Google drive is a popular online cloud storage service that is now common to all. There are 131.2 million active Android users currently stated over the world and all of them are intentionally using google drive as default cloud storage in the smartphone.
Google drive is an excellent, easy to use interface for both mobile and web versions, offers 15 GB of free storage to every new account created on google. That’s not all, people also like google drive because of its extreme synchronization feature and Microsoft-compatible google docs, sheets, and slides.
Along with these advantages, google drive has some flaws also that make people find alternatives to google drive. One of the main defects of google drive is lacking a proper security option to protect users’ important files and folders that they can easily prey on hackers.
Sad but true is, google doesn’t pay attention in this regard which is a shame for the tech giant company Google. Moreover, they have set in their terms and conditions that they can read all the user’s information which include in the google docs file and they have the right to do whatever they want with that.
This is why people turn to other cloud storage services and fortunately there are plenty of online cloud storage services provided by different media which are more intent to users data security, protect important information and features and so on.
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What can I use instead of Google Drive?
As said above, you have so many options to choose to alternate your cloud storage using experience. In this article, I am going to introduce some of these popular google drive alternatives. You can choose any of them to make your online journey more secure and meaningful as well. So let’s see what I have managed to show you, the best 20 cloud storage service dominating at present here below,
Dropbox
dropbox considered the pioneer of cloud storage as it started in 2007, 13 years ago. Living in the modern age, if you still haven’t heard about dropbox, then you may live in under the rock society. According to the popularity, dropbox is widely famous for its user friendly cloud storage advantages.
It is the first which invented block level file transfer algorithms, its server and the computer apps were written in Python and the website code is written with CoffeeScript.
However, dropbox is considered the best alternative to google drive. The service is available over all the platforms and it has estimated over 500 million users worldwide. You can use it for personal, business, and enterprise purposes or whatever you want.
If you are wondering why dropbox is the closest competitor of google drive, here are the pros and cons of the excellent cloud storage service to make you understand this.
Pros:
- easy to use
- accessible through any device where you have downloaded the app
- 2 GB free storage for personal use and you can get up to 2 TB storage with its plus package, 5 TB storage for the standard package and there is also advanced and enterprise package
- the freemium business model offers free, personal, and business storage management plans
- great collaborating system which makes it flexible for business purpose
- one interesting feature is, users can earn extra storage through referrals and they can earn up to 32 gigabytes in this way
- allows sharing a single file via link
- Advanced sharing controls: When sharing a link to a file or folder, users can set passwords and expiration limits
- Remote wipe: If a device is stolen or lost, users can remotely wipe the Dropbox folder from the device the next time it comes online
- “Extended Version History”: An available add-on, it makes Dropbox keep deleted and previous versions of files for one year, a significant extension of the default 30-day recovery time
Cons:
- a little free spaces, only 2 GB
- not so great for privacy, if any of your files contain any malware or ransomware, then there are chances to infect all the devices that are connected
- lack of end to end encryption
- low bandwidth
- Extensive collecting and distribution of user data to commercial third parties
pCloud
pCloud is one of the mentionable cloud storage services especially for its user’s privacy intended feature. It is easy to use an interface that is best for individual use but also for business and others. The service is available on iOS and Android, Mac, Windows, and also on Linux.
pCloud includes everything you may need within a cloud storage service. I would like to mention its encryption system. The developer’s team named it pCloud Crypto and they made it unbreakable. Even have offered $100,000 to anyone who manages to decrypt it.
pcloud is also best to stay tuned with all your favorite music on a single platform where you can create a personalized playlist. pcloud is distinguished from other cloud storages because of its featured music player. The system manages all your music and provides a good overview while categorizing them by the artist and album.
