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Free cloud storage: Which providers offer the most space?
In this post, we look at the ten best free cloud storage providers that offer the most storage and the best features at no cost. Keep in mind this list only contains reputable and well-known companies we’re willing to recommend. Lesser-known providers can offer more, but they may not be as reliable or dependable. It’s also not a good idea to give unknown companies your files!
What is cloud storage, anyway?
If you already know what cloud storage is, how it works, and why you should use it, feel free to skip this section. Everyone else, keep reading.
The concept of cloud storage is easy to understand. The cloud is a remote storage database. It lets you store your images, videos, documents, and other files. All you need is your account login info and an internet connection to access the files.
Cloud files can be accessed from any computer, smartphone, or tablet.
Why not keep everything on my PC or external hard drive instead? The first reason is convenience. Storing files on a PC means you can only access them from that specific computer. Cloud files can be accessed from any computer, smartphone, or tablet.
Another reason is that your files are safer in the cloud than on your PC. Your computer can get damaged, lost, or stolen. You can say goodbye to all those critical work files, vacation photos, and movie collections if that were to happen. The cloud also makes it easier to share data with others. Not to mention cloud backups are much more convenient when you move to a new device. You can log into your account and download everything!
As with everything that offers so many conveniences, there are some risks to keep in mind. The main downside is that your files are slightly more accessible to intruders. Anyone with your login and password info will be able to access your files. Not to mention there’s always the risk of getting hacked. In addition, an internet connection is necessary, so it’s not always a good idea to store everything in the cloud if you don’t have a reliable connection.
The best free cloud service providers
Editor’s note: We’ll update this post with new providers once they launch or when current ones make changes to their free plans.
Degoo — 100GB free
Degoo is far ahead of the competition, offering a whopping 100GB of free cloud storage. However, the service has several limitations in place. The biggest one is that you can only upload files from five devices. There’s no such limit for viewing or downloading files, though — you can do that on as many devices you want.
Ads support the service, and you have to log in at least once every 365 days to make sure your account stays active. With that in mind, Degoo isn’t the most user-friendly cloud service on this list, but it offers plenty of free cloud storage.
The nitty-gritty:
- Free storage: 100GB
- File size limit: 512MB
- Based in: Sweden
- Founded: 2012
Mega — 20GB free
Co-founded by the controversial Kim Dotcom, Mega comes in second on this list by offering 20GB of free storage. Additionally, you can get extra free cloud storage by reaching simple achievements. These include installing the desktop app, getting the mobile app, and verifying your phone via SMS. These get you 5GB each. You can also invite friends and get 5GB per referral.
Mega technically doesn’t have a size limit for the files you upload, but it does have a pretty strict bandwidth limit; they call it a transfer quota. The exact amount of data you can transfer depends on factors like the time of the day, country, and current congestion levels. All this means is that an upload will be paused and resume later, though.
The nitty-gritty:
- Free storage: 20GB
- File size limit: N/A
- Based in: New Zealand
- Founded: 2013
Google Drive — 15GB free
I recommend this cloud service to most people, provided they don’t need more than 15GB of storage. It’s super easy to use, is available on all the major platforms, and doesn’t contain ads. Keep in mind that the 15GB of storage is shared between all Google services, including Drive, Gmail, and Photos.
Read also: How to use Google Drive: Everything you need to know
Google Drive is well integrated with Gmail, allowing you to save email attachments to Drive quickly. The service also lets you share files with ease and allows you to back up your devices. This is by far my favorite cloud storage service, and it’s easy to upgrade with a relatively inexpensive Google One subscription.
The nitty-gritty:
- Free storage: 15GB
- File size limit: 5TB (with 750GB upload limit per day)
- Based in: USA
- Founded: 2012
Box — 10GB free
Box is a popular and well-known cloud storage provider. Its 10GB of free storage is generous, although not market-leading. The only real downside is that there’s a 250MB file size limit in place for uploads.
The service offers standard features you get with most other providers. You can create folders to organize your files, share files with just a few clicks, and access your files from different platforms, among other things.
The nitty-gritty:
- Free storage: 10GB
- File size limit: 250MB
- Based in: USA
- Founded: 2005
pCloud — 10GB free
This provider isn’t as popular as Google Drive or Box, but it’s a great one nonetheless. You get 10GB of cloud storage for free, and there’s no file size limit in place for uploads.
pCloud is packed with loads of great features. You can share files with ease, access your files from multiple devices across different platforms, and recover and access older versions of your account. The service even has built-in video and audio players. If you need more storage, you can opt for a monthly plan or a one-time “lifetime” fee.
