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With dozens of cloud services available now, finding the best fit for you can be quite a challenge. You may wonder which one has the best features, most storage options, most free space and best price.
You may be unsure about how a Cloud service could help you. Or you may be thinking of starting to use a Cloud service but aren’t sure where to begin.
Trying every Cloud service could be time-consuming and complicated, but Reviews.com just released their survey of 46 different cloud services to find the best of the bunch. They narrowed the wide field down to four that met all of their criteria. Choosing which of the four works best for you will depend on your personal situation.
Why Use a Cloud Service
If you haven’t start using a Cloud service yet, you probably will at some point. If you already use one, you probably wonder how you existed before you used one. They’re that handy.
If you aren’t a fan of Cloud services, well then maybe you’re not yet using the one that’s a good fit for you.
[note]See, What Is the Cloud and How Can I Use It? for more information about the Cloud. [/note]
Backup
Cloud services can serve as a backup for your important digital files, such as photos, videos, documents, music and more. Instead of manually backing up your computer (do you really remember to do that regularly?), you can save files to your Cloud service to back them up.
If the worst happens and your computer crashes, or gets lost or damaged, your files will be safe and undisturbed in the Cloud.
Accessibility
By using a Cloud service you can access your files from nearly anywhere. If you have an Internet connection, you can open your files from any computer, or from a phone or tablet.
No need to worry about a file stored on your computer when you’re away from your desk. You have instant access to all of your files stored in a Cloud service.
File Sharing/Collaboration
Using a Cloud service makes file sharing and collaboration easy. No need to worry about emailing documents to a group, then wondering which version everyone is working with. Everyone will be seeing the same document with the most updated version.
Using a Cloud service also means you don’t have to worry about catching that typo right after you sent it as an attachment to an email. With a shared folder in a Cloud service, you can update files any time.
Transferring Files
When you switch computers, you will be able to transfer all of your files easily if they are saved to a Cloud service.
[tip] Be sure to enable two-step authentication to protect your Cloud service account. See, How to Use 2-Step Verification for an Extra Layer of Password Protection [/tip]
Considerations for Choosing a Cloud Service
Which features should you consider when choosing a Cloud service? Some features may be important to you, while others won’t matter as much.
Storage Space
Consider how much storage space you need in the Cloud. Storing files such as photos, videos and music will take up more space than documents.
See how much space you’re using on your computer and mobile devices. If your computer or phone is filled with photos and you’re struggling for space, you may want to move your photos to the Cloud.
If you need a lot of space, you will probably need a paid Cloud service account.
Compatibility
Even if everyone you’ve ever met is a Windows user, you still want to use a Cloud service that is compatible across multiple platforms. No one knows what the future holds so using a Cloud service that can be used on Windows, Mac, Android and iPhone is important.
Cloud and Local Storage
Some Cloud services back up your files to the Cloud and to your computer. Others only back up to the Cloud.
Having a Cloud service that backs up both to the Cloud and your computer is important. Files will be stored both in the Cloud and on your computer so you can have access to your files when you’re away from the Internet and when you’re away from your computer.
What Others Are Using
If your employer, spouse or other important entity in your life is using a particular Cloud service, you may want to use that one.
Having More than One Cloud Service
Consider carefully before signing up for more than one Cloud service. Having multiple Cloud services is possible but can get confusing. Will you really remember where you stored which files? Backing up files to multiple Cloud services also could be time-consuming.
You may, however, want to use a different Cloud service for work and for personal use to keep files completely separate.
Reviews.com Results
Drum roll…
After a lengthy investigation, involving testing 46 different Cloud services, Reviews.com narrowed the choices down to four:
- Dropbox
- Google Drive
- OneDrive
- Box
Each of these services met the criteria set forth by Reviews.com:
- Has received high scores on app reviews
- Works on Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android
- Focuses on personal, not business use
- Offers a free option
- Is easy to use
All of the four finalists met these criteria, but each has its own advantages and disadvantages. You can choose which fits your needs best.
