How to choose cloud storage for files and devices

Choose cloud storage by three things: how much free space you need and what it is shared with, which platforms your devices run, and how much privacy the service has to provide. Cloud storage keeps your files in sync across devices. It is not a backup by itself, and the last section of this guide explains why that matters.

Start with the free allowance

Free plans differ in size and in what they share. Google Drive's free storage is shared with Gmail and Google Photos, so a full mailbox leaves less room for files. Dropbox's free Basic plan holds 2 GB. Proton Drive and Sync.com each include 5 GB, Mega includes 20 GB, pCloud offers up to 10 GB, and iCloud Drive gives every Apple Account 5 GB. Check each service's pricing page for current plan figures, because free allowances change.

Size is only part of the picture. Proton Drive's free plan limits sharing to files under 5 GB, so a larger file needs a paid plan to share. Read the sharing limits as well as the storage figure.

Check platform coverage

Platform support often decides the choice before storage does. iCloud Drive is built into iPhone, iPad and Mac, and its listing shows no dedicated Android app, so Android users rely on iCloud.com. Sync.com's desktop integration covers Windows and macOS only. Google Drive's listing has desktop apps for Windows and macOS, not Linux. Dropbox and pCloud both list Linux apps. Nextcloud covers the widest set of systems, but only if you run its server yourself.

Compare privacy, encryption and self-hosting

Privacy is a separate question from how files sync. Google Drive files sit on Google's servers under a Google account, according to its listing. Proton Drive and Mega offer end-to-end encryption, and Sync.com is described as privacy-focused. With end-to-end encryption, the provider cannot read your files without a key that you control, and that is a different property from where your files are stored.

The ranking's pCloud entry does not assess that service's encryption design, so check the vendor's security pages before you store sensitive files there.

Self-hosting is the other end of the spectrum. Nextcloud is open source under AGPL-3.0 and runs on a server you control. The ranking notes that it asks more of you than the hosted services, because updates, backups and security fall to you unless you pay a hosting provider. For a household or small team without someone to run a server, a hosted service is usually the simpler choice.

Team plans need their own arithmetic. Dropbox's business plans are priced per user, and Sync.com's team features are sold as separate plans. Count the people who need access, not only the price of one account, and compare that total with the storage each person will use.

Sync is not backup

Sync and backup solve different problems, and cloud storage tends to blur them. Sync copies a change to every device connected to the folder. Edit a file and the new version appears everywhere. Delete a file, or let malware encrypt a synced folder, and that change can spread to every device too. Version history and file recovery, such as the ones Dropbox lists, reduce that risk, but they are not a complete backup plan.

A backup keeps separate copies from earlier points in time, usually with an off-site copy, and it is built around restoring them. If you rely on a sync service for your only copy of important files, add a backup. The backup software ranking compares tools built for that job, each with its own cost and restore trade-offs.

Decide with a short table

If you need	Look first at	Trade-off to accept
Free storage tied to Google's office apps	Google Drive	Free storage is shared with Gmail and Google Photos
Shared folders and version history for a team	Dropbox	Free plan holds 2 GB; business plans are priced per user
End-to-end encryption and a free plan	Proton Drive	Free sharing is limited to files under 5 GB
Large encrypted free storage with desktop sync	Mega	Pro plans bundle VPN and password extras
An Apple household with built-in sync	iCloud Drive	No dedicated Android app is listed
Control over the server and its data	Nextcloud	You run updates, backups and security

Top picks from the ranking

The best cloud storage services ranking orders the services as follows, with the editorial score in brackets:

1. Google Drive (91.5): the most complete free package in the ranking, with desktop sync and Docs, Sheets and Slides.
2. Dropbox (88.5): solid sync, sharing and version history for shared folders across a team.
3. Proton Drive (88.0): end-to-end encrypted private files on mobile, desktop, command line and web.
4. Mega (86.5): a generous encrypted free allowance with desktop apps for Windows, macOS and Linux.
5. iCloud Drive (85.5): the easiest choice for Apple households.
6. Nextcloud (84.0): open-source, self-hosted file sync.

Sync.com (80.5) and pCloud (79.0) complete the ranking.

What to do next

List the devices you use, and mark which files would be a serious loss if they disappeared. Choose a service whose platforms cover those devices and whose sharing limits fit your files. Then add a separate backup for anything you cannot afford to lose, using the backup approach described in the backup strategy guide on this site.