Cloud storage services are not new. Platforms like Google Drive, iCloud or Dropbox emerged years ago. In 2024, with the constant increase in the size of our photos (20 MB for certain high-end smartphones) and the increase in internet speeds, online storage has seen a significant boost. We tested 15 cloud storage services, with details of the five best below.
What is cloud storage?
A Cloud is a storage space on the internet. We speak of both a Cloud service and an online storage service, or even online Cloud by misnomer. “Cloud” means cloud in English, and it allows data to be saved in a dematerialized space accessible from all devices connected to the internet.
Before presenting our 5 favorite Cloud storage tools, it is important to clearly define what a Cloud service is. There are two concepts to understand:
- Storage
- Synchronization
With the best online storage services, when you put your files on the Cloud, you will not only store them there, but also synchronize your documents (photos, videos, music, etc.) with all your devices.
It is also very important to set up your Cloud storage space correctly so as not to be cheated. In 2024, too many people still think that files placed on the Cloud can then be deleted from the device (computer, smartphone or tablet). While this may be true in some cases, you really need to be careful with the configurations.
In most cases, the best cloud storage services do syncing first and foremost by default. They allow you to put a file online to access it from anywhere in an instant. The notion of storage itself then takes a secondary role but still remains very important. With a service like pCloud, for example, you can ensure that your photos taken with your smartphone are instantly saved to the Cloud so as not to take up your smartphone's memory.
That's it for this very short introduction to Cloud storage, or online storage. Discover now our 5 favorite online storage services with the reasons for our choices.
Top 5 of the best Cloud storage in 2024
Here are the 5 best online storage of the moment:
- pCloud (free trial version here)
- kDrive
- NordLocker
- Google Drive
- OneDrive
Below, we will go into detail about each of the cloud storage services.
pCloud: the best Cloud storage service
If you are looking for an easy to use, cheap and secure cloud storage service, pCloud is truly the best online storage provider you can find. Although it is not the best known – due to its relative youth – it has nothing to envy of big names like Google Drive or Dropbox.
© pCloud
Indeed, its ease of use positions it as an excellent choice for anyone who is not comfortable with computers. The most expert will appreciate its many more “advanced” features such as client-side encryption with “Encryption”, a paid option adding additional security. To learn more about this, you canconsult our test and review dedicated to pCloud.
Regarding security, we were very satisfied with the solutions implemented by pCloud. In this case, all files are AES 256-bit encrypted and your data is copied to at least 3 different servers. With these multiple backups, you will be protected, even in the event of a server failure... you would still have 2 backups left on other servers.
But what makes pCloud the best Cloud storage of 2024 doesn't stop there. Indeed, pCloud offers excellent transfer speeds. Whether uploading or downloading, you will be able to reach speeds above 40Mb/s, which is really impressive for a service that encrypts data. Obviously, your upload and download speed will largely depend on your internet connection.
Finally, the last argument of choice put forward by pCloud is its pricing. If its monthly or annual offers do not make you dream, it is different with the lifetime subscription (99 years). You will have the option to pay once for 500 GB, 2 TB or 10 TB of online storage. The prices are respectively 199€, 399€ and 1190€.
If you want to test the best cloud storage of the moment, know that pCloud offers free online storage of 10 GB (expandable to 25 GB with sponsorship and a few quests to validate). You will be able to form your own opinion on our current favorite online storage.
kDrive: the very inexpensive complete cloud
kDrive is another very promising online storage service designed bythe Infomaniak web host. The latter offers a complete tool integrating advanced features that are not seen in all providers. If it is ranked in such a good position in this selection of the best clouds, it is also because its prices are very attractive.
© kDrive
To begin with, you will have access to an interface that is pleasant to navigate and functional. The application is compatible on PC (Windows, macOS, Linux) and on Android or iOS tablets and smartphones. This is very practical for optimizing synchronization between your devices and always having your files on hand. If necessary, note that importing your existing data from other clouds to kDrive is possible.
kDrive offers a collaborative ecosystem allowing multiple members to work on online documents. The office suite integrated into your kDrive space allows you to edit text files, spreadsheets and even presentations. These additional elements are particularly suitable in the context of a business or university project.
In addition, to meet the constraints of users needing to share files, kDrive has developed a drop box. Partners, colleagues and comrades will be able to deposit their files very simply so that you can then find them in your drive. Of course, the more traditional file sharing options (via sending a link) are present.
kDrive also ensures that all your data remains secure. Indeed, not only are they hosted exclusively on its servers in Switzerland, but they are also encrypted before being recorded on three media in two different data centers. The risks of espionage and loss are very clearly avoided. On this subject, in the event of accidental deletion of a file, know that you can restore it from the recycle bin or even recover an old version.
The most incredible thing is that with all its features, kDrive manages to offer prices that defy all competition. In addition to a free version with no time limit, the entry-level plan with 2 TB is less than €60 per year. The price of the high-end subscription including 6 TB (expandable by an additional 100 TB) costs nearly €240 per year, which is very attractive.
