In the recent times, backing up the files online is the trending to store the personal files and folders. Files stored in cloud are more secure and easier to access from any location. CD-ROM or USB drives doesn’t provide the same security as they might get corrupt or lost. Cloud storage is a model of data storage in which the digital data is stored in logical pools, the physical storage spans multiple servers (and often locations), and the physical environment is typically owned and managed by a hosting company. Cloud storage services are great for sharing files with friends and families, arranging all your files at one specific location, keeping documents in sync with your devices and many more.
There are many cloud storage which offers free and premium services. While nearly all have premium offerings that provide more space, the free cloud storage offered is usually more than enough for most people.Some cloud storage free services are much better than many sites premium services.
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Advantages of Cloud Storage
- The Cloud storage is more flexible than saving to disc or USB stick; you can retrieve/access your stored files anywhere in the world, from any computer.
- No additional storage space is needed in your home; all you need for online backup is an internet connection.
- You don’t need to bother with connecting external hard drives or swapping DVDs.
- You can save lots of bandwidth by avoid emailing files to individuals and instead send a web link to recipients through your email.
- Cloud storage can be used as a back‐up plan by businesses by providing a second copy of important files. These files are stored at a remote location and can be accessed through an internet connection.
- Businesses and organizations can often reduce annual operating costs by using cloud storage; cloud storage costs about 3 cents per gigabyte to store data internally. Users can see additional cost savings because it does not require internal power to store information remotely.
Disadvantages of Cloud Storage
- If you have no internet connection, you have no access to your data.
- There are concerns with the safety and privacy of important data stored remotely. The possibility of private data commingling with other organizations makes some businesses uneasy.
Some of the best cloud storage providers are as follows:
1. hubiC
hubiC provides 25GB of storage with any cost after registration. You can also earn lots of free space by inviting your joins to join hubiC. You can get up to 2.5 TB extra space when you recommend 5 people. Each recommended friend will then get 30 GB storage space for free. During sign up, use this code : BXRCPV to get an extra 30 GB of storage.
Pros:
- Easy to synchronize your data across multiple devices with desktop and mobile application
- Easily share any file type
- Backup features allow creating backups of the folder on your computer
- Files and folders can be shared with anyone, even if they aren’t hubiC users.
Cons:
- Shared links are not permanent and must be set to work for just 5, 10, or 30 days.
2. Google Drive
How can we forget about Google Drive? It is an online storage service that provides a word processor, presentation, and spreadsheet program, creating a nice alternative to Microsoft Office.The highlight of Google Drive is that you’ll find that the menus and interface are natural to use and everything is saved online automatically.
There are five sections to Google Drive. Docs (Word), Slides (PowerPoint), and Sheets (Excel) can be used as a replacement to Microsoft Office. Also included are Forms and Drawings.All the Google Drive sections store files on your Google account, which tops out at 15 GB, whether they be office documents or regular files like images and music.
Pros:
- 15 GB of free storage space
- No software download required
- A user can easily manage to drive through Google Drive app available on Android and iOS
- Activity monitor features allow keeping track of changes made to files
- Live spell check for Docs, Slides, Forms, and Drawings
- Files can be shared with multiple people and all can edit a file at once
Cons
- Spell check must be launched manually in Google Sheets
- Converted files have a size limit
3. Dropbox
hope you might have heard about Dropbox; if not, then you have at least seen this app installed in your android device. Dropbox is the most popular online cloud storage that offers 2 GB of free storage after you signup. You can earn additional free space up to 16 GB for a referral to your friends (500 MB per referral), and furthermore space for performing for minor activities like installing carousel and so on.
Pros:
- 2 GB of instant free space is allotted to every user
- Can earn up to 18 GB of free storage
- Mobile app for several devices
- No file size upload limit when using the desktop software
- Share files and folders with anyone
- Shared files can be downloaded as a ZIP file
- Easily keep track of shared files and folders from a single page
- A desktop app for Windows, Mac, and Linux operating systems
- Can limit the upload/download bandwidth of file transfers
Cons:
- Shared folders are deactivated for one day if traffic exceeds 20 GB on any given day
4. OziBox
OziBox offers 100 GB of free online storage space.
