OneDrive vs Google Drive vs Dropbox vs iCloud: Which Is Best For You? Update 12/2024

As cloud storage has grown in popularity over the last few years, it’s not for lack of merit. When you don’t have to bother about lugging about USB drives and external HDDs, having access to your data on-the-fly from different devices is unrivaled in convenience.

Apple’s iCloud Drive, Microsoft’s OneDrive, Google Drive, and Dropbox are the four most popular cloud storage solutions with hundreds of millions of customers.

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All of these services are quickly reviewed below, and we’ll examine how much storage they give and which of them provides the most value for your money..

Storage and Price

How much storage does each service offer, and how much does it cost? First things first.

So, as you can see, the four most popular cloud storage services offer a variety of storage options with varying prices, so there’s a plan for everyone.

In terms of cloud storage, Google has the upper hand, as 15 GB of free storage is more than adequate for individuals who simply need to back up a few things and don’t need a lot of storage space.

There are other options if 15 GB just isn’t enough for you and you don’t want to spend too much, like iCloud, OneDrive, and Google Drive. These services all offer plans with capacities ranging from 50 GB to 200 GB for between $1 and $3 a month.

When it comes to those that really need and can afford lots of storage space, all of the services described above have excellent offers. However, there are a few additional things to consider other from storage capacity and pricing. In the following section, we’ll take a closer look at some other features.

Additional Features

iCloud

As a starting point, let’s examine the advantages and disadvantages of Apple’s iCloud Drive storage.

Well, to be honest, there isn’t much to say. While it functions well within the limits of Apple’s environment, the program becomes antiquated and difficult when used outside of macOS and iOS.

We’ve found that, while though iCloud is a great feature for Mac and iPhone users, it’s less useful on Windows-based PCs. A browser is the sole method to use other iCloud apps, such as Photos or Mail, on Windows, which is less than ideal.

Because it only works well with Apple apps and has family sharing and folder sharing, we can only recommend iCloud to those who use an iPhone or a Mac. It also has the cheapest paid storage plan at the moment: 50 GB for only one dollar per month.

Google Drive

Google Drive (or “Google One,” as it has been renamed) is a little better than iCloud when it comes to features, but the two services are more alike than they are different in terms of their offerings.

This makes Google Drive a more attractive option for Windows, Android, and ChromeOS users, as well as those who utilize Apple’s cloud service iCloud.

Users of Google’s paid plans also receive “additional member advantages,” however these are questionable and vary by country. There are savings on hotels identified through Google Search, as well as awards on the Google Store and credits in the Play Store, among other things (up to 40 percent off). As a result, it’s difficult to classify these benefits as a significant advantage.

Even if Google Drive and iCloud provide identical storage options and feature sets, Google Drive is more accessible to individuals who are not part of Apple’s ecosystem.

Web, Chrome OS integration, Android, Mac, iOS, and Windows

All users will get 15GB of free storage space at the outset.

Paying for storage:

• $1.99 a month for 100 GB
• $29 each month gets you 200 GB
• Monthly usage of 2TB is available for just $9.99.
• Monthly usage of 10TB is $99.99.

Summary:

Google Drive is to Android and Chromebook users what iCloud is to Apple users. If you have an iPhone and use Google Docs and other Google services, it’s a terrific alternative for storing your photos in a clean environment. Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides files can be shared in real time with limitless storage and 15GB of free storage.

A total of 10TB is also possible. Additionally, the new “Google One” consumer storage plans from Google Drive can be shared by up to five family members. It is important to note that you may use Google Photographs from your mobile device (including iPhone and iPad) to automatically back up photos up to 16 megapixels in size to Google Drive for free. All your 1080p videos are free to store.

When uploading large files, many users have complained that the process is quite slow, especially when uploading folders of large files.

More information:

• For more information on Google Drive features, visit Google’s support website.
• More information about pricing outside of the United States can be found on Google’s support website.
• For additional information on the system requirements, see Google’s help page.

OneDrive

In the next section, we have Microsoft’s OneDrive, which is more feature-rich than either iCloud or Google Drive. When it comes to the free 5GB and $1.99 100gb plans, they’re basically just cloud storage, but the more costly Personal and Family subscriptions offer additional features.

Microsoft Office — Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook are all available on up to five PCs at the same time, with additional security and rollback capabilities and extended storage. Since OneDrive’s prices are so reasonable for Windows users and those who want access to Office apps, it’s clear why it’s so popular right now.

This package costs $6.99 a month or $69.99 a year and is worth every penny even if we don’t take into account that you also get access to Microsoft Office.

Web, Windows, Windows Phone, Mac, iOS, and Android are all supported.

