Best Cloud Storage in 2026: Free, Private and Self-Hosted Options Compared

The best cloud storage depends on what you are protecting and what you already use. Google Drive and OneDrive are the easy choices inside Google or Microsoft accounts, Proton Drive, Sync.com and MEGA add end-to-end encryption on hosted storage, and Nextcloud and Syncthing keep your files on hardware you control.

The 12 picks below are grouped by approach, with free tiers described qualitatively and live licence, self-hosting and pricing data in the table. This guide helps you pick a type of storage. If you are leaving Dropbox or Google Drive specifically, the Dropbox and Google Drive alternatives guide goes deeper on switching.

How we picked the best cloud storage

Enlisted started from its file storage category, which also holds file-transfer services, backup tools, object storage and download clients, and kept products that store files and sync them across devices. Hosted services needed a clear product page, and open-source projects needed recent GitHub activity, with licences quoted as listed. Encryption claims are the vendors' own descriptions and have not been audited here. Prices and storage limits change often, so the live table shows current plans instead of numbers in the text. The method is in how Enlisted ranks tools.

Three questions decide most choices. Who should be able to read your files, including the provider? Which apps do you already live in? And do you want to run anything yourself? The sections below answer them in turn.

Best mainstream cloud storage

These hosted services are tied to a larger account and an office suite, which is both their strength and their limit. If privacy is your priority, read each vendor's security documentation.

1. Google Drive: best for collaboration on Docs, Sheets and Slides

Google Drive is Google's cloud storage and sync service, built into Google Workspace so files connect directly with Docs, Sheets, Slides and Forms and can be edited in real time. Individuals and teams store files, sync them across devices and share them, and Google positions it for everything from individuals to enterprises, education and nonprofits.

Personal accounts are available and Enlisted lists a free tier, with plans on Google's pricing page. See the Google Drive page or Google Drive alternatives.

• Best for: people and teams that already work in Google's apps.
• Watch out for: it is closed source and hosted by Google, with no self-hosted option.

2. Microsoft OneDrive: best for Microsoft 365 users

Microsoft OneDrive is Microsoft's cloud storage service for saving files online, syncing them across devices and sharing them with others. It integrates closely with Microsoft 365 apps, so documents created in Word, Excel and PowerPoint can be stored and shared from the same place. It is a hosted product with apps for several platforms.

Enlisted lists a free tier, and the vendor's site has the details on storage plans. See the OneDrive listing or compare OneDrive alternatives.

• Best for: Windows and Microsoft 365 users who want storage that works with their office apps.
• Watch out for: it is hosted only and closed source, and its strengths sit inside the Microsoft ecosystem.

3. Dropbox: best for simple file sync and sharing across devices

Dropbox is a commercial cloud storage service for storing, syncing and sharing files across devices. A file saved in a folder on one computer appears on the others and can be shared by link with colleagues or clients. The product family now includes more than storage, with tools for video review, e-signatures, secure document sharing and finding company content.

Enlisted lists a free Basic plan, paid per-user plans and a free trial. The Dropbox page has the listing, and the Dropbox alternatives guide covers what to move to if it no longer fits.

• Best for: people who want straightforward sync and link sharing with desktop and mobile apps.
• Watch out for: the free plan is capped, and it is closed source with no self-hosted version.

Apple's iCloud belongs in this group for iPhone and Mac owners. It keeps photos, files and device backups available across Apple devices and the web, includes a free allowance, and adds paid iCloud+ tiers with more storage that can be shared with family. Box is the business-oriented option, with security controls and Box Zones for choosing where content is stored.

Best private and encrypted cloud storage

Privacy-focused services say they encrypt files so the provider cannot read them. Read each vendor's security documentation to understand what that covers, because search, previews and sharing features can work differently when the provider cannot see your data. For passwords and other secrets, see the best password managers guide.

4. Proton Drive: best end-to-end encrypted storage with a free plan

Proton Drive is end-to-end encrypted cloud storage from Proton, a company based in Switzerland, for backing up, syncing and sharing files and photos. Proton says the provider cannot read the contents. The service includes photo backup, secure sharing, online editors for documents and spreadsheets, and apps for iOS, Android, Windows and macOS, plus a web app and a command-line client.

A free plan is available, with paid plans for individuals, families and teams, and Proton publishes guides for moving from Google Drive and OneDrive. See the Proton Drive page and Proton Drive alternatives.

• Best for: privacy-minded people who want encrypted storage with a free plan and a familiar interface.
• Watch out for: it is hosted only, and the free plan is the entry tier.

5. Sync.com: best zero-knowledge storage for teams and regulated work

Sync.com is a Canadian cloud storage and file sharing service that encrypts files end to end, so that, according to the company, not even its own staff can read them. It offers secure sharing with permissions, a client file portal, shared team folders and access from desktop, mobile and the web, and its solution pages address education, finance, healthcare, legal and government.

Enlisted's data lists team plans with a free trial and unlimited storage on selected plans. Confirm personal plans and limits on the vendor's pricing page, and see the Sync.com listing.

• Best for: small teams and organizations with privacy requirements who want zero-knowledge sharing.
• Watch out for: encryption claims are the company's own, and Enlisted lists no free plan.

6. pCloud: best for a Swiss provider with lifetime plans

pCloud is a cloud storage service run by pCloud International AG, a Swiss company, for storing, syncing and sharing files from any device. It offers file sharing with branded links, backup and recovery, and a choice to keep files in Europe or the USA. With its optional client-side encryption, the key stays with you alone.

