Free cloud storage: Which providers offer the most space - Android Authority |
| Free cloud storage: Which providers offer the most space - Android Authority Posted: 03 May 2020 08:29 AM PDT   There are plenty of free cloud storage providers available, although not all of them are the same. They differ from one another in terms of features and the free space they offer. In this post, we take a look at the 10 best free cloud providers that offer the most storage. But keep in mind that this list only contains reputable and well-known companies we're willing to recommend. There are other providers out there that offer more free storage, but some of them are brand new to the market and seem sketchy because they try their hardest to keep their details (location, phone number, address…) hidden. Not every provider is trustworthy. Uploading sensitive files to a cloud managed by a company that may have bad intentions is not a good idea. And if the provider is brand new to the market and their business plan doesn't go as imagined, it can close shop overnight, possibly leaving you without access to your files. What is cloud storage, anyway? If you already know what cloud storage is, how it works, and why you should use it, feel free to skip this section and scroll down to check out the list of the best cloud storage providers. Everyone else, keep reading. The concept of cloud storage is easy to understand. The cloud is basically just a remote database. It's a server maintained by the provider that lets you store your images, videos, documents, and other files. To access the files, all you need is your account login info and an internet connection.
But, why not store everything on my PC instead, you ask? One of the reasons is that by storing files to the cloud, you can access them from any device with an internet connection. If you store files on your PC, you can only access them from that PC. Another reason is that your files are safer in the cloud then they are on your PC. If your computer can get damaged, lost, or stolen, you can say goodbye to all those vacation photos and your movie collection. You can also share files with other people more easily from the cloud, especially larger ones that can't be attached to emails because of size limits. An additional benefit of cloud storage comes into play when you buy a new PC. Instead of manually transferring your data from your old device to the new one, you can just log into your cloud account and, voila, all your files are right there on your new machine. Of course, cloud storage isn't perfect. It has its share of problems that you need to be aware of. The biggest one is that if someone gets ahold of your account login info, they'll be able to get access to all the files stored in your account. You also need an internet connection to view the files in the cloud, which may cause problems for some at times — especially road warriors. Best free cloud service providers by storage:Editor's note: We'll update this post with new providers once they launch or when current ones make changes to their free plans. 1. Degoo — 100GB of free cloud storage
Degoo is far ahead of the competition, offering a whopping 100GB of free cloud storage. However, the service has a number of limitations in place you have to be aware of. The biggest one is that you can only upload files from one device. There's no such limit for viewing or downloading files, though — you can do that on as many devices you want. The service is supported by ads, and you have to log in at least once every 90 days to make sure your account stays active. With that in mind, Degoo definitely isn't the most user-friendly cloud service on this list, but it does offer plenty of storage. The nitty-gritty:
2. Mega — 50GB of free cloud storage
Co-founded by the controversial Kim Dotcom, Mega comes in second on this list by offering 50GB of free storage. But there's a catch: the 50GB is available for the first 30 days only, after which the storage gets bumped down to 15GB. You can get extra storage by installing the desktop app (20GB) and the mobile app (15GB), although both expire after 180 days. You also get an additional 10GB of free storage for one year when a friend of yours signs up for the service. Mega technically doesn't have a size limit for the files you upload, but it does have bandwidth limit that's pretty strict. You can upload a maximum of 1GB of data every six hours, which obviously means that the largest file you can upload is 1GB. The nitty-gritty:
3. Google Drive — 15GB of free cloud storage
This is the cloud service I recommend to most people, provided they don't need more than 15GB of storage. It's super easy to use, is available on all the major platforms, and doesn't contain ads. But one thing to keep in mind is that the 15GB of storage is shared between Drive, Gmail, and Photos. Google Drive is well integrated with Gmail, allowing you to quickly save email attachments to Drive. The service also lets you share files with ease and allows you to easily back up your devices. This is by far my favorite cloud storage service. The nitty-gritty:
4. Box — 10GB of free cloud storage
Box is a popular and well-known cloud storage provider. It's 10GB of free storage is generous, although not market-leading. There's a file size limit in place for uploads that is set at 250MB. The service offers standard features you get with most other providers. You can create folders to organize your files, share files with just a few clicks, and access your files from different platforms, among other things. The nitty-gritty:
5. pCloud — 10GB of free cloud storage
This provider isn't as popular as Google Drive or Box, but it's a great one nonetheless. You get 10GB of cloud storage for free and there's no file size limit in place for uploads. pCloud is packed with loads of great features. You can share files with ease, access your files from multiple devices across different platforms, and recover and access older versions of your account — up to 30 days. The service even has a built-in video and audio players. If you need more storage, you can opt for a monthly plan or a one-time "lifetime" fee. The nitty-gritty:
6. Icedrive — 10GB of free cloud storage
Icedrive is a relatively new player on the market — it launched in January 2019. You get 10GB of free storage and a daily bandwidth of 3GB, which limits the size of the files you can upload. Since it's a newcomer, it doesn't offer all the features you get with some of the bigger players. There's no two-factor authentication available, nor is there file versioning. But Icedrive still has the main features you'd expect from a cloud storage and is a solid option overall. The nitty-gritty:
7. MediaFire — 10GB of free cloud storage
MediaFire lets you store and share files with ease, with free users getting 10GB of free storage. Individual files are limited to a maximum of 4GB per upload. The service lets you upload multiple files at once and can be used on various platforms including Windows, Android, and iOS. It supports all the major files out there, allowing you to upload images, videos, documents, and more. Unfortunately, the service is supported by ads, which can get annoying fast. The nitty-gritty:
8. MiMedia — 10GB of free cloud storage