Here are the pros and cons that come with pCloud storage service,
Pros:
- 10 GB free storage for all users
- offers good storage planning including two annual planning and two lifetime planning
- Swiss privacy laws will encrypt your stored files in a way it will be impossible to decrypt instead of the user. they called it Swiss zero knowledge privacy policy
- great platforms to make personalize sharing and collaborating
- client side encryption
- allows storing HD videos, FLAC music files, and large documents
- very reliable
Cons:
- lacks collaboration option
- zero knowledge is a paid option
- Low bandwidth
OneDrive
OneDrive is a cloud storage service provided by Microsoft word. Windows users are commonly seeing this as it is a built-in feature of Microsoft windows. So, when you install Microsoft on your device, you can see the appearance of OneDrive cloud storage in the file explorer automatically.
Microsoft made it compatible with other Microsoft integrations like Word, PowerPoint, and Excel just like google drive. So, if you are office users, OneDrive can make your day smooth and flexible. Although, this online web-based digital storage management solution is also available for Mac, Android, and iOS aficionados as well.
OneDrive is great for both personal and business use. But people can’t get interested in using it because of its google drive functions. As google drive, it is not so intent to secure users’ files and folders from unwanted attacks, viruses, and malware.
Therefore, in terms of data security, Microsoft OneDrive is no better than Google drive. But if you are an extreme Microsoft lover and use all of its integrations like word, excel, and PowerPoint, you can take benefits through it. Here are the main pros and cons of Microsoft OneDrive cloud storage,
Pros:
- offers 5 GB of free storage
- will be able to get access for 100 GB storage only for $1.99 a month
- office 365 personal will allow you to get 1 TB of cloud storage along with premium versions of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
- best package value for business requirement through its specific office 365 option
- file link and folder sharing
- can edit file collaboratively in real time
- offline access
- mobile integration
Cons:
- time limit, if you won’t active in your OneDrive account for one year, it will be automatically terminated
- doesn’t support replace files that you have recycled and find to restore the letter
- the online version is slow
- not supported in Linux
Sync is another cloud storage service that gets much appreciation from users because of its privacy and protection of users’ data. If you are really concerned about your cloud storage data so that you can’t rely on google properly, then you must be looking for an alternative that really cares about privacy.
And here is sync.com for you to match your requirement as one of the most secure cloud storage services out there.
The integration features a lot of positive and helpful functionalities among them. I would like to mention its client-side end to end encryption and zero knowledge policy.
So, there are no chances to share your files with any third party add on developers. At the moment there are over 750K registered users, with over 2.7 billion files securely stored and it supports Android, iOS, Windows, and macOS. Along with the security, there are some other interesting features that come with sync, they are.
Pros:
- 5 GB of free trial that won’t be expired
- Client side end to end encryption and zero knowledge policy
- Storage plans for personal and team use
- No monthly subscriptions, rates are cheaper than dropbox
- Two factor authentications
- File link and folder sharing
- You can share data without size limitations
- Single changes can be captured over all the devices
- You can set access level and expiry dates
Cons:
- Lack of organized data storage, therefore, locating specific files is a difficult
- only yearly payment available for paid storage
- limited collaboration features
Amazon Cloud Drive
When all the biggest tech giants include their name with a cloud storage service provider, then amazon also thinks to do so. Amazon made online cloud storage powerful to compete with the other cloud storage services and according to some cases, it may be successful.
Amazon cloud storage simply uses the Amazon server to store users’ data and information. So, when you upload anything to it that will directly upload to the Amazon server. The music and media purchased from the Amazon store are freely stored on the program. They won’t count toward the storage allocation.
The service is available on Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, and Kindle. However, the system has some good features as well as it has lacked some issues. Exclusively, the service is offered for only personal usage, and amazon doesn’t support users of its cloud storage for business purposes.
For your convenience, here are the pros and cons of Amazon cloud drive to concern you if you want to use this cloud storage.
