1. Google Drive
Google Drive comes straight out of the biggest search-engine giant, Google. Compared to Dropbox, it is justly new in the cloud storage service game. However, over the years, with consistent updates and the addition of new features, it did manage to garner over a billion users till 2018. The service relies on a Google account, so if you have one, you can get started pretty much right away. When you do, you receive 15GB of storage for free, which is spread across your emails, photos, and other documents you plan to take on the cloud. And in case you run out of the free space, you can upgrade to Google One subscription, which starts at $1.99 per month, all the way up to $299.99 per month for 30TB of storage.
With the free plan, you do get some useful features such as the offline mode — which allows you to take your files offline to view them without an active internet connection; access to different Google apps — Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Forms; ability to save Gmail content to Drive; and power search — that recognizes objects (in your images) and text (in your documents), to help you find what you’re looking for quickly. Moreover, if you own a newer version of Chromebook, you receive 100GB of free storage for two years. Check out Google Drive
2. OneDrive
Much like Google’s Drive, OneDrive is another popular cloud storage service from another tech giant, Microsoft. Although it came into existence much before Drive, and since then, has been offering cloud storage for the masses. However, unlike Google’s equivalent, it has a range of plans for various personal as well as professional requirements. With the basic OneDrive plan, you get 5GB of free space with no access to additional services or subscriptions. However, as you go to higher plans, which offer up to 6TB of storage, you get free access to certain Microsoft apps like Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Outlook, and Skype.
Even though with its Basic plan, OneDrive offers stringent security to keep your data protected on its servers. The service also provides a personal vault for those who want to store more sensitive documents on the cloud. What’s more, you can use your mobile phones to scan or add documents directly to the vault. And to add to the convenience, it also gives the option to sync documents on your Windows computer directly to the cloud storage. Check out OneDrive
3. Box
Taking into account the services mentioned in this list, Box is a veteran when it comes to cloud storage solutions. Similar to Microsoft’s OneDrive, it also offers a slew of plans for individuals and businesses to cater to different needs, making it an ideal contender for Dropbox alternatives. With the free plan (for individuals), the service gives you 10GB of storage, while the Pro extends that to 100 GB for $10 per month. However, it does have a catch with the free plan. Although you have 10GB of free space, the upload size for files is limited to 250 MB, which can be disappointing if you want to upload big documents.
Compared to other services, Box is more of an enterprise cloud service solution. Although, that is not to say that it does not extend a similar experience to the individual user. As in addition to usual storage ability, the service also allows you to perform other operations such as embed files directly to websites; turn folders into workspaces to collaborate with other users on a document; integrate third-party apps for things like setting due dates, integrating tasks, organizing schedules and plans, among others. Check out Box
4. pCloud
pCloud is the newest provider in the cloud services space. But, despite being new, it has still managed to make a name for itself among the best cloud storage services available out there and fight it out with other cloud storage services as an alternative to Dropbox. This does not come as a surprise, though, as it offers a range of features and provides 10 GB of free cloud storage on the free plan for all your files and documents with no imposed limit on file upload — which, in comparison to Dropbox’s 2 GB space on the free account, should be sufficient for basic needs. And, of course, if you fill up on the free space, you can upgrade to the premium plan to get up to 2TB of storage at $7.99 per month. Moreover, if you have a lot of members in your family, you can upgrade to a family plan that offers 2TB of data (with up to 5 users) for a lifetime at $500.
Talking about features, pCloud comes with some nifty options to help improve your experience on the platform. For instance, you get quick search and filter options to find a document; a trash folder to hold your deleted files for 15 days in case you deleted them accidentally; an option to invite other users using links to work together; file versioning to help you find and restore to the previous version of a file; and integration with Facebook and Instagram to backup your valuable memories. Check out pCloud
5. iCloud
As some would have guessed with the prefix ‘i’ in the name, iCloud comes from the Cupertino-giant, Apple. The service started back in 2011, and by 2018, it managed to serve around 850 million users worldwide. Similar to most other cloud storage services, it offers storage services to securely store and manage various files and documents for easy and seamless access across different devices. Additionally, it allows you to enable two-factor authentication on your account to add more security by requiring an authentication code when you log in to your account. Although, unlike some of the other solutions, iCloud is only available for Apple users. So, if you have an Apple product and an iCloud account, you can leverage the company’s cloud storage service to store and manage your content on the cloud.
When you get started with iCloud, you receive 5GB of free storage space that is spread across media and other documents and can be easily accessible across your iPhone, iPad, or Mac. Besides, you can also have the data on your Mac automatically synced to your iCloud account for backup. However, considering you do that and have other media backed up to your account, you might find the need to upgrade to a higher storage plan, which starts at $0.99 per month for 50GB of data and goes to $9.99 for 2TB of storage space. Check out iCloud Those are some of our recommendations for the best Dropbox alternatives to store and manage your media and documents on the cloud. While these services should suffice the needs of most individuals, there are a few other notable cloud storage services worth mentioning. Some of which include: Mega, and Tresorit. So before you dive in and invest in a cloud service, check out these recommendations yourself to make an informed decision.