By subscribing, you will benefit from 30 days of testing to make yourselfan opinion on the kDrive service. If you are not satisfied with this service, you can therefore obtain your refund.
NordLocker: for ultra-secure online storage
NordLocker is the creation of the company behind the highly regarded VPN service, NordVPN. Although it is not the most complete online storage in this 2024 comparison, NordLocker has no reason to be ashamed of the competition.
Despite its relative youth in the field, it is an ideal companion for anyone looking for maximum security. NordLocker's solution uses end-to-end encryption. What does this mean? That no one else, except you or the people you are going to share files with, will be able to access your files. Not even NordLocker.
From a security and privacy point of view, you will also be happy to know that NordLocker is based in Panama. We state this because unlike the United States or other countries, the Panamanian government does not put pressure on companies to monitor their users or keep records of their activities. Moreover, NordLocker complies with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
© NordLocker
What else should you know about its online storage service? Its application is available on macOS, Windows, Android and iOS. You can also count on real-time synchronization which works quite well.
As for the app itself, it's relatively easy to use. Now it still lacks a bit of functionality compared to the best services at the moment. We particularly regret the fact that it is not possible to generate a sharing link without entering the recipient's email address (something possible with pCloud for example).
In terms of performance, the speeds that we were able to observe when testing NordLocker were quite good. Now due to end-to-end encryption, you will not be able to benefit from speeds as high as with pCloud or kDrive.
And what about the different plans offered by NordLocker? First of all, it is good to note that the company offers the possibility of testing its service for free through a plan offering 3 GB of storage. If that's not enough for you, two paid plans exist: 500 GB and 2 TB. By opting for an annual commitment, you will have to pay respectively,€2.99/monthet€6.99/month.
This makes NordLocker one of the cheapest online storage services on the market. As a bonus, you can count on a 30-day money-back guarantee and priority customer support available 24/7.
Google Drive: effective but limited
The fourth online storage service in our ranking and comparison is Google Drive. In 2024, there is certainly no need to introduce this internet giant.
As soon as you create a YouTube, Gmail or other account, you automatically have access to Google Drive. Simple to use but quite limited, Google's online storage service allows quick and easy synchronization of all your files on your different devices. This is both a storage AND synchronization service, allowing you to make space on your different devices.
© Google Drive
Google Drive also allows work collaboration on documents such as Word, Excel or Powerpoint. If you are a student, you have certainly already had to work with several people at the same time on one of these documents in order to move forward more efficiently with your projects.
When you create a Google Drive account, 15 GB is made available to you for free. In order to upgrade to the paid plan, you actually have to upgrade to Google One. Offers between 100 GB and 2 TB are then made available to you at prices ranging from €2 per month to just under €10.
Compared to pCloud or kDrive, we regret the absence of more advanced features, such as the backup of photos and videos from Instagram and Facebook, the import of other Cloud storage services, or even client-side encryption for a level of security. more advanced. Also, customer support is almost non-existent, a very differentiating point with pCloud whose customer support responds in less than 24 hours on average.
Finally, in terms of speed, Google Drive cloud storage comes out with very good speeds, flirting with those of pCloud. You will be able to easily upload and download your files to this online storage service.
OneDrive: attractive paid offers
In last position in our comparison of the best Clouds of 2024, we find OneDrive. This service, developed by Microsoft, is very strongly marked by the imprint of its creator. The entire OneDrive ecosystem is strongly reminiscent of Microsoft, even if you use the service on a Mac. We then find a fairly crude interface with a user experience that is perhaps not the most pleasant.
© OneDrive
However, if we recommend OneDrive in this ranking of the best online storage services, it is because it remains very efficient and quite complete in terms of functionality. You have, for example, a safe, in which you can put your most precious files, with additional security. It is also possible to share files with relatives and colleagues so that they can download or share more documents. These functions are, obviously, also available from the other three Cloud storages in this ranking.
If we place it in fifth position, it is mainly for three reasons. The first is its speed. In the tests we carried out, it was by far not the one that performed the best. On large files (more than 10 GB) it was on average 2 to 3x slower than pCloud. So of course, when you upload 5 GB, it's not too noticeable... but the situation is different when you upload 2 TB of files.
Its second weakness lies in the Microsoft environment which may really displease some. Also, when we install it, we are immediately invaded by other services that OneDrive tries to make us install (Microsoft products, obviously).
Finally, its pricing remains quite high. The best being the one with the office packs for €100 per year with 6 TB of online storage. Here, the free offer is only 5 GB, which is not ideal for discovering the service.
7 criteria to find the best Cloud
Obviously, this ranking of the best Cloud storage of 2024 does not come out of the hat. It is based on numerous criteria that we analyzed in detail to find the online storage providers that best meet the needs of Internet users.