This cloud storage is mainly focused on media files (images, videos…), although you can store documents and other files as well. Users praise the service for its fast upload speeds as well as a decent amount of free storage at 10GB. There's a 5GB file size limit for uploads, which is quite generous. Apps are available for PC/Mac, Android, and iOS, so you can upload files and get access to them regardless of the device you're using. The nitty-gritty:
9. Syncplicity — 10GB of free cloud storage
Syncplicity doesn't stand out from the crowd, but it still gets the job done. You get all the basic features like the ability to sort files by folders, share files with others, and even tag them. The good news is that, unlike some other providers, Syncplicity doesn't have a file size upload limit in place. You get 10GB of space for your images, videos, documents, and other files. The service is available on all the major platforms and offers paid plans for those looking for extra storage. The nitty-gritty:
10. OneDrive — 5GB of free cloud storage The last free cloud storage service on this list is Microsoft's OneDrive, which offers the least amount of space at just 5GB. But you can use it as part of your Microsoft account — if you already have one — so you don't need to sign up for the service separately. In addition to all the basic features you'd expect from a service like this, OneDrive also comes with a Personal Vault that adds an additional layer of security for those extra sensitive documents. But on free accounts, you can only store up to three files in it. The nitty-gritty:
Where's Apple, Dropbox, Amazon….? There's a reason why the list above lacks a few big names. Apple's iCloud service only offers 5GB of data, just like Microsoft's OneDrive. But unlike OneDrive, iCloud is primarily aimed at those who own an Apple device. And if you sign up for the service with a PC, you only get 1GB of storage instead of five. Nevertheless, it's a great service overall if you're an Apple user and we have no problem recommending it, but just keep the storage limit in mind. If you need more space, opt for one of the providers mentioned in this post. Read next: How to backup your Android phone to the cloud Dropbox is another great service that we recommend, although it didn't make our list because it only offers 2GB of free cloud storage. That's not much, but if it's enough for you, we're confident you'll be happy with the service. Amazon Drive is also a great service, offering 5GB of free storage to its users. That's on par with OneDrive we included on our list, but we recommend Microsoft's solution over Amazon's because it's more feature-packed and easier to use. Remember: Storage isn't everything More free storage is always better, but it's not the only thing you should focus on. For example, while Degoo offers the most storage at 100GB, I wouldn't recommend it to users who don't need that much space. The service has loads of limitations in place, one of them being that you can only upload files from a single device. So before you sign up for a service, try to figure out how much online storage you actually need. If you need more than 50GB, then something like Degoo is your best option. But if just 10GB or even less will do, a service like Google Drive is a much better option.  Editor's Pick How to use Google Drive — everything you need to knowGoogle Drive is a storage service that lets you save various files to the cloud and then access them from your smartphone, tablet, or computer. You can store documents, images, videos, and even back up … There you have it — these are the 10 best cloud storage providers that offer the most space. We'll update this post when new providers launch or current ones make changes to their free plans. In the meantime, let us know which of the services listed in this post would you consider signing up for. |
| How to Move your iCloud and Apple Photos to Google Photos - Digital Inspiration Posted: 21 Mar 2020 05:59 AM PDT A step by step guide that explains how iPhone and Mac users can transfer their picture library from iCloud and Apple Photos to Google Photos. A friend writes - "Any suggestions on how to combine the Google photo library with iPhoto. Which is a better platform for keeping the photos? Google seems to be very handy in sorting and searching. Would love to know your views" I am a big fan of Google Photos for several reasons - you get unlimited storage space, Google is pretty good at visual image search and you can have collaborative photo albums where multiple people can upload to a common folder. Transfer Photos from Apple iCloud / Mac to Google PhotosIf you would like to copy your photos from iCloud / Apple Photos to Google Photos, there are no browser plugins or software that can automate this - you'll have to manually transfer the picture library from Apple to Google Photos. Luckily, that migration process isn't difficult either. It is a two-step process - you download the photos from iPhoto and iPad to your computer via iCloud and then put them on to the Google Cloud. Let's see how: Step 1: Download Photos from iCloudVia Web BrowserYou may directly go to the icloud.com/photos website, select your photos and then click the download button to save them from the iCloud library to your Windows PC or Mac. On Windows PCIf you have photos on your iPhone or iPad that are getting backed up on iCloud, you can copy them to your Windows PC with iCloud for Windows. Inside iCloud, sign-in with your Apple ID, then open the File Explorer window, click on On Apple Mac OSOpen the Apple Photos app on your Mac and press ^1 (Ctrl+1) to switch to the main Photo view that has a list of all pictures that are available in your iPhoto library. Select one or more photos, then go to the File menu and choose Export to download pictures from Apple Photos to another folder on your desktop. For the export options, you may stick to the default values but do check the "Include Location Information" option. This will help Google group your photos by location. Also, if you aren't seeing all your iPhone photos inside Mac, go to Preferences inside the Photos app and make sure that the Download originals to this Mac option is checked under the iCloud Photos section. Step 2 - Upload Photos to Google PhotosOnce you have saved the photos that you wish to transfer to your local drive, you need to send them to Google Photos and there are two ways to go about it. Upload Photos via Web BrowserOpen Google Chrome, or any other web browser, and go to photos.google.com. Simply drag the photos folder from your desktop to the Google Photos website and they'll be uploaded in sequence. The browser should remain open and your Internet connection should be working for the upload to happen in the background. Upload Photos via Google AppIf you have a large number of photos to upload from your Windows PC or Mac to the Google Photos library, it is recommended that you use Google's Backup and Sync tool that is available for both Windows and Mac OS. With the app installed, sign-in with your Google account, select the folders on your desktop that you wish to backup and click Start to initiate the backup process. While the name is Backup and Sync, it is not exactly a synchronization tool. So once your photos are uploaded to Google Photos, you can remove them from the local drive and they won't be deleted from your Google Photos. |
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