To facilitate your storage technology choice, we have carefully selected the best cloud services available in 2023 in this comparison guide.
We will now explain why we have chosen these online storage solutions and what their strengths and weaknesses are.
1 – The top winner: Pcloud
The Swiss cloud storage service, pCloud, enjoys an exceptional reputation due to its advanced synchronization and backup features, as well as its top priority on security and privacy for its users. These promises are rarely upheld by other market players. Moreover, pCloud offers attractive pricing and stands out with unique “Lifetime” offers in the market.
With a free version providing 10GB of space, pCloud Premium 500GB is one of the best online storage solutions in 2023. It is available as an option with 500GB of space, without any upload limits, and benefits from servers located in Switzerland, ensuring security and reliability.
The advantages of pCloud Premium 500GB include a playful reward system, a clear and user-friendly interface, as well as a feature-rich cloud service. Furthermore, pCloud offers the option to enjoy lifetime storage, setting it apart from other services.
Among the remarkable features of pCloud, there is the client-side encryption called pCloud Encryption, which adds an extra layer of security with a locally stored key. This feature is available as an add-on. Additionally, pCloud allows saving screenshots directly to the cloud, which proves to be convenient and efficient.
Regarding pricing, pCloud offers a “Lifetime” plan with three options: 500GB for 199€, 2TB for 399€, and 10TB for 1190€. This unique offer in the market ensures lifelong access to online storage. In addition to this offer, pCloud also provides two annual subscriptions: 500GB for 49.99€ and 2TB for 99.99€.
In summary, pCloud stands as a solid alternative to Dropbox and Google Drive, providing reliability, security, and simplicity across all platforms, and notably standing out with its “Lifetime” offers that have earned its reputation.
2. Kdrive
The Swiss web hosting leader, Infomaniak, has recently made a notable entry into the cloud storage market with its service, kDrive. In addition to highly competitive pricing, this newcomer presents itself as a serious alternative to American cloud giants like Google Drive, OneDrive, and Dropbox. It stands out with a comprehensive range of services and features.
kDrive Solo offers 15GB of free space, with the option to extend this capacity up to 2TB, with no upload limits. As the servers are based in Switzerland, kDrive benefits from remarkable performance and places a strong emphasis on privacy protection.
The advantages of kDrive Solo lie in its highly advantageous pricing, robust privacy guarantees, fast downloads, advanced sharing and collaboration options, as well as its integration of an office suite, kSuite, in partnership with OnlyOffice, fully compatible with Microsoft Office.
However, some features are missing, such as end-to-end encryption locally, differential synchronization, and data compression for transfers. Additionally, the interface and ergonomics of the desktop and mobile clients could benefit from some improvements.
kDrive stands out with its focus on collaborative work and sharing, offering users the customization of sharing links and the creation of personalized landing pages.
Regarding pricing, kDrive offers plans with commitments of one, two, or three years. The Solo plan, with 2TB of storage, starts at €6.65 per month, while the Team plan, offering 3TB of storage for a shared account, is offered at €13.33 per month. The Pro plan is aimed at professionals with 6TB of storage at €8.88 per user and a minimum of 3 users.
The commitments entitle customers to discounts of 10, 15, and 20% on the mentioned prices. The Team and Pro plans also offer the option to extend storage up to 18TB and 106TB respectively. Each subscription also includes multiple free email addresses linked to the “infomaniak.com” domain.
3. Nordlocker
Released from beta in February 2023, NordLocker is one of the newest cloud services. Although some features are still missing, this service stands out thanks to regular updates and special attention to user data security, positioning itself among the best cloud storage services.
NordLocker offers a free version with 3GB of storage space, while a paid option provides 500GB of space. However, it’s important to note that file sharing is limited to 3GB. NordLocker’s servers are located in Panama, ensuring a certain level of privacy.
This service is user-friendly, and all versions, whether on the web, computer, or mobile, are pleasant to use on a daily basis. Despite its qualities, NordLocker still lacks some features compared to its competitors, especially concerning locker sharing and the mobile version, due to its relative newness.
NordLocker stands out mainly for its focus on security and protected storage. It uses lockers, client-side encrypted folders, where users can securely deposit files and folders. Additionally, it is possible to create local lockers on a PC, protecting documents from prying eyes without the need for cloud storage.
Regarding sharing, NordLocker offers two options: sharing entire lockers, which requires recipients to have a NordLocker account to access them, or sharing individual files with a link and a separate security code. In both cases, the shares are secured through end-to-end encryption.
