OneDrive is Microsoft’s cloud storage service to allow users to store multiple documents, texts, videos, photos, and other information without filling up the storage space on their PC.
With more than 300 million registered users, Microsoft’s OneDrive is one of the best cloud storage services on the market. However, it also has its flaws.
For starters, quality cloud storage isn’t just all about storing information only. A top-notch product will allow you to share data by creating links and setting individual passwords for access to business, personal, and work files to ensure their safety and privacy.
Yes, Microsoft applies strong encryption settings, but there are questions about privacy. Because Microsoft creates encryption, it means they can decrypt information if they want or need it.
With that said, it’s understandable if you’re looking for something other than OneDrive.
The best OneDrive alternatives have great cloud storage services and excellent collaboration solutions. Okay, there are a lot of things users can do with Microsoft’s OneDrive.
However, that doesn’t mean the options on this list aren’t equal, or even more, effective. So let’s take a closer look at the 15 best OneDrive alternatives.
Best OneDrive Alternatives
1. Sync
Sync is the first alternative to OneDrive on my list. It is an easy-to-use and straightforward file-sharing and file-syncing product that you can install across all your devices just by downloading the app. The tool offers encrypted cloud storage services, and you can easily share and send files with anyone.
It’s also quite safe because of its ground-breaking privacy protection functions and its high-quality infrastructure that helps keep data safe. Sync offers password-protected sharing, restricting downloads, advanced share control, and 365-day history for data protection.
The zero-knowledge encryption it comes with means if you needed to give the authorities access to your account or if you had a security breach, the intruder or prowler would get scrambled information because they don’t have the encryption key.
All in all, this is a fantastic cloud storage provider that offers you a lot for an affordable price. In addition, it’s a feature-filled cloud storage tool that can support Mac and Windows 10 users.
Sync currently has over 700,000 registered users on its servers, and it’s securely saving more than 2.5 billion files. Okay, these are not the statistics you’ll find with Google Drive, OneDrive, and Dropbox, but that’s not what cloud storage is all about.
Sync’s main goal is to free up space by giving you the chance to synchronize across devices and share files with others safely and securely.
2. pCloud
This competent cloud storage product offers many essential backup file management and sharing features. It’s pretty easy to get started.
Android, iOS, Linux, Mac, and Windows applications upload data via TLS/SSL-encrypted connections. This keeps your files secure, but you’ll want to copy some files on one or two separate pCloud servers for extra protection.
You can synchronize your important files across all your devices and easily share them as well. pCloud also allows you to create a custom download page and use personalized messages for each file you share.
You can also build slideshows for the images you share and even play video or audio content directly from storage space.
3. MEGA
Another great OneDrive alternative is MEGA. Of course, the most important thing for MEGA is security, so its absolute standard functionality is zero-knowledge encryption, and only you have access to your files.
Concerning privacy, it has servers in Europe, New Zealand, and Canada, and all these locations have reasonable privacy laws, which is a huge reason why no American servers hold MEGA’s data.
This zero-knowledge encryption-based service can’t read your files, but it keeps some metadata, such as IP logins and passwords, to monitor access.
This is a great option for people looking for a free cloud storage account. Last year, the company increased the file storage it provides to free accounts to 20GB from 15GB.
However, if you want additional free space, you can do so by completing different tasks, such as installing mobile and desktop apps.
The 20GB of free storage is way more than what most of its competition offers. Furthermore, even if you do not get the paid plans, you still have full access to all the tool’s protection, and privacy features its encrypted service provides.
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4. Icedrive
This is a newcomer based in the United Kingdom and still may need a little more time before it can compete with the most polished and powerful heavy hitters in the industry, but Icedrive has many nifty and innovative features to help justify its claim of a spot on this list.
If you use Windows, you can browse your storage from Explorer and use it like a local drive to open, rename, move, and even edit files.
The custom Windows, Linux, and Mac apps go a step further by allowing you to preview documents, browse files, and stream media content via an in-built player negating the need to download the content first.
It has a smart service overall design that uses several encryption technologies to help keep your information safe and secure. The application uses a private encryption key to encrypt your files.
The encryption key never leaves the device, meaning that even though a hacker manages to gain entry into the Icedrive servers, your information would be inaccessible and locked up.
The free plan comes with 10GB of storage and is enough to help you get going, with a few restrictions here and there.
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5. Google Drive
This cloud storage service is incredibly easy to access, and most Android devices have it built in. In addition, you can access it via your browser, numerous official iOS and Mac apps, and several other third-party applications with Drive support.
One of the best highlights of Drive is how easily it integrates with other Google applications. For example, it does not just allow you to preview Office files, but you can also use Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides to create, share, and edit files with other people without needing to download anything.
The free plan offers users 15GB of storage, but you can get more with the addition of other applications, such as the Google Photos app, designed explicitly for High-Def pictures.
In addition, Drive has a host of cloud storage essentials, like offline access when you aren’t online, restoring previous versions of documents/files, and allowing users to easily access their files from their browser or app.
