The popularity of cloud storage services has hit the roof in the past few years, and for good reasons. After all, they offer a helpful method of accessing your important data anytime and anywhere, (generally) requiring just a web browser and Internet connectivity. Not only that, larger part of cloud storage services also offer advanced features like file sharing, real-time collaboration, and much more. Good times!
[ad type=”square”]Present day, there are pretty a few cloud storage providers out there, with more jumping into the dispute regularly. And even though most of them offer paid (and free, of course) accounts, what if you just need some free cloud storage for a pair of files that you have? More importantly, what if you’re a little bit worried about the reliability and durability of a free cloud storage service?
These are the questions this article is meant to answer, as we take a look at some of the best services that not only offer free cloud storage, but are also reliable enough to trust your valuable files with. So get reading, fellas!
Reliable Free Cloud Storage Services
1. Dropbox
Apparently the most well known of the bunch, Dropbox is ridiculously easy to utilize, and offers quite a few features to get you started. You can upload your files either by means of the web interface, or through the synchronize clients available for just about every desktop/mobile platform. Standout features are easy file sharing, along with 30 days revision history (unlimited for pro users), and you can upload files of virtually unlimited sizes. Dropbox has been around for almost a decade, and it’s surely not going anywhere.
Free storage: 2 GB, which can be maximized to 16 GB via referrals
Pricing: Starts from $9.99/month for 1 TB storage
2. Google Drive
Coming from the technological colossus behind the most prevalent search engine in the world, Google Drive offers quite a lot, and if you’re invested in the Google ecosystem, it’s a must-have, given its tight integration with other Google services. For instance, take Google Photos. You can store unlimited photos online, as long as they are 16 MP or less in resolution. Only larger photos count towards Google Drive storage. Same goes for Google Docs as well. Other features include preview support for multiple file types, and multiple add-ons.
Free storage: 15 GB
Pricing: Starts from $1.99/month for 100 GB storage
3. OneDrive
Microsoft’s cloud offerings have dependably been one of the best, and OneDrive is same, despite having recently cut down on the free storage. It lets you spare, but also create/edit documents, spreadsheets and presentations online, thanks to integration with the free Office Online suite. Impressive collaboration features (e.g. real-time editing notifications) make working on documents together a cakewalk. Then you have features like PDF annotation and signing, automatic backup of photos from smartphones’ cameras, and paid plans with Office 365 integration. And as for reliability, it’s owned by Microsoft. ‘Nuff said!
Free storage: 5 GB
Pricing: Starts from $1.99/month for 50 GB storage
4. Box
Even though it’s primarily outfitted towards enterprise users, Box can be used by just about everyone, thanks to its simplicity and ease of use. It places quite a lot of emphasis on sharing and collaboration features. This can be showed from the fact that Box can connect to both Google Docs and Office Online office suites. And the list doesn’t end there. You get multi-level file versioning, powerful administrative controls, and ton of a lot more. In a nutshell, if you don’t mind the paltry 250 MB cap on the max. file upload size, Box is a cloud storage service you can truly depend upon.
Free storage: 10 GB
Pricing: Starts from $11.50/month for 100 GB storage
5. Hubic
Based out of France, Hubic sparkles with its sizeable measure of free storage. You can upload files of any type and size, and share files by email, or on major social networks. Your data is repeated across three separate data-centers, and the unique “Backup” choice makes it simple to backup all of your important data, and even smartphone apps to the cloud. Having been around since 1999, Hubic has a presence across 3 continents and 16 countries, so you don’t need to worry about the reliability.
Free storage: 25 GB, which can be doubled to 50 GB via referrals
Pricing: Starts from €1/month for 100 GB storage
6. pCloud
On the off chance that you consider the security of your data seriously, pCloud is the cloud storage service you should be utilize. The uploaded files are duplicated across at least three separate locations, and uploads are secured by SSL/TLS protocols. In fact, pCloud are so certain of their customers side encryption, that they organized a hacking challenge, offering a $100,000 award to anyone who could break their encryption. Also as you might’ve speculated, no one was effective. Apart from that, standard features like unlimited file upload size, sharing, and automatic backup are additionally there.
Free storage: 10 GB, which can be maximized to 20 GB via referrals
Pricing: Starts from $3.99/month for 500 GB storage
7. Yandex.Disk
Owned by the Internet company working the largest search engine in Russia, Yandex.Disk is one of the improved free cloud storage services you can find. You can upload any and all kinds of files, and there’s preview support for pretty a few of them. All files are uploaded over encrypted connections, and checked for viruses. Normal features like file sharing and version history are on-board too, and a Chrome extension even tenancies you directly save/share images to your free account.
Free storage: 10 GB, which can be doubled to 20 GB via referrals
Pricing: Starts from $1/month for 10 GB storage
8. ASUS WebStorage
Coming from one of the top PC vendors in the world, ASUS WebStorage makes a strong case for a great free cloud storage service. Uploaded files are instantly synchronized across all the devices (e.g. PCs, smartphones) you access them from. You can facilitate the secure shared files by setting up options like expiration date, and files can be cooperatively worked upon, with real-time updates. ASUS WebStorage also includes solid backup and recovery functionalities, and the files being uploaded are scanned for viruses in real-time, with affected files immediately quarantined.
Free storage: 5 GB
Pricing: Starts from $22.99/year for 100 GB storage
9. iCloud
While it operates on a Windows PC just perfectly, if you own a MacBook or/and an iOS powered device, using iCloud makes uniform more sense. Apple’s free cloud storage service also provides you to access the online version of the iWork productivity suite. All your contacts, reminders etc. are rapidly synchronized across any and all devices that you use iCloud on. In a nutshell, iCloud may not be the most feature heavy cloud storage service of them all, but if you just need reliable access to your files at all times, it works enormously good.
Free storage: 5 GB
Pricing: Starts from $0.99/month for 50 GB storage
10. iDrive
While it’s prime focus is more towards backing up of data, iDrive can be utilized for cloud storage equally well. All your uploaded files are secured with AES-256 encryption, and can be easily shared via email, or on social networks. Not only that, iDrive can also backup all your Facebook and Instagram photos/videos. Amongst other highpoint features are incremental backups, multi-device backups, and revision history.
Free storage: 5 GB
[ad type=”banner”]Pricing: Starts from $44.62/year for 1 TB storage
Lots of free cloud storage for your files!
The quick rise in the popularity of cloud storage services is a clear indicator that cloud computing is here to stay. And as the discussion above makes it clear, there are lot of cloud storage services that are not just free, but also pretty reliable, and won’t go out of business randomly. So what are you waiting for? Try them out, and let us know your preferences in the comments below.