The Best Cloud Storage in 2024

IDrive combines nifty data storage and protection features such as real-time file syncing, version control, and strong 256-bit AES encryption with highly competitive and flexible pricing. It’s a great choice for anyone needing a secure, versatile, cost-effective cloud storage solution.

IDrive’s user interface desperately needs an update, but what it lacks in style, it more than makes up for in features. Features like Snapshots and Versioning will be particularly useful since IDrive retains up to 30 previous versions of all files in case you need to recover anything.

You can also set up sector-level or file-level computer backups to secure your entire system, with the option to restore to a previous point in time. IDrive also recently included integrations with Microsoft Office 365 and Google Workspace for automated backups.

You can also set up automated mobile device and desktop cloud backups, and IDrive uses incremental backups for speed and to reduce bandwidth load by only transferring modified portions of a file.

It’s not the fastest cloud storage provider I’ve tested — a 1.1GB video file took about 3.5 minutes to upload and 3 minutes to download — so it might not be the best option if you have lots of data to back up.

A great option in that case is IDrive Express. They send a physical storage device to which you can transfer your files. When you send the device back to them, IDrive will upload it within a week. Of course, the drive is encrypted. It’s a great option if you have copious amounts of data to back up, have a slow internet connection, or have data limits.

Finally, IDrive offers live chat, phone, and email customer support, but they were slow to reply when I contacted them.

IDrive offers tiered pricing plans with different storage capacities, which are expandable at an additional cost. These include:

IDrive also offers bigger discounts if you opt for 2-year subscriptions, and it has plans for teams and businesses looking for multi-person and multi-device backups. The Teams plan goes up to a whopping 500TB, which should be enough for most enterprises. However, it’s not unlimited. I would recommend Dropbox if that’s what you are looking for.

IDrive is best for individuals, small business owners, and IT professionals who require a reliable and secure cloud backup solution that supports multiple devices and can manage backups and restorations on remote computers. If you are looking for personal cloud storage, IDrive is the cheapest option.

MEGA includes file syncing on unlimited devices and file sharing on all paid tiers. It also automatically backs up your data with MEGA Backup and allows you to recover previous versions of files using versioning.

With paid plans, you can also get various sharing options, like password-protected links, links with expiry dates, and even the option to share your download quota with other users. You also get automatic backups and the ability to download old or deleted files for up to 180 days.

As far as transfer speeds go, the upload speeds were similar to IDrive, taking 3.5 minutes to upload a 1.1GB video file. However, the download was much faster and took just under a minute.

I found MEGA’s customer support to be prompt and professional. User reviews say that they solved most technical issues within 24 hours.

If you are on the free tier, keep in mind that MEGA reserves the right to delete data, with or without notice, from a free account that has been inactive for over three months. It’s mentioned in their Terms of Service, but it’s easy to miss, and you might be caught unawares.

The user interface could use some polish, and you won’t get any third-party integration or productivity features here (except for a Meetings app). Microsoft OneDrive, Dropbox, and Google Drive are better options if that’s what you are looking for. However, if you’re looking for the most cloud storage available for free, MEGA is the best option.

MEGA has four plans for individuals with varying storage capacities but without significant differences in features. While not related to cloud storage, all tiers will also get access to the MEGA VPN and Meetings apps.

One catch here is that MEGA’s pricing is in Euros, so the dollar estimates (that they provide) can change based on current exchange rates. Also, the Pro Lite doesn’t appear on the pricing page, but you will find it after you sign up for a free account and choose the Upgrade option from your profile.

If you’re budget-conscious and looking for the most value, you’ll love MEGA. It is specifically suited for individuals who want to maximize their free storage options. MEGA also features end-to-end data encryption for complete privacy and security.

While pCloud’s main selling point is its lifetime subscription, it also excels in data protection for sensitive and confidential files with its pCloud Encryption add-on, which provides zero-knowledge, military-grade, client-side encryption.

I found the platform user-friendly, and it was easy to sync and manage files across multiple devices. I ran into minor issues while testing, with delays and failed attempts when syncing files across seven computers. pCloud’s customer support was very prompt in their response and recommended limiting the number of devices to five. Upload speeds were standard, but I was also really impressed with the download speed, with a 1.1GB video file taking less than 30 seconds.

pCloud provides a built-in media player for streaming audio and video files directly from the cloud, which worked really well. Loading a video took a few seconds, and there was no buffering after that.

