Everything You Need to Know About Free Cloud Storage: A Comparison

Cloud storage is emerging as one of the most popular storage and backup choices for individuals and businesses alike. Thanks to its robust security and ease of use, most people are shifting to the cloud to preserve and protect their data.

Cloud storage offers an excellent way for you to not only store but also share files, documents, photos, and more with your colleagues, team members, or friends. The best thing about it is that you don’t always have to pay for cloud storage services! Yes, you read it right. There are several cloud storage providers who are offering top-notch online storage services absolutely free of cost, with no strings attached.

Imagine finding the extra storage you need, protecting data on your computer and mobile devices, securing your individual files, setting up your business cloud storage needs, protecting all previous versions of files, saving device settings, gaining the benefits of disaster recovery, and ensuring quick file recovery after damage or theft occurs, much of it for free and some, for a reasonable fee. 

In this blog post, we will walk you through seven fantastic free cloud storage services. We will talk about their features and will also do a quick comparison of their paid versions. Read on to learn more.

Cloud Storage: What It is and What are Its Benefits?

Simply put, cloud storage is a storage service that allows saving your data, files, documents, and more in an off-premise destination. You can access this destination either through a public internet or a private network connection, using an intuitive interface accessible through your online service cloud provider.

All your data is stored on a safe online server. This allows you to access your data, files, documents, etc. anytime, anywhere! With that said, let’s look at some benefits of using cloud storage.

The best thing about cloud storage is that it is cost-effective and highly scalable. Unlike external hard drives, when it comes to the cloud, you only have to pay for the portion of storage you are actually using. In case your data volumes increase or decrease, you can easily boost or dial down the data storage capacity without any hassle.

Since all your data is stored in a secure off-site location, there are no risks of it being damaged, broken down, or stolen. There are occasional brief periods of inaccessibility during required maintenance or upgrades performed by your service provider. But these are short-lived and your provider should provide its customers with an expected time-frame for the project. 

Managing and securing your data becomes the responsibility of the cloud service provider. They take care of all the infrastructure and server-related needs and ensure that your data is readily available whenever you need it. You simply need to set up your backup schedule and requirements by setting the times and frequency and designating what systems and files should be saved. 

You can get both free and paid cloud services as per your requirements.

Top 7 Free Cloud Storage Services

Here are our seven favorite free cloud storage services of 2022:

Google Drive

Google Drive is one of the most popular and trusted cloud storage services out there. It offers you 15 GB worth of free storage space that you can use to store files, documents, photographs, videos, and more. You can easily share the files and folders with other users via their email addresses or a public link.

Pros:

Supports collaboration amongst team members

Can be used on both mobile and desktop

Enough free storage space

It also comes with built-in protection for malware and spam

Cons:

The only issue with Google Drive is that this 15 GB of free storage is shared between all other Google services, including Google Photos, Google Docs, Gmail, etc. This means that your storage needs may exceed this capacity and you may need to expand your Google Cloud service, which is what we’ll look at now.

Comparison with the paid version:

The paid version of Google Drive starts from $12/ user/ month. The paid version includes additional features like target audience sharing, Google Meet video conferencing with up to 150 participants, and 24/7 online support.

Dropbox

Dropbox is a fantastic free cloud storage solution that allows you to upload your files, photos, documents, and everything else in between from your mobile or desktop to a free online space. You can easily share your Dropbox files with anyone, even if they don’t have a Dropbox account.

The free version provides you with 2 GB of free cloud storage space. Dropbox also offers you ways to increase your storage space up to 18 GB.

Pros:

Several ways to earn more free storage space

Integration with Office 365 and Google Workspace

The option of “undeleting” your files

Works on nearly all devices including Android, Windows, iOS, Kindle, etc

Cons:

The initial 2 GB of free storage space isn’t sufficient in most cases.

Comparison with the paid version:

The paid version starts from $9.99/ month and offers up to 2 GB of storage space. The paid versions come with unlimited device access and allow you to store up to 2 TB of data depending on the plan you choose.

Blomp

Blomp is another excellent free cloud storage service that offers a massive 20 GB of free storage space. You can extend this space to up to 200 GB by getting your friends to sign up for the app.

With Blomp, you can create folders and upload your files there. The website also allows you to download all of your backed-up data. Blomp is pretty limited on features, but its smooth and user-friendly interface and the sizeable 20 GB of free space often makes up for it, depending on how much storage or features you need. 