Pros:
- budget friendly
- offers unlimited storage for photos and 5 GB storage for data restoration
- can be used for backup, and restoring images and videos
- well-designed mobile application
- it comes with only 2 paid plans, one is 100GB data space for only $11.99/ year and the other is 1 TB storage for $59.99/year
- great cloud storage if you are a photo enthusiast and have many images to backup and restore because it offers unlimited storage for images and its amazon prime server provides great upload and download speed for images
- drag and drop upload system
- provide good security system
- handles desktop sync very well
Cons:
- should have more storage planning
- limited sharing options
- plenty of bugs
- no file versioning
- designed only for personal use
- don’t has an edit option while in the cloud
- Does not offer scheduled back
Box
The box comes with the perfect interface for small businesses and teams to stay organized with all their work and important files and folders. It is a good collaborative platform that also cares for users’ privacy and security. You can securely share files and folders even with the people not included in your team.
Besides, while collaborating, if you aren’t present at the moment when any of your team members accomplish some changes in any file. Then no problem, you can easily revert the program and can see what has been done.
With box, you can work with versatility in any platform and browser. Its excellent security system is responsible to keep your data secure and protect it from any upcoming malware and ransomware attacks.
Box is compatible with over 1000 leading software providers like Office 365, Salesforce, NetSuite and Adobe Sign, and so on. Not only these, but the service also uses machine learning to make easy workflows for its users in different aspects like task assignment, automate tasks, deadline setting, and progress tracking.
So, what else do you want from a particular cloud storage service? here are the pros and cons of box system at a glance,
Pros:
- offers a 10 GB free storage plan
- The box is available for Windows, OS X, iOS, Android, BlackBerry, and Windows Phones
- advance sharing options like google drive, share through custom links and URL
- allows setting a password on shared files
- set users accessibility
- plugins for applications
- MS Office 365 home integrations
- good syncing option between cloud and all the internet connected device installed with box
Cons:
- does not support in Linux
- log in required every time when you open the program on your device
- Photos don’t display metadata
- need quite an improvement in some different aspects
Spider Oak One
Spider Oak One is another complete package of cloud storage functionality that you can use as an alternative to google drive. Though there are not so many reasons to alternate google drive instead of its calmness about users’ security issues and checking users’ data.
Unlike Google Drive, spider Oak one offers strong end-to-end encryption and a zero-knowledge policy. So, you don’t have to worry about your data and information if they are seen by the system authority or hackers.
The cloud storage spider Oak one comes with both pros and cons. so, before using it, you should care for these which are provided below.
Pros:
- you will get a 21-day free trial for 250 GB of storage
- with spiderOak one, you are getting cloud syncing, storage service and backup client, an all in one integration
- file-sharing is built with privacy intention
- SpiderOak One backup to protect your files from data loss and ransomware
- strong encryption and password protection
- Apps available for Linux, Mac, Windows, Android, and iOS
Cons:
- interface is not so friendly for users
- file sharing is quite difficult
- quite high price
- the desktop application is bugged
- Can’t perform backups from the web-based platform
Mega
Mega is one of the best known cloud storage services out there and chosen rapidly by users all over the world. It is implemented by a New Zealand based cloud storage company owned by the controversial Kim Dotcom.
When you are highly concerned about your cloud storage security that you can’t rely on Google anymore, then there must come the name of mega cloud storage.
There are so many reasons that you should consider mega as your permanent cloud storage. You would wonder to know that, every step that you take with mega will be encrypted through its zero knowledge security system. From file sharing to its own built-in chat, everything is secure when you are exceptionally using this cloud storage system.
Here are the main pros and cons of mega cloud storage which you should consider.
Pros:
- for every new account, mega offers 50 GB trial storage but that will disappear and you will get only 15 GB permanently
- has excellent referral and rewards program to expand storage, 10 GB per invite
- tighter security provides end to end encryption and zero knowledge security
- encrypted sharing links
- available for Linux, windows, and mac
- GDPR compliant for all users worldwide
- file versioning and supports 2FA
Cons:
- paid plans come with a high price
- 10 GB limitation bandwidth that refreshes every 30 minutes, it might be annoying for those who have huge data to transfer
- slow syncs
- user experience and interface could be better
- not so good for collaboration
MediaFire
Similar to other cloud storage services, Mediafire is one of the best Google alternatives. The service took its place in this list because of its free file hosting, file synchronization, and cloud storage service. It has an estimated over 45 million users all over the world.
