We all love our data right?

Yes of course.

Now it is a fact that in this era of ever changing data we consume a lots of data every moment.

According to zdnet.com We share more than 4 billion things daily in facebook and in case of Twitter we tweet 340 per day.

Phew!

Now this is huge data.

But with the rising need of our data consumption we really need some place to store the data safely and securely.

In this post I will point out top 10 free Cloud storage options where you can safely store your data without any complication.

Before dive in the list let us know a little about the basics of cloud storage.

What is cloud storage?

Cloud storage is a service for maintaining and managing data remotely typically by a third party vendor in behalf of yourself.

You can access the data from anywhere no matter where you are.You just require an internet connectivity to have this.

Types of Cloud storage:

There are basically three main types of cloud storage options Public,Private and Hybrid.

Public cloud storage is stored in global data centers spanned across different data centers globally.

Private cloud storage is like public data storage but basically stored behind a secure firewall.

Hybrid cloud storage is a mix of private and public data storage service with much more options for data deployment.

In the year in 1987 Quantum Tech and which was founded by Rob Cosgrove was considered as one of the early providers of this type of remote back up service.

Now Let’us Straight Drive into the list:

#1 Google Drive:

Source

Google drive is one of the best online cloud storage available today.

Since it is a Google Product you can expect all type of versatility from it and surely it also delivers.

It was first launched on April 24, 2012,and quickly becomes the top cloud storage service among users.

According to The Verge,Google drive has approx 800 million users, and Google Photos has crossed the 500 million monthly user mark which makes it really one of the top most services of its kind.

Google drive currently supports 15GB free storage for regular users and also has  paid options like below:

• $1.99 per month for 100GB.
• For 1TB you pay $9.99 per month.

and 10TB costs $99.99 per month.

It has also integrated Google sheets(spread sheet program)Google docs(google document processing) and slides for your presentations which you can prepare online in the cloud.

It has also file-syncing services such as Dropbox which lets you shuffle between devices.

So if you work in office and then went for a short vacation with the sync option turned on you can always access those files you used to work on Office PC.

Another strong point is it’s compatibility features. You can use the web interface to edit or create word or presentation and you can be sure that  those files will work seamlessly with your favorite offline office suite applications.

Google drive has support for variety of file formats.

With the recent introduction of Microsoft Office plug-in Google make it sure that compatibility will not be any issue.

Another important feature I like is the collaboration and sharing feature.

With Google drive you have all the control of your files and can assign permissions to people for files you want to share just in a matter of clicks.

Another useful option is the ability to edit a single file by multiple people at once.

There is also a Live Chat option available when multiple people are editing the same file which makes it more flexible services among others.

So overall Google Drive is a great free cloud storage service which you can absolutely try today.

#2 Box:

Source

If you need of a simple cloud backup storage then I would recommend BOX which can be a great choice.

The free and starter option offers a generous 10 GB of free space without any restrictions.

The ability and the power of Box really excels when it comes to its file transfer speed and privacy.

You can preview just about 120+ types of files, including Word, Excel, PDF, AI, EPS, PSD, photos and more without downloading a single file.

That is a huge list.

Like other cloud services you can also use sync by installing a desktop app for the service which is very simple to use.

Another very exciting feature of box is the embedding capability.

If you need you can embed any files you need in your blog or website with the matter of some clicks only.

Now what do you need more from a free service like this?

Apart from free account box also offers BOX for Business.

This plan can give you increased security and greater space which is worth a mention.

#3 Drop box:

Source

Dropbox which was founded in 2007, by MIT students Drew Houston and Arash Ferdowsi, as a startup company now becomes one of the top file hosting company as American company Dropbox, In.

Till date it has over over 500 million worldwide users which make it a very popular name in case of cloud storage options.

Though it is a very popular service but in terms of its storage capacity in free segment it only offer 2GB free storage for users.

Though there are many options to increase the limit of this free usage space (for example using the invitation service etc) but still I feel it is just too much for a normal user who just want a free cloud space.

There are simply better options available in the market for this purpose and for free!

So keep this in mind.

Drop box has  really a nice feature called ‘DropBox Paper’ which is used to restore files which you have deleted and if you install its Desktop app it can also backup your photos automatically.

Another great feature and the strongest  point is its support for third party apps.

It can integrate with over 100,000 third-party apps including Hubspot,zoho and many other popular ones.

Dropbox’s business plan starts with $12.50 per user per month with increased storage and best in class sync technology.

