Whether we like it or not, cloud storage platforms are here to stay. A few years ago, the most common thing was to use an external hard drive or a USB drive to make a backup and always carry it with you, despite the inconvenience that this entailed and the risk of losing the content, especially if the backup security was not encrypted. Using a cloud storage platform is the best alternative, as well as the safest and most comfortable. But which cloud storage platform is better?
When evaluating which cloud storage platform is better, we should not only consider the number of functions it offers us, but we should also consider the storage space it offers us for free , the price of additional plans, availability on mobile devices and more. Next, we show you the best free cloud storage platforms.
MEGA with 20 GB free
For those of us who are beginning to comb gray hair, if we still have some hair left, we will surely remember the Megaupload service, a storage platform that became the main channel for the distribution of content protected by copyright. MEGA is the successor to Megaupload, a platform that has nothing to do with the illegal activity of its predecessor. When this platform was launched, to attract the largest number of users, it offered 50 GB of free space in the cloud , a space that has now been reduced to just 20 GB. However, 20 GB is much more than what we are going to find on any other platform.
Mega is available through any web browser , in addition, it has an application for iOS and Android, an application that also allows us to upload content to this platform, in addition to consulting and modifying it and the possibility of sharing links with other users through any application. messaging. With the application for Windows, macOS and Linux, we can synchronize the files stored on our computer to have an updated backup at all times.
We like
Mega is without a doubt the storage platform that offers the most space completely free of charge with 20 GB. In addition, it is available for Windows, Linux, macOS, iOS and Android, so we can access all its content from any device without any limitations.
We do not like
The only negative point that we find in Mega is that the data transfer in the free plan is limited to a certain bandwidth, so if we transfer large amounts of files, we will be forced to complete the task in several days.
Google Drive up to 15 GB free
The second option that offers us more storage space in Google Drive. Google Drive is Google’s cloud storage platform, a platform that offers 15 GB of space completely free to all users who have a Gmail account. This space is shared between Google Photos and Gmail, so if we use both platforms on a regular basis, we will never really enjoy those 15 GB free that it offers us.
We can access Google Drive through any browser , so it is compatible with any operating system. In addition, it is integrated into a large number of platforms, which allows us to integrate your content in a very simple way. The content available on Google Drive is also available from mobile devices, both iOS and Android. Although Google is not characterized as a standard bearer of privacy, the content stored on this platform is completely private and is not analyzed by Google to focus its advertising services. This platform has an application for Windows and macOS that allows you to automatically synchronize the files stored on your computer.
pros
With 15 GB of space, Google Drive is the second best option for a cloud storage platform. In addition, being a Google product, it integrates with all the platforms of the search giant, so if we look for the best integration with a platform of this type, we will find it in Google Drive.
cons
Google Drive is only available for Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android. At the moment there is no application for Linux and everything seems to indicate that Google has no intention of working on it. The other downside is that the 15GB of space is shared with Gmail and Google Photos, so if you’re using both platforms, you’re not really going to get 15GB of free space.
OneDrive
Microsoft‘s cloud storage platform is one of the cheapest of all , since it only offers us 5 GB of free storage space. Of course, unlike Google Drive, OneDrive does not share the free storage space with other services such as Outlook, although even so it is not an interesting option to take into account unless we regularly use this platform from Windows to share files, make backups and more. If we are users of Microsoft 365, whether in the personal or family version, the storage space increases up to 1 TB, more than enough space to store any type of file, be it videos, photos, documents and others.
Like the challenge of cloud storage platforms, OneDrive also has an application for mobile devices. In addition, it is also available via the web , so we can access its content from any operating system, not exclusively from Windows . If you are looking for the best integration with Windows, OneDrive is the best option, as is Microsoft Defender if we are looking for the antivirus that works best with Windows. The OneDrive application available for Windows natively allows us to synchronize all files in the cloud instantly.
Advantage
The main advantage that OneDrive from Microsoft offers us is the perfect integration with Windows, an integration that hardly affects the consumption of computer resources when it is synchronizing many or large files, something that the rest of the platforms cannot boast of .
drawbacks
With only 5 GB of space, OneDrive is one of the cheapest platforms in terms of storage space, along with Apple‘s iCloud if we talk about large technology companies.