You can store photos, videos, music, documents in your Mediafire storage and can access from anywhere with a compatible device connected with the account. The service is primarily accessible for the web but it is also available now in Android, Blackberry, iOS, macOS, Linux, and Windows.
As an alternative to google drive, you can consider it’s robust and simple to use interface which allows easy syncing to any update you have done in the cloud storage. Here are the pros and cons that come with the media fire cloud storage service.
Pros:
- easy to use interface
- Free Accounts with 10GB storage
- good download and upload speed
- easy collaboration
- paid plans are cheaper than other cloud services
- create custom links to share
- mobile apps work so great
- Multiple Upload Types – Basic, Flash, and HTML5
Cons:
- no live chat or phone support
- the free version comes with distracting ads
- in the free account, you can’t download more than one file at a time
Tresorit
tresorit is an ultra secure cloud storage service best choice for business collaboration and keeps your business information in a highly secured online vault with tresorit. The service implemented by a Switzerland based company that promises an ultra-secure place in the cloud to store, sync, and share files easily from anywhere, anytime.
tresorit uses military-grade end to end encryption and public key cryptography. The team made the encryption unbreakable as they offered $50,000 to break it. tresorit features everything like google drive and you will get almost all the cloud storage functions in it. So, you can freely use this as an alternative to google drive and unlike that, it is highly concerned about users’ security.
Here are the pros and cons of this cloud storage service that you should check.
Pros:
- 3 GB storage (free plan); 500 GB – 2,500 GB (paid plans)
- military grade unbreakable end to end encryption
- significant file sharing security
- available for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Windows Phone, and Blackberry
- extreme accessibility control
- 24/7 authority support
- GDPR compliant
- automatic backup, collaboration, synchronization
- two-step verification, password protected file
- versioning
Cons:
- paid plans are expensive
- a few free storages, probably the less
- user interface is complicated
- not open source
Frequently asked question about google drive alternative
People always search for the best and safest place when it comes to storing important files and folders, business information, passwords, and even credit card numbers. We see that there is no shortage of particular cloud storage services available online but not all are perfect to meet all the requirements of business persons.
Therefore, people have got a lot of questions when they are on the brink of choosing the right platform as their permanent cloud storage. Here are a few included in this regard, take a look if you need to know any of these.
What is the best alternative to Google drive?
Well, there are a lot of options when you exactly need an alternative to google drive which is one of the best cloud storage integration and highly famous for its 15 GB free storage, backup, and sync, easy to use interface for both mobile and web and so on.
So, why should you think of an alternative to google drive when you are getting so many benefits through it? Having so many interesting features, google drive also has some flaws in its security, file sharing, and collaboration. It has no password protection system, and although there are some third party integrations that let you encrypt files, who wants to trust those third party developers?
Therefore, people feel the necessity of google drives alternative in this regard to make their cloud storage files safe and secured. However, we uphold the ten best google drive alternatives in the above.
If you are really paying attention to this issue, you should check all the pros and cons of those particular cloud storages to find exactly what matches your needs. Although, not all of them are perfect in the features. Some are best in providing huge free storage while others will offer a few but strong on the security side.
So, take some time to read the whole discussion and choose wisely one of them.
Is Dropbox safer than Google Drive?
In a head-to-head matchup, it is really quite difficult to choose the best one between google drive and dropbox because both of them are dominating and cloud storage features are rich. But if you want to know which one provides more security to your important data and resources, then here can be a little different.
Though both google drive and dropbox provide two-factor authentication and allow you to encrypt data when you are storing them in the cloud drive. But dropbox uses a stronger version of encryption than google drive.
It is called advanced encryption standard 256-bit encryption that is approved by the US national security agency while google drive uses 128-bit encryption.
So, it can be easily said that dropbox is safer than google drive in terms of security.