Google Drive is very similar to OneDrive in many different ways. Like Microsoft, Google provides you with storage that easily and seamlessly integrates well with all of its office applications.
Its users can collaborate with other people in real-time with Docs and can roll back changes and leave comments thanks to its in-built versioning features. As a result, only Dropbox and OneDrive can really compete with Drive when it comes to collaboration.
6. IDrive
This unique OneDrive alternative offers hybrid solutions for both online backup and cloud storage. However, even though it has so many backup features, such as courier recovery and disk imaging, it also has top-quality file sharing and syncing features.
You can access the files you store on IDrive from a Mac or PC and a mobile app for Android and iOS devices. This tool can back up entire drives, including the settings and operating system.
A single account allows its user to backup their data from unlimited PCs, iPads, iPhones, and Android devices. Additionally, real-time syncing of your files and folders happens across all the devices and machines you’re linking to IDrive.
IDrive also allows you to designate any of your folders as a sync folder, which you can move around to wherever you want. You also have access to selective syncing, which can help save a lot of bandwidth and time if there are certain big files you don’t want to include.
Anyway, even though IDrive does a great job at offering traditional cloud storage services, online backup is what it’s well-known for. That means it’s a great option for automatically backing up all your devices.
Okay, the free version only gives users 10GB of storage space, but the other paid plans are very generous, offering 10TB and 5TB of storage. The only downside of the paid plans is that they only offer yearly membership, meaning you’ll need to pay for a full year before you can start using the account.
7. Dropbox
Dropbox isn’t the first cloud storage provider, but it wasn’t an idea that the mainstream market had accepted until they helped push it forward. Even though it has been around for more than ten years, business is still booming and is second to Google Drive regarding market share.
One of the main reasons it’s still one of the most popular cloud storage services is the great collaboration options it provides its users. For example, you can collaborate and launch on both Google and Microsoft documents, which is ideal for people who are using both services.
The formats work seamlessly and allow users to co-authors docs in real time. The new information is then automatically saved to your cloud storage.
Unfortunately, these great collaboration solutions come at a cost. The main reason why this level of integration is possible is that there’s no zero-knowledge encryption, and its servers can access user files
To help you save up on your cloud storage space, the company introduced a “smart sync” feature that allows users to set their folders and files to be stored either online only or locally. The online-only data is saved in the Dropbox folder, but it takes up very little space.
In addition, it’s still one of the best places to collaborate on documents.
8. Amazon Cloud Drive
Amazon Cloud Drive is the platform Amazon uses to provide backup services and easy access to saved documents, music, spreadsheets, videos, and photos. It’s an online cloud storage facility that helps secure your important information and keep it safe.
Furthermore, it supports bulk uploading of videos and photos and recently added features that allow users to quickly and easily access their files. You can also play the music and video content you have in your cloud storage.
You can use your smartphone to upload files, videos, and photos, as well as create and organize folders. You can also share files as attachments and links by text message, email, etc.
9. Internxt
This is a security-obsessed cloud storage provider which does a lot more than just keep your files safe. Zero-knowledge, end-to-end encryption ensures no one can access your information but you, and once you upload the files, they get separated into parts and shared across a peer-to-peer network.
Storing your information across different hosts hides the data from hackers and helps make it less likely for you to lose files because of hardware failures or any other disaster. Additionally, its intuitive and well-designed applications mean you can upload files by simply dragging and dropping.
Its ability to synchronize folders, a function you’ll also find in OneDrive, allows for better organization of your devices, helping keep them up-to-date.
Some of the bonus features are the password checker for identifying weak passwords and a free virus scanner that you can use to remove and identify malware from your data.
You get 10GB of space on the free plan and 200GB on the most expensive paid plan. Still, its quality applications and security-centric approach help make it an exciting OneDrive alternative.
10. Box
Although this cloud storage service provider mainly concentrates on businesses, it still has two plans that personal users can take advantage of, one paid and one free. In addition, because it’s more of a business-centric cloud storage option, Box comes with loads of interesting and advanced features.
Everything from robust collaboration functions, just like what you get with OneDrive, to note-taking, two-factor authentication, and project management. Doesn’t this already make for a great list of features?
However, the one thing you won’t get out of the box with this service is zero-knowledge privacy because Box doesn’t give free private key management. So if you want this service, you’ll have to pay a little extra, and you’ll even have to contact Box directly before they tell you how much it will cost.
With that said, one of the best things about Box is the robust collaboration solutions it provides its users. It supports the most common and popular integrations, Microsoft Office and Google Workspace.
In addition, this cloud storage platform allows users to collaborate and edit documents directly from the platform instead of forcing users into the applications themselves. You can do this even on the mobile version.
If you find that you need to edit a spreadsheet or text while on the go, this is one of the cloud storage services that allow you to make such changes via your mobile phone or device.
Personal users only have access to two plans; the first one is a free plan that gives you 10GB of cloud storage and many of the platform’s features. The second option is a paid plan that’s not the best if all you’re looking for is storage.
