, and how storage buckets are divided up.
- Competitive pricing.Cheap isn’t always cheap. It seems attractive to use an unlimited storage space application with the lowest price tag. However, why would you overpay for a storage space you won’t use when it would be better to get some bandwidth saving functions?
- Offline and multi-device access. You need nothing less than being able to find your stuff when and where it suits you. It should be accessible on all your devices and in any places where you may be—from the loo to the mountains.
- Organization tools. This is the best trait with cloud storage because it offers tools that helps you to sort, filter, search, and organize your files easily.
- Security and reliability. Have you got a proper backup for your banking passwords, social security numbers and secret keys? Just kidding: unfortunately, the data might be deleted from cloud storage. For most people, security is second only to price, and for good reason: yes, it belongs to you and you are willing to take care of it.
Is there a cloud storage? One that can satisfy everyone’s needs?No.
As a freelancer, I need to have a secure storage and backup system for all my texts and a convenient mode of continuity of my work whenever and from wherever I need. And I, of course, having both a dog and a child, require unlimited space for innumerable pictures of my little loves posted every day.
The best cloud storage apps at a glance
| Name | Best for | Standout feature | Pricing |
| Box | Small businesses seeking a Google Workspace alternative | Collaborative documents and work tools for remote teams | 10GB-frees with an ultimate $14 a month for 100GB and it peak as $60 monthly for unlimited storage. |
| Dropbox | Low-maintenance syncing and backup | Easy to use for any device | 2GB for free, $11.99/2TB, $19.99/3TB. |
| Google Drive | Existing Android and/or Google Workspace users | Sophisticated streaming vs. offline access to save hard drive space | 15GB free, $1.99/month for 100GB, $2.99/month for 200GB and $9.99/month for 2 TB. |
| iCloud | Existing Apple device users | Seamlessly built in to Apple devices | 5GB free, starting on the lowest price of $0.99/month for 50GB up to $59.99/month for 12TB in the highest tier. |
| iDrive | Ease of use | Automatically back up all your devices | 10GB at no cost, these range from $9.95/month for 5TB to $99.95/month for 100TB. |
| Internxt | The highest security | Making maximum privacy protection and encryption easy to use | The first plan comes as 10GB free and other tiers starting from $5.49/month for 200GB up to $34.99/month 10TB. |
| Jottacloud | Automatic, unlimited photo backup and storage | Actually unlimited storage | 5GB for free, £9.90/month for unlimited storage. |
| Koofr | Managing multiple cloud storage providers in one place | Only pay for the storage you need | 10 GB for free, with the ranging from €0.50/month for 10GB to €120/month for 20TB |
| MEGA | The cheapest storage at high tiers | Easy to use for all with bonus advanced features for power users | 20GB for free be it €9.99 for 2TB, €19.99 for 8TB, and €29.99. |
| OneDrive | Existing Microsoft 365 and Office users | Integration with Microsoft Office 365, but available for all platforms too | 5GB is free, 100GB costs only $1.99/ month, 1TB for $6.99, 6TB shared among 6 users for $9.99. |
Best cloud storage app for small businesses seeking a Google Workspace alternative
Box (Mac, Windows, iOS, Android, Web)
Box pros:
- So $60 per month and beyond unlimited space storage.
- Equipped with business features such as e-signing, real-world collaboration documents, and online whiteboarding.
Box cons:
- Unlimited storage is only limited to the capacity of 5GB per file.
- Competitiveness, when it comes to pricing, only happens at higher storage levels.
Unlimited? Yes, but most restaurants do not have that ‘all you can eat’ concept, the way they say it or do it, is not like my first ‘real life’ encounter with it, which is to say it is not ‘unlimited’ in the way I understand the word.
I have it as well, the pain of being told a 12″ chocolate cake hadn’t been addedto the unlimited menu. But unlike Box, you are capped at 5GB per file. Most people certainly don’t need more. If you want to back up videos, though, 6GB per 1 minute of 4K recording should suffice, but this is probably not enough. Lower tiered Boxes may only store up to 150GB of content files, but there are more affordable apps that may cost the same amount.
But, on the flip side, they have quite a bit in their favor. Its mobile app is my all-time favorite for its usability. The Favorites and Collections tabs let you get to the files or folders that you need the most on mobile without disrupting your directory structure anywhere else (and you can do that great for use-on-the-go).
Creating boxes notes (text documents), on the go, is easy and fast, therefore, and most importantly it automatically syncs with other devices. This makes it a great solution for writing down note on your phone/tablet, or the content creation hub for small businesses. Doc comments are easy to understand and even easier to answer to, so it is a breeze when you collaborate anywhere. Box also gives Canvas, which in simple words is a virtual whiteboard that you can use for either personal or a team brainstorming.
