The Best Cloud Storage and File-Sharing Services for 2024 (2024)

File syncing and storage services, also called cloud storage services, provide seamless access to all your data—Word docs, PDFs, spreadsheets, photos, and any other digital assets—wherever you are. The best cloud storage services also add safety and security to your online life because when you sync files via the cloud, you create a backup of them by default. If you lose your laptop, all your files are still accessible to you when you log into your syncing service from any browser. When it comes to collaborating, some of the cloud storage services included here allow multiple people to edit files at the same time, with the version history saved automatically. It's a huge convenience.

If you don't yet have an online storage and syncing service, you should seriously consider getting one. Which one you choose depends on the kinds of files you store, how much security you need, whether you plan to collaborate with others, and which devices you own. The best online storage and syncing services are extremely user-friendly, though some have advanced customization for more experienced people. Find our best picks below, followed by a detailed guide to understanding cloud storage and file-sharing services.

Deeper Dive: Our Top Tested Picks

Buying Guide: The Best Cloud Storage and File-Sharing Services for 2024

What Can Cloud Storage Do for You?

The very best cloud storage services play nicely with other apps and online tools, making the experience of viewing and editing files that are stored online feel natural. Especially in business, you want the other software you use to be able to retrieve or access your content, so making sure you use a service that easily integrates with your existing tools is a big deal. Box and Dropbox are particularly strong in this regard.

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The range of capabilities of cloud-based storage services is wider than you may realize. Many of them specialize in a specific area. For example, Dropbox focuses on keeping a synced folder accessible everywhere and in sharing folders with colleagues outside your company. Proton Drive emphasizes secure cloud storage. If you mostly store images, you might want a storage service that specializes in hosting photos (two top options are Google Photos with a Google One account and Adobe Lightroom). Some cloud storage providers, such as Apple, Google, and Microsoft, are generalists, offering not only folder and file syncing, but also media playing, device syncing, and backup. These products even double ascollaboration software, offering real-time document co-editing.

Distinct from but overlapping in some cases with cloud storage arebackup services, particularly ones that offer online backups. Some of them, such as Carbonite, specialize in data protection and recovery, while others like IDrive, combine data protection with syncing and sharing capabilities.

Most cloud services do offer some level of backup, almost as a consequence of their intended function. It follows logically that any files uploaded to a cloud service are also protected from disk failures, since there are copies of them in the cloud. But dedicated backup services sometimes can create a full disk image of your machine so you can restore not just your files, but everything, including system settings and programs. Syncing, by contrast, is about backing up and managing selected files only.

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What Is the 'Cloud' in Cloud Storage?

There's a half-joke saying in the tech world, "There is no cloud. It's just someone else's computer." So, to clear up any confusion, thecloudpart of cloud-based storage refers to putting your files somewhere other than your computer's hard drive. Usually, it means the service provider's servers.

Having data in the cloud gives you the ability to access your files through the internet. Your data is usually encrypted before making the journey over the internet to the provider's servers, and it remains encrypted while it lives on those servers.

Well-designed services don't upload a brand-new copy of your files every time you change one little thing. Instead, the file syncing service looks for changes to your files and uploads only them, saving your connection bandwidth.

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You can access your cloud files through an app or utility software installed on your computer. Once it's installed, it usually shows a small notification icon and creates your synced folder structure that fits into Windows Explorer or the macOS Finder. You can also get to the files via your web browser. Of course, you need an internet connection for it to work, but if you temporarily are without a connection, that's okay. The service waits until the next time you do have a connection and takes care of business then.

For a deeper explanation, see ourexplainer on cloud computing.

Free vs. Paid Cloud Storage

Many services give you free cloud storage as part of their entry-level account. They usually come with some limitations, however, such as the amount of storage you get or a tight cap on the size of the files you can upload. We encourage you to sign up for the free tier of service first and try out the cloud service for several weeks before you commit to upgrading. This way, you can fully integrate the cloud service into your life for real-world testing. You get a feel for how it works and figure out what might go wrong with your setup.

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What could possibly go wrong? Human error accounts for a good deal of cloud storage tragedies, but the dropped internet connection is another common troublemaker. Not to mention that every internet service suffers the occasionaloutage. Ask around (or just look through our review comments), and you'll hear sad stories of how cloud storage can go wrong. One of the benefits of paying for an account is that it usually comes with additional support from the provider, so if anything does go wrong, someone from the company can help you resolve the issue.

There are many other reasons to pay for cloud storage, from getting a lot more space (a terabyte really doesn't cost all that much anymore) to being able to upload huge files. That last benefit is relevant to graphic designers, video editors, and other visual artists who often host enormous files. Other perks of paying for your cloud storage often include increased access to file-version history (meaning you can restore an important business proposal to the version you had before your colleague made a bunch of erroneous changes), more security, and more features for collaboration and teamwork.