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Extra Space Storage: Which Cloud Storage Has The Best Value?

One of the fastest growing industries in today’s day and age is technology, and our current technology has limited storage space, so to remedy that people have tried finding ways for an extra storage. One such way to do this is with Cloud Storage which provides extra space storage by storing the data you don’t wish to lose in a server hosted by one of a variety of companies.

 

So, if you find yourself on your phone or computer and don’t want to lose precious family photos if something happens, you have the capability of storing a copy on the Cloud, and we will help you by reviewing various Cloud services for you.

Comparison Table

PRODUCT NAME

PRODUCT IMAGE

WHERE TO BUY

Dropbox

Top 10 Extra Space Storage Cloud Options

Google Drive

Top 10 Extra Space Storage Cloud Options

MEGA

Top 10 Extra Space Storage Cloud Options

Microsoft OneDrive

Top 10 Extra Space Storage Cloud Options

Box

Top 10 Extra Space Storage Cloud Options

iCloud

Top 10 Extra Space Storage Cloud Options

NextCloud

Top 10 Extra Space Storage Cloud Options

SpiderOak

Top 10 Extra Space Storage Cloud Options

IDrive

Top 10 Extra Space Storage Cloud Options

pCloud

Top 10 Extra Space Storage Cloud Options

Product FAQ

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1. WHAT IS CLOUD STORAGE?

Cloud Storage is one method we have created that provides extra space storage that doesn’t rely on hardware being connected to any of our devices. That does not mean that it is without hardware though; all hardware for Cloud Storage is located in various sites controlled by the company that owns it. This makes it so their customers need not worry about their devices being burdened by any unnecessary hardware, yet, still have the freedom of extra space.

2. WHAT DOES CLOUD STORAGE DO?

Cloud Storage gives extra space storage to customers and lets them put various pictures, documents, videos, and many other things onto a storage that is not attached to their device, so they do not have to worry about their device running low on space. 

3. HOW DOES CLOUD STORAGE WORK?

Cloud Storage can give you extra space storage when your device is connected to a signal able to transmit data, like Wi-Fi or your cell phone’s data. Using that signal, it copies what you want to be put onto the Cloud, so that there is a version on both. So, if you have some precious family photos that you don’t want to lose or documents that are taking up space, you can move them to a secure Cloud Storage unit.

4. WHERE CAN YOU BUY CLOUD STORAGE?

You can buy extra space storage from various companies, Google has their own, as does Microsoft and Apple; there are also many that belong to third parties that are popular. Many of the Cloud Storage apps we examined also come with a small amount of storage for free, with more storage costing increasingly more, and with additional extra space storage being supplied with each price increase. 

5. HOW DO YOU GET EXTRA SPACE STORAGE?

You can get extra storage space by downloading their apps or programs and using the free space that many of them offer, or if you want more space, you can pay a monthly or yearly installment so you can store plenty of things without worrying about running out of space. Other than that, if you don’t want to deal with Cloud extra space storage, you can usually easily increase the memory of your device so it can store more data. 

How We Reviewed

To give you the most unbiased opinion on the extra space storage regarding Cloud devices, we looked at each one’s offered features, their pros and cons, and lastly, their price. We think this is the fairest way to compare so that when you look at this list and see what our opinions are, you can truly know which method of extra space storage is the best for what you need. Thus, we assembled our list of top 10 extra space storage Cloud options.

Overall Price Range of This Product (and Similar Products)

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One of our favorite things about these products is that their cheapest price offered is free – granted that is for the most basic of the things that are offered by whichever companies offer a free version. Some of the most expensive plans can cost around $5,000 dollars; these are mostly meant for businesses though and not for individual use. When you only use the free version of these products, you get very little storage space, in most cases only a meager amount of around 5 GB’s, sometimes more and sometimes less.

What We Reviewed

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  • Dropbox
  • Google Drive
  • Mega
  • Microsoft OneDrive
  • Box
  • iCloud
  • NextCloud
  • SpiderOak
  • IDrive
  • pCloud

Dropbox

Dropbox logo

Features 

One of the amazing things about Dropbox is that it has such a wide variety of ways to organize whatever files that you want to save. It is also shareable among people, making it versatile. There is also a feature that the app said it had that would scan documents from your phone, but we did not test it. We were impressed by how easily we were able to organize files into different folders depending on our needs, and that we were able to share specific folders with someone or a specific file should the need arise.

Price

This product can be found on Amazon, App stores, and online for free. It costs around $ dollars a month if you choose a basic plan or around $ dollars a month for the advanced plan.

PROS

  • Many methods to share different files        
  • Advanced plan allows for as much space as needed
  • Many organization methods

CONS

  • Can use data quickly
  • Can drain battery quickly

Google Drive

Google Drive logo

Features 

One of the amazing things we love about the Google Drive is that its free version gives you 15 GB’s of memory to store your data if you need it, and all that you need to use it is a Google Account. It also offers upgrades if the basic version is not enough; in fact, it offers up to 30 TB’s of memory, which is enough that you probably won’t need to worry about getting any more extra space storage as you’ll likely have your hands full just trying to use up that much.

Price

This product can be found as an app on Amazon, on App stores, or online for free if you get the basic plan that gives you 15GB’s, or for around $ dollars a month if you get their most expensive option that offers 30TB’s.

