Tech review: Cloud storage apps for your peace of mind

Not having a cloud storage service is like not having home insurance — you don’t need it until disaster hits. These four cloud services can keep your files safe and allow you to access them from anywhere.

Google Drive

(iOS, Android; free/subscription)

Still the best choice for individuals, Google Drive offers 15GB of free storage. It is also the best at saving numerous past versions of files, so if you mistakenly delete important stuff in a file and inadvertently save it, you can restore an older version quickly. Google has recently improved its Drive search capabilities, letting you find what you want fast. Cheapest paid tier is $2 a month, which gets you 100GB of storage, a great deal.

Microsoft OneDrive

(iOS, Android; free/subscription)

Microsoft has cut back on its free tier, but still offers 5GB of storage you can sync over an unlimited number of devices. If you have a Microsoft 365 subscription, you are bumped up to 1TB automatically. As you might expect, Microsoft OneDrive is tightly integrated with Windows, so syncing from your desktop to your devices is seamless. Cheapest paid plan is $7 a month, but it gets you a roomy 1TB of storage.

Dropbox

(iOS, Android; free/subscription)

The first major cloud storage service, Dropbox has shifted its focus to the business market since its 2008 start. Dropbox still offers a free storage tier, but it has a paltry 2GB limit and you can sync your data over only three devices. The cheapest paid plan for individuals is $12 a month, which gets you 2TB of storage. Dropbox recently added a password manager to its free tier, but it has a limit of 50 passwords.

Box

(iOS, Android; free/subscription)

Like Dropbox, Box was one of the earliest cloud storage / file syncing services, and also like Dropbox, it now focuses on the business market. But individual users can still sign up for a free tier with 10GB of storage. It’s cheapest paid plan for individual users is $10 a month and gives you 100GB of storage.