Are you fed up of having to struggle with email attachments or USB drives every time you want to share files with friends or colleagues? Do you want to access your documents from a work computer as well as a personal laptop, or on your phone or tablet while you’re on the go?
If you answered yes to any of the above, you’re in luck! Cloud storage is a simple way to achieve all of those things at once, with the added bonus of giving you a place to keep your files safe.
For everyone that likes the sound of that but doesn’t know where to start, we’ve done some extensive testing and come up with a list of what we think the best Cloud storage options out there. This list is designed particularly for Windows users, while Mac and Linux fans can also check out recommendations of their own by heading back to our Top Backups page.
So, without further ado, here are the 5 best Cloud storage providers for Windows, 2016!
Summary
| Rank | Provider | Review | Price | Link |
1 |  | [vpnbest value=”5″] Read Review > | $1.99/mo | Visit Site > |
2 |  | [vpnbest value=”4.5″] Read Review > | $11/mo | Visit Site > |
3 |  | [vpnbest value=”4.3″] Read Review > | $3.71/mo | Visit Site > |
4 |  | [vpnbest value=”3.9″] Read Review > | $7/mo | Visit Site > |
5 |  | [vpnbest value=”3.5″] Read Review > | $5/mo | Visit Site > |
Winner
Google Drive
[vpnbest value=”5″] 5/5
PROS- Excellent for file sharing
Lots of space available
Reasonable prices
Great for collaborative working
CONS- Poor security
Very Google-centric
If you’re interested in working collaboratively or have a tight budget, then Google Drive might just be the Cloud storage provider for you. It’s also an excellent tool for creating new documents online, with free alternatives to most of the major Microsoft Office programs, including Google Docs (MS Word), Google Sheets (MS Excel), and Google Slides (MS PowerPoint).
Free accounts will give you 15GB, although no documents created in proprietary Google formats count towards that quota, meaning that if you’re happy to buy into the Google way of doing things, a free subscription can go a long way. Alternatively, paid plans range from 100GB for $1.99 per month to 30TB for a monthly fee of $299.99, with plenty of options in between.
Real-time editing and the ability for multiple users to work on the same document at the same time make Drive an excellent office tool, and automatic saving is a great way to make sure that you never lose your work. Once again, security is the main disadvantage here, with little by way of encryption, but if you’re looking for file sharing and synchronisation options, you won’t find many better alternatives.
2nd place
Dropbox
[vpnbest value=”4.5″] 4.5/5
- PROS
- Simple and convenient
Extremely easy to use
Great file sharing options
- CONS
- Limited security
Paid subscriptions aren’t cheap
One of the best known and most widely used backup services today, Dropbox steals the second spot thanks mostly to its convenience and ease of use. There are few simpler systems for uploading and sharing files than Dropbox’s, thanks in large part to an appealing interface and processes that are uniformly easy to understand.
The main downside of Dropbox is its lack of security – in particular, the fact that its 256-bit AES encryption isn’t end-to-end, meaning that Dropbox can access all of the information needed to decrypt your data at any time. While this obviously isn’t good news, services like Boxcryptor let you encrypt your files before uploading them, so you can still enjoy the benefits of Dropbox without worrying about privacy.
Dropbox offers a free account with a basic allowance of 2GB, which can be increased to 18GB by successfully inviting friends to sign up too. If you’d prefer the guarantee of more space, then a Pro account will set you back around $11 per month. While that’s considerably more than average, a free account can go a long way if you’re only planning to sync and share your files, so you might not have to shell out at all.
Want to give Dropbox a try? Sign up using the link below!
3rd place
IDrive
[vpnbest value=”4.3″] 4.3/5
- PROS
- Loads of features
Low price for smaller plans
Strong security
- CONS
- Price increase in second year
Poor customer support
IDrive is a company that pops up on lists of both Cloud storage providers and online backup services, as it combines extensive sync and share options with plenty of storage space and great security. It’s made it to our list mainly because of this versatility, which makes it an excellent choice for anyone that’s looking for a little more than average Cloud storage services provide.
One of the most significant advantages of IDrive is that its end-to-end 256-bit AES encryption lets you relax in the knowledge that your files will be kept secure. Plenty of features, including local and NAS backups and direct uploads from Facebook and Instagram, also make IDrive likely to appeal to a broad audience.
There’s a 5GB free account available, or a 1TB paid subscription will set you back $3.71 per month, with an automatic increase to $4.95 per month in your second year. You can also choose to increase your storage to 10TB for $31 per month.
Check out the link to take IDrive for a spin!
4th place
SpiderOak
[vpnbest value=”3.9″] 3.9/5
- PROS
- Excellent security
- CONS
- File sharing is a little complicated
One common problem with Cloud storage providers is the limited nature of their security features. Although some claim that file sharing is incompatible with thorough privacy protection, a few companies have gone out of their way to prove otherwise – SpiderOak amongst them.
The result is a service that boasts some of the best security features out there (it even has Edward Snowden’s seal of approval (LINK)), but which can also be used for file sharing. On the downside, sharing options aren’t the simplest or quickest out there, but it’s a small price to pay for knowing that your documents are secure.
A 2GB free 60-day trial will let you get a taste of the software, while paid accounts are available at $7 per month for 30GB, $12 per month for 1TB and $25 per month for 5TB. Why not give it a try?
5th place
Syncplicity
[vpnbest value=”3.5″] 3.5/5
- PROS
- Excellent basic functions
Reasonable price
Easy to use
- CONS
- Not many extra features
Limited security
Syncplicity isn’t the most exciting Cloud storage provider out there, but that’s by no means a bad thing. By focusing more on performing basic tasks well than developing extra features, Syncplicity has become a solid and reliable product that you can trust to store, share and sync your files simply and effectively.
It’s competitively priced too, with a 10GB free account on offer, and 100GB available for $5 per month. That’s as big as it gets though, so not ideal for anyone looking to save large numbers of files, and security-conscious users may be put off by a lack of end-to-end encryption.
On the whole, however, if you’re looking for a simple and easy way to manage and store your files, it’s hard to go wrong with Syncplicity. Head to their site to find out more!
Our criteria
We do everything we can to ensure that all of our reviews and Top Backups lists are accurate and up to date, including testing the software ourselves and researching companies’ most recent developments. To make it to the top 5, all providers are trialled and reviewed, then ranked based on their features, pricing, security measures and customer service.
Conclusion
With so many Cloud storage providers on the market, it can be hard to decide which one to go for. However, by using our top rated services as a starting point, you can be sure that you’re backing up and sharing your files with a provider that will meet your best interests.
Final recap
| Rank | Provider | Review | Price | Link |
1 | | [vpnbest value=”5″] Read Review > | 1.99/mo | Visit Site > |
2 | | [vpnbest value=”4.5″] Read Review > | $11/mo | Visit Site > |
3 | | [vpnbest value=”4.3″] Read Review > | $3.71/mo | Visit Site > |
4 | | [vpnbest value=”3.9″] Read Review > | $7/mo | Visit Site > |
5 | | [vpnbest value=”3.5″] Read Review > | $5/mo | Visit Site > |