All users will get 5GB of free storage space at the outset.

Paying for storage:

• $1.99 a month for 100 GB
  • For $6.99 a month, you can get 1 TB of storage (plus Office suite for 1 PC, 1 mobile)
  • You get 1TB for $9.99 per month (same as above, but for five users)

Summary:

If you’ve got a Windows 10 PC or an Office 365 subscription, OneDrive is the obvious choice for you. Aside from the fact that it’s free with an Office 365 subscription, it’s also a good deal, as 1TB of storage on competing services costs far more. Additionally, it allows for real-time collaboration on Office documents in addition to viewing and editing. Only one Mac, iPad, and iPhone can use this Office license.

OneDrive and Office 365 are actually designed to work seamlessly with the Windows 10 operating system. When you use the company’s Mac and iOS applications and software, this is readily apparent. To put it bluntly, they’re not very good. When it comes to the basic plan, you can get more storage for less money if you opt out of Office 365. The $1.99 monthly fee does not include any Office 365 benefits.

More information:

• For additional information on OneDrive features, visit Microsoft’s support website.
• For information on pricing outside of the United States, visit Microsoft’s support website.
• For additional information on the system requirements, see Microsoft’s help page.

Dropbox

In the end, we have Dropbox, which is a little bit of a mixed bag for most people. There is just 2 GB of storage on their free plan, and their subscription plans start at 2 TB for $11.99 a month, which can fill up in the blink of an eye.

What’s the point of using Dropbox if you don’t need it? That’s because they simply have the best set of features that will appeal to more serious, professional users.

It is possible to access your files on the cloud almost instantly without storing them locally on your device using Dropbox Smart Sync, Text Search and AutoOCR, and Dropbox Transfer, all of which are included in the Plus and Professional plans of Dropbox. You can also send files securely to others using Dropbox Transfer.

The decision to pay for these extra features is totally up to the customer. Dropbox is a wonderful option if you require a lot of storage space. The monthly price for the Plus and Professional plans reduces to $9.99 and $16.58 for a yearly commitment, which is in line with the pricing of the other services featured above but with the added benefit of the aforementioned additional features.

Web, Mac, iOS, Android, and Windows are all supported platforms.

All users get 2GB of free storage at the outset (called Basic)

Paying for storage:

• The “Plus” plan adds 1 terabyte of storage space for $9.99 per month.
• Two gigabytes of storage every month for $16.99 (called Professional, has more features)

Summary:

Dropbox is unique in that it is not device or platform specific. Anyone can use it, regardless of their preferred operating system. In addition, it’s fast and trustworthy, and it always syncs. Simply create a Dropbox folder and then drag and drop your files into it to get started. It’s possible to store your complete computer or Mac in Dropbox and have it accessible both locally and in the cloud.

As long as you have a basic plan, you can go back 30 days in time to a previous version of any file. More pricier options include more days and features, such as smart sync and priority chat assistance. Dropbox, on the other hand, is a very basic service. It does offer a Paper note-taking software, but finding people who use it is a challenge.

More information:

• For more information on Dropbox features, see Dropbox’s help website.
• For additional information on pricing outside of the United States, check out Dropbox’s support page.
• Visit the Dropbox help center to learn more about the system requirements.

How Much Storage Do You Need?

Finally, how much cloud storage do you really need before we wrap up this discussion?

In the end, it all relies on what you intend to store on a server in the cloud. Office documents, PDFs, and eBooks, as well as photographs, take up very little storage space. Thousands of them would easily fit on Google Drive’s free 15 GB plan. Audio and video files, on the other hand, take up a lot of space and could soon fill up your storage if you choose for a lesser plan.

It’s easy to figure out which plan is best for you based on how much storage space you’ll need to store all of your data in the cloud. It’s also important to leave some wiggle room in your cloud storage plan if you plan on adding additional files to it in the future, since you may discover your storage filling up more quickly than you expected.

Finally, if the things you intend to store in the cloud just take up considerably more space than what you can pay, ask yourself – do you really need to keep all that material in the cloud?

As previously said, one of the primary benefits of storing data in the cloud is having it available on nearly any device, no matter where you are or where you are. However, portable storage may be a superior option in some cases.

Because storage is now more affordable than ever, you could acquire a large external HDD or SSD for a fraction of the cost of a year of 2 TB of cloud storage, and it would last much longer and give significantly more storage capacity.

Of course, there are disadvantages to using external storage as well. An external hard drive necessitates the use of other devices that are capable of supporting it and have the necessary connectors in order for you to transfer files manually. Additionally, you would have to transport them, which could be cumbersome at times and introduces the possibility of loss or damage.