The suite of features including Box Sign for document signatures leaves Box as one of the strong contenders for freelancers and small businesses; as long as you don’t have to keep too much video or long individual files.
Box incorporates , thus enabling you to automate jobs such as emails that are directly sent to Box storage or ensuring that your remote team becomes informed when new knowledge is added.
Box pricing: Register today & get 10GB of free data. Prices go from 14$/month (or up to a 3 users package for 60$/month/20$/user) for 100GB to unlimited storage with the Business account.
Best cloud storage app for low-maintenance syncing
Dropbox (Mac, Windows, iOS, Android, Web)
Dropbox pros:
- Hassle-free, default app that just works.
- Full cross-platform support
Dropbox cons:
- The removable 2TB shareable family plan is gone in 2024.
- Although not competitively priced with those listed below, it is still a good option.
Dropbox has some premium features which are not available in the basic plan like image watermarking, a password manager built-in, damaging drip options in case of device theft.
And in my view, the most prominent reason to use Dropbox is that, in general, it just works. It works easily on Mc, Mac or Windows, and it does not pop up. The free plan has been a part of my tech since almost 10 years and I have never had a sync or an offline file access issue with it.
In addition, I also discover Dropbox simpler for sharing files with other. Yeah! With Drive and the others I sometimes tremble when it comes to syncing. The sinking of the idea of, “Am I sharing this file or the whole folder?” can be avoided thanks to the Dropbox folders where I can tell just at a glance if your folder is shared or not.
Though the free storage space of Dropbox is very small, it’s more than enough for files such as documents and will work beautifully for the annual folder of tax crap and your accountant.For writers like me, working in a specialized field, Dropbox stands out as the only cloud storage service that the Beta version of the writing app Scrivener officially supports. If you prioritize simple operation in your cloud storage or seek the best sync solution for Scrivener users, Dropbox is your go-to option.
Dropbox also integrates thus serving you the automatically forms and email attachments saved, updated and much more apps interconnected. My personal choice Zap is saving Notion database attachments to the Dropbox, but the options are almost limitless indeed.
Visit the blog post to learn how to automatically keep your Dropbox organized or to get started with one of these templates.
Dropbox pricing: Receive 2GB for free.$11.99/month for 3TB. Several business plans begin from $54/month, for 3 users, and 5TB storage.
Best cloud storage app for Android and Google Workspace users
Google Drive (Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Web)
Google Drive pros:
- Inbuilt on Android smart devices, inclusive of backup photos automatically.
- Can utilize cloud service and retrieve files from anywhere to ensure that disk space is not used up.
- Due to the remote capabilities, summer camp participants may now store their Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, and other Google Workspace files.
Google Drive cons:
- Compelled to use it, if by Google Workspace used.
Google has been the leader in the cloud storage industry since the early 00s as already Amazon was about to close its doors for Amazon Drive. I used Google Drive since 2016 to keep everything and today it automatically backs up my photos using Google Photos, which works both on iOS and Android. Also, if you are not Google Docs or other Workspace apps user, you will need to keep them in Google Drive.
Google ensures you strike a balance between optimizing the hard disk space on your device. You can opt to “live” or “mimic” your files. Streaming requires that you watch them online. The term mirroring means that your files are saved to your computer and the cloud allowing you access your files even when offline. Once you are online, they sync. I mix the two: which ones I don’t use very often but need for larger files are streamed, and everything I want to be able to access anytime, I mirror.
True story: I just began working at a coffee house, and the lack of wifi was one of the challenges I faced. However, it was not a problem, I had made backups of my work files on my computer and turned on edit offline on the Google document.(But still, wow.)
One of the factors that I like about Google Drive as Google Docs is that anyone can edit and contribute to my project online regardless of physical distance. the competition of Dropbox’s main rival iCloud is connectivity to apps of others. For example, the Synology Cloud Sync software allows me to backup the physical NAS drives in Google Drive or NAS itself.
I use Google Drive simply because of its utility for work documents, interface that is easy to operate with and an undemanding — though not the cheapest — way to backup my NAS drives. (This will be discussed later.) For most people, Google Drive is an ideal (solution).
You could, however, do this for more flexibility by connecting Google Drive , which allows connection to almost all the apps. After all, I arrange my tasks by Todoist and I save it in Google Drive. For each client project we have a dedicated folder, and if this Zap (automated workflow) works for us, it will add a new task in Todoist for me.Tres efficient.