Dropbox
Pros
- Easy to use
- Works well on all platforms
- Free plan includes a version history
- Uploaded files are encrypted
- Works well with other apps
Cons
- Free version starts with only 2 GB of space, though you can earn more by inviting new users and other methods. See, 8 Easy Ways to Get Free Dropbox Space
- Only one paid option
Google Drive
Pros
- Very popular service. 74% of those surveyed by Reviews.com use Google Drive
- Includes office suite software
- Excellent at file sharing and syncing documents for collaboration
- Can search photos
- Can earn storage by reviewing restaurants. See, Engadget, Google rewards restaurant reviewers with 1TB storage
- Photos stored in Google Photos stored at “high quality” resolution don’t count against your storage space. See, Google Photos — Make the Most of Your Memories Easily! for more about Google Photos
Cons
- Must have a Google account
- Items in your Gmail account count against your Google Drive space
OneDrive (formerly Sky Drive) by Microsoft
Pros
- Comes installed in Windows 10
- Includes basic version of Microsoft Office
- Fastest file upload times
- Can search photos
Cons
- Must have a Microsoft account
- More complex to use
Box
Pros
- Many features for business use
- Works well with other apps
Cons
- Paid version is most expensive of the four
- Automatic photo uploading not included with free account
Reviews.com Article
Be sure to read more about the complete Cloud service review at Reviews.com: The Best Cloud Storage.
Your Thoughts
Do you use a Cloud storage service? If so, which one do you use? Which features are most important to you?
Share your thoughts in the Comments section below!
[note]If you use a Cloud storage service that rewards you with free space for recommending others, be sure to leave your invitation link in the Comment below. (Note, the link must be included with a meaningful comment to this article.)
If you don’t yet use a Cloud storage service, get started by using an invitation link from an existing user so you and they can get extra space. [/note]
* Reviews.com Comparison Chart used with permission
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Hi Carolyn,
Informative post indeed 🙂
Everyone working online nowadays must use cloud services – yes, they serve as a backup for all your important files, music, photos, videos, documents, and lots more! We do use Google Drive the most, as Gmail is mostly open our end.
I remember your wonderful posts on Dropbox as well, though still haven’t tried much of it, but other than that even OneDrive came installed with Windows 10, though still need to give it a full try. I am bookmarking this post for sure, to come back to later – over the weekend and give it a thorough look.
Thanks for sharing. Have a nice rest of the week 🙂
Hi Harleena, That’s great you found a Cloud service that works well for you. Google Drive is an excellent service so there’s really no need for you to try any others.
But I hope that others who haven’t yet found a Cloud service will be helped by this article.
Hey Carolyn,
Like you have mentioned there are many cloud services available nowadays. Users have many choices.
I use the Google Drive cloud service. It’s quite fast as compared to the Dropbox. Though the storage is less as compared to others but still, it’s working for me.
Thanks for sharing the info with us.
~Ravi
Hi Ravi, That’s great Google Drive is working so well for you. Many people use Google Drive so you will be able to share with them easily.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts and adding to the conversation, Ravi.
I’m just about to max out on my ‘free’ Dropbox space; I guess I’ll have to bite the bullet and actually pay for something, huh if I want more capacity?
Hope all is well; good to see you still pluggin’ away.
Hi Bill, Yes, that’s what happened to me too. I got all the free space I could use, then went ahead and signed up for the paid version of Dropbox. Having 1 TB of space to use on Dropbox is very handy. Such a relief not having to worry about managing storage space.
So great to have you back here, Bill. Stay safe from those pesky skeeters down there!
My personal favourite is Dropbox – it’s compatible with all my devices (mainly Apple) and is much, much faster than Google Drive/Apps in my experience. I find the Google Apps experience to be hugely over-rated – it’s some of the clunkiest, slowest applications I’ve ever had the misfortune to work with. A bit of me dies inside when a client says they want to use Google Drive for their projects because it makes my job slower and harder.