It doesn’t matter how much storage you require, a portable external solution can save you a lot of money in the long run.

Setting Up a Battle: Dropbox vs OneDrive vs Google Drive Comparison

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In order to ensure a fair comparison, we’ve broken it down into nine categories that we believe are the most critical when making a decision about a cloud storage service. There are a number of factors that we’ll take into consideration while evaluating the various service providers: ease of use, mobile app support, security and privacy and customer service.

If there is a winner at the end of each round, we will announce it. A two- or three-way tie could occur if the round is too close to call. Our final winner will be determined after nine rounds of scoring. Here we go: Let the war begin.

Features

The first step is to see what cloud storage companies have to offer. We’ll take a look at both the built-in functionality and third-party app integrations. In particular, we’re interested in how these cloud-based applications can improve productivity and collaboration.

Microsoft OneDrive Features

Using OneDrive with other Microsoft products is a breeze because it is a cloud storage service from Microsoft. Right-clicking an attachment in Outlook and saving it to a OneDrive folder of your choice is just one example. All the benefits of native integration with both Microsoft’s products, such as Office 365, as well as Windows, are included in Microsoft 365.

Unless you’re using the corporate edition of OneDrive, there are no third-party connectors to speak of. Although there are OneDrive-enabled apps, it’s more about the apps integrating with OneDrive than the other way around. As you’ll see in the following comparison, this is also true for Google Drive and Dropbox.

Google Drive Features

Google Docs and Google Sheets (find out how to change your default Google account) also operate perfectly with Google Drive. The Gmail integration is also quite good. In the “compose” window, you can add a file from your Google Drive.

One advantage Google Drive has over Microsoft OneDrive is the ability to integrate with third-party services. A wide range of third-party applications can be integrated into the Google Drive user interface.

Dropbox Features

Dropbox’s cloud storage doesn’t come with an office suite or email client like Google Drive or OneDrive, but it does contain a note-taking software (see our Dropbox Paper review), a document signer, a file transfer service, and a password manager. Taking and sharing screenshots and screen recordings is also possible with this app.

As a result, you could expect Dropbox to be less valuable as a collaborative tool because it lacks office tools. Dropbox, on the other hand, can access files from both Microsoft and Google. Using Dropbox, you can easily swap between several providers. Dropbox allows you to use both services instead of having to choose one over the other.

If you’re looking to integrate Dropbox with other programs like Trello, IFTTT, or full-blown design apps like Canva, Procreate, or AutoCAD, Dropbox offers its own app store where you can find add-ons.

Collaboration: Google Drive vs OneDrive vs Dropbox

These cloud storage companies have exceptional collaboration tools, which is why each of them made our list of the best cloud storage providers. Cloud storage services like Dropbox and Google Drive are responsible for many popular office software, so this shouldn’t come as a surprise.

As previously established, OneDrive is fully integrated with the Microsoft 365 suite of applications. You may all work on the same Office document if you share it with others. Real-time updates show you who else is working on the file and what changes they’ve made. OneDrive automatically saves any changes you make to your account.

Microsoft Teams is also part of Microsoft 365, which offers you access to the service. OneDrive’s integration with the Office 365 document editors and the powerful Teams communication platform brings up a slew of new possibilities for collaborative work. In addition to OneDrive’s integration with Skype, you can now preview and exchange documents right from the app.

Google Drive Collaboration Options

Google’s own office programs, such as Google Docs and Google Sheets, are used in a similar method when integrating Google Drive. A different-colored cursor indicates that a collaborator is editing the document, and their name appears as a distinct color as they type.

There is also Google Meet, a communication platform provided by the company. There are third-party extensions you may use to increase its capabilities, but it’s not as flexible as Teams. It’s also possible to collaborate on documents in Google Drive from within other Google apps if you receive Google Drive as part of the Google Workspace subscription.

Dropbox Integration With Google and Microsoft Apps

Any Google document that you have stored in your Dropbox cloud storage can be opened by clicking on it. Your modifications will be immediately saved to Dropbox when working together in Google Drive, just like with Google Docs. For this to work, your Google email must be the same as your Dropbox email. This is a minor irritation.

Dropbox, like OneDrive, allows you to collaborate on Microsoft Office files in the same way. Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides can even open Microsoft file types and allow you to make adjustments. The files will remain in their original Microsoft file formats when you upload them to Dropbox. Just as with OneDrive, you can also share files directly to Teams.

Pricing

In addition to free storage, each of the three providers offers subscription accounts with a variety of benefits. All three companies provide reasonably priced cloud storage alternatives if you don’t need to store a lot of data. On our list of the best 1TB cloud storage providers, all three services are included. Look at the freebies each service offers first.

