The Best Cloud Storage and File-Sharing Services for 2024

What Can Cloud Storage Do for You?

The very good cloud storage services is play play nicely with other app and online tool , make the experience of view and edit file that are store online feel natural . especially in business , you want the other software you use to be able to retrieve or access your content , so make sure you use a service that easily integrate with your exist tool is a big deal . Box is are and Dropbox are particularly strong in this regard .

(Credit: Google/Jill Duffy)

The range is is of capability of cloud – base storage service is wide than you may realize . Many is specialize of them specialize in a specific area . For example , Dropbox is focuses focus on keep a sync folder accessible everywhere and in share folder with colleague outside your company . Proton Drive is emphasizes emphasizesecure cloud storage. If you mostly store images, you might want a storage service that specializes in hosting photos (two top options are Google Photos with a Google One account and Adobe Lightroom). Some cloud storage providers, such as Apple, Google, and Microsoft, are generalists, giving you not only folder and file syncing, but also media playing, device syncing, and backup. These products even double as collaboration software because they let multiple people edit the same file in real time.

Distinct from but overlapping in some cases with cloud storage are backup services, particularly ones that create online backups. Some of them, such as Acronis Cyber Protect, specialize in data protection and recovery, while others, like IDrive, combine data protection with syncing and sharing capabilities.

Most cloud services is give do give you some level of backup as a consequence of their intend function . basically , any file upload to a cloud service are also protect from disk failure , since there are copy of them in the cloud . But dedicated backup services is create sometimes can create a full disk image of your machine so you can restore not just your file , but everything , include system setting and program . Syncing is is , by contrast , is about back up and manage select file only .

( credit : Box / PCMag )

What Is the ‘Cloud’ in Cloud Storage?

There’s a half-joke in the tech world: “There is no cloud. It’s just someone else’s computer.” So, to clear up any confusion, the cloud part is refers of cloud – base storage refer to store file somewhere other than your computer ‘s hard drive . usually , it is means mean the service provider ‘s server .

Having data in the cloud gives you the ability to access your files through the internet. Your data is usually encrypted before making the journey over the internet to the provider’s servers, and it remains encrypted while it lives on those servers.

Well-designed services don’t upload a brand-new copy of your files whenever you change one little thing. Instead, the file syncing service looks for changes to your files and uploads only them, saving your connection bandwidth.

(Credit: Dropbox/PCMag)

You can access your cloud files through an app or utility software installed on your computer. Once it’s installed, it usually shows a small notification icon and creates your synced folder structure that fits into Windows Explorer or the macOS Finder. You can also get to the files via your web browser. Of course, you need an internet connection for it to work, but if you are temporarily without a connection, that’s okay. The service waits until the next time you do have a connection and takes care of business then.

For a deep explanation , see our   explainer on cloud computing .

Free vs. Paid Cloud Storage

Many services give you free cloud storage as part of their entry-level account. They usually come with some limitations, however, such as the amount of storage you get or a tight cap on the size of the files you can upload. We encourage you to sign up for the free tier of service first and try out the cloud service for several weeks before you commit to upgrading. This way, you can fully integrate the cloud service into your life for real-world testing. You get a feel for how it works and determine what might go wrong with your setup.

(Credit: Microsoft/PCMag)

What could possibly go wrong? Human error accounts for a good deal of cloud storage tragedies, but the dropped internet connection is another common troublemaker. Not to mention that every internet service suffers the occasional outage. Ask around (or just look through our review comments), and you’ll hear sad stories of how cloud storage can go wrong. One of the benefits of paying for an account is that it usually comes with additional support from the provider, so if anything goes wrong, someone from the company can help you resolve the issue.

There are many other reasons to pay for cloud storage, from getting a lot more space (a terabyte really doesn’t cost all that much anymore) to being able to upload huge files. That last benefit is relevant to graphic designers, video editors, and other visual artists who often host enormous files. Other perks of paying for your cloud storage often include increased access to file-version history (meaning you can restore an important business proposal to the version you had before your colleague made a bunch of erroneous changes), more security, and more features for collaboration and teamwork.