Online storage sites have boomed in the past couple of years. The basic premise of these sites is that you can store your data independently of your desktop computer. That means you can access your spreadsheets from your Android smartphone, open your documents from your iPad, or even look through photos from your laptop. Online storage gives you a type of untethered versatility that we really haven’t seen in computing before.
Some online storage sites are free, while others come with a fee. Many use a “Freemium” model, where you can have a basic membership at no cost but are required to pay a subscription fee if you want to be able to store larger amounts of data. These kind of services are beneficial not just for the basic users for storing their personal stuff, and even larger basis like companies where the backups are necessary.
Here’s a look at some of the top free and paid online storage websites:
- Dropbox: This is one of the fastest-growing online storage websites. You can use Dropbox across many devices, including iDevices, Android, Mac, and Windows PCs. One of the unique things about the Dropbox app for the PC is that it actually stores a copy of your data locally, insuring that you still have access to that data even if you don’t have an Internet connection. Dropbox is free for up to 2 GB of storage. Up to 50 GB of storage is $9.99 per month, and up to 100 GB is $19.99 per month. Join for free 2GB storage here.
- MyPCBackup: This site offers more of a backup of your local data than true simple online storage. You can sync multiple computers to the site, giving you remote access. Backups can be set to be automated on a daily or hourly basis. Unlimited storage plans start at $4.95 a month, and there’s a free 14-day trial as well.
- Carbonite: Carbonite is another backup-style online storage provider. They offer a 15-day trial, and a yearly subscription to the service is $54.95 per computer.
- SugarSync: SugarSync is a site that allows you to synchronize a specific folder. You can sync automatically across multiple PCs, and you can access the files from any web-enabled device. This service offers the option to password-protect files, as well. You can have a 30-day free trial with 30 GB of storage, and the service is $49.99 per year or $4.99 per month.
- OpenDrive: This site has an integrated drag-and-drop feature with Windows, just like Drobox. It includes a public file sharing option, and offers scheduled backup service, as well.
- Box: Box is online storage for small businesses. It allows you to store documents and use them between users, and offers public file sharing options as well. It includes versioning information, allowing users to collaborate on documents and tracking changes as they go. Individual accounts with up to 5GB are free, and business accounts start at $15 per month per user.
- Amazon Cloud Drive: This service gives 5GB of free storage and apart from that, there are many other paid options which start from $20 per year to $1000 per year that depends on the storage options.
Whether you need to access your files from anywhere, or whether you need a safe, secure place to store files with others, check into some of these online storage websites today. There’s sure to be one that will fit your situation. And with most of the services giving initial free trails for you to check out which you were actually looking for, you can later opt to go for a paid plan or else stick to the free one which allows small size storage, of which the Dropbox option would be the best for 2GB free storage.
About the Author:
Eric Greenwood is a seasoned writer in technology, specializing in online storage. You can find more of his articles located at OnlineStorage.org.
The Top Free and Paid Online Storage Websites