Are you looking for a new cloud storage provider? Well, we’ve got you covered with our thoroughly-researched and complete buyers guide for choosing cloud services here. From price, file size, and security, here are the best cloud storage services available for backing up videos and photos.
Dropbox
| Pros | Cons |
| Selective sync Syncs files across devices Free limit is only 2GB | No editing tools |
Although Dropbox is a simple cloud-based file storage service, it’s particularly good for photos. Unfortunately, the free Basic version isn’t enough since new users can only get 2GB of free online storage. But, it’s still worth considering if you’re a photographer or just simply love to take photos. Plus, you can get an extra 500MB of space by inviting your friends to try out the service.
Despite being cloud storage, the Dropbox app can be used to sync folders on your PC or smartphone. Once it’s set up, all you need to do is simply drag and drop files into folders that will automatically sync later on. Moreover, this app is also perfect for syncing files and folders across several computers if needed.
On the other hand, a Dropbox Plus account offers 2TB for $11.99/month or $119/year. And, you can get 1GB per referral (up to 32GB). So, if you want a safe backup tool without giving up manual control of your photos, Dropbox is a pretty hassle-free solution for every device.
Google Photos
| Pros | Cons |
| Unlimited storage Wi-Fi auto-uploader for phones | 16MP limit for stills Basic built-in editing |
As long as you agree with Google’s restrictions on image quality, Google Photos is here to automatically upload and back up every photo on your smartphone and PC. And, it does all of that for free!
But, there are a couple of drawbacks here. When Google Photo uploads your photos, it will downscale them to a 16MP version and reduce any 4K videos to Full HD 1080p quality. If you’d rather upload in maximum quality, then that’s OK with Google. However, it will then restrict you to storing only 15GB in that case. That’s quite a downgrade from something that is “unlimited”!
Even if Google Photos isn’t perfect for some users, it’s still a pain-free way of backing-up a phone and keeping a usable copy in the cloud. Once everything has been uploaded, Google Photos offers all kinds of algorithms on board. From auto-enhancing, automatic tagging, image recognition to finding anything with you in.
Despite these playful features, Google Photos is genuinely impressive. That is why a mind-boggling 1.2 billion photos are uploaded to Google Photos each day.
Apple iCloud
| Pros | Cons |
| Syncs well across devices Easy to use 5GB free | Less friendly to non-Apple users |
While you need to pay to get the most out of iCloud, Apple still gives its users 5GB of free storage. So, it makes for a decent substitute and a useful place to do a lot of quick and temporary image hosting. And, if you’re already in the Apple ecosystem, getting an iCloud account is a no-brainer. With iCloud, you’ll be able to access your saved files anywhere. However, the lack of Android support means it’s probably not a great choice if you don’t use any Apple device.
IDrive
| Pros | Cons |
| Great value Supports internal, external, and NAS drives Simple interface | Must pay for 12 months upfront No cheaper capacities under 2TB |
Since IDrive is one of the best cloud storage services around, it’s naturally a great option for storing your videos and photos. A free plan gives 5GB which is quite enough for most users. In case you need more space, there are upgrade options to a 2TB or 5TB at $52.12 and $74.62 per year.
With the “Auto Camera” option, you can automatically upload photos and videos from your device to your iDrive account, while retaining the image quality. Additionally, you can also use a facial recognition feature to automatically organize photos as well as sync them across all linked devices.
pCloud
| Pros | Cons |
| Very easy to use Suitable for most devices Lifetime payment options | No monthly payment plans Pricey 2TB plan |
pCloud is one of the very few ones who provide you with a lifetime storage subscription. Yes, that actually means you only have to pay once to get 2TB of storage. Plus, you also get 2TB of download link traffic per month.
We will love the fact that users can see thumbnails and previews of most RAW files in the web and mobile versions of pCloud, as well as in pCloud Drive for PC. Besides, Nifty is the browser extension that allows you to save videos and images directly to your pCloud account, which you can use as a scrapbook. Remember that you will be able to keep file revisions for up to 30 days. And, you can create an entire static HTML website with its own URL.
Flickr
| Pros | Cons |
| Sophisticated tagging and metadata Attractive photostream display 1000-photo free cap | No RAW storage |
While most cloud storage providers usually offer more than a few GB of free storage, Flickr can save up to 1000 photos and videos. Also, there is a $7.99/month or $71.88/year fee for Flickr Pro+, if you’d rather go ad-free and with unlimited storage.
What makes Flickr stand out is its ability to display your photos in an attractive photostream. Moreover, other users can follow your activity and comment on your shots, too. And, in case you prefer privacy, change your images to private easily with just a click. All of these make Flickr a real social network for photographers.
Additionally, Flickr is actually designed for presenting your shots rather than just storing them. So, it’ll only display JPEG, GIF, and PNG.
Microsoft OneDrive
| Pros | Cons |
| Good integration for Windows 10 Useful Microsoft Office web apps Accessible monthly pricing | No option for more than 1TB |
Microsoft OneDrive offers a very similar set-up to its arch-rival, Google Drive. Anyone familiar with Microsoft Office will feel right at home with OneDrive’s integrated office apps. OneDrive adopts the same look and feel as Windows 10, so it’s quite easy to navigate.
However, it isn’t designed only for photographers. So, don’t expect the same viewing experience as you get from Flickr. You can choose between $6.99/month or $69.99/year for a 1TB option, including the Office 365 package. Plus, add another $3 per month and you will get 6 licenses to use, with more storage, and bonus features like one hour of Skype for free. Also, you can install Microsoft OneDrive on an unlimited number of devices.
What cloud storage services are you using right now? Have you tried any online storage provider on our list? Let us know what you think about the best cloud storage available in 2021 in the comments!
