What is the best cloud storage for you?

　　Back in 2007, Dropbox CEO Drew Houston, fed up with the placement of USB storage devices, created the first personal and small business cloud storage service. It was a radical one at the time. Today, everyone and their uncles seem to be offering cheap or free cloud storage.

　　that's awesome! Beyond that, how do you choose which one is right for you? In the past, most people just decided based on how much free storage they got. It's simple, but it only tells part of the story.

　　The real value of a cloud storage service comes from how well it works for you. As you can see, some operating systems and business plans work better than others.

　　It's weird. Amazon has done a great job with Amazon Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3), its cloud storage service for developers and IT departments. However, Amazon Drive, aimed at personal and business users, was never a first-tier storage service.

　　Hello, it just got better. Finally, AmazonDrive syncs for Android, iOS, macOS, and Windows. Alas, it doesn't have a Linux client.

　　Amazon, on the other hand, moves files by using block-level file replication, known as "differential sync" or "incremental sync." With this method Dropbox uses, when you sync files, you can only send and receive differences, the delta between files, which makes syncing files faster on these services than the competition.

　　AmazonDrive also includes the feature taskbar notifications. These features allow you to keep an eye on file transfers, and it can also slow down sync speeds when you're busy speaking in the foreground with a bandwidth-starved video conference.

　　This cloud storage service is used to offer unlimited plans. However, Amazon dropped the plan in 2017. Now, customers can get 5GB of free storage to use with AmazonDrive and PrimePhotos. If you are an Amazon Prime member. You also get unlimited photo storage. Amazon's current annual storage plans start at $11.99 for 100GB and $59.99 for 1TB (TB). You can get up to 30TB for $1,799.70.

　　My bottom line is that AmazonDrive is worth it if you're an Amazon Prime member. If you are not, keep looking.

　　Sure, you can get a free BoxCloud storage account with BoxPersonalProPlan for 10GB of storage, and for $10 a month you get 100GB of space, but it's like using a Rolls Royce U-Haul trailer.

　　Where Box really shines is that it's a groupware or workflow application. In this way, it enables you to share files with colleagues, assign tasks, comment on someone's work, and be notified when files change.

　　BoxBusinessPlan for SMBs offers unlimited storage integration with Google Docs and Office 365 for $15 per user per month.

　　In addition to unlimited storage, the business plan lets you have files up to 5GB in size. It also works with Active Directory (AD) and Single Sign On (SSO).

　　Box excels at file privacy and data encryption. You have full read/write permission control over files and directories. Additionally, you can connect Box to numerous business applications such as Salesforce and NetSuite. This is really a cloud storage service for business users.

　　As with other services, you can use your files and even create basic text documents through Box's website. To make it shine, you'll need the BoxSync and Edit apps for Windows or MacOSX. It also comes with Android, iOS, and WindowsPhone apps that allow you to view, upload, and share files. Box now also integrates directly with Google's ChromeOS or Chromebook users.

　　Box is best for business IT purchases. Its real value is if you deploy it to your company, not just to store and share files, but to run team projects.

　　Who doesn't use Dropbox? Sure, it only comes with 2GB of free storage, but you can use it on any platform. You can get your files from Dropbox's website, desktop apps for Mac, Windows, and Linux, native file systems, and iOS, Android, BlackBerry, and KindleFire mobile apps. It's a quick setup and you don't have to worry about syncing files in a second.

　　Free storage can also be easily added for free. With the introductory tutorial, you can get over 250MB. Get a mobile app and turn on automatic photo uploads and get 3GB of extra space. You can also earn 500MB for each friend who signs up for Dropbox, for a total of up to 16GB.

　　If you need more storage, more storage, Dropbox currently offers 1TB TeraByte (TB) for $9.99 per month or $99 per year.

　　For small businesses or those that can't get enough storage, Dropbox Business offers unlimited storage and taxes for $15 per user per month. This comes with a 30-day free trial.

　　Where Dropbox shines the most is its sheer simplicity and the fact that you can use it on just about any platform you care about.

　　If you think simple, fast and easy, Dropbox should be your first choice. I don't need to tell you. You are probably already using it.

　　Google Drive used to be just storage. But then Google stuck together its online office suite, GoogleDocs. Now you can get 15GB of free storage and a great office suite with just a Google account. A lot of businesses and every Chromebook user now uses it as a full cloud-based office, and that's enough.

　　Still stuck with Microsoft Office instead of GoogleDocs? no problem. With the Google Chrome extension, you can view and edit Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files with Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides.

　　Need more storage? no problem. 100GB of Google Drive storage costs $1.99 per month. You pay $9.99 a month for TB and $99.99 a month for 10 TB. Plus, if you buy a new Chromebook, you can get more storage. With any Chromebook, you can now get two years of storage for free. If you buy a high-end PixelBook, you get three years of free storage.

　　After the free deal expires, you can still keep the storage space you used. So, for example, if you use 500GB of free 1TB, after a year and a day, you'll still have 500GB of free storage.

　　If you want to build your business around Google Drive, you can do that too. Google Drive for Work includes unlimited file, folder and backup storage for $10 per user per month. With it, you can sync all your business files, including Microsoft Office files, on your computer, smartphone, and tablet, and access your work anytime, anywhere. The only caveat is that if you have less than 5 users, your business only gets 1TB of storage/user. I can live with this.

　　There are Google Drive apps for Android, iOS, MacOSX, and Windows. Annoyingly, even though Google Drive is built into Chrome OS, there isn't a single Linux app that Google has promised us for years. There is a third party app, InSync, which I highly recommend, but I still need the GoogleDrive native Linux app.