Dropbox
Dropbox is the oldest cloud storage platform of all. Today, it still offers the same storage space as in its beginnings, 2 GB, space with which we can really do very little, to say absolutely nothing. Despite offering so little space, this platform is ideal if we are looking to integrate with a large number of services that are not under the auspices of Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Apple and Meta (formerly known as Facebook).
Like the rest of the cloud platforms, we can access Dropbox from any operating system just using the browser . It has an application for Windows and macOS to synchronize files and we can also access it from any Android or iOS mobile device through the official application.
We like
Being one of the oldest platforms on the market, we can find support for a large number of applications, so it is ideal if we are looking for a platform that integrates with others.
We do not like
It only offers us 2 GB of free space, the same space as when the platform was launched more than a decade ago. With so little space we can do little or nothing with it.
Amazon Photos, unlimited space for photos
As we can well guess from the name, Amazon Photos is Amazon’s cloud storage platform that offers unlimited cloud storage space only for photos in their original resolution. We can also store videos, however, the space is limited to the first 5 GB. It also does not allow us to store files, so it is only an excellent option for those Prime users who want to have a copy of all their photos in their original resolution.
Amazon Photos is available via browser through the following link , and is accessible from any operating system. In addition, it also has an application for iOS and Android mobile devices, from where we can program the application so that it automatically uploads all the photographs that we take with our mobile or tablet. It includes a face recognition system, it has a system to remember certain events and many other functions similar to those found in Google Photos and Apple’s iCloud.
pros
Amazon Photos allows us to store all the images we want in their original resolution without any space limit. In addition, we can access its content through any browser or use the application available for iOS and Android.
cons
It only allows you to store photos for free. The maximum size reserved for storing videos is 5 GB. Once we reach that limit, the application will stop synchronizing the videos. Another of the negative points of this platform is that it is only available to Amazon Prime users.
MediaFire
MediaFire is another interesting option to take into account if we are looking for a free cloud storage platform, since it offers us 10 GB of free space by creating an account. If we do not want to create an account, we can use it to share files with up to 1 GB of space, files that are automatically deleted after 14 days.
This platform does not have an application for any operating system and the only way to access its content is via the web , from where we can also upload and download content. The free version includes ads, although, unlike other platforms, they are not very intrusive, so we will hardly notice their existence.
We like
MediaFire stands out for offering 10 GB of space totally free for registered users and for allowing the application to be used without having to register to share files, although the maximum size of the files to be shared is only 1 GB using this method.
We do not like
The only method to upload files to this platform is through the browser. There is no app for any operating system, desktop or mobile.
Internxt
Internxt is a cloud storage platform that stands out for storing all the information in a fragmented and encrypted way, so that if someone accesses the information stored in our account, they will only be able to access part of that information, not all of it. all. This platform includes, in addition to cloud storage, a section to store Photos where we find various functions of facial recognition, memory creation and others.
This platform offers us up to 10 GB of free storage space . It is available via browser through this link. In addition, it also has an Android application, so if we don’t want to use the most common and well-known platforms, Internxt is an excellent option to take into account.
Advantage
This recently created platform offers us 10 GB of free space and offers us an application for Windows, Linux and macOS to synchronize files. We also have an Android app to access stored content.
drawbacks
The only negative point that this platform needs to improve is that, at the moment, there is no application for iOS devices. Only Android users can access the files stored on this platform.
icedrive
icedrive offers us up to 10 GB of free space in the cloud through a revolutionized system that reduces connection latency to practically zero, as if it were a physical storage unit on our PC, according to their website.
It is available for Windows, Linux and macOS through an application that is responsible for synchronizing the new files and those that we modify, as well as for iOS and Android mobile platforms. In addition, it is also accessible via the web and through a portable application.
We like
icedrive allows us to synchronize the files of computers managed by Windows, Linux and macOS through the available application. As for space, we have up to 10 GB of free space.
We do not like
At the moment there are no applications for mobile devices, so it is not an option if we want to access the content that we store on this platform from any device.
Which is the best option?
Both for storage space and availability of versions for operating systems, MEGA is undoubtedly the best option, a platform with 20 GB of space and available for desktop and mobile operating systems. Another interesting option is Google Drive , although sharing the 15 GB it offers with the rest of the platforms, it is not as recommended as MEGA.
In this article we have not mentioned Apple’s iCloud, since, unless we have a Mac or an iPhone, the integration it offers us in Windows is of little use, a fairly limited integration and with only 5 GB of free space, little or nothing we can do.
