Storing documents and other types of files locally on a computer’s hard disk is the thing of the past, now people like to upload their stuff to comparatively more reliable file sharing services online to access them from anywhere they want, whenever they want.
There are a ton of websites that provide both free and premium file sharing services. Most of them offer trial periods of the premium version of their service so that users could test before buying a plan and also have free account options with limited features. As there are a ton of services available online, choosing the best one that fits your requirements could be trickier than you think. To help you find out the best online storage for your file sharing needs we have compiled a list of good websites that offer online storage solutions for users who want to upload their personal data over the internet.
All of these services have both paid and free accounts, so if you don’t need a large amount of storage and added features you could continue using them without paying a dime. Please note that we are not ranking the services in this post, and the services are arranged in a random order. We think all of these online storage websites are worth giving a try and in the end its up to you which service you choose for yourself. Let’s get started.
Dropbox
Most of you would be familiar with the name of Dropbox even if you haven’t used it before. Dropbox is a popular file sharing website and one of my personal favorites. Dropbox allows users to upload photos, videos, documents, and other files from their computers to the cloud and download them anywhere they want. Dropbox has free native apps available on popular platforms including Windows, Mac, Linux, and iOS that makes sharing and accessing files even more convenient for its users. Dropbox has both paid and free account options and users can get more free space by referring friends (up to 16GB), getting social with Dropbox, and other options. The paid packages start from $9.99 per month.
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My Cloudapp
If Apple had an online sharing service (unlike iCloud) then that would look like My Cloudapp service. My Cloudapp has dedicate app for OS X platform but Windows users can use this service by accessing My Cloudapp’s website. Uploading files on My Cloudapp is simple, just open their site and upload your photos, videos, and documents to the service. Users can also save their favorite webpages through the bookmarks feature of My Cloudapp. Accessing the uploaded files is very convenient too as My Cloudapp sorts the files according to their type and allows users to view them by clicking on the file type’s name from the sidebar. My Cloudapp offers free as well as paid packages to the users. Free account offers 10 file uploads per day with a maximum size of 25MB per file. The paid account is available from $5 per month.
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Box.net
Box.net is another great file sharing website. The site has native apps for almost all popular mobile and desktop platforms and has support for Google apps, Microsoft Office, and several other web applications, which makes Box.net more than just another file sharing service. Just like any other similar service Box.net offers both free and paid accounts to its users. Box.net has separate packages for personal, business and enterprise users and offers different features on all of these accounts. Box.net offers 5GB of space on free account and charges $15 per month on the business account per user.
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Google Drive
If you have a Google account that you use for Gmail or other services you have already signed up for Google Drive. Simply visit Drive.Google.com and start using Google’s own web sharing service. Google launched the Drive service a few months ago after it combined the Google Docs service with it. Google Drive not only provides online storage option but users can also take advantage of the full Google Docs experience from a single website. With Google Drive you can instantly upload your files on your Google Drive account and also create documents, spreadsheets and edit them while on the go. Google Drive is free to use with a limited storage of 5GB. Additional disk space can be purchased starting from $2.49 per month.
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4Shared
4Shared stands out due to its simple design and easy to use interface. It provides simple drag and drop upload option for users using which you can simply drag your file on the designated area and upload it to your 4Shared account. Just like any other file sharing service you can download your uploaded files from 4Shared, but this service goes one step ahead of others and allows users to download the whole folder no matter how many files are stored in it provided you own a premium account. Some notable features of this online storage service include Recycle bin, good sharing options, ability to sort files in folders, syncing with mobile and desktop devices, and more. 4Shared provides 15GB of storage to freemium users with limited features. The paid packages start from $6.50 per month.