NordLocker’s pricing includes a free plan with 3GB of storage, as well as two paid options for individuals: Personal 500GB with 500GB of storage at €7.99 per month, and Personal Plus 2TB offering 2TB of storage at €19.99 per month. By opting for an annual payment, the prices are significantly reduced. The Personal 500GB subscription drops to €2.99 per month, while the Personal Plus 2TB decreases to €6.99 per month.
Similar subscriptions are offered to professionals, with the addition of an administrative panel to manage account access. The 500GB subscription is priced at €12.99 per month (€8.99 with annual payment), and the 2TB subscription is priced at €18.99 per month (€14.99 with annual payment).
4. Internxt
Internxt (or Inxt for the insiders) is an online storage provider that emphasizes optimal data protection and user privacy. Founded in 2020, this relatively new company compared to its fierce competitors such as Google Drive, pCloud, or IceDrive, has managed to build a loyal customer base and now boasts over one million users worldwide.
Internxt offers a free version with 10GB of storage space, but it’s important to note that file sharing is limited to 5GB. The service is based on decentralized servers to ensure better security and resilience against external attacks.
The main strength of Internxt is its simplicity and excellent file and document storage service in the cloud, with a particular emphasis on security. However, despite these strong points, Internxt is not the most feature-complete provider in the market, as it has certain limitations, such as the lack of features and slightly slower speed compared to the competition, which might disappoint more demanding users.
In terms of features, Internxt stands out with its comprehensive approach to data protection. It uses the AES-256 protocol and “zero-knowledge” local encryption. Additionally, Internxt adopts a fully decentralized architecture, fragmenting and encrypting files client-side, and then distributing them worldwide. This approach ensures that no server contains a complete file, thus enhancing security.
With Internxt Send, a secure file-sharing service, users can safely send any type of file with an easy-to-use sharing link. Files downloaded via Internxt Send also utilize the decentralized architecture to maximize security and privacy. It is possible to limit the number of times a link can be opened to prevent any leaks from the recipient’s end.
Regarding pricing, Internxt offers a basic free plan with 10GB of storage, but users can earn more space by completing specific tasks, such as installing the mobile application, subscribing to Internxt’s newsletter, or referring friends. For paid subscriptions, individuals can choose between 20GB, 200GB, or 2TB, with monthly prices ranging from €0.99 to €9.99. Annual plans offer advantageous rates, ranging from €10.68 per year for 20GB to €107.88 per year for 2TB. Finally, Internxt offers lifetime subscriptions with one-time payments, with options for 2TB, 5TB, and 10TB, priced at €299, €499, and €999, respectively.
5. Icedrive
Founded in 2019, Icedrive represents the new generation of cloud services and has recently been added to the list of the best online storage solutions. Compatible with multiple platforms, it stands out for its ultra-modern interface and top-notch security features. Despite being relatively new, this service offers a generous free plan with 10GB of cloud storage and some of the most attractive paid packages on the market.
Icedrive provides a user-friendly, simple, high-performance, and highly secure experience, making it an excellent alternative in the market. Although a French interface would have been appreciated, Icedrive is improving every day with the addition of new features and already seems to surpass many competitors in the field of cloud services.
In addition to its generous free plan with 10GB of storage, its premium packages are among the most competitive on the market. This British cloud service also ensures simple and effective end-to-end security and top-notch privacy. Icedrive positions itself as a promising new cloud storage service for the years to come.
In terms of features, Icedrive offers intelligent caching of your recently used files to ensure fast operations, almost as fast as those on your hard drive. Although this feature is currently available only for Windows, other operating systems like Mac and Linux can use the portable application that allows uploading, downloading, streaming, and previewing files and folders without pre-downloading them.
Icedrive’s pricing includes three levels of paid subscriptions offering 150GB, 1TB, and 5TB of storage, named Lite, Pro, and Pro+. The monthly prices range from €4.99 for the Pro plan to €17.99 for Pro+, while the Lite and Pro plans are available only on an annual basis for €21.99 and €49.99, respectively. Icedrive also offers lifetime subscriptions as one-time purchases, providing subscriptions such as 150GB for €99, 3TB for €449, and 10TB for €999.
Regarding security, Icedrive incorporates client-side encryption, providing additional protection to all sensitive data that is encrypted on the device before reaching Icedrive’s servers. This measure ensures that data cannot be intercepted, disclosed, or decrypted by third parties.
