Google Drive Alternatives: 10 Best Cloud Storage Services

Google has just announced that it is shutting down its Google Drive app for Mac and Windows. Google will stop supporting the app from December 11th of this year and the app will shut down completely on 12th March, 2018. This announcement has caused panic among the users and they are starting to look for Google Drive alternatives. However, you don’t need to panic as Google is just shutting down the app and not the service itself. The Google Drive service will continue as before, and in fact, your smartphone or tablet will still have the Google Drive app alive and well. The only change that is coming is to the desktop version of Google Drive app, where, it is being replaced with a new app called “Backup and Sync”. The new app has been launched to give users a streamline cloud storage experience. The app will now act as a single storage place for both your Google Drive and Google Photos.

Still, it is a concern for people like me, who like to use separate apps for photos and files. Also, if you didn’t know earlier, with this move, Google has made it clear that the free account which provides you with 15 GB of storage takes into account both your files and photos. Now, if you take a lot of photos, that storage might fill up more quickly than you realise. However, again, this is not a new development, but, is something that has been there from the start. Although this new development doesn’t change the service in any way, users have become more curious and are looking for its alternatives. And frankly, there are a some good ones out there. So, if you are looking for one yourself, here are top Google Drive alternative cloud storage services you can use:

The Best Google Drive Alternatives

Note: This list doesn’t rank the cloud storages from best to worst. You should read the description and choose the one that best fits your requirement and use-case scenario.

1. Dropbox

If you are looking for a mainstream cloud storage service with features that are comparable or even more than that offered by the Google Drive, Dropbox is your best option. Look, there are a lot of services out there which you can use, and we are going to list the best of them here, but, none will be as easy to use as Dropbox. If somehow you don’t know, Dropbox was the first company that made cloud storage a common phenomenon. And since its launch in 2007, it still is one of the best and most used cloud storages out there. Dropbox has a lot of things going in its favour and we will discuss the best of them here. Firstly, Dropbox’s sync is unparalleled. It supports all the platforms including Android, iOS, macOs, Windows, and even Linux. Back in 2007, Dropbox introduced the sync model which is used by most of the cloud storage service providers today.

Once you install the app, you will get a dedicated folder on your device, and anything you put in there will be uploaded to their servers. Although other cloud storage providers have incorporated this feature, Dropbox still leads the pack with its block-level file transfer algorithms. When you upload something on Dropbox, the full file is uploaded only the first time. From the next time onwards, only the changes that you make to your files are synced. This results in lightning fast sync time with less data usage. This is one of the main reasons behind me using Dropbox. My other favourite thing about Dropbox is its compatible with almost every other service that I use. I use services like Zapier to automate my workflows. All my writing is done on the Ulysses app and that also syncs with my Dropbox. These are just one of the few instances of Dropbox being useful to me owing to its compatibility with other services.

When people want to find faults with Dropbox, they generally point out its pricing structure, as it only gives a paltry 2GB of free storage and then costs $9.99/month for 1TB of storage. However, I argue that Dropbox is similarly priced to Google Drive, don’t believe me, let’s see how. Dropbox also allows you up to 15GB of free storage, the only thing you need to do is refer their services to your friends. Compare that to Google Drive which gives you 15GB of free storage, however, that storage also counts your Google Photos usage. And if you take pictures and videos as frequently as I do, you will find yourself running out of it pretty quickly. Lastly, Google Drive cost the same at $9.99/month for 1TB of storage, however, if you pay it yearly Dropbox will come out to be 99 cents cheaper ($99.99 for 1TB – Google Drive). So, you see, Dropbox is not that costly as it is made out to look and for the above reasons that I mentioned, it is my top pick.

Free Storage Space: 2 GB

Premium Plans & Pricing: 1TB for $99/Year, 2TB for $15/month and Unlimited for $25/month

Visit: Website (Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, Linux)

2. Tresorit

Although, Dropbox is the best for people looking for Google Drive alternatives, there are other services which excel in their own way. For example, Tresorit is a service which focuses on providing military grade encryption services for your cloud storage, which sadly neither Google Drive nor Dropbox offers. The service is so secure, the company is offering a reward of $50,000 to anyone who can breach their security, now that’s the confidence I want to see. Now that you are planning to switch from Google Drive, you should take a moment and think about the type of security that you want for your data on the cloud. If you are keeping sensitive data on the cloud, Tresorit might be the one for you.

Tresorit promises end-to-end encryption with cryptographic key sharing technologies. What this means is that your files are encrypted from the moment you initiate the upload process. However, that doesn’t mean that you lose the sharing feature which we all know and love about cloud storages. You can share your files with others on Tresorit as easily as you can do it on Google Drive or Dropbox. However, whenever you share a file with someone, a secret key is generated which should be given to the person who is going to access your files. This ensures that your files not accessed by an unintended person.