Yet, you can make Zaps for big things or small things based on your choice to take full advantage of Google Drive. Read more about how Google Drive can be automated. For those who want to take the plunge, here are some ideas.
Google Drive pricing: Free 15GB is waiting for you. Drive storage alone: For $1.99/month you will receive 100GB, $2.99/month for 200GB or $9.99/month for 2TB. Google Workspace: Per month $6 for 30 GB, $12 for 2 TB and $18 for 5 TB.
Best cloud storage app for Apple users
iCloud (Mac, Windows, iOS, Web)
iCloud pros:
- Perfectly works with it in all devices made by Apple.
- A non-maintenance thing, it is perfect.
iCloud cons:
- Thinking about it, photos take the most of the device’s memory!
- (e.g., Windows PC, Android phone, etc.) Not supported across multiple platforms.
Yet, before I sound too harsh on Apple fans, please be mindful I am you. I’m preparing this note with my MacBook beside my iPad and my iPhone in my back pocket.
Not only because of its great price, but also because it’s so easy to use with apple images, iCloud is the best reason to use . iCloud automatically keeps a backup of my phone, iPad, and my son’s iPad without me having to take any extra step. Forget my phone at the pool? No worries—I’ve got my devices and everything on them, including all that expensive software I’ve built up since forever.
Of course, iCloud backup has benefits for Apple, too: it is more than a facility as it facilitates your device to upgrade. Last year, I upgraded my Apple devices – a laptop, a tablet and a phone – and my favorite iCloud feature was starting each new device with set up the way I like it. It took less than an hour to transfer all my apps, files, and settings across devices, so I was always up and running. This is highly appealing for users and provides opportunities for Apple to make profit.
As a cloud storage service, iCloud comes preinstalled on all Apple devices and operates silently, syncing all your files perfectly in the background without sending any notifications.
It’s also one of only a few cloud storage providers that offer larger plans: We can now offer plans of 6TB and 12TB as well. It’s a lot of cloud storage too. In that case, it’s better to install a NAS or other local storage solution, as it is cheaper if your budget is already stretched to the limit. Yet Apple-devices users who don’t mind more difficult handling may regard iCloud as the best choice.
iCloud pricing: Sign up for 5GB with no charge. $0.99/month for 50GB, $2.99/month for 200GB, $9.99/month for 2TB, $29.99/month for 6TB, and $59.99/month for 12TB. Prices are $3.99/month for 6 users sharing plan on 200 GB and $12.99/month on that for 2TB.
Best cloud storage app for effortless backups
iDrive (Mac, Windows, Linux, Unix, iOS, Android, Windows Server)
iDrive pros:
- External solution that allows for shipping of the actual drive.
- affordable storage which is 100TB in size.
iDrive cons:
- It’s important to note that data privacy compliance is only guaranteed with Team and Business plans.
iDrive offers an affordable, well-rounded cloud storage solution suitable for almost all use cases, including network-attached devices, phones, and computers. You can store anything you want in the cloud or sync data across devices and more.
The distinction between cloud storage and cloud backup is that the latter refers to the process of backing up your data on a remote server. Cloud storage =uploading files or folders individually into the cloud. Cloud backup involves backing up a PC or smartphone with versioning and cloning, enabling a full device restoration with one click if a hard drive fails. iDrive meets both these needs effectively. If your hard drive fails, they will ship you the physical drive of your backup; which you can use to restore your device’s data without using any bandwidth.
iDrive looks for changes in any device you have connected, including your computer or a NAS storage system which you can plug into the network, and backs up those new files with an external hard drive or one inside your computer.
To a TB’s cost, iDrive isn’t the best option at lower tiers, but it’s the lone provider that has a 100TB/month package at a~1$ per TB per month – an exceedingly high amount of cloud storage almost impossible to imagine.
If multiple computers and/or hard drives need to back up your data or they need to be accessible from anywhere for you because having all the files close at hand whenever you require, then monthly fees for iDrive will be easy to pay for peace of mind that you will have what you need when you need it.
iDrive pricing: Get 10GB data free. $9.95/mo for 5TB, $14.95/mo for 10TB, $24.95/mo for 20TB, $49.95/mo for 50TB. and $99.95/mo for 100TB.
Best cloud storage app for the highest security
Internxt (Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android, Web)
Internxt pros:
- Ensure that data privacy is high while at the same time keeping it uncomplicated for those that are not tech savvy.
- An area for photos back up, with photos for easy organization.
Internxt cons:
- Priceline doesn’t have quite the same price per TB as the others do.