It also includes file versioning, which allows you to restore and revise previous versions of your files in the case of accidental changes or deletions. These versions are stored for up to 15 days for the free tier and 30 days for premium users.

pCloud has individual and family plans with monthly, annual, and one-time lifetime payments options. All these plans include collaboration, management, security, and synchronization features. pCloud also offers a 14-day money-back guarantee.

If you do get a lifetime subscription, make sure you have a proper estimate of how much data you will need. Instead of upgrading, pCloud will stack the plans. For example, if you pay for the 500GB plan, you will have to pay the full amount for the 2TB plan and get 2.5TB in total.

Family plans let you share storage with up to four people, and only lifetime subscriptions are available.

pCloud is ideal if you’re interested in a long-term cloud storage solution without the inconvenience of recurring subscription fees. It’s also a good option for sharing videos and music across your devices since its built-in media player works well.

Box offers many features that are ideal for businesses and teams requiring easy and secure remote team collaboration. Its suite of advanced collaboration tools includes real-time editing, file permissions, e-signatures, and task management.

Box also seamlessly integrates with more than 1,500 third-party platforms, including productivity tools like Microsoft Office 365, Copilot, Slack, and Google Workspace, which are necessary for effective remote team collaboration.

Even its Individual and Business Starter plans come with a collaborative canvas, Google Workspace and Office 365 integration, mobile app collaboration, an integrated desktop experience, and more, ideal for small teams and students.

All plans come with 2-factor authentication to protect your team’s content from malware and unauthorized activity. Moreover, the cloud storage service ensures that every file maintains enterprise-grade intelligent security in accordance with regional and industry compliance standards.

Box has also introduced AI-powered features with its Enterprise plans to automate tasks like metadata extraction and file cataloging. Also, Box uses APIs, SDKs, and developer tools to connect your entire team’s devices, providing flexibility for efficient content management.

The Business Starter plan is great for small teams and students working on group projects. Box also offers excellent plans for small and large businesses, with features including unlimited cloud storage, access to all integrations, and more. However, you’ll have to opt for the Enterprise Plus to use Box AI and get premium 24/7 customer support.

Box is great for remote teams that require extensive collaboration features, integrations with other productivity tools, and data security for effective real-time collaboration. It is also the best option for businesses with vast or scalable data storage needs, as it offers unlimited storage on all business plans.

It’s not as good an option for individuals, though. Its paid plan is pricier than most while offering less data storage.

Dropbox provides access to powerful collaboration tools, such as shared folders, electronic signatures, Dropbox Paper, and real-time editing, making collaborating with your team on projects easy and efficient. You can also set specific permissions for viewing, editing, and commenting, ensuring that sensitive information stays within the team.

Dropbox Paper is one of the service’s best features. It’s essentially a blank, collaborative canvas where everyone can work on the same document in real-time. You can easily add images and video previews and format everything with a couple of clicks. I used to use it all the time for group projects in college, and it remains one of my favorite collaboration tools.

Dropbox also seamlessly integrates with other applications like Slack, Canva, and Zoom, which is a plus for teams looking to streamline their workflow on one unified platform.

Dropbox’s version history and file recovery features offer peace of mind. They allow you to easily restore previous file versions or recover deleted items without any complicated manual procedures.

Moreover, you can share and back up large files and long videos without a hitch. Upload speeds are a touch slow at 3.5 minutes for a 1.1GB video, but I was able to download the same file in about a minute. It’s not as fast as pCloud, but much quicker than IDrive.

Dropbox has four pricing levels, depending on how much storage you need and whether you plan to use it yourself or with a team.

Dropbox offers a lot more storage with its individual plans compared to Box. However, Box might be better suited for large teams and businesses since all its Business plans offer unlimited storage. Dropbox has an Enterprise plan with unlimited storage, but you’ll have to contact customer support to get a price.

Dropbox is best suited for professionals, freelancers, teams, and small-to-medium-sized businesses that require seamless collaboration and reliable file syncing, especially those who frequently need to manage and share files across multiple devices. Like Box, its advanced sharing features, such as link permissions and file requests, make it particularly effective for teams working remotely or in hybrid environments.

OneDrive seamlessly integrates with Microsoft applications, allowing you to save, sync, and share files directly. This enhances workflow productivity and efficiency by ensuring all your documents, spreadsheets, and presentations are always in sync across all connected devices.

It’s also great for real-time collaboration. It allows multiple users to edit documents simultaneously using Office applications such as Word, Excel, Teams, and PowerPoint. It also offers essential file-sharing options for security and privacy, including setting permissions for those who can view or edit documents.