Not only that Tresorit also follows Zero-knowledge authentication. That’s just a fancy way of saying that your service provider (Tresorit, in this case) does not save any of the passwords and encryption keys, making it impossible for anyone, even the workers at Tresorit, to access your file. Needless to say, the service is pretty secure and your data is safe in their hands. However, this also means that you will have to pay a premium for using their services. For starters, Tresorit doesn’t offer any free account and you will have to subscribe to them if you want to enjoy their services. I think, it is a small price to pay for someone looking for a secure cloud storage services, and Tresorit is one of the best Google Drive Alternatives, that does that.

Free Storage Space: Not Applicable, Free 14-day trial

Premium Plans & Pricing: $20/user/month (2-9 users) and $12/user/month (10 or more users)

Visit: Website (Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, Linux)

3. pCloud

pCloud is a service which was not so popular before but is gaining popularity slowly. This is because they offer excellent service with flexible plans which anybody can pick and choose from. We will discuss its flexibility in detail below, but first, let’s see what makes it different from other cloud providers on the list. Unlike other cloud service providers which provide you with a dedicated folder, pCloud can sync anything and everything present on your desktop. This means that pCloud doesn’t take any physical space on your drive and also ensures that all your files are in their designated places. Of course, you can select the files that you want to sync, and it is very easy to do that.

Now coming to the flexibility part, pCloud allows you to choose between different storage plans and its plans start at prices as low as $3.99/month for 500 GB of storage. You can also buy “pCloud Crypto” separately which brings the same military grade encryption with zero-knowledge-protection as provided by Tresorit. Considering the fact that pCloud is a Swiss company, its focus on security doesn’t come with a surprise. Over the pCloud has grown a lot and now boasts of over 2 million paying customers with brands like Coca-Cola, Uber, Twitter, and LinkedIn among others. You also get 20GB of free storage when you sign up (pCloud Crypto is not free). If you are looking for a secure and flexible cloud storage providers, pCloud is the best Google Drive alternatives that you can use.

Free Storage Space: 20 GB

Premium Plans & Pricing: 500 GB for $3.99/month and 2TB for $7.99 ($3.99/month extra for pCloud Crypto)

Visit: Website (Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, Linux)

4. OneDrive

In the mainstream cloud storage providers, OneDrive is the one which gives fierce competition to both Google Drive and Dropbox. Although it’s a product by Microsoft, the service is not limited to Windows users and has a client for both Android and Apple (iOS and Mac) ecosystem. It can be one of the best Google Driver alternatives as it is similar in functionality, has cross-platform app support, and the sync is fast and instantaneous. However, maybe the biggest advantage of using OneDrive is that when you opt to become a paid member you get access to the whole Office suite at no additional cost. If you are someone who already pays for Office 365 subscription, this one is no brainer for you.

Apart from Office 365, you also get access to OneNote, which is one of the best note-taking apps out there. This means that with OneDrive, you get a lot of freebies which otherwise would have cost you a lot of money. OneDrive is also cheaper when compared to Google Drive or Dropbox. Its free version is a bit limited and provides you with 5GB of free storage, which is neither much nor less. However, the paid version starts with prices as low as $1.99/month (50GB), and you just pay $7.99/month for 1TB of storage.

Free Storage Space: 5 GB

Premium Plans & Pricing: 50 GB for $1.99/month, Office 365 Home with Premium OneDrive Features for $99.99/year, and office 365 Personal with Premium OneDrive Features for $69.99/year.

Visit: Website (Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, Linux)

5. Sync.com

Don’t be fooled by the name and think that Sync.com is only a web platform as it has native apps for all the major platforms including Windows, MacOS, Android, and iOS. Sync.com is best for people looking for a service which strikes a balance between the security of Tresorit and the usability of Google Drive. Like Tresorit, it encrypts all your files and also has Zero-knowledge authentication. It is also pretty easy to navigate as it follows the same user interaction that is used by popular services like Dropbox or Google Drive. Probably one of the best thing about using Sync.com is that how easy it makes collaboration with other people. Not only you can share files, but you can also share entire folders with people you want to collaborate with.

Just like on Google Drive, you can also decide the level of access you want to give the people you have shared your files with (view only, view and edit, and so on). This makes it really easy to collaborate on Sync.com than on a secure service like Tresorit. Also, staying true to its name, the service offers lightning fast syncing capabilities. The service also allows you to allocate bandwidths for upload speeds. This comes in handy if you are on a slow connection and don’t want the service to utilise all of it. The service is also pretty cheap as it gives you access to 2TB of data for only $8/month. It’s cheap plans along with security features make Sync.com one of the best Google Drive alternatives in the market.

Free Storage Space: 5 GB

Premium Plans & Pricing: 2TB for $8/month (personal) and 1TB for $5/month/user (Business)

Visit: Website (Android, iOS, Windows, macOS)

6. Box

Box is one of those cloud storage service providers which focus more on business users than on individual ones. This means that if you are looking for a cloud storage service for your personal use, you should probably stay clear of it. However, if you are a business user and looking for a service which not only saves your data on the cloud, but, allows your employees to collaborate easily, this is the one to get. Box provides one of the best collaborative tools in the market. It achieves that by integrating various third-party apps. For example, Box has inbuilt Microsoft’s Office suite support, which allows you to edit your documents online without even downloading them.