Dropbox vs Google Drive vs OneDrive: Free Storage Space

In terms of free cloud storage, Dropbox and OneDrive don’t really give a whole lot of room. Dropbox gives 2GB of free storage, however OneDrive only offers 5GB of free storage. Both platforms restrict certain functionality to free accounts, which is a similarity.

Only three files can be stored in your “personal vault” in the free version of OneDrive (we’ll look into these features in a bit). It’s the same story with Dropbox: You can’t use the “account rewind” option with a free Dropbox account because it has no advanced sharing features or access to Dropbox Vault.

With a substantial 15GB of free storage, Google Drive takes the top spot in our list of the best free cloud storage options. Google Drive’s free version has no constraints, unlike OneDrive and Dropbox, which have restrictions on the amount of storage space you may use for free.

Paid Pricing Plans Comparison

Things grow more confusing when it comes to the paid tiers. In this comparison, Dropbox is the most expensive cloud storage service, while Google Drive is the cheapest, and OneDrive is somewhere in the center. With the discount applied, we’ll compare the pricing of the three cloud storage providers.

Dropbox Pricing Plans

The only personal plan offered by Dropbox is the Dropbox Plus plan, which costs $9.99 per month. With this plan, you get 2 terabytes of cloud storage for just $9.99 a month. The Family plan, which provides 2TB of shared file storage for $16.99 a month, is another option. Up to six people can join this plan and share a “family room” for accessing files together.

Since the business plans are geared toward companies and other business users, we won’t dive into the pricing details. Dropbox’s Professional plan, which costs $16.58 per month for 3TB of storage, is the only business plan suitable for a single user. It’s not recommended that you utilize the corporate plans, which offer up to 5TB of cloud storage and more comprehensive user management tools, for personal usage.

For large enterprises, Dropbox has an Enterprise plan that may be tailored to your needs, but you’ll need to get a quote from Dropbox first. If you’re looking for a cloud storage solution for your business, Dropbox Business might be a good option to consider.
Free

• : Only one person is currently using this service.
• 2 Gigabytes

FREE
Dropbox’s premium service, Dropbox Plus

• : Only one person is currently using this service.
• : : : : : :

One-month strategy
It costs $11.99 each month.
a one-year strategy
Per month: $9.99
Every year, you’re charged $119.88.
Savings of 17%
a member of the Dropbox clan

• : Only one person is currently using this service.
• : : : : : :

One-month strategy
Monthly fee: $19.99
a one-year strategy
$ 16.99 each month.
Every year, $203.88 is charged.
You may save 15% by using this coupon code.
OneDrive for Business

• : Only one person is currently using this service.
• Storage capacity: 3000 gigabytes

One-month strategy
Monthly fee: $19.99
a one-year strategy
$ 16.58/month
Every year, $199 is charged.
Savings of 17%

Microsoft OneDrive Pricing Plans

The OneDrive storage plans offer affordable cloud storage and access to other Microsoft apps, but the storage cap is minimal – only 1 terabyte. For $1.99 a month, OneDrive subscribers get 100GB of storage, but they don’t get access to Office apps. If you want extra storage, you’ll need a Microsoft 365 subscription.

Personal and family plans are available in the same way as Dropbox. Microsoft Office is included in the Personal plan, which costs $5.83 a month for 1 terabyte of storage. For around $8.33 a month, the Family plan provides 1TB of OneDrive storage and full access to the Office suite for up to six users.

There are two business plans for Microsoft’s OneDrive that aren’t part of Microsoft 365 and don’t come with any add-ons. As an alternative, the $5 per user Microsoft 365 Business Basic package includes important software such as Teams and SharePoint in addition to the standard Office applications. In addition, each user gets 1 terabyte of OneDrive storage space.
OneDrive Basic 5 GB

• At least five gigabytes

FREE
OneDrive has a storage capacity of 100 GB.

• 100 Gigabytes

a month’s subscription costs $1.99
Microsoft 365 for Individuals

• Includes a free copy of Microsoft Office 365 Personal.
• : : : : : :

One-month strategy
a monthly fee of $6.99
a one-year strategy
$5.83 a month.
Every year, $69.99 is charged.
Savings of 17%
All-in-one subscription to Microsoft’s 365 business service

• : : : : : :

One-month strategy
$ 6 a month
a one-year strategy
$ 5/month
Every year, $60 is charged.
Savings of 17%
365 by Microsoft

• In addition, it includes Microsoft Office 365 Home.
• : 5000 Gigabytes

One-month strategy
Per month: $9.99
a one-year strategy
$8.33 a month
Every year, $99.99 is charged.
Savings of 17%
Plan 1 of OneDrive for Business

