Cloud Storage

Earlier, I mentioned a desire to compare cloud storage services. Since the time of that writing, I’ve come across numerous articles comparing various services. Rather than repeating what has already been said, I’ll simply list a number of good cloud storage services and links to a few articles comparing these services.

Dropbox

Dropbox is a fantastic service. It’s highly integrated with many mobile devices and with software written for those devices. Although the free account does not include a ton of storage, you can get more storage by convincing others to sign up for the service and install the software. Speaking of that…if you’re not using dropbox, use this link so I’ll get some extra space!  So far this is my personal favorite. I really appreciate how easy it is to share folders with other people using Dropbox.

Google Drive

Rumors about the existence of “GDrive” have existed for years. It’s here! The best thing about Google Drive is the integration with Google Docs. You can edit your documents without downloading them. It’s a good system.

Microsoft Skydrive

This service recently changed names. However, it’s a great way to store and share files.

Sugar Sync

I installed this after a friend suggested it. Sugarsync does one thing I really like: you can define which folders on your pc are synced. I have not used sugarsync that much.

Box

Although I’ve heard many good things about Box, I have not yet tried it. What do you think of it?

iCloud

iCloud is different from the others listed here. iCould is an Apple service which maintains exact copies of files from your iPad, iPod, or iPhone. The files are created on the device, then stored locally and on iCloud. This is somewhat different as you cannot simply upload any specific file. However, if you use an iDevice, I’d suggest trying this out.

Comparisons

Several articles have been written comparing the various services.

Lifehacker provides some nice charts comparing the cost of paid storage.

AllThingsD offers a different viewpoint.

MakeUseof includes also evaluates some less widely known alternatives.

Backupify presents a good review also, but one comment notes a relationship with google.

My Choice?

Since most of these services offer a free account with limited storage, I suggest trying them all until you find the best option for you.

Update 2/19/2014

Skydrive is now called OneDrive. SugarSync is no longer free. A new option, Copy, should also be considered.

Cnet offers a great evaluation.