　　Recently, Google updated and renamed its macOS and Windows app to Backup & Sync. This allows you to sync or back up almost any file or folder on your computer.

　　For GSuite users, Google Drive Streaming. This storage service transfers files from the cloud to the computer instead of syncing between the device and the cloud. The service turns Google Drive into more of a hard drive replacement than a cloud storage service add-on.

　　If you're a Chromebook or Google power user, there's no need to market you on Google Drive. Here are your best cloud storage options. Personally, when I use all these storage services, Google Drive is the one I use every day.

　　Apple's cloud entry is awkward. ICloudDrive shows its greatest strengths when you use it with Apple's latest and greatest devices, but even there it's quirky.

　　If you're using a Mac or iDevice, ICloud comes with 5GB of free storage. If you use it from Windows, you can get 1GB. For 99 cents a month, iCloud offers 50GB, $2.99 ​​gets you 200GB, and 2TB is just $9.99.

　　Like Google Drive, iCloudDrive is also integrated with the Office suite, although it's only Apple's office apps for beginners: Pages, Numbers, and Keynote.

　　Unlike other services, iCloudDrive doesn't have a commercial version. While it supports Windows, it doesn't support Android even now.

　　Perhaps, the most annoying "feature" of iCloud is the confusion between iCloud and iCloudDrive. They are not the same thing. For example, contacts, notes, photos, and reminders are backed up to iCloud, but text edits, iMovie, and mail data live in iCloudDrive.

　　Also, in my experience, iCloudDrive can easily become slow and quirky. I'm having trouble syncing files between my Mac and iDevices. Finally, I think iCloudDrive will give Apple users what OneDrive already uses for Windows, but it still has issues. But as a business solution? It doesn't exist now, and I doubt it will ever exist.

　　Nextcloud is a fork of ownCloud. Both are open source programs that allow you to set up your own cloud storage service using your existing hard drive.

　　In conclusion, without trusting your data to Apple, Google, Microsoft or anyone else, this is the do-it-yourself way:

　　you can use Nextcloud to set up your own cloud storage on an office server or on your own external server. NextCloud, while easy to set up for Linux users, can be a challenge for some users. Still, if you want real control, it's hard to beat.

　　Nextcloud appears in the Free and Commercial Nextcloud documentation. This version provides basic support for up to 50 users for €1,900 per year. This is true of all open source code for this code, and if you're up to the challenge, you can run it yourself.

　　How much storage space do you have? How much do you want? I have a 4TB Nextcloud hard drive in my office and another is a co-hosted server rack. There are Nextcloud desktop clients for Linux, MacOS and Windows as well as mobile apps for Android and iOS. You can also integrate Nextcloud drives directly into your local file system using the WebDAV protocol.

　　Nextcloud is more than an easy way to build a private Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) cloud. The Nextcloud suite of programs also includes NextcloudTalk for private web conferencing and NextCloud groupware software for email, calendar and contacts.

　　This cloud storage solution is for anyone who wants maximum control over the cloud and doesn't mind doing Some extra work to get it right.

　　Formerly SkyDrive, Microsoft's OneDrive is why Apple wants iCloudDrive to grow. Since Windows 8, OneDrive is baked into the operating system.

　　As far as Windows users are concerned, OneDrive is just another directory in File Explorer. Talk about it easily! Anyone can use it on the web, including desktop apps for Mac and earlier versions of Windows, and OneDrive apps for Android, iOS, Windows Phone, and Xbox. Yes, Xbox.

　　OneDrive comes with 5GB of free storage. Office365 users get an extra TB with a $6.99 monthly subscription. It's not easy if you're an Office365 user. You can also add 50GB to OneDrive for $1.99 per month. Like Google and Chromebooks, Microsoft offers free storage if you buy a Microsoft Surface device.

　　The real selling point of OneDrive is in addition to working closely with Windows. It also works closely with Microsoft Office programs. With Office365, you can also collaborate with partners in real-time with others on documents and spreadsheets.

　　If you want to bring OneDrive to your business, Microsoft is ready to help. OneDrive for Business. This is not a storage plan per se. However, unlike Google Drive which has been merged into Google Docs, OneDrive for Business is combined with OneDrive and Office365. For Office365Business, BusinessEssentials or BusinessPremium plans, monthly users start at $8.25 per month with an annual commitment. With either of these packages, each user gets 1TB of storage.

　　There is no doubt who will get the most from OneDrive. Anyone loves Windows and Microsoft Office. If that's you, you've already started using it. You'll be glad you did.

　　The best CLOUD for you?

　　It depends on what you use and what you want to do with it. All of these services give you enough free or low-cost services to meet the needs of a small business. In conclusion, don't be distracted by how much free GB of storage you have; it doesn't really matter.

　　Personally, I prefer GoogleDrive and Nextcloud, but those fit my needs best. For you, it might be a different story. To sum it up:

　　All-in-one office/cloud/workflow: Box, GoogleDrive or Nextcloud.

　　Apple users: Amazon, Dropbox or GoogleDrive until iCloudDrive matures.

　　Ease of use and multiple devices? Dropbox.

　　Google users: Google Drive.

　　Linux users: Nextcloud.

　　Users who place a high value on data control: Box or Nextcloud.

　　Windows users: OneDrive.

　　So, get out there, find a service, and start saving and backing up your files to the cloud. It will make your life easier.