• : Per user cost
• : : : : : :

a one-year strategy
$ 5/month
Every year, $60 is charged.
Plan 2 of OneDrive for Business

• : Per user cost
• An unlimited amount of data storage space

a one-year strategy
$10,000/year
A yearly fee of $120 is assessed.
Standard edition of Microsoft 365 for Business

• : Per user cost
• : : : : : :

One-month strategy
Per month: $15
a one-year strategy
Monthly fee: $12.50
Every year, $150 is charged.
Savings of 17%

Google Drive Storage Pricing Plans

It’s a no-brainer when it comes to Dropbox vs. Google Drive pricing: Google Drive is the lowest of the trio. Google’s document editors are also free to use, in contrast to Microsoft Office (though the less-capable online versions of Office apps are free).

By purchasing a Google One subscription, you may easily extend your Google Drive storage. With this option, you’ll be able to share your account with five others and take advantage of a few oddities like cheap hotel stays. It costs about $1.67 per month to get an extra 100 GB of Google Drive storage, and it costs about $2.45 per month to get an extra 200 GB, and so on.

Upgrade your Google account to a Google Workspace plan and share it with coworkers for a better collaborative experience. For $12 per user every month, you can purchase 2 terabytes of Google Drive storage. However, for $18 per month per person, you may boost your storage to 5 terabytes per user or create a special Enterprise plan through Google.
15GB

• : Unrestricted offer
• 15 gigabytes

FREE
100GB

• 100 Gigabytes

One-month strategy
a month’s subscription costs $1.99
a one-year strategy
One dollar and sixty-seven cents per month
Annual fee of $19.99
a 16 percent reduction
200GB

• Is there enough space for 200 gigabytes of data?

One-month strategy
2.99 per month
a one-year strategy
Monthly fee: $ 2.50
Every year, $29.99 is charged.
a 16 percent reduction
2TB

• : : : : : :

One-month strategy
Per month: $9.99
a one-year strategy
$8.33 a month
Every year, $99.99 is charged.
Savings of 17%
10TB

• 10000 gigabytes of storage

$49.99 per month
20TB

• 20000 gigabytes

A monthly payment of $99.99
30TB

• A total of 30000 GB.

$ 149.99 a month is the average.

Unlimited Storage Is Not All It Seems

To find the finest cloud storage providers, we recommend looking at the best cloud storage providers. If you’re looking for “unlimited storage” from any of the three providers in our comparison, you’ll be disappointed.

In its Enterprise plan, Google Workspace promises to give you “as much storage as you need,” although the company appears to be a little vague about what this actually implies. There is no indication in the Dropbox Business Advanced or Enterprise plans that both offer truly limitless storage, despite the fact that the plans’ language is very identical.

Additionally, OneDrive Business (Plan 2) offers limitless storage, but with numerous asterisks that signal that you’ll have to go through a series of hoops before you can actually utilize it.

In terms of cost, Google Drive comes out on top thanks to its vast quantity of free storage and its low-cost 2TB personal option.

File Sync

The sync folder paradigm, which is utilized by all three services, was popularized by Dropbox. When you install Dropbox, it creates a sync folder on your computer, and any files or folders that you add in that folder are automatically synced to the cloud.

Selective Syncing

Selective sync is available from all three providers. In order to preserve space on your hard drive, you can pick which folders you want to sync with your computer and which you want to keep in the cloud only. You won’t be able to see any folders that aren’t synced up on your computer.

Dropbox’s Smart Sync option, which is available on all paid subscriptions, addresses this issue. We choose Dropbox for the best cloud storage with sync because of this handy feature. Using Dropbox Smart Sync, you may designate files to be “online only,” which means they will appear in the sync folder on your computer, but they will not take up any space on your hard drive.

Similar to Dropbox, OneDrive includes a service called Files On-Demand. It is possible to save an online-only file to your hard drive, and it will remain there even if you close the application. To set it back to “online only,” use the “free up space” option from the context menu when you right-click.

Google Drive, on the other hand, does not have a feature like Dropbox’s Smart Sync. In Google Disk, files that you don’t want to take up space on your hard drive won’t be visible to you.

Block-Level Sync

It’s critical to consider the sync speed and whether or not the cloud storage provider uses block-level sync when making your selection. As a result, each file is broken down into smaller parts. As a result, you don’t have to resync the entire file when you make a change, which saves you time and effort.

Even for huge files, this can drastically reduce the time it takes to sync. We’ve compiled a list of the top cloud storage services for documents in case you’re primarily storing smaller files.

Block-level sync is used by both Dropbox and OneDrive. In the past, OneDrive only applied block-level sync to its own Microsoft Office file formats, but that has since changed to include the vast majority of file types on the web. In spite of this, Google Drive does not provide block-level copying of files in the cloud.