You can compare its different plans here

#4 Microsoft One drive:

Source

Microsoft one drive is the Microsoft/s storage option in terms of Cloud Space.

Previously it was known as Microsoft Sky drive now rebranded as Microsoft OneDrive.

On December 2008, Microsoft upgraded the capacity of an individual SkyDrive account  from 5 GB to 25 GB which was a very generous move then.

But later on Microsoft has reduced the free storage capacity only to 5GB which is a bit odd but you must admit that it takes a lot of effort to run a premium service for free all the time!

However this 5GB limit can be extended automatically to 1 TB if you  have Office 365 subscription.

If you are using Windows 8 or 10 you are blessed as OneDrive is built in the OS directly.

If you are on the earlier versions of Windows or using MAC then you have to install a desktop app and can then use it as you like.

For mobile users there is OneDrive for Android,iOS also.

The best part is if you are used to work in Microsoft’s environment it is super easy to edit your Word,Excel and Power points very easily and quickly.

If you signup for OneDrive it also gives you  access  Xbox Live,Outlook, and other Microsoft services.

#5 pCloud:

Source

pCloud is a new player compared to the above mentioned services.

But the services it offers is worth a mention and deserves more attention .

If you are looking for a simple storage then pCloud can be one of your best option to go with.

The free version which they call Free Forever plan offers you a descent 10 Gb of free space.

This is commendable specially if you compare it with other big players like Microsoft OneDrive which only offers you a 5GB free storage.

Apart from the free version you can upgrade to Premium 500 GB – (yearly subscription for $47.88) or Premium Plus 2 TB – monthly subscription for $9.99 vesrions which are very popular options among their many plans.

Full plan details here

Apart from normal storage service it includes 256-bit AES encryption for all files.

If you require you can also add some extra layer of encryption called ‘pCloud Crypto’which is a paid service but if you wish you can also use it 14 day  as free trial.

Among another exciting features it also includes ‘Rewind Account’, which is basically an option to recover your older account upto 30 days.

For backups you can backup your data from major similar cloud services like.Dropbox,Facebook,Google drive etc. This make things exciting.

Suppose you use Google Drive for your regular cloud storage but you use pCloud then you can configure it to backup from your Google drive which gives you double protection for your data.

Another very handy feature is the ability to assign password for your downloadable file.In this way you can quickly restrict your data as per need.

#6 Degoo:

Source

Do you have heard the name of Degoo?

I bet most of you are hearing it for the first time.

Degoo is a Swedish based cloud storage which gives you a mammoth 100 GB of free cloud store for free!

Now this is more than your Google drive or OneDrive!

Degoo is perfectly secure ,fast and reliable service for your personal use.

It also has a referral option in which you can extend the free limit upto 500GB.

Now it is cool!

It is 500 GB of storage for free!

If you signup as a new user you can also get instant 2000 gb of free storage though for 1 week

After you signup for the service you will be prompted immediately to download the Degoo’s Windows software.

By using  Degoo’s Windows software you can easily backup files .

Degoo has the ability to backup files every 24 hours automatically but if you eant you can also do it manually  from Degoo’s Windows software.

One of the most exciting feature of Degoo is its compression.

It can compress your large files upto 5 GB in a matter of minutes.

It also supports upto 20+ languages which is very commendable for the service.

If you prefer mobile versions you can also get Degoo available both for Android and iOS

At the moment Degoo is only supported by Windows but they are working hard to make it compatible for Ubuntu or such Linux based OS.

#7 hubiC:

Source

hubiC is a new entry in the market which a worth a mention for its generous offering of 25GB of free storage.

It also offers an additional 25 Gb of storage by referring additional 5 persons.

It has all regular features of a standard file storage service but it has a major weak point.

It has no server side encryption when you store any files.

It is only encrypted when the files are in transmit.

So if your top priority is security then hubiC is not the best one for you.

So keep this point noted!

Last Words:

It is no doubt the importance of Cloud storage services are increasing day by day and there is no signal of slowing it soon any time soon.

Data is valuable and you should take the advantages of these free cloud storage services which can  keep your data secure and safe!

Do you use any other such cloud data backup service?

What do you think is it important?

Please share your thoughts and views in the comment box below.

I will be happy to answer all your queries!

Have a Good Day Ahead!

Image Cover Source:https://pixabay.com/en/users/stevepb-282134/
(Under CCO Creative commons)

The post Top 7 Free Cloud Storage Backup Services You Should Try Today! appeared first on Tekkibytes.com.