Pros:

Plenty of free storage space

Support for bulk uploads

No size limit on the files you’re uploading

Clean and simple interface

Cons:

Blomp doesn’t let you preview your images, videos, and other files without downloading them first

Limited features

Comparison with the paid version:

The paid version starts at $0.99/ month for 250 GB of storage. 

OneDrive

OneDrive is a super popular cloud storage service offered by Microsoft. Users can get up to 5 GB of free storage space upon signing up. It offers robust security features and integrations with Microsoft 365 suite, making your work a lot easier.

Users can upload and transfer all kinds of files, folders, and documents through OneDrive. One of the biggest benefits of Microsoft OneDrive is that you can share files with non-registered users as well. The application can easily work on Windows, Android, iOS, and more.

Pros:

Integrations with Microsoft 365 suite

Supports collaboration

Access, edit, and share your files from anywhere, anytime

Cons:

Minimal backup features

Less free storage space

Comparison with the paid version:

The paid version of OneDrive offers several fantastic features including automatic PC backup, advanced sync features, ten times more sharing limit compared to the free version, and more! The Personal plan costs just $69.99 per year.

MEGA

MEGA is one of the most secure, reliable, and robust free cloud storage services. It offers you a whopping 20 GB of free storage space! Users also get benefits like end-to-end encryption, secure communication, and so much more, which help you add an extra layer of security. 

Just like all other options on this list, MEGA can also work with most devices, including desktops, Android devices, as well as Apple devices and others. 

Pros:

Highly secure

Compatible with both desktop and mobile phones

Cons:

You need to complete tasks and achievements to get the full 20 GB of free space

Slow file uploading speed

Comparison with the paid version:

The paid version of MEGA offers better speeds for file transfers. They can also enjoy other features like auto backup, private team messaging, and more. Plans start from €4.99/$5.85 per month.

MediaFire

MediaFire can also be an excellent choice for free cloud storage space. It offers you 10 GB of free storage space, which you can increase to 50 GB with referrals. Apart from uploading and storing your files and folders, you also get the sharing feature.

MediaFire is compatible with Android, iPhone, and Windows.

Pros:

User-friendly interface

You can upload large files of up to 4 GB with no hassle

No bandwidth limitations

Cons:

The website will show you multiple ads

Account deletion for inactivity

Comparison with the paid version:

If you opt for the Pro version, you can enjoy additional features like 1 TB worth of storage space, zero ads, and bulk downloads with a single click.

Degoo

Out of all the options mentioned here, Degoo provides the highest amount of free storage space. It offers a massive 100 GB of free cloud storage to its users who sign up for an account. Yes, you read it right. Here’s something even better: if you can convince your friends to sign up for Degoo, you can even increase the free storage up to 500 GB!

With Degoo, you can store and share files, images, videos, and more. The application works with Android, Windows, iPhone, and other systems. 

Pros:

Huge amount of free storage space

Up to 5 GB of additional free storage space per referred friend

Cons:

The application shows multiple ads

Files can get deleted after 365 days of account inactivity.

Comparison with the paid version:

The paid version of Deggo offers additional features like access on more devices, no ads, no account deletion, etc.

Wrapping Up

These were our top seven picks for free cloud storage services. If you want to start using cloud services for storing and sharing your data but aren’t sure which cloud service provider to go for, then it is a smart idea to start with a free storage service and see how it goes.

If you end up liking the free cloud storage, and likely you will, you can either stick to the free version or move your way up to the paid option, which is often something business owners need to do to take advantage of added space and features. So, write down all your requirements, explore all the above-mentioned options, and pick the one that makes the most sense for you. 

Tech Masters helps business owners succeed by creating individually tailored storage and backup solutions and covering all their ongoing IT needs. Contact us today to learn more and to claim your free business IT assessment.

To learn more about cloud storage, check out our frequently asked questions below. 

FAQ

Which free cloud storage is best for personal use?

Deciding on which one works best for you depends on your specific needs, needed features, and which interface and overall service you prefer. You can read about each one and try a few out to narrow down your search. Here are the most popular cloud storage options for personal use.

• Degoo
• Google Drive
• Dropbox
• OneDrive

Is MEGA 50 GB free for life?

While MEGA offers 50 GB of free storage space, not all of it is available for a lifetime. Out of that 50 GB of storage, you can only use 15 GB for a lifetime. The remaining 35 GB expires after 180 days of login.

Which cloud storage gives the most free space?

If you are looking for a cloud service that gives large storage space for free, then Degoo can be a great choice. It offers 100 GB of free storage to all users who sign up on its website.