Version History

Keeping track of previous versions is another benefit of cloud storage. In the event that you don’t like the modifications you’ve made, you can restore the files back to their prior state. Dropbox’s personal plans include a 30-day version history, while its corporate plans have a 180-day version history. In fact, Dropbox, Sync.com, and Google Drive all make our list of the best cloud storage for versioning.

For personal accounts, OneDrive restricts the amount of version history to 30 days. The default setting for corporate accounts is to keep up to 500 versions. Google Drive stores earlier versions of files for up to 30 days or 100 revisions, whichever comes first. Google Drive is a cloud storage service. Individual versions, on the other hand, can be selected and saved indefinitely.

Account Rewind Options

Rewind is another tool offered by Dropbox. In the event that your Dropbox account is compromised by a virus, you can restore it to a previous version. OneDrive’s “files restore” option, which is included in both personal and commercial plans, has a 30-day limit.

However, the same cannot be said for Google Drive. No matter how much you try, there’s no going back in time to a previous version of the full drive’s data.

In comparison to Dropbox and OneDrive, Google Drive does not have smart syncing and rewind functions. Google Drive, in contrast to the other two services, does not use block-level sync. There isn’t much of a difference between the two, although Dropbox has a larger file history.

File Sharing

All three companies create shareable URLs to make file sharing easy. In our ranking of the best cloud storage companies for sharing, Dropbox and Google Drive even made the cut, but paid providers like pCloud outperformed them.

There is a choice with each service as to whether the recipient can edit or only see a document. It’s also possible to limit who can comment on a document on Google Drive. If you want to learn more about sharing files in Google Drive, see our guide.

If you want to keep your files private, Dropbox and OneDrive allow you to password-protect your links and specify expiration dates. If you don’t have a premium Google Drive for Business account, this isn’t possible.

Using links to share files simplifies the process for both the sender and the recipient. Just one of the reasons why each of these services makes our cut for the best multi-user cloud storage.

Large File Sharing

There are various changes in the maximum file size you can upload when it comes to sharing huge files. Check out our list of the best cloud storage for large files if you need to store a lot of large files.

OneDrive allows you to store and distribute files up to 250GB in size (see our OneDrive file size limit guide). To see the file, your receiver does not need to have a Microsoft account or log in.

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Unless they are documents, spreadsheets, or presentations, you can upload anything up to 5TB in size to Google Drive.

Dropbox Transfer is a dedicated feature for transferring huge files between Dropbox users. With the Creative Tools add-on, you can transfer files up to 250GB in size, but by default, it only allows you to send files up to 100MB in size. Dropbox does not save these files, thus they do not consume any storage space on your computer.

Because of its file transfer service and numerous sharing options, Dropbox has won this round.

Ease of Use

Both OneDrive and Google Drive have Windows and Mac desktop apps, but no Linux desktop software is available. To utilize OneDrive, you’ll first need to login in to your OneDrive account.

There’s a Dropbox app for just about every platform out there. It’s one of the greatest cloud storage services for Linux users, alongside MEGA (see our Dropbox versus MEGA guide and our MEGA review), unlike Google Drive and OneDrive.

Each of the three providers has a system tray or menu bar icon that allows you to rapidly alter the settings for folder synchronization. All three platforms offer a comparable experience.

Usability Issues

However, we have a minor issue with iconography. To our view, the cloud icons for Google Drive and OneDrive look very similar. This is an incredible example of uniqueness. There may be a lot of confusion if you employ a variety of clouds at once. At the very least, the Dropbox icon is unusual.

Because it doesn’t prioritize folders, Dropbox used to be problematic for Mac users because it sorted all of the files and folders in their account alphabetically. The good news is that Dropbox appears to have addressed issue, and now folders appear before files and are organized alphabetically as a result!

For Mac users, though, you may want to search elsewhere. Both OneDrive and Google Drive offer near-perfect user interfaces, but OneDrive edges out Google Drive due to its tighter interaction with Windows.

Mobile Apps

There are apps for both Android and iOS available from all three vendors. As we’ll see in a moment, Dropbox on iOS has a fundamental problem that makes it a poor choice for most people.

All three apps have performed well on Android, earning our shortlist of the best cloud storage for Android. The iOS mobile apps for each of the three cloud storage services are likewise top-notch.

“Home” tab of Google Drive mobile app displays suggested files based on your usage. There are more options for viewing your My Drive folder, syncing PCs and shared files and folders, as well as Google Workspace.

