Should You Pay For The Cloud Storage
You dont have to, but it depends on your needs also. There are a lot of free options available for personal use. You can easily get upto 200 GB of free storage. If you have a bigger storage need you, all cloud providers will have an option to upgrade at a minimal cost.
However if you are looking for a business storage, a paid service with better security and multiple access and permission layers should be your choice. The paid plans are equipped with better features.
Onedrive Family & Business Plans
You can take things a step further with a Microsoft Family 365 subscription, which gives users 1TB of storage for up to six people at just $8.33 a month . This can save you a small fortune on storage and productivity apps for the family, making it a good value option.
OneDrive also has some excellent business options that make it our favorite value product in our list of the top enterprise file sync and share providers . With Office and Windows integration, as well as pretty good pricing, OneDrive is certainly a provider we can recommend with confidence.
OneDrive Basic 5GB
- No zero-knowledge encryption
- Privacy concerns
If you want a similar experience to OneDrive, you may want to try Google Drive. Like Microsofts service, Google offers storage that integrates well with its own suite of office applications, which serve to replace the Microsoft Office experience in full and do so pretty well, too.
Professional Option: Zoolz Cloud Storage
Zoolz provides limitless users and servers with cloud storage and backup solutions. There is no speed limits and limitless uploads and downloads are available. Additionally, Zoolz has an AWS-based backend for improved security and cloud migration.
Redundancy, duplication, and multifaceted backup all guarantee that the data is available whenever it is needed. With features like deduplication, block-level uploads, and configurable file retention, you can also take quicker backups. With the use of these capabilities, you may also restrict how much storage a certain file uses.
Regulations governing General Data Protection Compliance are also followed by Zoolz. It also offers HIPAA compliance as well as a number of other accreditations, privacy regulations, and standards.
You can manage, arrange, distribute, search, and preview all of your cloud-based files using a file browser. Additionally, you may use its centralized storage to restore data to any machine and at any time. Not only this, but you may also encrypt and decrypt files and share the download’s expiration date. As soon as someone accesses or downloads the shared file, you’ll receive a notification.
Key Cloud Storage Features
Using a local repository rather than cold storage, the Hybrid+ feature makes local copies of backup data to reduce recovery time.
Pros:
Cons:
- Some users may find this storage system too complicated.
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The Best Budget Cloud Storage: Icloud+
Pricing: 50GB for $0.99/month
Our next category is budget cloud storage, meaning the lowest price you can pay for any amount of storage. That distinction goes to iCloud, which is the only major cloud storage provider to offer a 50GB plan. Its price per GB is one of the highest on the list, but that’s to be expected for such a small amount.
50GB isn’t much space, but a dollar per month is the lowest absolute price you’ll find for cloud storage. This is likely enough to back up your iPhone or give you some room to move files between devices. Of course, being an Apple product, it’s best suited for those who primarily work on Mac, iPhone, and iPad.
Paying for any iCloud plan upgrade bumps you up to iCloud+, which includes goodies like Hide My Email and a custom email domain. You can also share your allotment with your family and friends. And don’t forget about Apple One, which bundles iCloud storage with other Apple subscriptions like Apple Arcade and Apple Music at a lower overall price.
Paid Vs Free Cloud Storage
Most online data storage providers offer free and paid plans. With the former, the numerous restrictions include up to 5GB of limited space on average, upload/download speed throttling, and the absence of productivity tools for teamwork.
To keep the costs low, these limitations have to be in place. They also allow you to try the product, without any commitment. You can always scale up by upgrading.
Upgrading brings in all the real benefits. Youll be able to upscale resources based on demand. A good example is Amazon Drive you get unlimited cloud storage at a flat yearly fee. In most cases, you get 100GB on the lowest tier. Other benefits comprise enhanced security, collaboration apps, and priority customer support.
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What To Consider When Choosing Cloud Storage Services
Given the number of cloud storage providers on the market today – from tech giants like Google to smaller, more niche players – choosing the solution thats right for you isnt easy. One of the first things youll probably want to consider is cost. While the capital expenditure for cloud storage is usually very low , the operational expenditure can add up when you factor in additional storage requirements and premium features. Be sure to check your cloud contract carefully to ensure you dont receive an unexpectedly large bill.
Credentials around service and security standards are also key. Look for a cloud storage provider that can boast the certifications that promise an SLA you can rely on – and safeguards that protect your data. In addition, make sure your storage provider offers the scalability you need should you grow – and a flexible pricing model to accompany it. Perhaps the best thing to do when choosing a cloud storage provider is simply to shop around. Theres bound to be a solution that suits your needs – but dont simply go with the first cloud provider you find.