PROS

  • Offers up to 30TB’s
  • Able to use other Google services in conjunction
  • Offers 15 GB’s with free package

CONS

  • Can use data quickly
  • App does not allow direct editing, requires other services

Mega

Mega logo

Features 

Mega reminds us of Google Drive a lot because just like Drive, Mega offers 15 GB’s of free Cloud storage which can be upgraded to more storage by paying an increasing amount. We also noticed that it felt much easier for us to use than Dropbox, so it was definitely one of the storage methods that is easy to pick up. We also appreciated that if you don’t want a TB, you can pay around $5 dollars and get 200GB’s, or if you want a TB it will cost about $ dollars.

Price

You can find this product on App stores, Amazon, or online for free or paid. If you choose to use the free version of this program, then you only get 15 GB’s, and you can pay up to $35 dollars a month to receive 8 TB’s to use for files.

PROS

  • Offers not only terabytes of storage
  • Easy to use
  • Offers 15 GB’s for free

CONS

  • Can use data quickly
  • Upload speed felt slightly slow
  • Not amazing customer support

Microsoft OneDrive

Onedrive Logo

Features 

The first thing we noticed when looking at OneDrive was, that unlike some other Clouds we looked at, this one’s free amount of storage is only 5 GB’s, and there are only 3 plans available. The plans also have large disparities between them, which is disappointing. If you purchase one of the 2 paid plans, however, you do receive access to Microsoft Office and at least 1TB of space that should store a great many documents.

Price

This product can be found on App stores, Amazon, or online for free or paid. When you use the free version, you only have access to 5GB’s. If you want more, you can either pay about $ dollars a month to gain 50GB’s, or you can pay a much higher yearly price gain a TB or more.

PROS

  • Some paid options come with Microsoft Office
  • You can choose to just upgrade cloud memory
  • Can be purchased yearly or monthly

CONS

  • Can use data quickly
  • Only 3 plans
  • Plans are very different

Box

Box logo

Features 

Right away while looking at Box the lack of choices for individuals disappointed us. There are only 2 plans for individuals, free and paid. There were more plans for businesses and there were plans for large enterprises, but it would be nice if they supported individuals more.

Price

This product can be found on their website or on their App store for free, or you can pay for it. The free version for individuals includes 10GB’s for free, while the paid version for individuals includes 100 GB’s for around $ dollars.

PROS

  • Great business support
  • Most business plans offer unlimited space

CONS

  • Can use data quickly
  • Poor individual support
  • Individual plan costs a lot

iCloud

iCloud logo

Features 

Much like some other Cloud programs, this one offers 5GB’s for free when you use it. A difference in it is that some of their plans are much cheaper than others even though they only have 3 plans. One plan gives 50 GB’s, one 200 GB’s, and one 2TB’s.

Price

This product can be found on the Apple website or App stores for free or you can pay for it. The most expensive plan offers 2 TB’s and costs about $ dollars.

PROS

  • Plans are not badly priced
  • Available on every device with it downloaded

CONS

  • Can use data quickly

NextCloud

NextCloud logo

Features 

This one was interesting to look at because it is not a true Cloud in the way we usually think of them. You can connect it to various other Clouds they have support with, and that functions almost like an additional security measure.

Price

This product can be found on their website or their App store for free though if you wish to use it for a business, they offer plans that cost up to around $5,000 dollars.

PROS

  • Great security
  • Can run on your own server
  • Amazing functions

CONS

  • Can use data quickly
  • Complicated to use

SpiderOak

SpiderOak logo

Features 

SpiderOak has nothing too special about it; it is overall seemingly mediocre. That is until you look at the prices of the plans offered, and that it has amazing file organization capabilities. It has 4 plans, 5 if you include the free version of it that comes with 5 GB’s.

Price

This product can be found on their website or an App store. They offer both free and paid services with the most expensive paid service being around $ dollars per month which gives you 5 TB’s of space.

PROS

  • Amazing file organization
  • Good price
  • Allows someone to attach unlimited devices to an account

CONS

  • Can use data quickly
  • Appears to be lackluster at first
  • Unable to upload from a phone

IDrive

IDrive logo

Features 

This product comes with a free version that gives access to 5GB’s of storage space with up to 5 TB’s of additional space being available for personal use.

Price

This product can be found on the App store or on their site; they offer both free and paid services, with the free service being 5 GB’s of space and the paid service up to 5TB’s and costing around $ dollars a year.

PROS

  • 5 TB’s is a lot
  • Mobile backup available

CONS

  • Can use data quickly
  • Few personal options

pCloud

pCloud logo

Features 

The first thing we noticed was that they have pricing that is for a lifetime! They say in the fine print they determine a lifetime to be 99 years or as long as the account holder is alive, whichever is shorter. This may sound grim, but having a permanent Cloud you can access is amazing. The highest amount of space that they offer is sadly 2TB’s, however, this is both a good amount and a bad one depending on how much extra storage you need.

Price

This product can be found on their site or on their App store. Their annual prices are approximately $ dollars and $ dollars. The Lifetime prices are about $170 dollars and $350 dollars.

PROS

  • Has lifetime option
  • Offers 2TB’s
  • Automatic sync across multiple devices

CONS

  • Can use data quickly
  • Offers up to 2TB
  • Only has 2 different data sizes

The Verdict

Cloud storage

If you can afford it, we recommend that for your extra space storage needs you get pCloud, unless you know you will need more space than that. If you don’t need more space than that, however, it is an amazing bargain as you will have access for your lifetime.


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