The Best Cloud Storage and File-Sharing Services for 2023

It wasn’t all that long ago that collaborating with people on documents was a huge hassle. You’d make multiple copies of a file and have to add a stupid ending to the filename, like “-edited-JD-final-final,” in hopes of keeping track of everyone’s changes. Equally painful was managing versions of your own documents as you emailed them to yourself from your personal computer to your work computer. Who misses that? No one has to mess with those problems anymore, largely thanks to online file storage and syncing services.

File syncing and storage services provide seamless access to all your data—Word docs, PDFs, spreadsheets, photos, and any other digital assets—wherever you are. Syncing and storage services also add safety and security to your online life because when you sync your files via the cloud, you by default create a backup of them as well. If you lose your laptop, all your files are still accessible to you if you log into your syncing service from any browser.

If you don’t yet have an online storage and syncing service, you should seriously consider getting one. Which one you choose depends on the kinds of files you store, how much security you need, whether you plan to collaborate with others, and which devices you own. It may also depend on your comfort level with computers in general. Most of these services are extremely user-friendly, while others offer advanced customization for more experienced techies. Find our best picks below, followed by a detailed guide to understanding cloud storage and file-sharing services.

Deeper Dive: Our Top Tested Picks

Microsoft OneDrive

Best Overall

Why We Picked It

OneDrive is a great storage and syncing option for just about anybody. It works on all major devices. Its functionality and design have reached a point of slick usability and reliability. The cost is more than reasonable seeing as you can get added OneDrive storage by paying for a Microsoft 365, which includes office apps. Because it provides automatic backup for documents, photos and other files in Windows and syncs documents in Microsoft’s office apps, it’s a natural choice for Windows or Microsoft 365 users.

Who It’s For

If you use Microsoft 365 apps regularly, including the online version of the apps, using OneDrive for storage and syncing offers real benefits. And Windows users will be delighted that their Desktop, Documents, and Pictures are safely backed up to the cloud, and automatically restored when they get a new PC. It’s also a great option for anyone looking for value in an online syncing and storage service. Free users can take advantage of the 5GB of storage, which isn’t the most generous free version you can find, but it’s in line with the competition.

PROS

• Excellent interface
• Clients for Android, iOS, Mac, and Windows
• Well integrated with Windows and Microsoft 365
• Strong online photo presentation and management
• Powerful file-sharing and collaborative editing

CONS

• Less free storage than some competitors
• Doesn’t back up all folders on drive

IDrive

Best for Low-Cost Backup and Syncing

Why We Picked It

IDrive has long offered the best deal for online syncing and storage, giving you the most space per dollar and no limit on the number of devices you install it on. Beyond that, it’s also a solid service, with apps for all major platforms and a bevy of features. For example, you can set IDrive to back up files to an external hard drive or a network drive. There’s even support for creating a complete disk image, although it’s limited to the Windows version. It’s archiving capability means that you can always find your files, even if you deleted them on the local computer.

Who It’s For

IDrive is for anyone looking for the best price per TB for their online storage and syncing service. It will also be appealing to those who want to take advantage of its archiving and continuous backup features.

PROS

• Easy setup
• Unlimited devices per account
• Free local backup
• Fully encrypted
• Fast upload speeds
• Excellent value

CONS

• Storage isn’t unlimited
• Limited Linux support
• Complete disk image backup only for Windows

Google Drive

Best for Google Workspace Users

Why We Picked It

Over the years, Google Drive has become easier to use locally, though it’s always been a superb place to automatically store files you create using the Google Docs office apps. Google Drive has strong file sharing capabilities, and you get more free storage space than most competitors—15GB, though that space is shared with Gmail.

Who It’s For

Google Drive is the natural choice for anyone who regularly works in Google Docs, Sheets, and other online apps; it integrates with many third-party online apps as a cloud storage option. It’s also a great choice for people looking for a generous free online storage and syncing service.

