Back in the day, memories were printed on paper and stored in albums for safe keeping. As long as they’re stored in a book, you never have to worry about them disappearing or accidentally getting deleted. It’s quite different from how we store our images today. We capture everything on our devices and rely on them to keep our photos safe.
But as easy as it is to leave everything on our phones, it’s just as easy for them to disappear.Technology glitches can wipe your device of photos or videos — and you can lose them forever if they’re not backed up.
That’s why investing in online cloud storage to keep your digitized items safe is a good idea. Here are some of the best online places to store your files.
1. Google One
Price: $2.79 to $13.99 per month, depending on storage plan
Google Drive is a free and easy way to store your important files online, but there is a 15 GB storage limit. By upgrading to a Google One subscription, you can get over 100 GB of storage and some added benefits. If you have an Android device, Google One will automatically back everything up for you.
There are multiple plans you can choose from on Google One to meet your storage needs. They offer six different plans starting with 100 GB priced at just a couple dollars per month, all the way to a 30 TB plan. With each of these plans, you can add family members to the account and get access to experts who can help you with anything related to Google and their devices.
2. Microsoft OneDrive
Price: $1.99 to $9.99 per month, depending on storage plan
There are a lot of perks to getting a OneDrive account with Microsoft. You can access your files from any device, you don’t have to be online to access them and you can trust they will be protected. You can sign up for free and then upgrade to one of the available plans.
If you opt for a plan with Microsoft One, you’ll be getting more than just cloud storage. There are four plans to choose from. And if you get at least 1 TB of storage, you’ll also get their office apps like Microsoft Word, Excel and Powerpoint.
Microsoft Drive also gives you the option of buying a business plan. The three different options allow you to pay per user at reasonable costs. If you choose their premium plan, you can try one month for free and see if it makes sense for your storage needs.
3. Dropbox
Price: $21 to $33 per month, depending on storage plan
Dropbox is one of the most versatile cloud services you can buy. They offer a variety of plans that can meet your moderate or high need for storage. Each of the plans includes a 30-day trial, so you can try it out before committing to a monthly or yearly charge.
The website offers three different plans — standard, advanced and enterprise. Standard generously offers 5 TB of storage for a single user. With advanced, you can have up to three users on the account and will be given as much space as your team needs.
It’s easy to stay organized with Dropbox. You can create folders, share them with anyone, and collaborate with others through the site. There’s also a desktop and mobile app you can download to access Dropbox anytime, even without internet access.
4. Amazon Drive
Price: $19.99 to $59.99 per year, depending on storage plan
Amazon is a one-stop-shop for just about everything, including file storage. The website offers a cloud to store your photos and videos. If you have an Amazon Prime account, then you already have access to unlimited photo storage and 5 GB of video storage.
There’s also separate plans you can buy without a Prime account. Amazon offers a 100 GB storage plan for $19.99 and 1 TB storage plan for just $59.99 per year. You can use the service to auto-save from your iOS and Android devices and access them anytime on the web.
Cloud Storage Is Secure And Reliable
If you’re someone who takes photos and videos on your phone, having a safe place to store them is essential. It’s always possible for them to disappear if your device suddenly breaks or malfunctions. With cloud storage, you can trust anything you upload to it will be safe and secure.
Check out the different plans each service offers. Depending on your needs, you could go with a more basic option like Google or Amazon Drive. If you’re looking for something with more customization options that more than one person can use, consider a more multi-functional service from OneDrive or Dropbox.
Whichever cloud storage you choose, it will give you some peace of mind knowing your memories are safely stored. You’ll be able to trust that your photos, videos or other files will always be available for you to look back on in the future.