Here are the 7 criteria analyzed to develop our comparison of Clouds.
Ease of use
Nothing worse than having to deal with an unintuitive interface or an application that is complex to use. Our number 1 criterion is therefore ease of use. The online storage services in our comparison are all easy to learn and use on a daily basis. They are all translated into French so that non-English speakers can understand everything without the slightest problem.
We have made sure that all uploading, sharing and collaboration procedures with your loved ones or colleagues are done easily with the 5 best clouds of 2024.
Speed
5 years ago, Clouds were not as successful. The reason? Upload and download speeds too slow. The situation will change a lot in 2024 with the arrival of 1 Gbps connections. However, your connection speed isn't everything. The online storage service must also have efficient servers to ensure good upload and download speeds.
Speed is the second most important criterion in this comparison of the best online storage. With pCloud and Google Drive, you'll get excellent transfer speeds, allowing you to upload several hundred GB of files without worrying about it taking days.
Safety
When you put files on Cloud storage, you need to make sure that they are secure. Security involves both encryption to protect them, but also several backups. Indeed, servers are, like your hard drive, likely to crash one day or another. On average, a disk crashes once every 15 years. So if you have 15 devices, there is a high probability that each year, one of your disks will die.
The same is true with the servers of online storage services. Nothing is infallible. Fortunately, the best clouds offer different backups of your data. At kDrive, for example, everything is copied to three different servers, in two locations (in order to prevent a fire in an entire data center, for example).
Also, pCloud offers client-side encryption to prevent anyone (even pCloud administrators) from seeing what is on your cloud.
Features
An online storage service will not only be used to store your files, as we explained at the beginning of this article. Indeed, it will offer you other features that we have also taken into account in this comparison. In this case, the synchronization functions must work well on all devices.
Also, sharing functions must be easy to use. This way, you can send a simple link to your friends so that they can upload photos of your vacations spent together, all in the same folder, in high quality! Moreover, pCloud and kDrive give you the possibility of personalizing your sharing links (color, image, password protection, expiration date), which is worth emphasizing.
Note also that pCloud and kDrive allow you to automatically import all content present on Google Drive or Dropbox, in order to simplify transfer from one cloud storage platform to another.
Finally, kDrive offers a very practical office suite for collaborating online during group work at school or in business. For example, you can create text documents, spreadsheets or presentation sheets and share them with other users so that everyone can make changes in real time. Everything is recorded directly on your space. In addition to storage, this excellent cloud provides very interesting productivity tools.
Customer support
Among the criteria taken into account to make this online storage comparison, we also analyzed customer support. It is important to be able to contact support if you encounter a problem with the service, or simply if you have a question.
pCloud and kDrive offer an email address to contact the technical teams. As a general rule, the quality of the responses is high and we have always obtained feedback within less than 24 hours during our tests. You can even have access to discussions in French. This is the advantage of using European companies.
Unfortunately, apart from the first two speakers, the other cloud services tested disappoint us a little on this point. No online chat, just a good old contact form.
Pricing
Obviously, we did not forget to analyze the pricing of the different cloud storage services to carry out this comparison. Very often, prices are around €100 for a year of subscription with 2 TB of storage.
Where our favorite cloud storage tool stands out is with its lifetime (99 years) offer. Indeed, the pCloud offers of 500 GB, 2 TB and 10 TB for life are very attractive in terms of price since you will be able to make them profitable in around 3 years. When you subscribe to a cloud service, it is to keep your files for a long time. Having vision at 15 or 20 years old is not abnormal.
If you do the math, a lifetime offer that pays off after just 3 years is therefore extremely attractive and is one of the reasons why pCloud is, in our opinion, the best cloud of 2024.
The free offer
Finally, the last criterion taken into account in this ranking of the best clouds was the free offer. We consider it essential to be able to test a service before making a long-term commitment. So yes, pCloud offers a 10-day money-back guarantee and a 30-day test for kDrive, but the same is not true for their competitors.
In this ranking of the best online storage, we therefore looked at their free offers. With 10 GB of free storage from pCloud, it once again stands out from other solutions. At kDrive, you will have 3 GB free, 15 GB at Google Drive and 5 GB at OneDrive.
Conclusion: pCloud, still voted number 1 online storage of the year
Online storage services are on the rise in 2024. It must be said that they replace physical media by offering more storage space and increased protection of digital data.
To save your photos, videos, audio files and office documents in a safe place, we advise you to opt for pCloud, our favorite cloud. It offers optimal security and the best value for money with packages suitable for everyone of 500 GB, 2 TB or 10 TB. Dedicated plans for families including 5 users are also available.
kDrive is also a serious option to go for if you need more storage and need an online collaborative space.
Finally, if you are looking for cloud storage capable of end-to-end encryption of your files,NordLockerrepresents a good solution. Although its service can still be improved a little due to its relative youth (especially in terms of performance), it nonetheless remains a provider you can trust.
