Cloud computing storage services (we have already discussed what cloud means, in Italian, " on the cloud " or on the Internet) are used to store any type of file or information on an online space. Basically it is as if the files were saved on a virtual hard disk, always available from every computer connected to the internet (cloud services are offered by large servers connected to each other and always available in any part of the globe).
If you are a beginner with cloud services and you don't know which one to choose, in this guide we will show you which parameters to use to choose the best cloud drive storage service among all those available, comparing them.
READ ALSO: How to increase space for free on cloud storage
Best free cloud services to save files online
The various services are very similar to each other: they offer online storage space, you can access files anywhere and from any device, you can share files with other people and they support file synchronization so that if a document is modified on one computer, changes are propagated to all other computers or mobile devices instantly.
Everyone can register an account in these free services, but it is obvious that they cannot be kept on the PC or on the devices all together (if you want you can also do it but we risk making too much confusion) therefore, to choose the best, we will make a comparison between the best free cloud services also by looking at paid options to increase storage space.
The discussion will mainly focus on the three most used services: OneDrive, Google Drive and Dropbox .
1) Supported platforms
Let's take a look at the supported platforms, so we can only choose the service that supports all our devices:
- Dropbox is available for Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS and Android devices.
- Windows OneDrive is available for Windows, Mac, iPhone, iPad and Windows Phone and Android phones
- Google Drive is currently available for PC, Mac, iPhone, iPad and Android devices.
None of these support Windows XP.
2) Archiving
Another very important parameter for choosing a cloud computing service is the space offered free of charge to users, who will thus be able to save the right amount of files based on the chosen service.
- Dropbox offers 2 GB of free online storage (can be increased in a few guided steps);
- Onedrive offers 5 GB of storage space to new users while the old ones could use 25 GB for free;
- Google Drive instead offers a 15 GB space which is also used by the Gmail and Google+ applications.
Other cloud storage like Box.net, pCloud, Yandex, Ozibox, Syncplicity allow you to save files in the cloud (cloud) up to 10 GB while Amazon Cloud, Cubby, Sync, iDrive, Apple iCloud, Asus Web Storage offer 5GB as Onedrive.
One of the services with the largest storage space is Mega, which offers 50 GB that can be used by any platform.
Using the synchronization program on your computer, you can upload files of any size to Dropbox and Google Drive while with the Onedrive client you cannot upload files larger than 10 GB online (which is really a lot).
Dropbox allows you to upload files up to 300 MB from the web browser, while this limit is 1 GB in the case of Google Drive.
3) Paid storage plans
Regarding prices to expand cloud storage, let's see the applicable prices together:
- Dropbox : starting from € 10 per month with 1 TB of available space;
- OneDrive : starting from € 10 per month (or € 99 per year) with 5 TB usable by 5 users (1 TB per user);
- Google Drive : starting from € 2 per month for 100 GB, or € 10 per month for 1 TB.
The prices between the various competitors are in line with each other, but Google Drive offers the cheapest subscription (to have 100 GB), while OneDrive offers the most complete service thanks to the integration with Office 365 Home included in the subscription (we can edit and create documents shared online).
4) Website and file viewer
Both Onedrive and Dropbox provide web applications with file viewers for most common files, including Office documents, PDFs, videos and images.
Since Google Docs is a universal online viewer, Google Drive is definitely the number one for this feature.
Note that Box.net connects to Google Docs to view files online via a browser.
5) File history
- The free account on Dropbox saves your file history for 30 days: if you accidentally delete or modify a file, you can easily restore the previous version within the next 30 days.
- Both Onedrive and Google Drive store previous versions of all files even if you don't know how long.
If you delete a file or folder within Onedrive web app, it is deleted forever, while, in the case of Dropbox and Google Drive, the files are moved to the Trash from where they can be easily restored.
6) Account and data security
- Since Google Drive is connected to the Google account, you can set up the protection with two verification steps for logging in to Google, very powerful.
- This additional level of protection is also available for Dropbox and Onedrive which binds to the Microsoft account and also for iCloud which binds to the Apple account.
Using a plugin you can protect files saved in Dropbox with passwords on your computer
7) Search for files
Google Drive is clearly superior in this respect to others that do not allow you to find words and text inside documents, PDFs and even scanned images saved in the cloud.
8) Offline access
The mobile applications of Dropbox and Google Drive allow you to save any document or file on your mobile phone for offline use.
Google Docs can also be used offline on the computer by enabling the function manually.
9) Selective synchronization
If you have multiple computers, these cloud drives copy the files to all machines where the client application is installed.
Sometimes, however, you don't want this to happen and both Onedrive and Dropbox and Google Drive offer the possibility to selectively synchronize folders, excluding others.
10) Sharing and collaboration
All three big ones allow you to share files by sending the link via email or chat, so you can work on a document in a group even at the same time (multi-hand written documents).
In conclusion, the best cloud storage services for online file storage are:
1) Microsoft OneDrive, 5 GB of free space at registration, also offers the possibility to download all the files of any other computer connected from the browser.
Onedrive is mandatory for those who often use Microsoft Office because it gives the possibility to edit documents in the web browser, preserving formatting and is integrated as a cloud service within Windows 10, so using it is much simpler than other services.
READ ALSO: How many things Microsoft Onedrive is used for and how it works
2) Google Drive has the most pleasant interface, excellent search function, integration with Google Chrome and Gmail, Google Office applications and great online collaboration functions.
Those who live and use Google web applications will undoubtedly have to choose this service.
READ ALSO: Download Google Drive on Windows, Mac, Android and iPhone, with 15 GB Cloud and Office app
3) Dropbox has the smallest free online space with only 2 GB available for free but easily expandable at no cost.
Dropbox wins over everyone if you think of the numerous applications and plugins that can enhance its service (you can do a search from the search box of our site to find many different uses of Dropbox).
READ ALSO: How DropBox works, 2GB to store files and folders online
Other cloud services
In addition to these three, we have mentioned many other cloud services in this article that can be viewed below:
1) Apple iCloud, offers 5GB space and is only useful for saving backup of settings and photos from iPhone and iPad;
2) Amazon Drive free only with Amazon Prime subscription;
3) Box.net, offers 10 GB for free, is very reliable even if more oriented to business users and companies;
4) pCloud, which offers 10 GB for free and the guarantee of an ultra protected and secure cloud service;
5) Hubic, currently the one that offers the most free storage space, 25GB;
6) Yandex Disk, Russian service, with 10 GB of free online disk space;
7) Asus WebStorage, convenient service for those who have an Asus smartphone, tablet or PC, with 5 GB of free space;
8) iDrive 5GB of space and complete and encrypted security;
9) Mozy, among the best online backup sites;
10) MEGA Cloud with 50 GB of space but many legal problems that make it unreliable.
READ ALSO: Best Cloud services with free online space
