Almost everyone has files scattered across several devices and platforms. Getting our files where we need them, when we need them, can become a chaotic endeavor.
This handy guide should help clear things up. Here are the five most popular mobile cloud storage options. Each one presents storage options that allow you to move your files across multiple devices. The only offering that isn’t available across PC, Mac, iOS, and Android is iCloud, which isn’t available on Android devices.
iCloud
- 5 GB free
- 50GB $0.99/month
- 200GB $2.99/month
- 2TB $9.99/month
- Apple account integration
- Comes pre-installed with most Mac products
This is a no-brainer for Apple aficionados and lovers of things iOS-specific. The pricing is excellent as well, those who are interested a subscription for their cloud storage solution will find the 2 TB for $9.99 a month to be one of the better values among popular options.
OneDrive
- 5 GB free
- 50 GB 1.99 per month
- 1 TB (with Office365 personal) 6.99 per month 69.99 per year
- 5TB (with Office365 home) 9.99 per month 99.99 per year
- Microsoft account integration
- Available on Xbox One
Microsoft’s offering slides in with the expected 5 GB free, but it finds value for people who use office 365 products. Those who don’t use Office 365 won’t find $69.99 a year for 1TB of space to be the best bargain. OneDrive seems to take longer than other offerings to sync between devices — but that may not be the case with everyone.
Google Drive
- 15 GB free
- 100 GB $1.99/month (19.99 a year)
- 1 TB $9.99/month (99.99 a year)
- 10 TB $99.99/month
- Cross-platform and cross-browser support for individuals and businesses
- Google account integration
Google Drive has the most storage space of all the free offerings, 15 GB is enough to appease most casual users. Those needing more have options all the way up to 10TB for $99.99 a month – but at $9.99 a month per TB the subscription offers don’t stack up to Microsoft or Amazon’s offerings.
Dropbox
- 2 GB free
- 1 TB $8.25
- 2 TB $12.50
- Can sign up with your Google account
- Can be slow to load on PC
This one also has an unlimited data package called “advanced,” but clicking on it reveals it’s the “business” package, which is restricted to a minimum of 3 users at $25.00 per month each. It has the least free storage of any of the other offerings.
Amazon Drive
- 5 GB free
- 100 GB 11.99
- 59.99 per 1 TB
- Benefits for Prime customers
Amazon Drive is another provider with the standard 5 GB free space, and it offers storage all the way up to 30 TB at $59.99 per 1 TB yearly. The big draw from Amazon Drive is that Prime members get free unlimited storage for photos, separate from other types of files, included in each package — which means Prime members get unlimited photos with the free plan. Amazon Drive has the typical cluttered Amazon interface, but otherwise there were no notable drawbacks.
Each option appears to offer something for everyone, it’s up to you to decide how much space you need How much you need to spend, or what account you most care about integrating.
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