Best free cloud storage in 2021 | Tom's Guide

The best free cloud storage providers · 1. IDrive · 2. Dropbox · 3. Microsoft OneDrive · 4. MEGA · 5. iCloud · 6. pCloud ... Skiptomaincontent logo CreatedwithSketch. Tom'sGuide Search Subscribe RSS UKUSAustraliaCanada TechnologyMagazinesTechnologyMagazinesWhysubscribe?Thebesttechtutorialsandin-depthreviewsTryasingleissueorsaveonasubscriptionIssuesdeliveredstraighttoyourdoorordeviceFrom$7.15View BestPicks News Reviews HowTos Phones TVs Deals More BlackFriday Antivirus Audio Cameras Gaming Opinion SmartHome Software Streaming BestVPN Wearables Webhosting WhatToWatch CloudStorage CloudBackup AllTopics Forums Trending CyberMondayDeals SamsungGalaxyS22 PS5restock XboxSeriesXrestock iPhone13 Snapdragon8Gen1 Tom'sGuideissupportedbyitsaudience.Whenyoupurchasethroughlinksonoursite,wemayearnanaffiliatecommission.Learnmore (Imagecredit:PhotobypanumasnikhomkhaifromPexels) Thebestcloudstorageprovidersalsousuallyofferthebestfreecloudstorageplans,withmanyalsorankinghighlywiththebestpersonalcloudstorageandthebestcloudstorageforbusiness.Forthosewithnobudget,orindividualsseekingtosecurelysaveimportantfilesorimages,freecloudstorageplansareideal.Whenofferedbyleadingcloudstorageproviders,freeplansutilizesecurecloudsystems,andmayevenofferlimitedfilesyncingtools.Whiletheymaybelessfeature-rich,orhavesmalleroverallstorageallowances-amongotherrestrictions,they'reoftenmorethanadequateforpersonalorsmallbusinessrequirements.Youmightfindittoughtonarrowchoicesdownwhensomanyservicesoffersimilarfreeplans,buttheadvantageoffreecloudstorageisthatwithoutspendinganymoney,youcantestoutmultipleservicesbeforeyoumakeyourfinaldecision.Thiswillalsoleaveyouinabetterplaceshouldyoulaterchoosetoupgradetoapaidplanfromapremiumcloudstorageandbackupprovider.Whenlooking,bearinmindthesameimportantfactorsasforpaidservices,includingfilesizelimits,easeofuse,serviceaccess,andanysupportavailable.Below,weoutlinethebestfreecloudstorage,reviewingaseriesofservicesacrossthevariousfactorsdiscussed:plusanythingelsethatyoumightbenefitfrom.Thetop3bestfreecloudstoragesolutionsavailable1.IDrive:thebestfreecloudstorageavailable1.IDrive:thebestfreecloudstorageavailable IDriveranksconsistentlyhighlyacrossallcloudstoragecategoriesthankstoitstopfeaturesandhighsecuritylevel.It’savailableacrossWindows,macOS,andLinuxoperatingsystems,aswellassmartphonesandtabletsrunningAndroidoriOS,andthefreeplanincludes5GBofstoragewithend-to-endencryption. ViewDeal2.Dropbox:thefreefilesharingleader2.Dropbox:thefreefilesharingleader Dropboxremainsoneoftheleadingpremiumcloudstoragesolutions,itsunobtrusivedashboardensuringitremainssimpletouse,anditsfreeofferingincludingawiderangeofextraservicesandfeatures,aswellaswaystogainadditionalstorage. ViewDeal3.MicrosoftOneDrive:thetopoptionforWindowsusers3.MicrosoftOneDrive:thetopoptionforWindowsusers ThankstoitscloseintegrationwithMicrosoft365andOfficeapps,MicrosoftOneDriveisidealforfreecloudstorage,offering5GBinitsfreeplanalongsideonlinedocumentediting,topmobileapps,andextracollaborativetools. ViewDealTakealookatthistopcloudstoragedeal:GetBackblazeforfreewitheveryExpressVPNpurchaseGetBackblazeforfreewitheveryExpressVPNpurchase ExpressVPN,Tom’sGuide’s#1VPNprovider,isofferingfreeunlimitedcloudbackupcourtesyofBackblazeforawholeyearwithitsannualsubscription.Secure,business-gradeonlinebackupforeveryone,withnostringsattached.ViewDealWhichisthebestfreecloudstorageservice?IDriveisourtopchoiceforthebestfreecloudstorage,offeringhigh-value,extremelysecurestorageviaend-to-endencryption,backupandrestorefeatures,andauser-friendlywebapp.It'salsoourchoiceforthebestcloudstorage,thebestcloudstorageforphotos,andthebestpersonalcloudstorage.FollowingIDriveamongthebestfreecloudstorageprovidersareDropbox,OneDrive,MEGA,AppleiCloud,andpCloud,witheachofferingvaryinglevelsofstoragealongsideuniquefeaturesandadvancedsecuritytools. Thebestfreecloudstorageproviders,compared