PROS

• Generous free storage space
• Excellent productivity-suite collaboration
• Includes desktop-to-desktop file syncing
• Many third-party integrations
• Cross-platform apps

CONS

• No password-protection for shared files
• Mobile apps could do more; multiple apps required for all related functions
• Some privacy concerns

SpiderOak One Backup

Best for Secure Backups

Why We Picked It

SpiderOak is a storage service that focuses on privacy and security. It has a no-knowledge policy, and we like the intuitive desktop application and unlimited versioning capabilities. The service charges more for online storage than competitors, but you can back up an unlimited number of devices per account. You also get good file-sharing and folder-syncing options with SpiderOak, despite the focus on backup.

Who It’s For

SpiderOak One Backup is targeted at people who put security and privacy first when choosing which technologies to use.

PROS

• Strong privacy features
• Supports an unlimited number of computers per account
• Excellent versioning capabilities
• Includes file-sharing and folder-syncing options
• Well-designed, full-featured desktop application

CONS

• Lacks multi-factor authentication option for web logins
• No longer offers mobile apps

Sync

Best for Simple, Straightforward Syncing

Why We Picked It

Sync is a reliable tool for storing your files online and syncing them among up to five devices. We love how user-friendly it is. Paid individual plans start at $96 per year for 2TB of storage space, which is a competitive price. It works on Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, and the web, but not Linux.

Who It’s For

Sync is a simple and straightforward service for anyone who doesn’t want to store their files with one of the big tech giants. It’s a great option for people who prefer simplicity over an excess of features. A free account comes with 5GB of storage space, making it competitive with most other major services. Linux users should look elsewhere, as Sync does not offer a Linux app.

PROS

• Simple and effective
• No individual file-size limit
• Client-side encryption means company can’t access your files
• Works quietly and unobtrusively
• Supports syncing on up to five devices

CONS

• No direct local area network syncing
• No Linux app
• Limit of five devices per account, even paid

Apple iCloud Drive

Best for Mac and iPhone Users

Why We Picked It

Apple iCloud is a must for iPhone and Mac users, since it backs up photos, documents, and settings on their devices. It’s among the simplest and most reliable storage and syncing services we’ve seen. It isn’t ideal for people who like to have a lot of control over storage and syncing and the web client lacks some basic tools such as search, but it is a no-brainer solution for people who don’t want to futz with it.

Who It’s For

Apple iCloud is best for Mac, iPhone, and iPad users who don’t want to think too hard about backing up and syncing their files, especially their photos.

PROS

• Tightly integrated with Apple products
• Capable Windows client and web access
• Fast uploads

CONS

• No Android or Linux clients
• Can only share files with people who have an Apple ID

Box (Personal)

Best for Business Integrations

Why We Picked It

Though Box isn’t highly competitive on price, it does offer dozens upon dozens of integrations with other services and a flexible web app that can open files using desktop software. The free version comes with a generous 10GB of storage space.

Who It’s For

Ultimately, we find Box is better suited to business use than personal use, based on its features. The two use cases are different enough that we have a separate review of Box for Business. Anyone who likes Box for Business and wants to use it for the personal files as well will likely be happy with this service. It is a great option, however, for anyone who doesn’t want to pay for online storage so long as they have less than 10GB’s worth of stuff to store.

PROS

• Flexible web app that can open files using desktop software
• Integrations with over 1,500 applications
• Support for offline syncing

CONS

• Expensive for the amount of storage offered
• Low file-size limit
• Can’t configure location of desktop syncing app

Dropbox

Best for Integration With Third-Party Services

Why We Picked It

Dropbox is an established player in the online storage and syncing space, and it continues to offer a reliable service that includes good, if sometimes tertiary, features (such as e-signatures).

Who It’s For

While Dropbox doesn’t offer anywhere close to the best price per TB of storage, it is a great option for people who are long-time users and don’t want to switch to another service, and those who need a healthy stable of integration options.

PROS

• Plenty of additional features
• Integrations with thousands of applications
• Fast upload speeds

CONS

• Expensive
• A once-simple service has become too complex

Buying Guide: The Best Cloud Storage and File-Sharing Services for 2023

What Can Cloud Storage Do for You?

The very best cloud storage solutions play nicely with other apps and services, making the experience of viewing and editing your files feel natural. Especially in business, you want your other software and apps to be able to retrieve or access your files, so making sure you use a service that easily authenticates with the other tools you use is a big deal. Box and Dropbox are particularly strong in this regard.