Types Of Cloud Storage
While researching cloud storage solutions, you might come across a variety of cloud storage types and be curious about which one you need. You may have heard about public, private, and hybrid cloud storage options.
For the vast majority, this is a straightforward answer. Most people will use public storage options. The solutions mentioned above are all good examples of public cloud storage. In public cloud storage, a provider owns and manages all of the cloud infrastructure and users simply hire the services.
In private cloud storage, a business with exceptionally large storage needs or perhaps exceptionally sensitive security needs might elect to have a cloud storage system built exclusively for their own use.
Obviously, this is well beyond the scope of a private user or even the average business as something of this nature would require staff trained to manage the system.
Similarly, a hybrid storage option is exactly as the name implies: a mixture of the two. In this case, a business might have its own cloud infrastructure but may also utilize some aspects of a public provider as support.
Business vs personal use
Best cloud storage for photos
If your cloud storage needs include many files that go beyond basic document type, particularly if you have a substantial amount of photographs or videos to store, take care to note which providers adequately support image file types. Not all providers are created equal in this regard!
Free vs Paid cloud storage
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What You Need To Know About Cloud Storage Security
With many comparisons and much debate on the security of cloud storage, especially when pitting on-prem vs cloud storage , or even cloud storage vs external hard disk drives , the best cloud storage often utilizes top-line security and encryption tools.
It may not technically be as secure as local storage for obvious reasons, but how secure is cloud storage , and how do secure cloud systems protect your files?
Encryption is key here: end-to-end encryption protects data along its whole path from device to storage and back, while in-transit and at-rest encryption render data indecipherable even if intercepted by criminals. Zero-knowledge architecture meanwhile ensures that not even a cloud storage provider’s staff can access your data, nor can they be compelled to release it even if law enforcement demands it.
For enterprises, cloud storage security is significant, particularly if you operate in data or privacy-sensitive sectors. There, investing in secure cloud storage that offers state-of-the-art policies is non-negotiable. However, the very best providers not only protect data, but infrastructure housing it.
Data centers owned by Storage-as-a-Service cloud storage providers have 24/7 security guards, biometric authorization for entry, and frequent auditing. The location of data centers is key too, with different countries having different data privacy laws, so ensure data is stored in a nation that complies with your data privacy obligations.
The 5 Best Cloud Storage Services Of 2022
Russ Ware
Russ is a freelance writer who specializes in writing about technology. He loves exploring and figuring out how complex things work, and sharing that knowledge with others, something he has been doing online and in print for more than 15 years. When not writing for How-To Geek, Russ can usually be found planning his first novel or taking something apart to see how it works. Read more…
Elizabeth Henges
Elizabeth Henges is the Commerce Editor for How-To Geek. She has close to a decade’s experience reporting on tech, gaming, and gadgets. Elizabeth has had her commerce work featured on XDA Developers, The Inventory, and more. She has also written for publications The Washington Post and The Verge. Read more…
Cloud storage lets you keep all of your files in one place, and makes them accessible no matter what device you’re on without the need for a physical external hard drive. Here are our picks for the best services today.
How Did We Research?
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Free Up Disk Space With A Virtual Drive
Whereas most cloud storage providers exclusively use a sync folder model to manage your storage, Icedrive also provides an alternative namely, the virtual drive. In addition to being able to designate individual folders already on your computer for sync, you can also set up a completely separate drive that you can access as long as you have an internet connection.
This allows you to easily access your cloud files directly from within your operating system without them taking up any of your local storage space. If you need access to anything in the drive while youre offline, you can designate individual files and folders for offline use.
Perhaps the biggest thing Icedrive has got going for it is its price. If 1TB of storage sounds like the right amount to you, then youll be hard pressed to find a better deal than $4.17 per month for the annual plan.
Icedrive also offers lifetime subscriptions, which can be a great option if you know youll be using your storage for years to come, so check out our full Icedrive review to learn more about those.
Free
- Terrible privacy
- Clunky desktop client
Although Google Drive doesnt crack our top five overall favorite cloud storage providers largely due to its terrible stance on user privacy its focus on usability and integration makes it an obvious choice here. Out of any service on this list, Google Drive is the one thats probably the easiest to get started with, especially since you probably already have a free account.
Quick Links: 3 Best Cloud Storage Deals
When shopping for cloud storage, you’re looking for the maximum amount of bang you can get for your buck, i.e. the most storage for the lowest cost. For our money, the service that fulfils this brief the best is IDrive. It’s got no connection with Apple, despite the name it’s just a great-value cloud storage service with loads of handy features.
