I selected the top 7 backup cloud storage options for Android from the Google Play Store and will be comparing the Android-based services only. As it is going to be a long comparison, I will be diving straight into the different categories right now.
Cloud Storage
What is cloud storage? Cloud storage is basically a storage space that you can use to save your files such as digital documents like word, excel, as well as videos, pictures, and more. The files that you saved are stored on a different location which is handled by the provider. An internet connection is required to use cloud storage. Otherwise, you won’t have any means to access your cloud storage without a capable device and an internet connection.
Lowest Prices
Finding the right price for the right amount of storage is important. Not a lot of users are going to store one terabyte of data in their cloud storage, but it gives peace of mind to those who like to bulk store pictures online. So, finding the right deal becomes important for many different reasons. I’m only listing prices for the basic yet comparable plans for each of these services. Some of them are quite expensive in my opinion while others are very reasonable.
Free Cloud Storage for Android
Let’s be honest here, a lot of people just want free storage options for their photos and videos. Not many are keen on paying a yearly subscription fee to cloud storage providers unless they have a lot of data to store. I’ll be comparing the free storage options in the section, so all the freeloaders can find the best service with ease. One of the benefits, though, is you can share files between different devices very easily with these cloud storage options. Automatically uploading images and documents created on your Android will create almost instant access to your computer.
1. MEGA
MEGA tops the free storage charts by giving a whopping 50 GB of storage space for free to new users. This is a lot of storage space especially when you compare it with other options available and if you are a free user, highly recommend that you check this app out first.
Non-Paying Accounts: Free 50 GB Cloud StoragePremium Plan Subscription: Starts at $ 5.49 /mo for 200 GB Storage.File Size Restrictions: The service also imposes no restrictions on the file sizes but it imposes a monthly file size transfer quota starting at 1 TB.Supported Platform: Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, Windows Phone, Linux
2. pCloud
I was recently introduced to pCloud as I haven’t seen this app ranking anywhere but was pleasantly surprised when I tested the app out. pCloud is not as big as Mega when it comes to free storage space, but it is certainly giving a respectable amount of 20 GB free when you sign up.
Non-Paying Accounts: Free 10 GB Cloud StoragePremium Plan Subscription: Starts at $ 3.99 /mo for 500 GB Storage.File Size Restrictions: The service also imposes no restrictions on the file sizes.Supported Platform: Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, Linux
3. Google Drive
In all honesty, I thought that the 15GB Google Drive is giving was quite generous but after doing research for this article my eyes are a little open now. While Google Drive maybe one of the best storage solutions around, it is certainly not the generous of the lot because that 15 GB is divided between Google Drive, Google Photos, and your emails in Gmail.
Non-Paying Accounts: Free 15 GB Cloud StoragePremium Plan Subscription: Starts at $ 1.79 /mo for 100 GB Storage.File Size Restrictions: 5 TB for every other file except Google Docs, Sheets and Slides. For those, there is a 50 MB file size limit.Supported Platform: Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, and iOS devices
4. Box
Box has been around for a while now and has been generally a great storage option. This service only gives 10 GB of storage space for free.
Non-Paying Accounts: Free 10 GB Cloud StoragePremium Plan Subscription: Starts at $ 5.80 /mo for 100 GB Storage.File Size Restrictions: There is a 250 MB file size restriction for the free accounts. There are no such restrictions for the paid ones, though.Supported Platform: Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, and iOS devices
5. OneDrive – Free 5 GB Cloud Storage
Microsoft recently became stingy with the free storage they were giving with their OneDrive. A few months back it was 15 GB now it is reduced to 5 which is not a lot by today’s standards.
Non-Paying Accounts: Free 5 GB Cloud StoragePremium Plan Subscription: Starts at $ 2.45 /mo for 100 GB Storage.File Size Restrictions: Microsoft’s OneDrive has a 10 GB file size restriction.Supported Platform: PCs/Macs, tablets and phones, including Windows, iOS and Android
6. Dropbox
Dropbox only gives 2 GB of free storage space to new users but there are different ways to gain more storage space. Now that I know some of the apps are giving more than 20 GB for free, getting friends to sign for Dropbox seems like a chore for me.
Non-Paying Accounts: Free 2 GB Cloud StoragePremium Plan Subscription: Starts at $ 9.99 /mo for 2 TB Storage.File Size Restrictions: Sending files is limited to 2 GB with Dropbox Transfer.Supported Platform: PCs/Macs, tablets and phones, including Windows, iOS, BlackBerry, Kindle Fire and Android
7. SpiderOak
I was not impressed by the Android offerings from SpiderOak. The 2 GB free storage space didn’t help the cause either.
Non-Paying Accounts: 250 GB of free storage for 21 days.Premium Plan Subscription: Starts at $ 6 /mo for 150 GB Storage.File Size Restrictions: Limited to 10 GB per file.Supported Platform: PCs/Macs, tablets and phones, including Windows, iOS and Android
Conclusion
This ends the backup cloud storage options comparison article. I hope that you find the app you’re looking for and make the most out of it. I think all of these apps/services have something unique to offer. I highly recommend visiting their affiliated pages to learn more about them. If you have any more questions or suggestions about the apps or cloud storage options, feel free to ask them in the comments below.