With Google Drive’s web app, you can access all your files, including images, from anywhere.
(Credit: Google/Jill Duffy)

The range of capabilities of cloud-based storage services is incredible. Many of them specialize in a specific area. For example, Dropbox focuses on keeping a synced folder accessible everywhere. SpiderOak One Backup emphasizes security. Some cloud storage services, such as Apple iCloud, Google Drive and Microsoft OneDrive, are generalists, offering not only folder and file syncing, but also media-playing and device syncing. These products even double as collaboration software, offering real-time document co-editing.

Distinct from but overlapping in some cases with cloud storage are backup services, particularly ones that offer online backups. Some of them, such as Carbonite, specialize in data protection and recovery, while others like IDrive, combine data protection with syncing and sharing capabilities.

Most cloud services do offer some level of backup, almost as a consequence of their intended function. It follows logically that any files uploaded to a cloud service are also protected from disk failures, since there are copies of them in the cloud. But dedicated backup services sometimes also create a disk image of your machine so you can restore not just your files, but everything, including system settings and programs. Syncing, by contrast, is about backing up and managing selected files only.

Box’s web interface lets you manage your folders and files.
(Credit: Box/PCMag)

What’s the Deal With the Cloud?

Just to clear up any confusion, the cloud part of cloud-based storage refers to putting your files somewhere other than your computer’s hard drive. Usually, it means the provider’s servers. There’s a half-joke saying in the tech world, “There is no cloud. It’s just someone else’s computer.”

Having data in the cloud gives you the ability to access your files through the internet. Your data is usually encrypted before making the journey over the internet to the provider’s servers, and it remains encrypted while it lives on those servers.

Well-designed services don’t upload a brand-new copy of your files every time you change one little thing. Instead, the file syncing service looks for changes to your files and uploads only them, saving your connection bandwidth.

Dropbox, once installed, shows you icons in the Finder or Windows Explorer indicating the sync status of each file you save to the cloud.
(Credit: Dropbox/PCMag)

You can access your cloud files through an app or utility software installed on your computer. Once it’s installed, it usually shows a small notification icon and creates your synced folder structure that fits into Windows Explorer or the macOS Finder. You can also get to the files via your web browser. Of course, you need an internet connection for it to work, but if you temporarily are without a connection, that’s okay. The service waits until the next time you do have a connection and takes care of business then.

For a deeper explanation of the cloud, see What is Cloud Computing?

Recommended by Our Editors

OneDrive offers 5GB for free, and you get more storage with a Microsoft 365 account.
(Credit: Microsoft/PCMag)

Free vs. Paid

Many cloud storage services have a free account that usually comes with some limitations, such as the amount of storage or a size limit on files you can upload. We prefer providers that offer some level of permanent free service, even if you get only 2GB of storage space rather than a time-based trial. This way you can fully integrate a service into your life for several weeks for real-world testing. During that time, you get a feel for how it works and what might go wrong with your setup.

What could possibly go wrong? Human error accounts for a good deal of cloud storage tragedies, but the dropped internet connection is another common troublemaker. Not to mention that every internet service suffers the occasional outage(Opens in a new window). Ask around (or just look through our review comments), and you’ll hear sad stories of how cloud storage can go wrong. One of the benefits of paying for an account is that it usually comes with additional support from the provider, so if anything does go wrong, someone from the company can help you resolve the issue.

There are many other reasons to pay for cloud storage, from getting a lot more space (a terabyte really doesn’t cost all that much anymore) to being able to upload huge files. That last benefit is relevant to graphic designers, video editors, and other visual artists who often host enormous files. Other perks of paying for your cloud storage often include increased access to file-version history (meaning you can restore an important business proposal to the version you had before your colleague made a bunch of erroneous changes), more security, and more features for collaboration and teamwork.

Outlook: Cloudy

Here, we highlight only the best cloud storage services among those we’ve tested. When PCMag tests these services, we evaluate their feature sets, ease of use, stability, and price. There are other cloud storage services on the market that didn’t make the cut for this article, based on these criteria. Click the review links for more detailed information on each of our favorite cloud storage and file-syncing services.