Hi Ben, Dropbox is the service I use too. I really like its functionality as well as its accessibility from other apps. I am able to back up The Wonder of Tech to Dropbox with a plugin I use which is very handy.
Feel free to leave your Dropbox invitation link here if you’d like to get more free space.
Hi Carolyn
I am still using Dropbox as my primary cloud storage. I have also both Google Drive and MS OneDrive, but I still like Dropbox the best. I have also earned 15 GB of free storage. Otherwise I might have chosen differently. I use Dropbox for backup of my blog and everytime my smartphone connect to a wi-fi network it automatically upload new pictures I have been taken to my Dropbox 🙂 I also have some nice, small tech tools on my Dropbox. That way I can access them wherever I am without bringing my own computer.
Hi Thomas, That’s great you’ve earned so much free space on Dropbox. People who try can earn a lot of space so that 2 GB of free space on Dropbox can be deceiving.
You’re right, Dropbox works with a lot of other tools, making it a very useful Cloud service beyond the features other services offer.
Awesome that you use it to back up your photos automatically. You don’t have to worry about losing your photos if something happens to your phone or computer.
I love dropbox and still using last 5 year regular, not getting any problem, and one best thing is only $10 we can get more than 1 TB dataspace which is huge..
Hi Ashley, Yes, getting 1 TB of space on Dropbox can be very useful, Most people won’t run out of space with that amount of storage.
I’m glad you found the Cloud service that words best for you, Ashley. Thanks for sharing your thoughts about Dropbox with us.
Google + is clearly a winner! I have had to change phones twice over the past 3 years and each time, after registering the phone with my Gmail account, within minutes the phone begins to download & install all of the apps that I had formerly installed. Even more, all of my contacts are back there and my WhatsApp contacts, media & messages can be restored in seconds, after answering “Yes” to the “Restore?” question.
OneDrive is great for all of the files on my tablet. Totally backed up. The only thing is don’t delete anything that you really want, if you are doing a total sync on it, or you will lose it off of OneDrive, too. Probably better to use a local backup solution from time to time (I do it twice monthly).
Hi Jim, It’s great to hear that you’re a fan of two of the Cloud services in this article. Great tips about syncing. You’re right, users should check whether a file deleted on one device will be deleted from the Cloud service after synching.
Thanks for sharing your insights with us, Jim.
Great sharing. There are a lot of cloud services. I think Dropbox is the best cloud service. I personally use this service. It is really users friendly. There another service that is google drive. It is also my favorite service. Google drive is really smart and update. Because it is a google product. You have shared all the important points of some best cloud services. Thanks for your informative article.
Hi Munna, It’s great to hear from a user of both Dropbox and Google Drive. Yes, these services do offer a lot for people and can provide backup and storage solutions for digital files.
Feel free to leave your Dropbox invitation code in a comment, Munna.
Hi Carolyn,
I think Google Drive is the best cloud storage for everyone. It has 15GB storage free and a nice monthly plan. That’s a nice list of cloud services but i think you should include some more like Mega Cloud storage with 50 GB storage and P Cloud with 10 GB storage. Great post. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Hi Muhammad, Thanks for sharing your recommendations for other Cloud services. You’re right, there are dozens of Cloud services and ones other than the four compared in this article could be best for some Wonder of Tech readers. In this article I focused on the four that Reviews.com picked as the overall best. You make an excellent point that there are plenty of others to choose from that may work even better for some people.
Cloud Services are best if they are being paid for. Both Google and Microsoft solutions provide online storage for your company. I believe, Office 365 is better as it gives you a lot of functionally compared to Google Apps.It is innovating faster, more secure, and generally accepted by a larger percentage of the business world.
Hi Shivani, Yes, paid Cloud services give you more space and often more features. But not everyone needs or wants the benefits of a paid Cloud service. The good news is that we have many choices of Cloud services, both paid and free.