Patrik Svatoš There are countless cloud storage options and it is often not easy to choose between them. Apple has iCloud, Google Google Drive and Microsoft SkyDrive, and there are plenty of other alternatives. Which is the best, the cheapest and which offers the most space?
iCloud
iCloud is primarily used to synchronize data and documents between Apple products. iCloud works on all Apple devices and you get 5GB of free storage with your Apple ID. It doesn't seem like much at first glance, but Apple doesn't include iTunes purchases in this space, nor the 1000 most recently taken photos that are normally stored in iCloud.
The basic five gigabyte space is used for storing e-mails, contacts, notes, calendars, application data and documents created in applications from the iWork package. Documents created in Pages, Numbers and Keynote can then be viewed on all devices via iCloud.
In addition, iCloud can be accessed via a web interface, so you can access your data and documents from Windows.
Base size: 5 GB
Paid packages:
- 15 GB - $20 per year
- 25 GB - $40 per year
- 55 GB - $100 per year
dropbox
dropbox is one of the first cloud storages that was able to expand more massively. This is a proven solution that allows you to create shared folders that you can manage together with your work partner, or create a link to a given file with a single click. However, the negative of Dropbox is the very low basic storage – 2 GB (there is no limit for the size of individual files).
On the other hand, it's not that hard to expand your Dropbox up to 16 GB by inviting your friends, for which you get extra gigabytes. Its mass distribution speaks for Dropbox, because there are many applications for it for different platforms, which make it even easier to use cloud storage.
If a few gigabytes are not enough for you, you have to buy at least 100 GB straight away, which is not the cheapest option.
Base size: 2 GB
Paid packages:
- 100 GB - $100 per year ($10 per month)
- 200 GB - $200 per year ($20 per month)
- 500 GB - $500 per year ($50 per month)
Google Drive
When you create an account with Google, you not only get an email address, but also a lot of other services. Among other things, the option to save your files to Google Drive. There is no need to run elsewhere, you have everything clearly under one account. In the basic variant, you will find a superior 15 GB (shared with e-mail), it can upload files up to 10 GB in size.
Google Drive has its app for both iOS and OS X and other platforms.
Base size: 15 GB
Paid packages:
- 100 GB - $60 per year ($5 per month)
- 200 GB - $120 per year ($10 per month)
- 400GB - $240 per year ($20 per month)
- up to 16 TB - up to $9 per year
SkyDrive
Apple has its iCloud, Google has Google Drive and Microsoft has SkyDrive. SkyDrive is a classic Internet cloud, such as the aforementioned Dropbox. The condition is to have a Microsoft account. By creating an account, you get an e-mail box and 7 GB of SkyDrive storage.
Similar to Google Drive, SkyDrive is also not difficult to use on Mac, there is a client for OS X and iOS. In addition, SkyDrive is the cheapest of all the major cloud services.
Base size: 7 GB
Paid packages:
- 27 GB - $10 per year
- 57 GB - $25 per year
- 107 GB - $50 per year
- 207 GB - $100 per year
SugarSync
One of the longest-running services for Internet file sharing and storage is called SugarSync. However, it is a little different from the cloud services mentioned above, as it has a different system for synchronizing files between devices – it is more flexible and effective. This makes SugarSync more expensive than the competition and doesn't offer any free storage either. After registration, you only get the opportunity to try 60 GB of space for thirty days. In terms of price, SugarSync is similar to Dropbox, however, it offers greater options in terms of synchronization.
SugarSync also has applications and clients for a wide variety of platforms, including Mac and iOS.
Basic size: none (30-day trial with 60 GB)
Paid packages:
- 60GB - $75/year ($7,5/month)
- 100 GB - $100 per year ($10 per month)
- 250 GB - $250 per year ($25 per month)
Copy
A relatively new cloud service Copy it offers similar functionality to Dropbox, i.e. a storage where you save your files and you can access them from different devices using apps and a web interface. There is also the option to share files.
