Adam Kos If you're choosing between which cloud services you want to use, each one offers a certain amount of space for free. This is of course so that you can properly test its services and then switch to some kind of subscription plan. However, some services already offer quite a lot.
Of course, Apple has its iCloud and app Files, Microsoft again offers OneDrive and then Google yours Disk. Since they are the biggest players, they can also offer more to their users. And then there are those other and smaller providers like dropbox, MEGA or Box.
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Vratislav Holub Storage sizes available for free
- iCloud - Free 5 GB
- Google Drive - Free 15 GB
- OneDrive - Free 5 GB
- Dropbox - Free 2GB
- MEGA - free 20 GB
- Box - Free 10 GB
Backup
You can use all services on Apple's platforms, i.e. iOS, iPadOS and macOS, either as a separate application or at least through the web (in the case of a desktop). Since iCloud is directly from Apple, it is obvious that it has a clear advantage, both in terms of integration into systems, as well as unique security functions and the fact that it also allows a complete backup of your iPhone or iPad. But it still won't fit into your 5GB free space, and some functions are only available as part of the iCloud+ subscription.
OneDrive
But if we talk about the deposit further, with regard to the photos, the situation is already different here. Photo backup is offered by every mentioned cloud service, and as far as the actual backup is concerned (with Google, you need to use Google photos). If you activate it in the service, it means that your photos will be copied to the provider's server. So you have them both on the device and in the cloud. However, if you turn on Photos on iCloud with optimized storage on your iPhone or iPad, be aware that a deleted photo from the device means that it will also be deleted from the server.
Documents and files
The clear leader when it comes to working with documents is, of course, Microsoft. But in order to be able to use its Word, Excel, Powerpoint and other titles to the full, it is still advisable to pay for their subscription. A better choice may be Google with its office suite, which is completely free and becomes more and more usable over time.
Files
Apple also offers its applications. But the problem with his Pages, Numbers and Keynote is that while they work well on the Apple platform, if you already need to share such a document with someone who uses a device of other brands, you will have a problem. There is an option to export to Word, Excel and others, but the formatting suffers. However, if your surroundings are completely "apple", there is nothing to deal with.
So which one is the best?
There is no simple answer to a simple question. A lot depends on your preferences and what devices are used by those around you, whether it's a family or a work team. In the case of Apple, you have iCloud services immediately at hand, but it is severely limited by only 5GB of space. OneDrive basically doesn't make much sense to use. For that, Google Drive with its 15 GB will last you a while.
Google photos
It is suitable not only for photos that you can share with Android users, but also for documents that you can collaborate on with others. Of the alternative services, Dropbox is perhaps the best known, but due to its really small free storage, it is not very worthwhile. On the other hand, the MEGA title has 20GB of storage, which can already fit a good amount of data.
iCloud sometimes syncs, sometimes not, you can't rely on it, by far the worst option of all... even the opensource NextCloud immediately announces that something hasn't synced... iCloud is as silent as possible and the data is in a wonder...
Undoubtedly the best cloud is the one from MS.
Those who try it never go back.
It really works.
And the subscription - if you know a little about banking... then 1TB can be purchased for 250 CZK per year. 🚬