Just like Internxt, other privacy-focused apps like Proton Drive offer encrypted email, calendar, and VPN services. Yet, Internxt remains the most user-friendly storage app emphasizing data privacy. However, installing and configuring Proton Drive and similar apps require some technical expertise for seamless operation, while Internxt offers top-notch security with the simplicity of a regular cloud storage app.
Internxt provides you with an elegant design similar to Dropbox, and a system you can use straight away and it also has other privacy features like the use of Zero Knowledge, AES-256 encryption, and secure file sharing. It even offers a separate section to browse and view your photos when in the process of backing up on all your devices with military-grade encryption.
If you do indeed agree with the Internxt statement that privacy is not a luxury — but a human right, then this is the cloud storage app is perfect for you.
Internxt pricing: Try the 10GB free plan. $5.49/month for 200GB, $10.99/month for 2 TB, $22.99/month for 5 TB, and $34.99/month for 10 TB.
Best cloud storage app for automatic, unlimited photo storage
Jottacloud (Mac, Windows, iOS, Android, command line tool)
Jottacloud pros:
- Truly unlimited storage space
- Autobackup of the photos on the cellphone.
Jottacloud cons:
- The app for desktops has issues with crashing sometimes on macOS.
The solution for every kind of file is Jottacloud, but in terms of media organization that is where it excels. Similarly, the Jottacloud mobile app can automatically save your photos and videos like the Apple Photos and Google Photos apps. Clear uploaded media with a single click winning you extra storage space for your Media Player. Beautiful galleries are how you see your memories on the app’s home screen. It is possible to send streaming media, and this includes RAW files, to Apple TV or Chromecast.
This is not the only thing, I almost forgot that unlimited storage is available for less than $10 per month.
I first started using Jottacloud for backing up my NAS files, multiple devices, phone photos, and computer drives one year ago. It became my alternative to Apple Photos, resolved most of my iCloud and Google drive storage problems, and outsmarted my longtime computer backup software Backblaze. Jottacloud’s lowest priced unlimited plan also helps save money by combing those needs, and I think the photo collection function is cool.
Jottacloud offers to have 5TB of fast storage and unlimited storage after that for “reduced upload speeds.” After I reached 5TB through my backup needs in an year, I was sceptical and prepared to lose my fast backup speeds It made me realize that nothing changed. Whether it’s due to my sluggish Wi-Fi or not, Jottacloud is the ultimate and revolutionized cloud storage (large media lib and hard drive backup included.)
You can store any type of file, choosing what to sync on your device and what remains synced in the cloud, in a one-way direction. Jottacloud can schedule backups for any device, including external hard drives. Moreover, you enjoy protection against surveillance by third parties, as Norwegian ownership fully controls Jottacloud, freeing it from the obligations of the United States’ CLOUD Act.
And were that not enough, you can also expand Jottacloud integrations like these.
Personally I have connected a Notion database I use to store my research with the Jottacloud sync folder. Thus, the saved files establish a connection between the Notion database and the Jottacloud sync folder.
Jottacloud pricing: Receive 5GB for free . Pay €9.90 a month if you store data on your account for personal use. Our sharing plans for families at a cost of €6.90/month per five users (1TB) for 1TB and up, and business plans licensed for commercial use range from free (for 5 GB.) to €49/month for 1TB capacity
Best cloud storage app for managing multiple cloud storage providers
Koofr (Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android, Huawei AppGallery, WebDAV, Rclone, Web)
Koofr pros:
- Use a sync software to connect several free accounts from the same storaging provider under one file management application and or acquire the same with separate files storaging providers;
- Observe the storage only for what you are paying for.
Koofr cons:
- How you combine the right storage add-ons with your needs requires a little slicing and dicing rather than a set-it and forget-it approach.
Straight up: Huawei phone backup app is Koofr which auto-fits your backup needs. For the others, Koofr would be a better tool for the consolidation of all cloud storage services.
Koofr stands out in the aspect that it has built-in storage options— 10 GB for free package—and you can also combine other cloud storage apps, such as Google Drive, Dropbox, or OneDrive. I can further access the files and search across all my various cloud storage apps from the Koofr app on any device.
For the likes of us thrifty individuals, it’s an ideal method to combine free layouts created from various apps into one single neat place. Most importantly, you can connect as many accounts as you want to each third-party application conceivable. For instance, save all your work and personal files in two separate private Google Drive accounts.
Instead of a one-size fits all approach, our price plans can be mixed-and-matched according to your needs. This is particularly handy if you only need higher carry limits for a couple of buckets, and not the rest. Other benefits of a paid package include alternative features like 30-day file restoration, unlimited file sharing, Microsoft Office online editing, and PDF/image editor.