Not only that your team can collaborate on a document on a real time basis. There’s also chat support which allows you to chat with people collaborating on the document without leaving it. Just like Office 365, Box has integrated with numerous third-party service providers, which means that it supports a large number of file types, that you can store, view, and edit online, together with your team. If you are are looking for team oriented cloud storage platform, Box is the one to get.

Free Storage Space: 10 GB, Free Trial

Premium Plans & Pricing: 100 GB for $5/month/user and Unlimited Storage for $15/month/user.

Visit: Website (Android, iOS, Windows, macOS)

7. Mega

If you are someone who is looking for a cloud service where you don’t have to pay dime to use it, Mega may be your only option. Of course, with a free plan you will get limited storage, but unlike others which restrict the free users to maximum of 20GB of storage, Mega more than doubles that and gives you a whopping 50GB of free storage. Now, it might not be enough for you and me, but there are users who used cloud storage for just uploading their songs, photos and an odd file here and there. For them, Mega can be a great solution as they won’t have to pay for it.

Apart from this free treat, Mega also offers end-to-end encryption for your files along with easy collaborating tools. Now neither its encryption nor its collaborative tools can be compared to services like Tresorit or Box, but still, you are getting a lot of features for free here. If you do decide to go for the paid subscription, you can choose with plans starting at 200GB. This is the best for people looking for free Google Drive alternatives.

Free Storage Space: 50 GB

Premium Plans & Pricing: 200 GB for €4.99, 500 GB for €9.99, 2TB for €19.99, and 4TB for €29.99.

Visit: Website (Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, Linux)

8. SpiderOak One

SpiderOak One is another cloud storage service provider just like Tresorit which focuses a lot on security. It has all the security features that we have come to expect from a secure cloud storage platform including end-to-end encryption and Zero-knowledge authentication. SpiderOak also offers its users a more granular control over its services. However, this also means that SpiderOak is a little hard to use and is not easy as services like Google Drive or Dropbox. One major drawback of using SpiderOak is that since its servers are based in the US, your privacy is not protected from government as securely as by the services that use EU based servers. Also, SpiderOak offers more of an enterprise based solution and hence individual users might be at a disadvantage here. Still, till now the service has maintained excellent track record till now and you should check it out.

Free Storage Space: Free 21-day Trial, with 250 GB storage

Premium Plans & Pricing: 100 GB for $5/month, 250 GB for $9/month, 1000 GB for $12/month, 5000 GB for $25/month

Visit: Website (Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, Linux)

Use Code ‘Beebom15’ for an extra 15% discount.

9. Backblaze

Some people use cloud storages for as a backup rather than using it for storing  files for easy access and sharing. Such users require a service which provides them with unlimited storage with no restrictions on the file size of uploaded materials. Backblaze offers both of these features to its users at a very nominal price. All the files on your system are backed up automatically without you having to do anything. Users also get the ability to restrict files from being uploaded to the cloud.

Thus if you have some sensitive files, you can choose not to upload them to the cloud. Once you set up the service, everything happens automatically without you having to do anything. The only problem with this service will happen once you want to restore your data, as your backup over time can become really large and it will take a long time to download it all. Apart from that, Backblaze is one of the best Google Drives alternatives for people looking to use cloud storage as a backup solution for their primary data.

Free Storage Space: Free trial-15 Days

Premium Plans & Pricing: Unlimited storage for files and photos for $50/year

Visit: Website (Android, iOS, Windows, macOS)

10. Jottacloud

If you want unlimited storage for low prices but not for backup but for using it usually as normal cloud storage, Jottacloud is a good option for you. Jottacloud offers only two plans. The basic or the free version gives your paltry 5GB of free storage, while the paid version gives you unlimited storage. The service also provides you some extra features like backing and syncing up all your photos. In this way, it is similar to Google’s new offering “Backup and Sync”. However, you do get unlimited storage here, so you don’t have to worry about those photos eating away all your space. Also, being a Norwegian company, the service also focuses heavily on privacy. This is best for someone who doesn’t want to waste too much time on deciding which plan he wants and just settle for the unlimited one at a very reasonable price.

Free Storage Space: 5 GB

Premium Plans & Pricing: Unlimited storage for files and photos for $9.99/month

Visit: Website (Android, iOS, Windows, macOS)

SEE ALSO: 7 Top Cloudflare Alternatives For Your Website

The Best Google Drive Alternatives You Should Get

As it is apparent from this article, there are a lot of good cloud storage providers out there. However, they all differ slightly from each other in their core strategy. Some focus more on security, while others on collaboration, businesses, and pricing among other things. You should read this article with your requirements in mind and choose the Google Drive alternative which best fits your needs. So, read the article again with your requirements in mind and tell us which is the best for you in the comments section below. Also, if you are already using a great cloud service provider which you think should be on the list, drop them down as well.