You can search your photos via the Dropbox and OneDrive apps, which are both comparable. Google Photos can be installed if you want more features for your Google Drive photographs that are similar to those provided by Google Drive. OneDrive and Dropbox both have an account section where you can check information like how much storage you presently have available.

All three apps have a lot in common when it comes to day-to-day use. The scanning tools offered by Dropbox and OneDrive are superior to those offered by the Google Drive counterparts. OneDrive edges out Google Drive in terms of features and usefulness, but all three apps offer an excellent experience on mobile devices.

Security

It doesn’t matter where you stand in the OneDrive vs. Dropbox vs. Google Drive debate, because none of these services are great at protecting your information. You can read about Dropbox’s security flaws here, but we’ll go into more detail below.

Cloud storage security is best achieved by zero-knowledge encryption, which is the most secure method. In this case, your supplier does not have access to your encryption key. Since your data are encrypted, even if a cloud storage service like Icedrive were able to, it would be impossible for them to decipher them.

Zero-knowledge encryption isn’t available from any of these three services, unfortunately. Check out our list of the finest zero-knowledge cloud services if you’re concerned about security. Boxcryptor, for example, is a third-party encryption tool that you may use to encrypt your files before uploading them to the cloud for added security. For additional information, see our Boxcryptor review.

Encryption Protocols

Despite the fact that none of our service providers offer zero-knowledge encryption, they all provide industry-standard levels of security in other areas, such as password management. For data at rest, OneDrive for Business uses AES 256-bit encryption and SSL/TLS connections. Microsoft doesn’t identify the encryption method it uses for personal accounts, although data is secured in transit and at rest.

On the other hand, it’s not obvious when Google Drive employs AES 128-bit and AES 256-bit encryption for data at rest. In addition, the TLS protocol is used to encrypt data in transit. Dropbox encrypts data in transit and at rest with AES 256-bit encryption and SSL/TLS, respectively.

Additional Security Features

A secure account is only as safe as the password you use, even if the provider provides zero-knowledge encryption. A password manager can help you keep your passwords safe, even if they’re tough to remember, because you can store them there. Our list of the top password managers includes information about Dashlane and other password managers.

All three cloud storage services offer two-factor authentication as an additional layer of security. In order to access your data, you’ll have to offer additional evidence that you are, in fact, the person who claims to be.

OneDrive’s Personal Vault

To access OneDrive’s “personal vault,” you’ll need a PIN or fingerprint or face recognition or an SMS message to unlock it. After 20 minutes of inactivity, it will also lock itself automatically to prevent unauthorized access. Files in your “Personal vault” are stored in a BitLocker-protected location on your hard drive in Windows 10. However, there is no protection for the Mac.

None of the companies offer zero-knowledge encryption, thus in our opinion neither will ever be the ideal option for encrypting cloud storage. Because of its “personal vault” (see our post on how safe your files are with OneDrive security), OneDrive squeaks out a victory in this round.

Privacy

None of the service providers listed here has a stellar reputation for privacy, either. Even if you don’t care about your privacy, there are better cloud storage providers out there.

Google Drive Privacy Policy

You may rest assured that when you use Google services, your emails, documents and YouTube comments will all be collected by the company, as stated in the company’s privacy policy. Google claims that it uses this information to improve its services and serve more tailored advertisements.

OneDrive Privacy Policy

OneDrive is more discrete. You may rest certain that Microsoft does not utilize your email, chat, video calls or voicemail or any of your personal information to target you with advertisements. Without zero-knowledge encryption and data stored in America, Microsoft engineers have the ability to read your files in the event that they are obliged to.

Dropbox Privacy Policy

Dropbox’s privacy policy notes that it collects personal information for a variety of reasons, including “investigating and mitigating security issues and exploitation of the Dropbox services or Dropbox customers.” According to the report, “your stuff” refers to the files that you choose to save on your Dropbox account.

In addition, it shares your data with “trusted” third parties including Amazon Web Services, Google, and Zendesk. After over 70 million user passwords were leaked from Dropbox in 2012, the company has now improved its security measures.

Regardless of the service you use, this means that your information could be viewed by an unknown third party, which is not a pleasant concept.

The PRISM Revelations

NSA secrets were leaked by Edward Snowden to the Washington Post and the Guardian in 2013. Some of the discoveries included details on NSA monitoring program PRISM and the firms involved in the program, among other things. With the exception of Google and Microsoft in this comparison were Facebook and Yahoo.

It was stated in the released documents that PRISM enables the NSA to capture the contents of emails as well as phone calls and cloud storage files. All of the companies involved responded right away to provide additional information. Microsoft maintained that it only provided user data “in response to government demands, and we only ever comply with orders for queries about individual accounts or identifiers”.