However, in the free version, unlike Dropbox, you get 15 GB right away. If you pay extra, Copy offers the option of electronically signing documents (for the free version, this is only five documents per month).
Base size: 15 GB
Paid packages:
- 250GB - $99 per year ($10 per month)
- 500 GB - $149 per year ($15 per month)
Bitcasa
Another alternative cloud service is Bitcasa. Again, it offers storage space for your files, the ability to share them, access them from all devices, as well as automatic backup of selected files and folders.
You get 10GB of storage on Bitcase for free, but more interesting is the paid version, which has unlimited storage. At the same time, the paid version can go through the version history of individual files.
Base size: 10 GB
Paid packages:
- unlimited - $99 per year ($10 per month)
Which service to choose?
There is no definite answer to such a question. All the mentioned cloud storages have their pros and cons, and there are countless other services that can be used, but we cannot mention them all.
To put it simply, if you need 15 GB, you will get such space for free on Google Drive and Copy (on Dropbox with the help of friends). If you intend to purchase more space, then SkyDrive has the most interesting prices. In terms of functionality, SugarSync and Bitcasa are the most ahead.
However, it is not at all the case that you should use only one such service. On the contrary, cloud storage is often combined. If you use iCloud, Dropbox, SkyDrive or another service where you can easily store any files will almost certainly come in handy.
As other alternatives, you can try for example Box, Insync, Cubby or SpiderOak.
What did you choose based on? What Google listed first? :) there are other savers too. e.g. box.net once offered 50 GB free, etc., likewise, Dropbox does not have a complete list of options for obtaining additional space...
That's right, I'd also list Box right after Dropbox. In the same way, other options of individual services, often essential, are hidden. The limitation of free use of SugarSync surprised me - I've been using it for a long time and it's completely free, so there must have been some change, however, they very often offer significant discounts on their paid services. The article is generally quite well-sold, it deserves more attention, adding some services and supplementing the comparison table. Not like this next time!
I think SugarSync still offers 5GB for free, but it's not very visible. I installed it a few days ago. It probably doesn't work via the WWW, but after installation and registration via iOS, it gave me the 5GB.
Yes, there are many other services, but we also mention them in the article. We tried to choose the most used ones, although there are many users who certainly use other services as well. What about the possibilities of how to get space, that is, many services offer different promotions, how to get extra GB for free. However, we do not have the chance to include all of them, in addition, they are, for example, limited in time.
The article was not intended to go into full detail. The purpose of the writing is to present cloud storage as such, especially to those who have not yet come into contact with it. If there is interest in a more detailed analysis, we can consider it and possibly write it up.
I'll allow myself a little advertisement. For corporate use, the issue of data security and the ability to control your storage or the users who dispose of the data are often important. Dropbox and similar services are not always a suitable option. There are a number of similar services that you can run for your business purposes on your own or rented server. If this is also your case, we will be happy to propose a solution according to your requirements. Jan Pavelka (www.novacloud.cz)
But phew, this could have been mentioned even without the advertisement, or it could have been arranged here with the editors.
Of course it was possible, but then there would be no point in writing it here :-) However, it is good that it is written here, even in such an inappropriate form, because the article lacks the issue of security and also the terms of use of individual services (see SkyDrive and its automated deleting photos with "sex" and the like).
DROPBOX - 100 GB - $100 per year ($10 per year) - bug, it happens. It should probably be ($10 per month) in parentheses.
Otherwise, thanks for the article, for less skilled users, this is exactly the type of articles. which should be here more often. Simple presentation of services and their comparison.
Hopefully there will be a little less iOS users who think that if they subscribe to iCloud, their 16GB variant will become "31"GB (16GB base + 5GB free + 10GB for 16 EUR/year)
Thanks, we fixed the price error.
SugarSync offers 5GB free for Lenovo PC owners. Or at least that's how I feel.
Not only Lenovo :-)
I also have SugarSync in the free version, I have no idea how much there is, but I am not limited. And I would just dig in - the service is definitely not MORE EFFICIENT, I would say that the file is more efficient.