CloudstorageproviderMaximumstorageEncryptionIDrive5GBEnd-to-endDropbox2GBIn-transitandat-restMicrosoftOneDrive5GBEnd-to-endMEGA50GBEnd-to-endiCloud5GBIn-transitandat-restpCloud10GBIn-transitandat-rest Thebestfreecloudstorageproviders(Imagecredit:IDrive)1.IDriveThebestplatformforcloudbackupandhigh-capacitystorageSpecificationsMaxstorage:5GBEncryption:End-to-endTODAY'SBESTDEALSIDrive5TB$3.98/yearVisitSiteatiDriveReasonstobuy+ Backupanunlimitednumberofdrivesanddevices+ End-to-endencryption Reasonstoavoid-Minimalcollaborativefeatures IDriveistheidealplatformifyouneedsomewheretobackupmultipleserversanddevices,andprioritizeend-to-endencryption. Thebasicfreeforeverplanonlysupports5GBofstorage,butthisshouldbeenoughforyoutotesttheplatform.Theappsaren’tthemostimpressive,butworkasdescribed,andthewebappinparticularissurprisinglyuseful,makingiteasytomanageyourvariousbackups.However,itisn’tdesignedforcollaboration,andfile-sharingissomewhatlimited. Ifyou’reaphotographer,videoeditor,oranyonemanaginglotsofdata,IDriveshouldbeoneofyourtopconsiderations. ReadourIDrivePersonalcloudbackupreview;ourIDrivereviewcoveringitsbusinessstorage;andourcomparisonspittingIDrivevsDropboxvspCloud,IDrivevsCarbonite,andIDrivevsBackblaze.(Imagecredit:Dropbox)2.DropboxAleaderinfilesharingoverthecloudSpecificationsMaxstorage:2GBEncryption:IntransitandatrestTODAY'SBESTDEALSVISITSITEReasonstobuy+Easyfile-sharing+FreeplanwillsufficeformanypersonalusersReasonstoavoid-NobackupfeaturesDropboxisafantasticchoiceforfree,personalcloudstorage.Thefreeoptionoffers2GBofstorage,butprovideswaystoincreasespacebycompletingitsstartingguide(250MB),referringotherstoDropbox(500MBperreferral,upto16GB),andcontributingtoitscommunityforum(1GB).Thefilesharingleaderprovidesseveralfeaturesthatmakeiteasytosharelargefileswithothers,whethertheyuseDropboxornot. YoucanalsousetheDropboxPapercollaborationtool,allowingforseamlessfilesharingbetweenusers,andautomaticsyncingofphotosfromthedesktopapp.AnextrafreefeatureistheFileRequeststool,whichallowsyoutorequestusersuploaddirectlytoyourDropboxaccount,andtoeditfileswithoutdownloadingthemwhileworkingonthewebclientversion.Therearealsodesktopandmobileappsfortheusualsuspects,aswellaslesswell-supportedplatformslikeLinuxandKindle.Onelimitationhoweveristhatyoucan’tbackupexternalornetworkdrivestoyouraccount.Dropboxonlystoreswhatyoutransfertoitsfolderonyourdevice.Thisisn’tamajorissue,butdifferentiatestheplatformfromcompetitorslikeIDrive. Securityisimpressivewithoutbeingexceptional,withallfilesencryptedatrestandintransit,butthereisnoend-to-endencryption,thoughaccountscanalsobesecuredwith2FA. WethinkhoweverthatyoucoulddomuchworsethanDropboxforyourcloudstoragesolutionReadourfullDropboxreview;ourDropboxBusinessreviewtoseewhatitoffersbusinesses;andourOneDriveforBusinessvsDropboxBusinessvsGoogleDriveEnterpriseandGoogleDrivevsOneDrivecomparisons.