“We only share user data to governments in accordance with the law,” said Google co-founder Larry Page in response to the revelations about PRISM. When demands are too broad or don’t follow the proper procedure, our legal staff frequently pushes back.” If you’re afraid of that, you may want to search elsewhere.

Dropbox was not included in the list of participating companies, but leaked documents stated that Dropbox was being considered as a possible partner for the initiative. Response: “Not part of any such initiative and is committed to protecting our users’ privacy,” the business stated in response.

A Lose-Lose-Lose Situation

Cloud storage services can still be requested by the government even if PRISM isn’t in place. These suppliers do not offer zero-knowledge encryption, which means that any information that is released can be accessed by those agencies.

It’s difficult to pick a winner because no supplier claims to be perfect when it comes to privacy. While Google and Microsoft are well-known for collecting and using user data, Dropbox is the only one to have experienced a significant data breach of this magnitude.

This may be the most difficult round to predict. Sync.com, Icedrive, and pCloud are all better options for those concerned about their privacy than these three. Dropbox, on the other hand, does not profit from selling your personal information to advertisers.

The moral of the story is to use encryption software to protect your files if you are concerned about privacy.

Customer Support

Both Dropbox and Google Drive provide customer service by email, phone, and live chat. Dropbox’s live chat was responsive during our tests, and we were able to get an answer relatively instantly.

Despite their best efforts, the support team was unable to provide a solution to our Mac and iOS app problems other than to suggest we submit a feature request.

Google’s response was likewise quick, taking less than a second. Even if they couldn’t tell us what type of encryption the service employed, the responses were generally helpful. In addition, they provided follow-up emails that included more information that was helpful to the customer.

OneDrive’s Less-Than-Useful Support

There is significantly less value in using OneDrive than there is in Dropbox. In the beginning, you’ll have to deal with a subpar virtual assistant. You can request a live chat when requesting to speak with an agent.

We received a response with a link to a live chat with a Microsoft OneDrive specialist within five minutes during business hours. Instead of Microsoft workers, these “talented people” have been hand-picked by the business, it claims.

In the beginning, we got a helpful reaction. The second time, the information we received was outdated. You’d be better off using Google to find what you need.

Live chat assistance was available on both Dropbox and Google Drive, but OneDrive made it difficult to get in touch with a real person. Google Drive wins this round thanks to its quick response and excellent follow-up emails.

FAQS:

Which is better iCloud or OneDrive or Google Drive?

When comparing OneDrive vs. iCloud vs. Google Drive, Google Drive has the most free storage. In terms of paid cloud storage, however, each platform has its own set of options and rates. iCloud is the best option if we want to pay for 50 GB of storage.

Which is better Google Drive OneDrive or Dropbox?

Because it includes the offline versions of Microsoft Office, OneDrive is a better value than Google Drive or Dropbox. The other two, on the other hand, simply permit online collaboration on files. Google Drive, on the other hand, is a more affordable alternative with a larger free plan, while Dropbox offers greater customization options.

How is iCloud different from OneDrive?

For storing, trading, and transferring information online, Microsoft’s OneDrive cloud service is ideal. … File synchronization across iOS devices is made easier with iCloud, Apple’s cloud storage service.

Conclusion:

In the end, which of the four most popular cloud storage providers do we think is the greatest one?

The answer to this question, as with many others, is: it depends.

Obviously, iCloud is the greatest option for Apple consumers because the service is well-integrated with both macOS and iOS, and the costs are reasonable. We’ve already mentioned that the software doesn’t work well outside of the Apple environment.

Because it is tightly integrated with Google’s apps, Google Drive is practically the same as iCloud for Android and Chromebook users. Because of its superior compatibility with Windows and higher amount of free storage than iCloud, it is likely to be the preferable choice for Windows users.

At the present, OneDrive is the finest cloud storage option for the ordinary user. If you’re looking for a good price and a smooth integration with Windows, this is a great option for you! Because it comes with Microsoft Office, OneDrive is the only provider that currently offers a one-terabyte subscription for $6.99 per month or even less for $69.99 per year.

Lastly, there’s Dropbox, which we believe is best suited to serious users who need to store and exchange big amounts of data on a regular basis. With monthly fees of $11.99 for Plus and $19.99 for Professional, Dropbox is the most costly service out there—even if you take into account their “discount” for signing up for an annual plan.

For those who aren’t sure which of these services is best for them, you can always give each one a try. At the end of the day it’s all up to you.

There you have it for today’s article. You may now know which of these services to employ, if any, and which ones you should avoid. Comment below if there are any errors or omissions, or if you think we’ve missed something crucial. We’ll do our best to rectify the article as soon as possible.

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