I admit: No, I was not expecting cloud storage of various kinds to appeal to me in any way. I expected it to be slow, but multiformat search is just great when it comes to productive work.
Koofr pricing: Get 10GB for no cost. A plan starts at €0.50/month for 10GB and goes as high as €120/month for 20TB ,and you can mix and match storage blocks and features to suit your needs.
Best cloud storage app for the cheapest storage at scale
MEGA (Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android, Chrome extension, Edge extension, Command Line Protocol, QNAP NAS, Synology NAS)
MEGA pros:
- For the vast majority of users, the best value-for-money option at 8TB and above.
- Creation of officially supported NAS packages and command line tools for advanced users will be performed.
MEGA cons:
- Monthly file transfer limits
- Forget your password =forget your account (because of data privacy encryption—often regarded as a benefit for certain people)
I will not argue for a second that MEGA is, without a doubt, the highest value for terabyte at the 8TB level and above, and it offers plans that go all the way up to a maximum of 16TB for individuals. MEGA offers end-to-end encryption for utmost privacy and neat features for Big Ol’ nerds, including QNAP and Synology packages for online real-time-syncing and versioning. Backups of your NAS drives can be made even offline.
l33t linux/mac users and power mac windows users, you can also run scriptable commands via the network protocols to automate tasks directly from a Linux or Mac shell or Windows command line.
The only problem MEGA has with monthly file transfers is the fact that it equals the space of your plan. That implies that if you have 8 TB of cloud storage, you can at most transfer a maximum of 8 TB of data in a month. Although these are good and deeds, it’s very simple to get close to free space if you just backup your devices to an MEGA account for the first time, or if you backup many devices, or big files, like 4K videos or RAW photos.
No matter if we like it or not, MEGA is really difficult to beat due to its price and the advanced functionality.
MEGA pricing: Grab it for free! €9.99/month for 2TB, €19.99/month for 8TB, or €29.99/month for 16TB.
Best cloud storage app for Windows and Microsoft 365 users
OneDrive (Mac, Windows, iOS, Android, Web)
OneDrive pros:
- They come in-built with Windows/MS devices but also work on macOS and iOS in a cross-platform sense.
- Your images are organized in one photo library, and galleries are segregated on the basis of dates.
OneDrive cons:
- The storage space is a tight one with 1TB per person on the 6TB plan.
DriveOne is specifically designed for Microsoft Office users, enabling them to work on Word, PowerPoint, or other files from anywhere. It makes it very convenient, as it is completely native to Windows, but perhaps even better on Mac too and on iOS. The apps for desktop, web, and mobile are well-planned and organized. The pricing is quite in tandem with iCloud’s.
In addition to that, the newly designed Photos tab, which enables the application to automatically organize your photos into groups like screenshots and selfies and puts everything in background as a gallery describes it.
What’s unique or cool about OneDrive then?Not much.
Together with 365 apps, there is also whiteboarding tools, custom branding, and tha OneDrive is just… storing your stuff. And at times, you can get the best apps if they-d so one thing at a time. Moreover, OneDrive is good when it comes to storage, with consumers trusting the Microsoft brand. For Office and Windows users, it is absolutely a ‘no-brainer’. In case you fall into the majority, it should be on your list because of its reliability and suitability of use.
On the other hand, OneDrive is also linked , so it is possible to run some other automations similar to those I have mentioned here, can be used to improve the cross-platform compatibility of the two services. Is Google Docs a preferred choice but you are not a Google Drive user?Store them in OneDrive.
And link OneDrive into your cloud storage apps, the other tool you use (including your cloud storage apps). The automation of OneDrive, if you want to know more, or check these workflows get some inspiration
OneDrive pricing: Enjoy a free 5GB. The paid plans for 100GB is $1.99/month; for 1TB, $6.99/month; and for 6TB, shared with 6 users (each getting 1 TB) is $9.99/month.
Which cloud storage app should you use?
For this article, I decided to review true cloud storage apps – the programs which can accommodate any type of file without having to keep the originals on your computer. Instead, there are several terrific backup-only options like Backblaze and pCloud which is one of the most popular ones.
Additionally, there are many simple cloud storage apps which are appropriate for multiple people but there are also niche-specific apps for certain groups, for example, CloudSpot for photographers and Filepass for musicians.
And then there’s the question of: what kind of cloud storage we should use? The strongest disposal vector against hacking is the use of air gapping that is keeping your data on the private-network NAS server or your hard drive. As physical drives have an annual average failure rate of 1.46%, you still need a solid backup strategy which includes multiple backups.
Be it how you store your data or what devices your use, simply put security first at all time to avoid hackers. Keep in mind and farewell.
