Top 5 Personal Cloud Storage Services

What is the Cloud? “The Cloud” is the power word of the modern age. It refers to that magical place on the Internet where you can store all your documents and access them from anywhere. It’s not magical at all, of course, just a simple matter of a good file hosting service, and there are plenty of them to choose from. Here is a look at the top 5 best personal cloud storage services to help you decide which cloud service is right for you.

cloud storage

1. Apple iCloud

Apple was one of the first companies to really embrace the idea of the cloud. It’s cloud offers you 5 GB of free storage, but media purchased from iTunes does not count against that 5 GB limit. If you want to store all your music on the cloud, you can use iTunes Match for $24.99 a year to easily store it without it taking up your storage space as well.

2. Amazon Cloud Drive

The Amazon Cloud Drive also offers 5 GB for free, although you can purchase more space for approximately 50 cents a gigabyte. Access your cloud drive from anywhere you have an Internet browser, such as a computer or a tablet. There is a mobile app that allows you to upload files, but currently you cannot access files from the app.

3. Dropbox

Dropbox popularized the cloud-based storage sites before any of the big companies got in on it, and the service is still going strong. It offers 2 GB of free storage, or you can pay for extra storage space. Where Dropbox is really strong is in its simplicity. It works on just about every operating system, without a lot of extras.

4. Google Drive

Google tried out Google Docs and Google Music first before finally jumping into the cloud storage world with Google Drive. You can get 5 GB of free storage, and anything you’ve created in Google Docs doesn’t count against it. Google Drive automatically syncs with the cloud so no matter what device you use to access the files, they will be up to date.

5. Microsoft SkyDrive

SkyDrive offers more free storage than most other companies, starting at 7 GB. It also allows you remotely access files on computers associated with your account and bring them into the cloud – no need to worry about forgetting important documents on your home desktop. It works well with other Microsoft products, such as Office.

With more companies realizing the value of cloud services, more and more of them will begin to offer their own. Choose a cloud service now from the companies that are pioneering this technology and you’ll be guaranteed the best possible options.

The author of this article, Peter Wendt is a writer, researcher and computer geek. If you’re in need of further recommendations or if you’re simply looking for support, Wendt recommends visiting this Ottawa IT company.