Also, right now there’s an incredible deal on IDrive for CreativeBloq readers, with the option to get 10TB of storage for just $3.98, for a whole year! That’s right an entire year of cloud storage, for less than the price of a coffee and a donut. That’s tough to argue with.
If even that small amount is too much for you to commit, then IDrive does also offer a free plan, which provides 5GB of storage. If you’re a creative, this likely won’t get you very far, so you’ll likely find yourself wanting to subscribe to bump this limit up to 5GB, 10TB or 12.5TB.
The features and functionality the IDrive offers are also great. You get backup and sync from an unlimited number of devices, auto backup of external hard drives, easy file sharing for collaborative working, two-factor authentication, end-to-end 256-bit AES encryption, and more. We also have to give a shout-out to the 24/7 customer support, which is excellent.
For more details, read our IDrive review.
If you still prefer the idea of a subscription model, pCloud does give the option of annual plans, as well as a free option that gives you a decent 10GB .
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Do We Share Personal Data
We may share your Personal Data or other information about you with others in a variety of ways as described in this section of the Privacy Policy. We may share your Personal Data or other information for the following reasons:
- with payment providers in order to initialize a payment process – personal data necessary to facilitate the transaction
- with third party services monitoring the proper functioning of the service – Anonymous data and performance analytics to help us enhance Users experiences.
We may share information about you with other parties for pClouds business purposes or as permitted or required by law, including:
With your consent:
- We share your Personal Data and other information with your consent or direction, including if you authorize an account connection with a third-party account or platform.
- We share your Personal Data with advertising and analytical companies to deliver information relevant to you about new features and offers.
Profile Information You Make Available to Others:
In addition, pCloud may provide aggregated statistical data to third-parties, including other businesses and members of the public, about how, when, and why Users visit our Sites and use our Services. This data will not personally identify you or provide information about your use of the Sites or Services.
We do not share your Personal Data with third parties for their marketing purposes.
What Are Your Rights
In this section, we have summarized the rights that you have under data protection law. For a more detailed explanation of your rights, please refer to the relevant laws and guidance from the regulatory authorities.
The right to be informed pClouds Privacy Policy describes our practices in detail using simple language. Everything you need to know is here. If you have more questions, feel free to contact us at.
The right to rectificationIf you believe we have the wrong data about you, or that your data is incomplete, feel free to change it at any time through your Account settings.Learn here how you can manage your information.
The right to erasureWhen you delete your pCloud account your data and files are deleted from your devices without undue delay.
The right to restrict processingYou can temporary restrict the processing of your data by suspending your account. Suspended accounts are kept for 3 months, unless specifically stated otherwise. During this period the account can be restored at any time and information or files will be lost. At the end of the period non-restored accounts are deleted automatically and information is deleted. Contact us at to request account suspensions by stating your reasons.
The right to data portability Contact us at to request a copy of the data we store about you. Once it is ready, you will receive the file via email.
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Avoiding Online Purchases In Public Places
Never get yourself involved in such an activity. Because a few people might not well eat you, these guys may devise a scheme to rob you after seeing the amount of money you have placed. Or, because of the upheavals around you, you may position distinct other things incorrectly, causing problems later. Remember that your purchasing is a personal choice with a relaxed approach.
It’s A Tie Between The Diy Nextbox And Pcloud
Do you want to be as sure as anyone can be that your data’s safe from prying eyes? If that’s you, I recommend either building your own cloud storage service with NextCloud or using the high-security pCloud. With NextCloud, you, of course, decide where to keep your data. I use both my own in-house servers and an offsite server. With pCloud, you can decide between US or EU servers to store your data safely. Ether way, with pCloud, you get the best available data encryption.
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The Best Cloud Storage Deals Right Now
1. IDrive is out top cloud storage provider Cloud storage veteran IDrive offers an incredible amount of online space for a small outlay across a wide range of platforms. 10TB of storage for $3.98 for the first year is unmatched and so is the support for unlimited devices and the extensive file versioning system available.
2. Get lifetime cloud storage from pCloud pCloud is more expensive than the competition, but the one-off payment means that you won’t have to worry about renewal fees that can be horrendously expensive. $350 for 10 years service is less than $3 per month.
3. Get $50 off Sync’s yearly plans
Solo professionals can access Sync cloud storage for just $24 a month . Teams, meanwhile, can access unlimited storage for $18 per user, per month – only with this exclusive deal.