Plans are available for individuals, families and businesses, including one-time lifetime plans. Enlisted's entry says new users can try some free storage, while its pricing data lists paid plans, so confirm what is free on pCloud's site. Read more on the pCloud page.

• Best for: people who prefer to pay once for long-term storage and want a European data location.
• Watch out for: client-side encryption is an optional add-on rather than the default.

7. MEGA: best encrypted storage with a free tier and built-in chat

MEGA is a cloud storage and privacy service built on encryption by default, according to the company, which says privacy is standard rather than optional. You can store and share files, run chat and video meetings and send large transfers. The product range also includes a VPN, a password manager and S3-compatible object storage.

MEGA has a free plan, with paid plans for individuals and businesses. See the MEGA entry or MEGA alternatives.

• Best for: people who want encrypted storage, sharing and chat from one provider with a free tier.
• Watch out for: it is a broad product family, so decide which parts you need, and check the free tier's limits.

8. Tresorit: best encrypted workspace for confidential business files

Tresorit is a commercial cloud storage and file sharing service built on end-to-end encryption and zero knowledge, meaning the provider is designed not to be able to read customer files. It is aimed mainly at businesses handling confidential material in finance, legal, IT services and nonprofits, though a private-use plan also exists.

Business products include SecureCloud for an encrypted workspace, Engage for secure data rooms, FileSharing with revocable access and an eSign add-on. It is paid with a free trial. See the Tresorit page.

• Best for: teams sharing sensitive documents with clients, such as law and finance firms.
• Watch out for: it is paid with no free plan, and its feature set is aimed at business rather than casual personal use.

Best self-hosted cloud storage

Self-hosting means your files live on a server you control, whether that is a home machine, a rented server or a managed host. You get ownership and no per-user storage fees from the software, and you take on updates, security and backups.

9. Nextcloud: best all-round self-hosted cloud

Nextcloud is a self-hosted file sync, sharing and collaboration platform that stores files, contacts and calendars on a server you choose, and it can be extended with hundreds of apps from its App Store. It is released under AGPL-3.0 and secures accounts with encryption options and two-factor authentication.

There are several ways to run it: install the server yourself, use a ready-to-use appliance, buy a device with it preinstalled or pay a provider to host it. See the Nextcloud page.

• Best for: people and teams that want to replace Drive or Dropbox with something they control.
• Watch out for: it is a platform to administer, so budget time for updates, backups and app compatibility.

10. Seafile: best for reliable syncing of large numbers of files

Seafile is a file synchronization and sharing platform written mainly in C, with desktop and mobile clients. It uses libraries as the unit of syncing and sharing, and it also describes organizing files with extensible properties and flexible views, with wiki and Markdown features.

The Community Edition is free to self-host, a paid Pro Edition adds features per user, and a hosted team plan is available. See the Seafile listing.

• Best for: teams who mostly need dependable sync and sharing and want to host it themselves.
• Watch out for: a paid Pro Edition exists alongside the free Community Edition, so check which features each includes.

11. ownCloud: best self-hosted file platform with open protocol support

ownCloud is the server core of ownCloud Classic, a self-hosted platform for file storage, sync and sharing, written in PHP and JavaScript. It ships with WebDAV, CalDAV and CardDAV servers, an app plugin architecture, external storage backends, encryption support, user and group management and a REST API, and it is available as a Docker image.

It is released under AGPL-3.0, with enterprise support from the vendor. A newer architecture, ownCloud Infinite Scale, is written in Go under Apache-2.0. See the ownCloud page.

• Best for: organizations that want a self-hosted platform with standard protocol support and vendor support available.
• Watch out for: there are two ownCloud lineages, so confirm which one you are deploying and read its documentation.

12. Syncthing: best for syncing folders between your own devices without a server

Syncthing is open-source continuous file synchronization that keeps folders in step between two or more computers. Its peer-to-peer design means your devices exchange files directly rather than through a central storage service, and it is released under MPL-2.0. The project ranks protecting users from data loss and staying secure against eavesdropping among its top goals.

It is not a hosted cloud: files live on your devices, so a file is only available while a device that holds it is online. See the Syncthing page.

• Best for: people who want private folder sync between their own computers with no account.
• Watch out for: there is no central web storage, so it is not a replacement for a hosted drive if you want access from any browser.

Free cloud storage: what to expect

A free cloud storage tier is usually a trial-sized allowance that you can use for documents and a modest photo library. Enlisted lists free tiers for Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, Proton Drive and MEGA, and iCloud includes a small free allowance with an Apple account. Syncthing, Nextcloud and Seafile's Community Edition are free to run yourself, but you provide the hardware and the electricity.

• Free tiers are capped. Compare the storage limit against what you keep before you move files.
• Free does not mean private. Hosted free tiers differ in encryption, so read the vendor's security page.
• Plan for backups. A free account is not a backup, and self-hosted storage needs its own copy somewhere else.

For one-off sending of large files rather than storing them, see the transfer tools in the Dropbox alternatives guide.

More tools worth a look

Several catalogue entries are tools rather than storage services. rclone is a command-line program that syncs files between local disks and many cloud storage providers, with encryption and mounting support. restic is a command-line backup program that stores deduplicated, encrypted snapshots. Cloudreve is a self-hosted file manager that stores files across local disks and several cloud providers. LocalSend sends files between nearby devices over your local network.

How to choose cloud storage

Match the storage to the problem you are solving.

If you are unsure, start with the free tier of whatever matches your phone and office suite, move sensitive documents to an encrypted service, and consider self-hosting only if you have the time to maintain it. The file storage category lists more options.