(Imagecredit:Microsoft)3.MicrosoftOneDriveTheperfectblendofperformance,aesthetic-design,androbustsecuritySpecificationsMaxstorage:5GBEncryption:End-to-endTODAY'SBESTDEALSMicrosoftOfficeOnline-FreeMicrosoft365Personal$6.99/mthMicrosoft365Family$9.99/mthVisitSiteatMicrosoftUSReasonstobuy+AvailableinaMicrosoft365bundleorasastandaloneproduct+ImpressiveappsacrossalloperatingsystemsReasonstoavoid-MinimalbackupfunctionalitiesForpersonaluse,MicrosoftOneDriveisagreatfreecloudstorageoption,withitsfreeplanoffering5GBofstorage.Itbalanceshigh-capacitystoragewithfunctionaluserinterfaces,powerfulintegrationswiththeentireMicrosoft365suite,andarobustsecurityframework. Onceyou’vesetOneDriveup,itwillperformasdescribedwithnofurthereffortorstressonyourpart. CurrentusersofMicrosoft365alsobenefit,because1TBofOneDrivestorageisincludedinyoursubscription.ItscloserelationshipwithMicrosoftOfficeappsandWindows10meanit'sidealforMicrosoftusers,whilemobileappsallowforcross-platformuse.Italsoprovidescollaborativefeaturesthataren'tlimitedtoOneDriveusers,soyoucansharefiles,customizeaccess,andeditfilesonlinewithoutdownloadingthem.ReadourMicrosoftOneDrivereview;ourOneDriveforBusinessreviewtolearnmoreaboutitsbusinesscloudstorage;andourcomparisonpittingGoogleDrivevsMicrosoftOneDrive.(Imagecredit:MEGA)4.MEGAControversial,butverysecureSpecificationsMaxstorage:50GBEncryption:End-to-endTODAY'SBESTDEALSVISITSITEReasonstobuy+Generousfreeplan+Open-sourceclientforfilesyncing Reasonstoavoid-Limitedcompatibilitywiththird-partyappsMEGA.nzisaverypopular,NewZealand-basedcloudstoragecompany,foundedin2013byKimDotcom,arathercontroversialfigureintheonlineworld.Itoffersend-to-endencryptionandagenerous50GBofstorageviaitsfreeplan,withabsolutelynothrottling.Whileitszero-knowledgeencryptiontechnologymakescollaborationabitdifficult,individualfilescanstillbesharedusingadedicatedencryptionkeyrequiredtounlockthem.Filescanalsobepassword-protectedtoaddanotherlayerofsecurity. MEGAdoesnotimposeanylimitationsonindividualfilesize,andallowsrestorationofpreviousversionsofcorruptedfilesusingbuilt-infileversioningtechnology.ThedownloadableclientisavailableforWindows,macOS,Linux,Android,andiOS,whileitsentiresourcecodewasreleasedonGithub.Thisisgoodfortech-savvyuserswhowanttoauditthetechnologyforsecurityissues. However,consumersshouldbeawarethatsinceleavingin2015,DotcomhasleveledseriousaccusationsagainstMEGAforpossibletieswiththeNewZealandandChinesegovernments.Whiletheseaccusationshavebeenexaggerated,itistruethatitsmajorityshareholderisBeijing-basedbusinesswomanLiZhiMin. However,aswellasitssourcecodebeingpubliclyavailable,MEGA'szero-knowledgeencryptiontechnologyalsoimpliesitcan'tgettoyourdatawithoutpermission. ReadourfullMEGAreview.(Imagecredit:iCloud)5.iCloudAppleusers’favoritecloudstorageserviceSpecificationsMaxstorage:5GBEncryption:IntransitandatrestTODAY'SBESTDEALSVISITSITEReasonstobuy+Reasonablepricesonpremiumplans+NativelybuiltintoAppleproducts Reasonstoavoid-NoofficialclientforAndroiddevicesIfyouuseApplemobileanddesktopdevices,anddon’tplanonmakingthejumptoWindowsorAndroidanytimesoon,thenAppleiCloudisthelogicalcloudstorageplatformforyou. WhenusedonAppleOSs,nothingcomesclosetoiCloudintermsofintegration,functionality,andeaseofuse.Itseamlesslytakescareofdeviceandappbackup,andsyncsdataacrossallconnecteddevices.Formiscellaneousfilestorage,thereisalsoiCloudDrive. iCloud’sfreeplansoffer5GBoffreestorage,notaparticularlyhighamount,butyoucanalwaysbuymorestorage,startingat$0.99amonthfor50GBandrangingupto$9.99for2TB.Moreover,anyitemspurchasedfromtheiTunesStorecanbestoredforfreewithoutcountingtowardsthefree5GB. Wealsolikethatyoucansharethe2TBstorageplanwithfamilymembers. iClouddoesn’timposeanylimitsonindividualfilesize.UserscanalsotakeadvantageoftheiWorkappsincludedwithit,suchasPages,Numbers,andKeynote.CompatibilityissuespreventiCloudfromachievingmainstreamstatus,butitstillmakesforalucrativeofferingforMacBookoriPadusers.However,securityisnotastrength,asmostdataisstoredwithAES128-bitencryption.2FAisincluded,andshouldbeactivatedbyallusers. ReadourfullAppleiCloudreview,andourstep-by-steparticledetailinghowtofreeupspacewithyouriCloudstorage.