2017 RANKING & REVIEWS
TOP RANKING BEST FREE CLOUD STORAGE
Free Cloud Storage Providers Help Protect Your Files
In our modern day and age, we are incredibly dependent upon our computers, tablets, and mobile devices to keep track of photos and documents that matter to us.
Disasters can strike at any minute and leave us lost when a phone or laptop dies, deleting our important documents and photos forever.
Finding free cloud storage providers could offer a solution to this very common dilemma.
Award Emblem: Top 6 Best Free Cloud Storage
Consumers are searching for cloud storage free and unlimited to make backup copies or to share their files with friends and coworkers. The best free cloud storage can offer several gigabytes of space to securely make copies of your favorite photos, files, and more. Users often want to find 1TB free cloud storage to help them manage all of their documents.
AdvisoryHQ took a look around to uncover some of the best names when it comes to free cloud storage. In our cloud storage comparison, we’ll show you what services you can get for free, what features they have, and more.
Be proactive in protecting your pictures and files by registering for some of the best free cloud storage programs around.
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AdvisoryHQ’s List of the Top 6 Best Free Cloud Storage
List is sorted alphabetically (click any of the free cloud storage providers below to go directly to the detailed review section for that free cloud storage):
Top 6 Best Free Cloud Storage | Brief Comparison & Ranking
Free Cloud Storage Providers | Amount of Storage | Highlights |
| Box | 10GB | Password protected links, expiration dates on sharing links |
| Dropbox | 2GB | Thirty day version history |
| Google Drive | 15GB | Ability to save attachments from Gmail |
| MEGA | 50GB | Encrypted communications |
| OneDrive | 5 GB | 1TB free cloud storage with an Office 365 subscription each year |
| Sync | 5 GB | One extra GB of their best cloud storage free with each friend referral |
Table: Top 6 Best Free Cloud Storage Providers | Above list is sorted alphabetically
Selecting Free Cloud Storage Providers
Backing up your files online certainly makes sense: it allows you to free up space on your computer, gives you peace of mind, and allows you to share documents with friends, family, or coworkers. For many consumers, the question really remains of how to select the best free cloud storage solutions from a growing number of free cloud storage providers.
Image source: Bigstock
How do you know which ones offer the largest free cloud storage or the best free cloud storage?
In order to help you make more sense of your own needs when it comes to free cloud storage, we wanted to come up with some considerations. Here are just a few of the items you may want to reflect on prior to adding your documents onto the servers of these free cloud storage providers:
Security
Security is a must-have, even when it comes to getting the best cloud storage free for your personal use. It plays an even bigger role if your company must stay compliant with certain regulations. Be sure to check each company’s encryption, security, and compliance to ensure that it falls into the proper standards that you need from the best free cloud storage.
Storage
While it would be nice to find 1TB free cloud storage on the internet, it isn’t likely. Many services charge after a small amount of their best free cloud storage (ranging from just 1GB all the way to 50GB in some instances). Don’t get your hopes up for finding free cloud storage in 1TB increments.
Customer service
Not sure exactly what to do when you have a problem with your free cloud storage? It isn’t pleasant to find out that you email is your only communication option and that it comes with a 72-hour turnaround time.
Be sure to check out what their customer service options are to ensure that their best free cloud storage is also backed up by technical help of some kind.
In many scenarios, the free cloud storage providers that are right for you may differ depending on your needs. Companies and individuals may find that different types will satisfy their file-sharing needs better. This is why it is so important to conduct a thorough cloud storage comparison prior to signing up for one of these services.
Evaluate a few different items that will help you to make the best decision during your cloud storage comparison:
- What types of files do you need to upload the most?
- How many files are you looking to include with cloud storage, free and unlimited?
- Do you need to share the files among other team members?
- What types of security regulations, encryption, or third-party certifications do you need the best cloud storage service to maintain?
Knowing the honest answers to these questions can help you to make the right decision in your cloud storage comparison.
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Detailed Review – Top Ranking Best Free Cloud Storage
Below, please find the detailed review of each program on our list of free cloud storage providers. We have highlighted some of the factors that allowed these largest free cloud storage programs to score so highly in our selection ranking.
Box Review
Box (not to be confused with Dropbox) is one of the free cloud storage providers that consumers love to use. They allow you easy access to your files with the ability to share among team members and friends.
Image Source: Box.com
Their free cloud storage solutions offer great security features to keep your documents as private as you want them to be. You can set password-protected links, as well as put expiration dates on those links. This allows you to more effectively manage the information that you put out on the internet for friends, family members, and coworkers.
The Box free cloud storage providers are convenient to use because they are compatible with so many other applications. Top choices that can be used simultaneously with Box include:
- Office 365
- Salesforce
- Symantec
- Mobile Iron
- G Suite
In a free cloud storage comparison, it’s hard to ignore the fact that you won’t receive cloud storage free and unlimited through these programs. Instead, they do offer a very generous limit of 10GB worth of documents that can be filed away for safe keeping through this program. It should be noted that there is a 250MB file upload limit, though.
Consumers who still feel like they need more than what their largest free cloud storage can hold have the option to upgrade. For $10 per month, you receive 100GB of data sharing and a 5GB file upload limit.
Dropbox Review
Dropbox is perhaps one of the most well-known free cloud storage providers to include in a cloud storage comparison. It is ideal for consumers who want to be able to share files, even large ones, with a number of people or just for their personal records.
One of the nice features to mention in this free cloud storage comparison is that it does store a 30-day version history. This means that you can revert back to a previous form on any of the documents included. It can also cover you if a file accidentally gets deleted while you’re still working on it.