Pros:
- A desktop application is available for Windows users, which includes a nice status window that shows a progress bar, the size, and upload speed of everything that’s currently being uploaded
- Upload priority can be set for individual files so more important ones are queued for upload before the rest
- Files and folders can be dropped directly into your OziBox folder from your PC or files can be sent through a web browser for other operating systems.
Cons:
- Data can only be shared through OziBox if the recipient is also a registered user.
5. Mediafire
MediaFire is one of the popular online storage services that offer unlimited bandwidth, up to 50 GB of free storage, and easy access to upload and view your files on nearly any device.
Mediafire provides you with 10GB free space when you sign up. You can earn more free storage by referring friends, posting Mediafire links on social media or by downloading their applications. In summary, you can earn up to 50 GB of free cloud storage.
Pros:
- You get an instant 10 GB of free storage.
- You can upload files as large as 25 GB.
- There are NO bandwidth limits.
- You can easily share files and folders with anyone.
- Application available for Desktop and Smartphones
- Non-users can also upload to your account
Cons:
- You must sign on to your account once a year to prevent expiration
- The website has lots of advertisements.
- There is no option for bandwidth control while uploading files.
6. pCloud
pCloud is a free cloud storage service that offers 10 GB of space initially after signup. Like Mediafire, you can earn additional 10GB by referring to friends, liking their Facebook page and many more.
Pros:
- Total of 20 GB of free storage
- No speed limit caps
- Upload whole folders through the website
No file size limits - Can easily filter all your files by type like images, audio, video, documents, etc.
- Option for anyone to upload files to your account via a shared URL
- Send files to your account with a unique email address
- Connect to your account over WebDAV
- Favorite folders for quick access
- Option to enable automatic photo/video uploads from the mobile app
- Can search through all your files from the website and mobile app
- Share files with non-pCloud users
- backup photos from Facebook, Instagram, and Picasa to pCloud
- Manage shares from the website, desktop software, and mobile app
- Streams media files
- Add files from a remote URL
- Supports offline files
Cons
- Can not password protect shared files/folders
7. PromptFile
PromptFile lets you store all of your content online, so you can access, manage and share it from anywhere. Quickly and simply share images, documents, video, audio, and ANY other type of file. We even encode your video files for quick and easy sharing. Your files are private and secure on PromptFile.
Pros:
- Storage Limit is 250GB
- Lots of free file storage space
- Easy to use File and Upload Manager
- Unlimited Upload and Download speed
Cons:
- Maximum file size limit is 5 GB
- Mobile and Desktop app is not available
8. MEGA
MEGA offers 50 GB of free online data storage with support for sharing and mobile uploads. Unfortunately, there aren’t any ways to earn more free space with MEGA.
Pros:
- Instant access to 50 GB of free storage
- Can share folders with the public
- Supports multiple file/folder downloads as a ZIP file
- Allows uploading from the mobile app
- Upload whole folders using a browser
- Can control the speed of uploads through the browser
Cons:
- 10 GB bandwidth limit (refills every 30 minutes)
- No advanced links sharing like password protection
9. OneDrive
Formerly called SkyDrive, OneDrive is an online storage service from Microsoft. Everyone gets 15 GB of free space when they sign up.Extra hosting can be awarded if you follow certain instructions, like friend referrals and mobile photo syncing.
Pros:
- Desktop program available for easy transfer folders and files of any type to OneDrive
- Files can be easily accessed from an iOS or Android mobile device
- OneDrive supports sharing both folders and files with non-registered users
- A permission can be set to only allow viewing or to allow full editing.
10. Yandex Disk
Yandex is a Russian Internet company known mainly for its popular search engine, Yandex Search. Yandex also offers other services among which cloud storage is one of them. If offers a total of 10GB of free cloud storage upon sign up.
Pros:
- Feature to import photos via social networks
- Bulk download is possible
- Support for Drag and Drop of files
- Window, Mac and Linux desktop program are available along with Android, iOS and Windows Phone apps.
