The best cloud storage in 2025

What is cloud storage?

Cloud storage allows you to back up and store data such as files, photos or documents in a centralized location on the Internet.

It is a technology that allows users to save their data on remote servers. Most often in the nearest datacenter in order to limit load times and network overload over long distances.

Users can then access their data from any Internet-connected device securely, without the need for a physical hard drive or USB stick.

Cloud storage is usually based on a cloud computing model. This means that data is stored on remote servers, allowing users to access their files from anywhere at any time.

Online storage providers offer users a full range of features and powerful tools to protect their privacy and confidentiality, including the ability to use strong passwords to encrypt their data and additional encryption to ensure no one can access the information without their permission.

On the other hand, they can also offer advanced features such as file sharing and automatic data synchronization, allowing you to work collaboratively with others on a common project.

These cloud storages usually offer a variety of packages to suit the needs of different users, ranging from small free space available for beginners to large space that offers multiple features for businesses.

Why use a cloud storage?

Anywhere, anytime access

With these cloud storages, you can access your files and data from any computer, smartphone or tablet connected to the Internet. You can also share these files with others if you wish.

Online storage therefore offers great flexibility and freedom, as you can access your files from anywhere at any time, without geographical or time limits.

Back up your data

Online backup services are designed to protect your data and keep it safe from loss, theft, or physical damage such as that of a USB stick or hard drive. You can save your files on a remote server and access them at any time to modify, share or consult them.

Most services also offer plans that provide regular, automatic backup of your files to ensure their preservation.

Versioning

Many cloud storage services offer users the ability to keep different versions of the same file, allowing them to easily find a previous version if they need to make changes. This can be very useful for important documents and collaborative projects.

Collaboration made easy

Online storage services also offer solutions to facilitate collaboration and teamwork. You can invite multiple people to edit or view the same shared file, allowing collaborators to work on the same project simultaneously. And thanks to real-time synchronization, all users always have the most recent version.

Up to 20 Go of free online storage

Many online storage services now offer free options and some of them like MEGA offer free online storage space up to 20 G0. This can be enough to save photos, documents and other personal files.

If on the other hand your needs extend to several tens of Go or even several To, you will then have to turn to paying offers whose cost often remains derisory and this thanks to the important competition in this sector of activity.

Security of your files

The "Zero-Knowledge" policy

Many cloud storage services follow a policy called "Zero-Knowledge," which allows users to maintain full control over their personal data.

These service providers cannot access their users' files, which then ensures that they will not be corrupted or shared without their permission.

More precisely, we say that the encryption is done on the "client" side, i.e. your files are encrypted locally on your computer before being sent to the server.

Only the users have the encryption key. In addition, the data transfer is always protected by an SSL certificate, which guarantees that the files will not be intercepted during their transfer.

End-to-end encryption

End-to-end encryption is an additional method of keeping your data safe. In this case, the files are not only encrypted during transfer, but also while stored on your cloud space. This way, even if a hacker manages to access the servers, he won't be able to decrypt the data without the encryption key.

When you consult your files on your online storage space from your computer or phone, these files are decrypted "on the fly", i.e. temporarily when you request it.

The decrypted version in your device's cache will then be deleted when you no longer use it. End-to-end encryption is a relatively reliable method, which is why it is used by most cloud storage solutions.

2FA - Two-factor authentication

Two-factor authentication (2FA) is an additional security tool that is offered by some of the providers in this comparison. It works in much the same way as 3DS verification, validating on your smartphone when you make an online purchase with your credit card.

Users must provide two pieces of information to verify their identity and therefore identify themselves on the account:

First, and in most cases, the username and password associated with the account.
Secondly, a second piece of information, usually a single-use code (OTP) sent by SMS or via a two-factor authentication application like Google Authentificator or Authy.

This authentication method is very reliable, as it verifies that the owner is the one trying to access his account.

This security remains vulnerable to hackers in some cases, but requires them to put a lot of effort into it. Rest assured, this type of attack remains very targeted (unlike fishing) and unless you hold a strategic position, you run little risk.

One account, several servers

Files stored online are usually spread across multiple servers and can be duplicated to add an extra layer of security. This way, if one server suffers an attack or malfunction, your files are still safe and available on another server.

This practice is widespread among cloud providers and is an additional way to ensure service continuity and data security.

How to choose your cloud storage ?