The nitty-gritty:
- Free storage: 10GB
- File size limit: N/A
- Based in: Switzerland
- Founded: 2013
Icedrive — 10GB free
Icedrive is a relatively new player on the market — it launched in January 2019. You get 10GB of free storage and a daily bandwidth of 3GB, limiting the size of the files you can upload.
Also read: The best Android backup apps
What makes Icedrive special is mostly its ease of use. The company offers software that makes its services feel like an attached hard drive. This makes using it a breeze. There are sharing and collaboration capabilities, as well as apps for all major platforms.
The nitty-gritty:
- Free storage: 10GB
- File size limit: 100TB
- Based in: UK
- Founded: 2019
MediaFire — 10GB free
MediaFire lets you store and share files with ease, with free users getting 10GB of free storage. Individual files are limited to a maximum of 20GB per upload, which is outstanding compared to other free cloud storage platforms.
The service lets you upload multiple files simultaneously and can be used on various platforms, including Windows, Android, and iOS. It supports all the major files out there, allowing you to upload images, videos, documents, and more. Unfortunately, the free service is supported by ads, which can get annoying fast. You are getting something for no money, though!
The nitty-gritty:
- Free storage: 10GB
- File size limit: 20GB
- Based in: USA
- Founded: 2006
MiMedia — 10GB free
This free cloud storage service mainly focuses on media files (images, videos…), although you can also store documents and other files. Users praise the service for its fast upload speeds and a decent amount of free storage at 10GB.
There’s a 5GB file size limit for uploads, which is quite generous. Apps are available for PC/Mac, Android, and iOS, so you can upload files and get access to them regardless of the device you’re using.
The nitty-gritty:
- Free storage: 10GB
- File size limit: 5GB
- Based in: USA
- Founded: 2010
Syncplicity — 10GB of free cloud storage
Syncplicity offers all the basic features like sorting files by folders, sharing files with others, and even tagging them. You get 10GB of space for your images, videos, documents, and other files.
Consider this: How to free up space on Android
The service is available on all the major platforms and offers paid plans for those looking for extra storage. A significant advantage of Syncplicity is that it has no file size limitations.
The nitty-gritty:
- Free storage: 10GB
- File size limit: N/A
- Based in: France
- Founded: 2008
OneDrive — 5GB of free cloud storage
The last free cloud storage service on this list is Microsoft’s OneDrive, which offers the least space at just 5GB. But you can use it as part of your Microsoft account. Chances are you have one, so you don’t need to sign up for the service separately.
In addition to all the basic features you’d expect from a service like this, OneDrive also comes with a Personal Vault that adds a layer of security for those extra sensitive documents. But on free accounts, you can only store up to three files in it. There’s also a very generous 250GB file size limit.
The nitty-gritty:
- Free storage: 5GB
- File size limit: 250GB
- Based in: USA
- Founded: 2014
Where’s Apple, Dropbox, Amazon….?
There’s a reason why the list above lacks a few big names. Apple’s iCloud service only offers 5GB of data, just like Microsoft’s OneDrive, but unlike OneDrive, iCloud is primarily aimed at those who own an Apple device. If you sign up for the service with a PC, you only get a GB of storage instead of five. Nevertheless, it’s a great service overall if you’re an Apple user and we have no problem recommending it, but keep the storage limit in mind. If you need more space, opt for one of the providers mentioned in this post.
Dropbox is another excellent service that we recommend, although it didn’t make our list because it only offers 2GB of free cloud storage. That’s not much, but if it’s enough for you, we’re confident you’ll be happy with the service.
Amazon Drive is also an excellent service, offering 5GB of free storage to its users. That’s on par with OneDrive, but we recommend Microsoft’s solution over Amazon’s because it’s more feature-packed and easier to use. It’s a superb service if you like the Amazon ecosystem, though.
Remember: Free cloud storage isn’t everything
More free storage is always better, but it’s not the only thing you should focus on. For example, while Degoo offers the most free storage at 100GB, I wouldn’t recommend it to users who don’t need that much space. The service has loads of limitations in place, one of them being that you can only upload files from a few devices. It also lacks a desktop client, forcing you to use the web app on PCs.
You may want to stick with a more renowned company. There’s also the fact that specific cloud storage solutions work best with some platforms. Google Drive works seamlessly with Android, for example. The same goes for iPhones and Apple’s iCloud.
Before you sign up for a service, try to figure out how much online storage you need. If you need more than 50GB and would rather not pay, then something like Degoo is your best option. But if just 10GB or even less will do, a service like Google Drive is a much better bet. Maybe one of these services offers you more convenience, and you don’t mind paying! It all depends on your needs.
We’ve put together a list that can help you make your decision and find out which is the very best cloud storage solution. Refer to it if you don’t mind possibly paying. Don’t worry; most plans are pretty affordable!