There are many online storage options available. I will focus on the main three, Dropbox, OneDrive, and Google Drive. I personally have used Dropbox and not the other two. I really like Dropbox so haven’t tried them.

Dropbox (Dropbox Inc.)

Dropbox accounts start out with 2GB of free storage but you can add more storage by completing the “Getting Started”, inviting others, or linking Twitter or Mailbox. For a cost you can get 100GB ($9.99 per month). There is also a business option which you pay per user ($15) and they can be managed with unlimited storage.

When you install Dropbox on your computer it will create a file that is linked to your account. Files saved into this folder will be synced online and be accessible from anywhere online or other devices where you install Dropbox. You have the option of online, installed on your computer, or an app for mobile devices. Files can be shared with friends/family/co-workers and they are not even required to have an account. You can send a link via email for instance. If the person you want to share it with has an account you can share files or folders that they will see in their account.

OneDrive, formerly Skydrive (Microsoft)

OneDrive accounts start out with 7GB of free storage and you can earn more by activating camera roll back up and inviting others. For a cost of $25 per 50GB you can upgrade. As with Dropbox there is a business option for $2.50 per user (on 50% sale at time of writing) with 25GB of storage. Extra storage will cost $0.20 per GB.

OneDrive also creates a folder that is linked to your account and is synced to your devices as well. Options for online, computer, and mobile app exist. Files can be share to others also. If the person has a OneDrive account you could also collaborate and work on a document at the same time using web apps. Of the three this is the only one that is available on a Windows Phone and you can also use it to sync settings on Windows 8 computers. Microsoft Office documents can be worked on seamlessly across PC, Mac, and web.

Google Drive (Google)

Google Drive accounts start with the most free storage at 15GB. More space can be purchased for monthly charge of $1.99 (100GB), $9.99 (1TB), $99.99 (10TB) $199.99 (20TB) $299.99 (30TB).

Google Drive will create a folder for syncing files also. The same online, computer, and mobile apps are choices. Files can shared easily with Google Drive as well. This option also allows collaboration with others online using Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides apps.

As you can see the three have quite a bit in common. The differences are pricing structure and in my option personal preference in brand name. Personally I like Dropbox and have used it for sometime now. I did think about switching to OneDrive to the beginning free space being enough for me (currently pay for extra with Dropbox). I decided against in mainly due to the time/effort of transferring files. Another reason was I think I would eventually need to pay for more space anyway. These are just the three main online storage options. Other options include (list from pcmag) Amazon Cloud Drive, Apple iCloud, Bitcasa, Box, CertainSafe, Cubby, CX, IDrive, MiMedia, Mozy, SafeSync, and many others including self hosted ones. Self hosted online storage options include OwnCloud, Filelocker. Oxygen, Filr, and Egnyte. These options require you to have a web server. Or access to one. I have OwnCloud installed on my web hosting companies server but don’t really use it.