Frequent PC users will understand how taxing it can get to manage storage space as files gradually accumulate on their computers. Many invest in hard drives, portable pen drives and memory cards to shed some of their storage woes. However, keeping track of multiple storage devices creates additional problems. 

Gone are the days that we had to keep an eye on the amount of storage space remaining on our devices because cloud storage has changed the scenario forever — allowing users to store their data remotely, and access it at any time from any device with an internet connection has made things highly convenient.

Cloud storage involves a device or client sending files over the internet to a data server where they are stored. Whenever needed, the computer can access these files through an internet connection and retrieve them for use or modification. In this way, precious storage space can be saved on devices, and storage space issues become a thing of the past.

Today, cloud storage has become much more advanced, and there are multiple players in this frontier. We’ve compiled a list of the seven best cloud storage options that you should check out.

Amazon Drive

Developer: Amazon Mobile LLC  | Size: 4.1MB (Android); 80MB (iOS) | Price: Free with in-app purchases. If you’re already a subscriber to Amazon Prime, then you should consider checking out its cloud storage option, Amazon Drive. The icing on the cake is that existing Prime members get 5GB of data for files, besides unlimited storage for photos and videos.

Amazon Drive also gives you the option to upgrade to unlimited storage for files with a $60/year plan, should you require more storage. However, if you’re a non-prime user, opting for the 5GB storage option will set you back by $12/year.

You can download Amazon Drive from Play store here and Apple Store here.

Google Drive

Developer: Google LLC  | Size: varies with device (Android); 182.7MB (iOS) | Price: Free with in-app purchases.

Alongwith basic file storage, it also offers you unlimited storage for photos and videos (of a particular quality) in Google Photos, and also integrates with other Google services like Docs, Sheets, Keep and others. It gives you a wide range of ways to access your data and is incredibly versatile to use.

If you do opt to upgrade to the paid version, offering 100 GB of storage, it will cost you $1.99/month and $9.99/month for the 1TB option.

You can download Google Drive here (Play Store) and here (Apple Store).

Also read: How to delete your Dropbox account?

Microsoft OneDrive

Developer: Microsoft Corporation  | Size: varies with device (Android); 255.2MB (iOS) | Price: Free with in-app purchases. Microsoft OneDrive is another great cloud storage option if you’re already using other Microsoft products. For starters, it comes with 5GB of free cloud storage, and should you want more there’s a 50GB storage option starting at $1.99 per month. 

You also get OneDrive storage, if you opt for any Microsoft Office 365 subscription. Additionally, there are bundled packs of OneDrive storage and Office 365 at $6.99/month, giving you 1TB storage for use on one device, or $9.99/month, giving you 5TB for up to five devices.

You can download Microsoft OneDrive from Play Store here and Apple Store here.

Dropbox

Developer: Dropbox Inc  | Size: 38MB (Android); 262.6MB (iOS) | Price: Free with in-app purchases.Dropbox is another popular cloud storage option and has garnered over 500M downloads on the Google PlayStore. It also comes pre-installed on many devices so either way you most certainly have heard of it. 

For those of you unaware, DropBox is a versatile cloud storage option that has features like auto-upload for photos, file sharing between other DropBox users, Microsoft Office support, among others. 

The free version grants you 2GB of storage and is upgradable to 1TB at $1.99/month, which in turn is further upgradable, at $19.99/month and gives you the same space along with more features at your disposal.

You can download Dropbox here (Play Store) and here (Apple Store).

Also read: How to share files on Dropbox?

Box

Developer: Box | Size: 44MB | Price: Free with in-app purchases. While it may sound like a derivative of the previous option in this list, Box is a relatively new player in this field and a promising one at that. The app’s theme is focussed on simplicity and organisation, and it has broad support for other file management apps as well.

A highlight of this service is that new users get up to 10GB of storage, which is double of what most other services offer. Paying $10/month gets you 100GB of storage, and that’s the maximum storage on offer. Business options are also available and range from $5-$15/month but include fewer features.

You can download Box here. You cannot download the app from the Apple Store.

Mega

Developer: Mega Ltd  | Size: varies with device| Price: Free with in-app purchases. If you thought the 10GB of storage offered by Box was pretty cool, then hold your breath at the 50GB of free storage that Mega gives you when you sign up with them. 

That’s the most storage offered by any cloud storage service in this list, and it doesn’t stop there. If you choose to upgrade, you can choose from options ranging from 200GB to 8TB. Another unique feature is that it encrypts all your files uploaded to the cloud, offering greater security. Prices range from €4.99-€29.99 per month.

You can download MEGA here. This service is not available for Apple users. 

Resilio Sync

Developer: Resilio Inc  | Size: varies with device (Android); 41.1MB (iOS) | Price: Free with in-app purchases. The last option on this list takes a somewhat efficient approach to cloud storage. It allows you to use your desktop, laptop, tablet or even your in-home server a destination for your files to be uploaded.

It works in the same way that Google Drive, Dropbox or any other cloud storage service works, and is excellent if you’re extremely conscious about the security of your data, but are still in dire need of cloud storage.

The downside? Well, your receiving device has to be kept on at all times. You get control over your cloud system, and you can upload as much data as your receiving device can hold. To top it off, all of this is available for absolutely no cost whatsoever.

You can download Resilio Sync from the Play Store here and Apple Store here.

Also read: How to download files or folder from Dropbox?