Best Cloud Storage Options for 2019
Need to free up more storage space on your smartphone? Or would you like to access documents and photos across a range of different devices? Make sure you can get hold of your files anytime, anywhere with Cloud storage.
Cloud storage offers the perfect solution, storing your data on a remote server that is accessible as long as you have a reliable internet connection. There's a wide selection of available Cloud storage services out there, each offering various different packages, and it's easy to feel a little overwhelmed. We're here to help you find a cloud storage service that suits you - browse some of the very best below.
Google One
Free storage: 15GB.
Maximum storage available: 30TB
If you have a Gmail account, you'll already have access to Google Drive. Google's own cloud storage service, everyone will be given 15GB for free, alongside unlimited free photo storage via Google Photos.
However, there are a range of paid plans available if 15GB doesn't sound like enough. Known as Google One, the plans vary in size, but alongside more storage space you'll also have access to a whole host of other benefits, including direct access to Google experts and the choice to add family members to your plan so they can save their files too.
Google One plans also feature a few other extras, such as free Google Play credits. Benefits are likely to change from time to time, and will be focused on Google's other services.
The current available Google One plans run at various price points, starting at 100GB for £1.59 per month, to the highest option at 30TB for £239.99 per month.
The average user probably won't need more than 2TB for personal files, however the larger Google One packages are fantastic for businesses.
Microsoft OneDrive
Free storage: 5GB
Maximum storage available: 1TB
Every Microsoft account holder can use Microsoft OneDrive - so if you already use Outlook, you'll have 5GB ready and waiting for you to use for free.
However, if you are looking to upgrade your cloud storage, Microsoft OneDrive offer three different paid options - each with their own perks. Explore the available options below.
OneDrive
If all you want is a secure, easy-to-access place to store your files, consider the OneDrive only option. For £1.99 per month, you can upgrade your storage to 100GB - providing you with room for saving important documents and photos, which you can access across a wide range of devices.
Office 365 Personal
For £5.99 a month, or £59.99 a year, you can bump up your available Microsoft OneDrive storage to 1TB - that's 1,000GB - and benefit from a whole range of premium OneDrive features. This includes protection from advanced Microsoft security features, the option to create expiring links so you can give others access to a file for a limited period of time, password-protected sharing links and offline folders so you can work while there's no internet connection.
You can also scan multiple documents with your smartphone which will be merged into a shareable PDF file and enjoy free desktop use of Word, PowerPoint, OneNote and Outlook.
Office 365 Home
Office 365 Home offers the exact same features as Office 365 Personal, but there’s 1TB of storage space available for up to 6 people. Ideal for families or groups of friends who'd all like to chip in for extra cloud storage, a maximum of 6TB is available with this option.
Office 365 Home costs £79.99 per year, or £7.99 per month.
Amazon Drive
Free storage: 5GB
Maximum storage available: 30TB
Did you know Amazon offer cloud storage through Amazon Drive? Every Amazon account has access to 5GB for free, and Amazon Prime members will also be rewarded with unlimited full resolution photo storage for free - a big perk if you were already considering Prime - and needed Cloud storage mostly for picture files.
You can store any type of file on Amazon Drive, and access your content on any device - including a smartphone. You can upload files directly from your handset too, and download files straight to your device. Amazon Drive is a simple and straightforward Cloud service, and everything is protected by Amazon security.
There are many paid Amazon Drive options available if 5GB isn't enough for your needs. These start at 100GB for £16.99 per year, with many options available, right up to a whopping 30TB for £2,399.70 per year.
Dropbox
Free storage: 2GB
Maximum storage available: 3TB
Dropbox first launched in 2007, and were one of the first to offer a cloud service that automatically synced files across multiple devices. Today, you can enjoy 2GB of storage space for free with Dropbox - and paid options provide a whole host of additional features that are designed to make using the service even easier.
Basic
Dropbox's free option - Basic - will give you 2GB of storage to play with. Files will sync across multiple devices automatically too, you can recover files from the past 30 days with no hassle and you can revert back files to any other version saved in Dropbox from the past 30 days.
With Dropbox's Basic option, you'll also be able to view previews of files easily, create shared linked and even see who's currently viewing the file you shared in real-time.
Plus
With Dropbox Plus, your storage space will be boosted to 2TB. It costs £9.99 per month, or £95.88 per year, and Plus members can enjoy extras such as a 30-day file recovery and version history service, Dropbox Rewind for even more in-depth account recovery, Dropbox Paper (the company's impressive collaborative document-editing service) and priority email support.
Professional
Ideal for users who use Dropbox for work, Dropbox Professional offers all the extras Dropbox Plus does, and then a whole lot more. Alongside an even bigger 3TB of storage, you will have 180-day file recovery and version history available, the ability to add a watermark to a document, advanced sharing controls, web previews and commenting features for video and specialised file types, the ability to do a full text search across your documents and images and priority chat support.
Dropbox Professional will give you access to Dropbox Showcase too, which essentially turns part of your Dropbox into a portfolio. It's super handy for the workplace, especially if you need to show off designs to clients and keep track of engagement and changes.
iCloud
Free storage: 5GB
Maximum storage available: 2TB
Apple's iCloud, particularly beneficial for users who use multiple Apple products, you'll simply need an Apple ID to log into your personal **iCloud ** account.
5GB of free storage is available as standard, and three upgrades are currently offered to UK users. One of iCloud's most attractive benefits is its ability to share password information across multiple devices and synchronise apps like Mail, Calendar and Contacts. This means if you save a Password on Safari on your iPhone or update a calendar invite on your iMac, these updates will automatically be available on every device that uses your Apple ID.
Choose between three iCloud plans; 50GB for £0.79 per month, 200GB for £2.49 per month or 2TB for £6.99 per month.
Looking for a brand-new smartphone to go with your upgraded Cloud storage service? Take a look at the great deals available today at Mobiles.co.uk.