11. iCloud
Even if you don’t have an Apple product or have never used one, it’s easy to familiarize yourself with this platform because it is embedded in all Apple devices. For example, the iCloud Drive app is Apple’s data and cloud storage service pre-installed on Apple devices.
However, this is not a product everyone will like because its sharing solutions are still in development and its cloud storage isn’t the fastest. That being said, it still gets the job done efficiently.
iCloud exclusively supports Apple devices, so if you’ve got an Android device and aren’t looking to move to iOS anytime soon, then this may not be the section for you. But, if you want to start using Apple products, consider all its advantages before diving in.
iCloud Drive allows you to store music, photos, and documents, and you can download these stored files to macOS, iOS, and Windows machines. It works well with several applications such as Safari, Reminders, Contact, Calendar, Mail, etc.
You can collaborate with others using Notes, Keynote, Numbers, and Pages, and even the tiniest changes appear everywhere.
12. Backblaze
Backblaze completely dispels the urban myth that good OneDrive alternatives have to be either expensive or confusing. Instead, it’s a reasonably-priced cloud storage service that is ideal for newbie users.
Like OneDrive, it provides its users with secure sign-in options and uses a straightforward approach to backing up data. Some of the best things about this cloud storage service are it offers top-notch security, is simple to set up, and is broadly compatible.
It integrates with B2 cloud storage solutions and restores and backs up files using Mail drive. You’ll also have access to a unique encryption key.
This cloud storage service is very intuitive and allows you to change paired devices by inheriting the backup state or transferring the license to the new machine. In addition, this straightforward process does not require you to use a Mac antivirus.
Furthermore, this platform also features a support ticketing system, which can help you clarify anything you need to know about the service. The support team will answer you within a day or 24 hours, but you can also get quicker responses via the live chat feature.
Backblaze may not have all OneDrive’s collaboration and sharing functions as a cloud backup service. However, if you lose any data, you can get it back by asking the company to send you a USB drive or download it yourself.
13. Koofr
Koofr is not a household name just yet, but it gives its users some interesting features that help separate itself from its competition. For example, it offers 10GB of storage on the free plan, with the cheapest offering around 100GB.
One of the best things about Koofr is its ability to connect to other storage services. For instance, it currently allows you to link accounts from Google Drive, OneDrive, and Dropbox, allowing users to put everything all in one place.
This is where OneDrive one-ups Koofr, but that doesn’t mean it’s not an interesting backup storage option. Once users have linked their accounts, they can access them remotely all at once, allowing them to copy and move files between each of their accounts.
Any files you store in your other storage accounts will not be added to your Koofr storage account. Unfortunately, these access levels lack the zero-knowledge encryption features privacy-centric service providers typically offer.
Another great thing about Koofr is its servers are in Germany, which has much stronger privacy laws, ensuring better safety. It also has 2FA functionality to help make it easy for you to retrieve your data in the event your password gets hacked.
14. Carbonite
This Windows-based backup storage service is great for backing up emails, docs, and several other files. It might just be one of the most fitting OneDrive alternatives if you’re looking for a tool that’s easy to navigate and use.
The features it offers are enough for most standard operations and tasks. In addition, it has an intuitive user interface, unlimited online storage, outstanding tech support, and streamlined installation.
Carbonite’s main features include personal encryption keys, physical data copy, and fast data and whole systems recoveries. So your files stay protected even if you end up experiencing a hardware failure or something goes wrong with your PC.
People that reside in the United States can get their backup information on external media devices whenever they want, and all they need to do is go to the official site and order the service.
15. Newfang
If privacy is the main thing you’re looking for, then this tool is probably one of the best alternatives to OneDrive. It’s a decentralized software that offers you several different tools to allow you to safely and securely transfer and store files.
It’s blockchain-based and helps many applications in the search for anonymity and the best data protection. Newfang uses top-of-line, cutting-edge computing tech to help ensure there are great media streaming speeds while still maintaining good confidentiality levels.
Newfang’s main features include end-to-end encryption, decentralized storage servers, and great video hosting solutions. All your files have reliable encryption and log-in access is done via blockchain, meaning only people with access can see them.
Final Takeaway
Hopefully, now you know the 15 best OneDrive alternatives. When picking one, make security and privacy essential.
Both criminals and governments alike have been targeting cloud storage services for years. Ensure you do your due diligence and test the services you want before fully committing to them.
Test your options for a couple of days to find out if it’s something that you can substitute for OneDrive. You might be fortunate and find a great alternative without too much of a hassle.
Special mentions go out to Google Drive and Dropbox, seeing as how they might be even more popular than OneDrive. Yes, they’re huge, well-established corporations in the cloud storage space but this size helps make them prone to security breaches.
With that said, the best option for me on this list is Sync. It’s a great OneDrive alternative because it features zero-knowledge encryption, great cloud storage services, and efficient collaboration solutions.
If you want something that won’t make you miss OneDrive too much, then Sync is it. However, that doesn’t mean the rest of the solutions highlighted above are incapable.