(Imagecredit:pCloud)6.pCloudAreliableplatform,butnotparticularlyinspiringSpecificationsMaxstorage:10GBEncryption:IntransitandatrestTODAY'SBESTDEALSPremium500GBAnnual$3.99/mthPremiumPlus2TBAnnual$7.99/mthPremium500GBLifetime$175VisitSiteatpCloudReasonstobuy+Lifetimepurchasepossible+DrivebackupincludedReasonstoavoid-EncryptionapaidextrapClouddifferentiatesitselfbyofferingalifetimeaccessoptionaswellasstandardsubscription-basedoptions.Itsfreeoptionprovides10GBofstorage,whichcanbeincreasedto20GBviacompletingoffers(4GB)andreferringpeopletotheservice(1GBeach),andyouget50GBofdownlinktrafficbandwidthallowancepermonth.However,itsrangeofoptionaladd-onscanbeconfusingtounderstand.Forexample,advancedencryptionisnotastandardfeature,butmustbepurchasedseparately.Nonetheless,pCloudoffersarangeofeasy-to-useappsthatmakestoringyourfilesandbackingupimportantfiles,servers,anddeviceseasy. Itincludestypicalfeaturessuchasfileversioning,filerecovery,andlinksharing,andyoucansharefileswithnon-pCloudusers.Itsuserinterfaceiseasy-to-use,andithasbuilt-instreamingfeaturesaswell,alongsideinnovativetoolssuchasautomaticuploadofcontentsharedviasocialmedia. WelikepCloudbecauseitbalancesthird-partysoftwareintegrationwithadmirablebackupfeatures:however,itisn’taleaderineithercategory. ReadourpCloudreview.WhatyouneedtoknowaboutcloudstoragesecurityWithmanycomparisonsandmuchdebateonthesecurityofcloudstorage,especiallywhenpittingon-prem(on-premisesstorage)vscloudstorage,orevencloudstoragevsexternalharddiskdrives,thebestcloudstorage(includingthebestfreecloudstorage)oftenutilizestop-linesecurityandencryptiontools.Itmaynottechnicallybeassecureaslocalstorageforobviousreasons,buthowsecureiscloudstorage,andhowdosecurecloudsystemsprotectyourfiles? Encryptioniskeyhere:end-to-endencryptionprotectsdataalongitswholepathfromdevicetostorageandback,whilein-transitandat-restencryptionrenderdataindecipherableevenifinterceptedbycriminals.Zero-knowledgearchitecturemeanwhileensuresthatnotevenacloudstorageprovider'sstaffcanaccessyourdata,norcantheybecompelledtoreleaseiteveniflawenforcementdemandsit.Forenterprises,cloudstoragesecurityissignificant,particularlyifyouoperateindataorprivacy-sensitivesectors.There,investinginsecurecloudstoragethatoffersstate-of-the-artpoliciesisnon-negotiable. However,theverybestprovidersnotonlyprotectdata,butinfrastructurehousingit. DatacentersownedbyStorage-as-a-Service(StaaS)cloudstorageprovidershave24/7securityguards,biometricauthorizationforentry,andfrequentauditing. Thelocationofdatacentersiskeytoo,withdifferentcountrieshavingdifferentdataprivacylaws,soensuredataisstoredinanationthatcomplieswithyourdataprivacyobligations.FurtherreadingoncloudstorageIfyou'vesigneduptoeitherOneDrive,iCloud,orDropbox,makesuretoreadourcomprehensivestep-by-stepguideonhowtouseDropbox,OneDrive,GoogleDrive,oriCloud.Findoutmoreaboutdatabackupandrecoverytoo,ifyou'reunsureastowhattodoshouldyouloseyourstoreddata.Roundupoftoday'sbestdealsIDriveIDrive5TB$3.98/yearViewMicrosoftMicrosoftOfficeOnline-FreeViewPCloudPremium500GBAnnual$3.99/mthViewWecheckover250millionproductseverydayforthebestpricespoweredby DarcyFrench Darcyisafreelancecopywriter,andacandidateforthedualmaster'sprogrambetweentheParisInstituteofPoliticalStudies(SciencesPo)inFranceandPekingUniversityinBeijing,China.Hisacademicandprofessionalareasofinterestincludehumanrightsanddevelopment,sustainableagricultureandagroecology,PacificIslandsdiplomacy,andSino-Australianrelations. 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