Available bandwidth

The first thing to consider when choosing your cloud storage service is the bandwidth offered by the provider. The higher the speed, the faster the file transfer and download will be.

Most of the online storage services offered here do not impose any bandwidth limits, whether you use their service for free or via a subscription.

Others will limit the transfer speed of their non-premium users in order to encourage them to switch to a paid solution if their needs are more resource-intensive (sending/receiving heavy files, HD streaming etc.).

Finally, there are others that will limit the bandwidth of users past a certain point. This is notably the case for MEGA which includes 1 To of data transfer per month on its 400 Go storage offer.

However, unless you are a professional, you probably don't need to worry about this selection criterion. The ceilings more than cover the needs of an individual in general.

However, keep in mind that the bandwidth offered by your provider is not everything. Indeed, you must also have a decent internet connection (4G/5G/Optical fiber/VDSL) in order to benefit from transfer speeds of several tens of megabytes per second.

Accessibility

Accessibility is another important criteria to consider when selecting your cloud services. You want to be able to access your files easily from anywhere and from any device. Your provider should therefore offer a mobile application as well as a website optimized for all devices.

Some services even offer specific applications for Smart TV and game consoles!

Storage space

This is of course one of the most important criteria to consider before choosing your cloud service. In most cases, providers will give you a free offer with no time limit, but with limited capacity.

You can then upgrade to a paid subscription to get more storage space and additional features. So it's important to have a good idea of how much space you'll need before you choose your storage service.

Cloud storage services are today an attractive solution to keep your data safe and enjoy the different services they offer. With the price drop of the packages, there are now offers for less than 2 € per month for 100 Go with Google Drive or even One Drive. The most popular providers have also aligned their prices to €9.99/month for 2To of cloud storage space.

For businesses that are looking for unlimited storage, business packages at higher rates are available. They offer not only unlimited online storage, but also other services such as file sharing and cross-device synchronization. These packages usually offer additional security against cyber attacks and 24/7 customer support.

Customer support

Finally, customer support is also an important aspect to consider when selecting the best online storage. Most providers offer email or chat support, but some also offer toll-free numbers to help you quickly resolve any issues.

So you should choose a provider that offers a good level of customer support to keep your data accessible and your experience as pleasant as possible.

File versioning

Finally, another important advantage of cloud services is file versioning. Most of the services offered allow you to keep a history of the modifications made to your files and documents over the last 30 days (or even up to a year, especially for companies).

This means that even if you accidentally change or delete one of your files, you can easily restore it to its original state or to a previous point. Versioning is therefore a great way to protect your files from any kind of error or problem.

However, this service is not available in all cloud storages, so remember to check on the description sheets of our selection if the one you are interested in offers this feature (if it is essential for you).

Collaborative work and content editing

Finally, another benefit of cloud services is collaboration and content editing. With this feature, you can easily share documents with other users and edit files directly online in your web browser.

On One Drive, Google Drive and kDrive for example, real-time file editing works very well and is relatively smooth. You only need your browser to edit your text, spreadsheet and presentation documents.

So you don't even need to get the Office suite on the device you're using to edit or create such files. So it's not only a cost savings, but also a great convenience.

Streaming

Finally, cloud services also offer you the ability to store and play audio and video files.

You can download your favorite music or movies and watch them directly from your browser. The undeniable advantage of streaming is that it is not necessary to download a video completely to watch it.

In addition, these providers usually offer transcoding of your video files. This means, for example, that for a 4K movie you won't have to load the full weight of it onto your phone with a Full HD screen. The provider will convert your video to Full HD on the fly, saving you both battery and mobile data in this case.

Synchronization vs. Backup

Synchronization and backup features are often confused when it comes to online storage. But there are real differences between them:

Synchronization

Data synchronization means keeping a copy of your files on the cloud that is up-to-date and identical to the one you have on your device, even if your device is turned off. This means that any changes you make to a file on your computer are automatically reflected in your cloud account and vice versa (see all your devices).

Backup

Data backup is creating an extra copy of your files in case your computer gets lost or damaged. Backup can be done on an external hard drive, but it's much more convenient and secure to use the cloud. You can set the backup schedule and configure the system to alert you if files are not backed up.

Conclusion

We hope this comparison will help you decide which online storage service is best for you. Whether you need to back up data, share files, or work collaboratively, take the time to look at the features of each cloud storage service in detail to find the service that best meets your needs!

The best cloud storage in 2025