Best Google Drive Alternatives for Cloud Storage

OneDrive is built into Windows, so for many PC owners it is already there. A free Microsoft account gets 5 GB.

The paid plans are the interesting part, because they bundle Office. Microsoft 365 Basic is $1.99 a month or $19.99 a year for 100 GB. Microsoft 365 Personal is $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year for 1 TB plus the desktop Word, Excel and PowerPoint apps. Microsoft 365 Family is $12.99 a month or $129.99 a year for up to six people with 2 TB of shared storage.

Microsoft's Play listing says files are encrypted at rest and in transit. That is standard protection, not end-to-end encryption, so Microsoft can technically access your files.

What you lose vs Google Drive: 10 GB of free space, and Google Docs built into the same storage. If you also want to drop paid Office, see our Microsoft Office alternatives.

iCloud Drive is already on every iPhone, iPad and Mac, and it shows up in the Files app and Finder. Apple gives every account 5 GB free.

iCloud+ plans in the US are 50 GB for $0.99 a month, 200 GB for $2.99, 2 TB for $9.99, 6 TB for $29.99 and 12 TB for $59.99. The 2 TB price matches Google's.

The privacy edge is real but optional. By default Apple holds the keys for iCloud Drive. Turn on Advanced Data Protection and iCloud Drive, Photos, Notes and backups become end-to-end encrypted, with keys held only on your trusted devices. Mail, Contacts and Calendars are never end-to-end encrypted.

What you lose vs Google Drive: good Android support, and 10 GB of free space.

Dropbox is still the reference for folder sync across Windows, Mac and Linux. The free Basic plan, though, is small.

Basic gives you 2 GB, and Dropbox's help center says Basic users can be signed in on up to three devices at a time (desktop and mobile apps count, dropbox.com in a browser does not). Plus is $9.99 a month on the plans page for 2 TB, 30 days to restore deleted files and transfers up to 50 GB. Paid plans have no device limit.

What you lose vs Google Drive: 13 GB of free space, and free document editing built in.

pCloud is the best-known name in lifetime cloud storage. You pay once and keep the space.

Plans on the official pricing page:

The free plan starts small and grows to 10 GB. pCloud's help center says each step of its beginner tutorial unlocks 1 GB (verify your email, upload a file, install the desktop and mobile apps, turn on automatic upload), and each friend who signs up through your link adds 1 GB.

Files are not end-to-end encrypted by default. For that you use pCloud Encryption, a Crypto folder where files are encrypted on your device before upload. Is a lifetime plan worth it? Our guide to lifetime deals worth buying does the math: the 2 TB plan pays for itself in about 5 years.

What you lose vs Google Drive: built-in document editing, and end-to-end encryption on every file by default.

Proton Drive comes from Proton, the company behind Proton Mail. Everything is end-to-end encrypted, so Proton cannot view or edit your files. Its Play listing says metadata is encrypted too: filenames, folder structure, sizes and modification dates.

The free plan gives 5 GB. Drive Plus is $4.99 a month (billed monthly) for 200 GB and keeps previous file versions for 10 years. Proton Unlimited is $12.99 a month for 500 GB plus Proton Mail, Calendar, Pass and VPN. A Proton Family plan scales to 3 TB shared by up to six people. Paid plans come with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Proton also works as a photo backup. We compare it with other private options in our Google Photos alternatives list.

What you lose vs Google Drive: 10 GB of free space, and cheap large plans.

MEGA encrypts and decrypts your files on your own devices, never on its servers. Its Play listing warns that this means MEGA cannot reset your password: lose both the password and the recovery key, and your files are gone.

MEGA calls its free storage "generous", and you can earn more in 5 GB steps through its Achievements program. The free plan has a limited transfer quota, so downloading large amounts can pause. The Android app contains ads.

Paid plans are billed in euros. From MEGA's own plan list:

• Lite: 750 GB, €4.99 a month or €59.99 a year
• Pro I: 3 TB, €9.99 a month or €99.99 a year
• Pro II: 10 TB, €19.99 a month or €199.99 a year
• Pro III: 20 TB, €29.99 a month or €299.99 a year

At about €2.78 per TB a month on Pro I yearly, MEGA is the cheapest large plan on this list.

What you lose vs Google Drive: unlimited transfers on the free plan, and an ad-free Android app.

Sync.com is built around end-to-end encryption. Its Play listing says only you can access your data, and Sync cannot read your files.

The free plan gives 5 GB with two-factor authentication. Sync says free users can create up to 3 password-protected links and 3 team shared folders. Paid individual plans are billed yearly, with a lower first year:

• Personal 1 TB: $9 a month for the first year ($108), then $12 a month
• Solo 5 TB: $21 a month for the first year ($252), then $28 a month
• Personal Unlimited: $33.75 a month for the first year ($405), then $45 a month

What you lose vs Google Drive: 10 GB of free space, and low prices after the first year.

Nextcloud is open source file sync and share software that you run yourself, on a home server, a NAS or a rented server. Your storage is only limited by your disks, and no company sits between you and your files.

There are clients for Windows, Mac, Linux, Android and iPhone, and Nextcloud says its clients support end-to-end encryption. If you do not want to run a server, Nextcloud's site also points to free accounts at hosting providers.

New to self-hosting? Our home lab projects guide walks through Nextcloud and other starter apps, and our list of self-hosted alternatives to popular SaaS apps covers what else you can replace.

What you lose vs Google Drive: zero maintenance. Backups, updates and security are now your job.