Other capabilities from these free cloud storage providers include many of the same features available for all of the best free cloud storage solutions:
- Two-step verification to access files
- Edit files in a shared folder for immediate updates
- Sync information to all your devices
Of course, Dropbox certainly is not the largest free cloud storage available. Users can only store 2GB worth of documents and files on their computers. This is a very small span of information compared to some other free cloud storage providers.
Users who want a lot of storage may want to consider upgrading to their Pro plan. For just $8.25 per month, you can get 1TB of cloud storage. It isn’t quite the same as free cloud storage for 1TB, but it is an inexpensive solution if you were loyal to the name brand.
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Google Drive Review
Google Drive is a very popular option in a free cloud storage comparison because it offers one of the largest free cloud storage solutions. It is also an incredibly convenient solution compared to others offered by free cloud storage providers.
Image Source: Google Drive
You can do all sorts of things in the largest free cloud storage offered by Google, particularly if you already keep up with a Google account. Popular features to mention in a cloud storage comparison include:
- Sharing files with others and inviting them to edit without email attachments
- Ability to upload any type of document (videos, drawings, pictures, recordings, etc.)
- Accessible files from any desktop, laptop, or mobile device
- Easy search functions
- Ability to save Gmail attachments into Google Drive
While many are searching for a free cloud storage solution at 1TB, this one is going to be significantly lower. Free cloud storage providers do not often offer a service that will cover usage at that rate. The Google Drive program is a great contender in a cloud storage comparison because it does offer 15GB of their best cloud storage free.
Users who need something more than this option for the largest free cloud storage may want to consider an upgraded plan. The free cloud storage providers at Google can offer a 100GB plan ($1.99 per month), a 1TB plan ($9.99 per month), or a 10TB plan ($99.99 per month).
MEGA Review
In a cloud storage comparison, MEGA definitely qualifies as one of the best free cloud storage programs. They provide the largest free cloud storage without a monthly subscription fee, though it still isn’t cloud storage free and unlimited. However, with 50GB at no charge you should have plenty of space to allow your documents and pictures to grow.
Another of the major benefits to note in a cloud storage comparison is the ability to access your files from anywhere. It doesn’t matter what device you happen to be on or if you’re out and about. Their mobile apps make it easy to gain access to their best cloud storage service whenever you need it the most.
They also maintain several great features that really do make them stand out in a cloud storage comparison for more than just their largest free cloud storage:
- Encrypted communications packages
- Browser extension for additional layers of protection on your data
- Syncing between computers and their best cloud storage free
- Ability to share files with contacts
Like most of the free cloud storage providers, you also have the option to upgrade to their Pro package for an additional cost. This offers one of the largest selections in a cloud storage comparison with up to 4TB of storage. This upgraded package costs €8.33 per month.
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OneDrive Review
Consumers using a PC with Windows 10 installed may want to take a look at OneDrive as one of their choices for free cloud storage providers. Computers with this operating software come preloaded with this largest free cloud storage available from Microsoft.
One major advantage to the OneDrive program that should be included in a cloud storage comparison is the convenience. If it is already preloaded onto your computer, it automatically saves your documents and photos using their largest free cloud storage program.
Of course, you can also use this top free cloud storage to work on your documents from the other Office programs (Excel, Word, OneNote, and more). Gain access to these documents through their best cloud storage service from your PC, Mac, Android phone, or tablet. The possibilities are limitless when you look at OneDrive in your cloud storage comparison.
The free plan from Microsoft OneDrive only allows you to store 5GB worth of your documents in their top free cloud storage. Any space above this will come with a price tag ($1.99 per month for 50GB).
Upgraded plans also come with subscriptions to the Office 365 programs and a minimum of 1TB of their best cloud storage. Consumers who already subscribe to Office 365 ($69.99 annually) can gain access to free cloud storage with OneDrive. In this circumstance, you would receive 1TB free cloud storage with your subscription.
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Sync Review
Users who have lots of friends also searching for the best free cloud storage will want to take another look at Sync.com. Not only do they offer a generous 5GB of the best cloud storage free, but they also allow users to earn the opportunity for more space.
Sync.com has a unique referral program that benefits both users who sign up with these free cloud storage providers: both you and your new friend will earn one extra GB of free cloud storage just for signing up. The amount of free cloud storage space you can earn is unlimited with this referral program.
In addition to the one-of-a-kind way to grow your space from this top free cloud storage program, you also gain access to a number of beneficial features:
- Send files to anyone (even without Sync accounts)
- Offline and web browser access
- Selective sync to other devices
- Set permissions on documents
- Real-time backup
- Email support
Of course, you can choose to upgrade when you take a closer look at their cloud storage comparison. If you don’t have many friends that you can refer to increase your available storage to the largest free cloud storage available, you can choose to upgrade to a 1TB plan for $5 each month.
This upgrade from the largest free cloud storage also gives you access to administrative capabilities.
In a cloud storage comparison, this is still relatively inexpensive given the amount of storage involved.
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Conclusion—Top 6 Best Free Cloud Storage
There are plenty of solutions available for consumers who are searching for the best free cloud storage solutions on the market today. Depending on your needs and the specific type of files you need to upload, you may find that one of these free cloud storage providers will work better than another.
For those who are just getting started with their cloud storage comparison, be sure to consider the pricing for upgraded plans and options. While you may not have accumulated enough files to justify that expense yet, you may want to upgrade in the future. Consider whether you could afford the plan cost when you exhaust the largest free cloud storage solutions they offer.
Ultimately, you are finding the top free cloud storage solutions in order to increase your peace of mind and convenience. Access all of your documents, no matter where you are, with these best free cloud storage programs.
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Reasonable efforts have been made by AdvisoryHQ to present accurate information, however all info is presented without warranty. Review AdvisoryHQ’s Terms for details. Also review each firm’s site for the most updated data, rates and info.
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