To keep your files safe, OneDrive provides two-factor authentication and comes with a built-in ransomware and malware detection software called Microsoft Defender. However, you’ll need the Personal plan to access this security feature.

Finally, the service provides automatic backups for your photos and videos from your mobile device, ensuring that your memories are safely uploaded and saved in the cloud. If you use Windows, you don’t have to worry about uploading or downloading files. OneDrive appears as a system disc, so you can just copy files over. It takes a minute or so to sync, and you can then access these files on other devices.

OneDrive offers some of the most affordable plans for individuals, families, and businesses. However, its business plans don’t offer as much storage as competitors like Box and Dropbox. The Family plan lets you share 6TB of storage with up to 6 users.

OneDrive is perfect if you’re already deeply engrained in the Microsoft ecosystem. If your business relies heavily on Microsoft Office apps and uses Windows PCs, this cloud storage is ideal for you.

I found it pretty easy to store documents created in Google Docs on my drive and back up specific photo albums or folders from my device. Its ability to effortlessly delete duplicate files from local storage was a particularly useful feature, helping me free up space.

Google Drive allows you to create and collaborate on documents, spreadsheets, or presentations while automatically saving changes to the cloud. This means that you’ll always be able to access the updated version of your file no matter who edits it and from where they do it.

Furthermore, the commenting and suggestion features simplify project collaboration, whether you’re working remotely or in a physical office. To keep my files secure, I typically customize permissions on my docs, ensuring that only authorized team members can view, suggest, or edit content on shared files.

Google Drive’s search capabilities allow you to find any document, photo, or video you need, even if you only remember a few obscure keywords. Not only can you find your files, but also those others have shared with you. The service also provides file versioning, allowing you to access and restore all previous versions of your documents.

It also protects your files with two-factor authentication and built-in virus scanning for all uploaded files.

Google offers Google One subscriptions that include storage and many other features, like Unlimited Magic Editor saves in Google Photos. The AI Premium plan is the only plan with Advanced Gemini AI functionality across the Google ecosystem, including Gmail, Docs, and more.

The one catch is that your storage is shared between Google Drive, Google Photos, and Gmail.

Google Drive is tailored for anyone already using the Google suite of applications who wants a cohesive experience. Anyone with a Google account gets 15GB of free storage, and it’s a great choice for Android and Chromebooks.

iCloud offers a range of essential features tailored exclusively for Apple users. It provides 5GB storage for free to automatically back up media and files from your iPhone. Although 5GB barely scratches the surface of my personal storage needs, it is a reasonable starting point for users with more minimal requirements.

iCloud also offers file-sharing features like Shared Albums, which allow you to share photos and videos easily. However, these albums can only be shared with Apple users.

The service uses end-to-end encryption to secure certain types of data, such as passwords stored in iCloud Keychain and sensitive health data. The service also provides two-factor authentication for an extra layer of protection.

When you upgrade to iCloud+, you gain access to features like iCloud Private Relay, which prevents websites from tracking your IP address, location, and browser history. You’ll also have the Hide My Email option, which allows you to generate random email addresses to protect your identity when filling out forms.

iCloud offers a simple pricing structure with just two tiers. The free storage is included with your Apple ID, while iCloud+ is the paid upgrade.

iCloud is the most obvious cloud storage solution if you’re fully invested in the Apple ecosystem and use iPhones, iPads, and Macbooks. This allows for seamless file syncing, automatic backups, and convenient access to media and documents across all your Apple devices.

Proton Drive takes data privacy and security very seriously, and its features reflect that vision. Even the free plan includes end-to-end encryption. The platform also provides multi-device syncing and file sharing using password-protected links with expiry dates, ensuring that your files are protected across devices.

I found the user interface to be quite polished and easy to navigate, and it seamlessly integrated with my existing ProtonMail account. Transfer speeds were quite slow, though, taking around 4 minutes to upload or download a 1.1GB video file.

Proton has four simple pricing plans. These include:

All accounts provide end-to-end encryption, an online real-time document editor, and file syncing across devices. However, only the Proton Unlimited and Family plans provide an ultra-fast VPN, advanced account protection, and an encrypted password manager. The Family plan lets you share storage with up to six people.

Proton Drive is most suitable for individuals and organizations dealing with highly confidential data that require the highest levels of privacy and security. However, it may not be the best choice if you require large amounts of storage or third-party integrations for collaboration and productivity enhancement.