6. Google Drive
With over one billion users worldwide, Google Drive has become a must-have cloud storage solution for individuals and businesses. This giant service offers more and better features than most of its competitors, thanks to its rich functionalities and seamless integration with other Google services such as the Workspace productivity suite. With 15GB of free space, Google Drive also offers some of the most attractive premium plans in the market.
Google Drive is an extremely powerful online storage service, providing seamless integration with Google services as well as numerous third-party applications, making it an impressive collaboration and file-sharing tool. The synchronization speed is also a major advantage of Google Drive. Additionally, Google Drive offers selective backup tools, which are appreciated by many users.
However, Google Drive has a major drawback in terms of privacy. In the absence of end-to-end security with zero-knowledge encryption, the data stored on Drive remains accessible to Google’s teams. This means that Google can collect and analyze user data with the purpose of selling it to advertisers and other service providers. This compromise in privacy is a price that users have to pay to use Google’s services.
In comparison with its competitors, Google Drive stands out for its excellent search tool, which allows users to search for files based on various criteria, including optical character recognition for images and PDFs. The seamless integration within the Google ecosystem is also a major asset of this cloud storage service.
Google Drive’s pricing includes a free plan with 15GB of storage space, as well as paid offerings under Google One, which provide additional benefits such as photo editing tools, mobile VPN service, and discounts on Google products. The paid plans range from €1.99 per month for 100GB to €9.99 per month for 2TB of storage.
In summary, Google Drive is a powerful and comprehensive cloud service, but its weakness lies in its privacy issues. For users who value the security and privacy of their data, other cloud storage services offering end-to-end encryption may be more suitable.
7. One Drive
Microsoft OneDrive is one of the pioneers of cloud services for the general public, and today, it is one of the most attractive cloud storage solutions in terms of value for money. With multi-platform compatibility, OneDrive offers deep integration with Windows and the Microsoft Office productivity suite, making it an excellent option for PC users.
With 5GB of free space, OneDrive also offers paid plans that include the Office suite, making them very attractive for both business and individual users. The web interface of OneDrive is comprehensive and user-friendly, facilitating document management, file sharing, and real-time collaboration.
OneDrive offers interesting features, such as image and file tagging using artificial intelligence, enabling easier file search. The service has also introduced “Personal Vault,” which adds an additional level of security by using two-factor authentication to access files.
However, OneDrive faces similar privacy issues as most US-based cloud giants, as it does not offer end-to-end encryption, meaning that Microsoft and authorities can access the data stored in users’ accounts. Given that OneDrive servers are located in the United States for free accounts, this may raise privacy concerns.
Overall, OneDrive is an excellent cloud storage solution for PC users, offering seamless integration with Windows and the Office suite, as well as remarkable file sharing, collaboration, and photo management features. However, for those who place particular importance on the privacy of their data, other cloud storage services offering end-to-end encryption may be more appropriate. OneDrive’s pricing varies depending on the subscription plans, offering a range of options from free storage to premium plans with the Office suite included.
8. Dropbox
Dropbox is renowned for being the best multi-platform cloud storage in the market, offering seamless integration across different platforms. Its synchronization service is fast and efficient, often outperforming its competitors. Dropbox is user-friendly, efficient, and feature-rich, making it a popular choice for both individuals and businesses. However, its pricing is generally higher than the market average.
With a free storage space of only 2GB, Dropbox offers paid plans with options of up to 2TB of space. Its ecosystem is very comprehensive, and it integrates perfectly on each platform, even surpassing competitors such as iCloud, OneDrive, and Google Drive in terms of compatibility with their respective operating systems (iOS, Windows, and Android).
The Dropbox interface is simple and user-friendly, making it easy to manage documents, share files, and collaborate in real-time. Dropbox also has a feature-rich “App Center” to extend its capabilities.
However, Dropbox has some drawbacks, especially concerning data privacy. Like most US-based cloud giants, Dropbox does not offer end-to-end encryption, meaning that stored data can be accessed by the company and authorities.
Regarding pricing, Dropbox offers a free Basic account with 2GB of space, and users can earn more space by completing certain tasks or referring friends. For those who need more space, Dropbox offers two other options for individuals: Dropbox Plus with 2TB of space and Dropbox Personal Family, which allows sharing 2TB of space among six different accounts.
Overall, Dropbox is a reliable and efficient cloud storage service, ideal for those seeking smooth multi-platform integration and comprehensive features. However, it should be noted that users concerned about their privacy and looking for a larger free storage space may find alternatives more suited to their needs.