In my opinion, these services have one major flaw, at least the main ones. They all work in the style of "here is a directory where if you put something, it will be synced". For example, I don't want to synchronize all my data (and I don't have much of it). I have my own data structure and I just want to mark a few selected files, maybe a folder and sync it, but not move it to a special folder. Of course, the program should specify some default directory for the newly created files. I'm missing this for all services so far. Maybe SugarSync had something in the description, but I haven't gotten around to testing it yet. Or does anyone know of a solution that can do this? Of course, it would probably be a way to use it with a special directory and have local synchronization of files between directories on the PC, but that doesn't seem very convenient to me.
Also worth noting is that there are "personal clouds", i.e. solutions where you install an application on your PC and it provides the same thing as commercial clouds. The advantage is that you always have the data "with you" and not somewhere where the NSA is happily running around :-) I also think there are NAS servers that have this as a function.
According to me, BitCasa offers synchronization of certain files, perhaps even in a free version.
Thanks for the tip, I'll check it out. Thanks.
What do you need wuala? Encoding already takes place on the PC side, and you can only synchronize what you consider appropriate.
SugarSync can do that.
I use Dropbox and I am satisfied. The functionality is flawless, the folders are shared as you need, just don't forget to set it in Preferences, see. giant.
Giant. didn't pass, so one more time for great success.. :-)
It didn't pass even now, but I think it's not possible to set files on Win. Just specify the location of the directory.
You can set your home folder as your dropbox folder. And then in Preferences -> Advanced -> Selective Sync check only documents etc.
Yes, but that's not what I'm asking for. I don't want a Documents folder (or any other), I want specific files and Dropbox just can't do that. I have, for example, 10 directories in my folder, there are different files, subdirectories and the like. And it is enough for me to synchronize 1000 and one directory out of a total of, let's say, 10 files distributed in this way.
Sugarsync does this very well. I personally also use Cloudstation from Synology (a free application for NAS) and there I can synchronize any number of files of any size. And in this case, I always have the data with me.
I use Sugarsync - it does what you need and really is the best in my opinion - considering the price.
About two years ago, I came across a Dropbox utility that basically provided what you needed. She only linked a kind of "representative" of what you need to synchronize to the Dorpbox folder, so it was not necessary to insert the files directly into the Dropbox folder. Unfortunately, he can't tell you her name - I've been looking for it myself for a while and I can't find it - and the sclerosis has passed. If anyone knows - please put her name here
Well, I personally switched to Copy, basically you can have 15+5GB and then another +5GB from other clients registered through you. I got to a decent 100GB for free in no time. And in addition, it has only one feature that I have not found elsewhere, and that is the calculation of the space of shared files. If you settle with ten people for example 10GB, then it takes only 1GB for each person.
Who wants to try, here is my link https://copy.com?r=JHtsGI
oh my god it's here…
What is here oh my god? That I put a link there, when will I get +5GB to my space? And what's wrong with that? When someone registers through it, they get 15GB instead of the usual 20GB. By the way, two people have already used it here, so it probably won't be such an upsetting post.
Thanks for the tip. The service is nice ... although it probably doesn't have the tricks for directories like SugarS. and I don't know if it can also version in an archive like SugarS., but good for file sharing or simple sync with multiple devices.
Even the context menu works in Maverick :) That's right SugarS. now it can't (in 10.8 it still could and its user interface worked perfectly).
the fault for me is classic iDisk, implemented in OSX...
nobody remembers that anymore... why did apple have to get rid of this feature :(
A few services are still missing here. I recently wrote about a few of them, mainly focusing on their iPhone apps: http://iphonevkapse.cz/tag/cloud (the miniseries focuses on Dropbox, Cuby, Box, Copy, Wuala).
I would like to know which service also offers storage in the cloud without the need to have the data locally in the directory at the same time - i.e. something like Dropbox in iOS, everything is pulled from the web, only favorites are also saved locally. It would be quite useful for my relatively small MacBook Air hard drive. Thank you.