11. 360 Cloud Drive
360 Cloud Drive is a Chinese service that offers a huge 360 GB of storage when you first sign up. If you download the desktop client, you instantly get upgraded to over 10 TB of storage!
Files and folders can be added to your account through either the website or the desktop program that’s available for Windows and Mac.You can share both files and folders with anyone through a public link, which doesn’t require them to have a 360 Cloud Drive account.
Android and iOS mobile apps can be installed to access 360 Cloud Drive, share files and folders, and upload photos and videos.There’s a “daily draw” link available from the website that, when clicked, gives you extra storage space. The amount changes every day and you can only enter once per day.
Note: The 360 Cloud Drive mobile app, website, and desktop program is only available in Chinese. You can translate the page via Google Translator.
Pros:
- Provides huge storage
- Application available for desktop and Windows Phone
Cons:
- Website Language is Chinese which makes difficult to use
- Application for other platform like iOS and android is not available
12. Hive
Hive is a fantastic, free online storage service that doesn’t restrict how many files you can store – it offers unlimited space.Your files can be shared with select friends where they can stream, copy, and download your data, or you can keep things locked away in private folders for just yourself.
Pros:
- Unlimited storage space
- Nice, clutter-free interface
- Can share files with other users
- Supports streaming media files
- Uploads can be as large as 20 GB in size
- Document files can be uploaded if they’re smaller than 250 MB
- Able to import files from their URL and from Dropbox
- Functions as an online torrent client
- Instant search quickly finds files in you and your friends’ accounts
Cons:
- Can’t share files/folders with the non-users
- No more than 50 GB can be uploaded to your account in a week’s time
- Aren’t any desktop apps for uploading your files
- No advanced sharing options like password protection
- Must share a whole folder if you want to share a single file
13. Box
Box (formerly Box.net) is a cloud storage service that gives out 10 GB of free storage for every user.Opportunities are sometimes available to increase your free storage capacity.Box makes it easy to edit and upload Microsoft Office documents to your online account.
Pros:
- 10 GB of free online storage space
- Instantly search through all your Box files from the mobile application and desktop program
- Upload multiple pictures and video files from a mobile device
- Download an entire shared folder as a ZIP file
- Desktop application for uploading data
- Notes can be added alongside files
- Share files and folders even if the recipient doesn’t have a Box account
- Enable offline access to your files from a mobile device
- Option to share files and folders from the desktop software and mobile application
- Google Docs and spreadsheets can be created right from Box
Cons:
- Uploads can not exceed 250 MB in size
- Can not password protect shared files
- Some features work only if you upgrade to a paid version
14. FlipDrive
FlipDrive provides 10 GB of initial storage to newly registered user. A user can earn more space upon referral to their friends to start using FlipDrive.
Pros:
- Files can be shared with anyone even without FlipDrive account. But accessing files requires user registration.
- Permissions such as read, write, edit, delete and share can be set for any folders.
Cons:
- No Mobile or desktop application available. Files can be uploaded using website only.
- You can create only up to 10 shared links.
- File max size limit is 25 MB
SFShare provides 50 GB of free cloud storage to registered users. You can easily backup and share your photos, music, videos and documents.
Pros:
- Multiple platform features that allows to access your files from your desktop, smart phones and tablets.
- You can resume broken downloads.
- Multi-downloads & Multi-Uploads are available.
- You have the ability to lock or unlock any file you upload, as well as secure your files with password protection.
- You can get detailed information about your files downloads.
Cons:
- Shared files require a waiting period before the download link becomes active.
Wrapping Up
Creating a backup of your essentials files and storing them in the cloud allows you to access them at any time with just an internet connection. Also, it becomes easier to manage multiple files and folders at one destination and sharing them. With the availability of desktop and mobile applications, users can easily access and upload files to cloud storage. Among the above mentioned free cloud storage, I prefer Google Drive and hubiC.
Which one is your favorite among these or did I missed your favorite cloud storage? If so feel free to share with us.
