12 Best Free Cloud Storage Providers (2023)

Cloud Storage has become an inherent part of our lives today. Each one of us is using it in some way or the other! 

If you are a beginner, a free cloud storage service would be sufficient for your needs. But which one should you go with? What are the options available in the market? Well, stay tuned cause that is exactly what we are discussing today.

I have personally used dozens of popular and not-so-popular cloud storage providers in the last few years. After extensive research and testing, I’m here with the most awaited article – Best Free Cloud Storage for 2023! 

In this article, you will discover my 12 best recommendations for free cloud storage along with their major pros and cons. I will also discuss the USP of every cloud storage and who should use it. 

So, without taking up any more of your time, let’s dive right into our Best Free Cloud Storage list right away!

Pros of Mega

20 GB Free Space

With a free plan of Mega Cloud Storage, you get 20 GB of permanent online storage space, which is sufficient for an average user.

Zero Knowledge Encryption

Mega secures all your uploaded data with zero knowledge encryption, making it inaccessible to anyone except you.

Good Speeds

You get to experience fast upload and download speeds with Mega. 

Decent Privacy Policy

The Privacy Policy of Mega looks much better than Google Drive!

Dark Mode

Mega has recently introduced the Dark mode for its web client and has also worked on improving its user interface.

Long Lasting Achievements

You can unlock 5 GB of cloud space on every achievement. They have recently increased the validity up to 365 days. For more information, check out Mega’s achievements page.

Cons of Mega

Cannot Select Server Location

Mega has servers in New Zealand, Canada, Germany, Netherlands, and France. But it doesn’t let you choose the server location.

Strict Terms and Conditions

Mega removes any copyrighted content/media if it is reported to them.

Chinese Investors

A large part of Mega’s shared were sold to Chinese investors few years back.

Mega is a popular cloud storage provider from New Zealand. Earlier it used to offer 15 GB of free space but only recently they upgraded and now they’re providing 20 GB of cloud space along with zero knowledge encryption and good speeds.

They’ve also increased the achievements awards validity up to 365 days and made it more clear.

Mega is great option for FREE and it is perfect for users prefer the security of their online data.


Pros of pCloud

10 GB Free Space

The free plan of pCloud offers a decent 10 GB of cloud space that you can unlock by completing tasks like creating an account, verifying your email, uploading a file, and inviting friends!

Good Privacy Policy

The Privacy Policy of pCloud is neat. They do not collect a lot of their users’ data, nor do they reveal it to any third parties. 

Allows Data Center Selection

pCloud lets you choose a data center of your choice at the time of signing up. Most users prefer the European data centers. 

Excellent Speeds

Because pCloud uses the European servers, you can find swift upload and download speeds here. 

Advanced Syncing

pCloud allows Block Level Sync and Selective Sync features, which makes it one of the best options for syncing files.

Excellent File Sharing

You can set passwords and expiry dates on your links, customize link pages and upload permissions, and even view link statistics! 

Cons of pCloud

Inactivity Clause

If you do not access your pCloud account for 6 months, they might delete it! 

No Zero Knowledge in Free Plan

pCloud does not provide a zero knowledge encryption with its free plans. If you need this feature, you need to upgrade to a paid plan.

pCloud is a Switzerland-based Cloud Storage that offers you 10 GB of storage space on the free plan along with lightning fast speeds. Users who frequently need to share files with others would find the advanced sharing features of pCloud very impressive! 

Overall, it is one of the best options for free as well for paid cloud storage. For more information, check out my pCloud Review. 


Pros of Sync

5 GB Free Space

Creating a free account on Sync instantly gets you 5 GB of cloud storage.

Impressive Referral System

If you wish to earn more free space, you can take part in their Referral Program. Referring them to 15 people will earn you 15 GB of additional storage! 

Clean Privacy Policy

Their Privacy Policy is clearly defined and they also don’t collect unnecessary information from users.

Zero Knowledge Encryption

All your data uploaded on Sync is secured with zero knowledge encryption. So, nobody except you can ever access it.

Great Sharing Options

Sync lets you set expiry dates and passwords to secure your links. Users don’t need to create an account for uploading files to your shared folder.

Clean Record

Their history and past record has been clean and reliable.

Cons of Sync

Average Interface

The interface of Sync lacks user friendliness and a modern design.

Slow Speeds

Protecting their users’ data with an additional security of zero-Knowledge encryption results in slower speeds. 

Belongs to 5 Eyes Alliance

The servers of Sync are in Canada, which is a member of the 5 Eyes Alliance. 

These countries might share their users’ data with other intelligence agencies without their consent.

Sync is a privacy-focussed cloud storage company in Canada. With its free plan, you get 5 GB of cloud space encrypted with zero knowledge. You can also take part in their generous referral program to earn an extra 25 GBs of space!

Overall, Sync would be the perfect option for users more concerned about the security of their data stored online.


Pros of Icedrive

10 GB Free Space

With Icedrive, you get 10 GB of free cloud storage, along with other advanced security features! 

Great Speeds

You get to experience fast upload and download speeds with Icedrive cloud storage.

Attractive UI

It has one of the best and most friendly interfaces out of all cloud storage providers.

Clean Privacy Policy

Its Privacy Policy looks very transparent. And because Icedrive is GDPR Compliant, you can also request a copy of your data stored with them!

Cons of Icedrive

No Zero Knowledge 

The free plan of Icedrive does not offer a zero knowledge encryption feature. You need to upgrade your plan for that. 

Limited Sharing Options

You can set passwords and expiry dates to your shared links. Unlike pCloud, you cannot customize upload permissions or check link stats!

Icedrive is a new cloud storage company based in the UK. Its free plan provides you 10 GB of cloud space along with great speeds. 

Users who want to enjoy an easy to use and attractive interface along with complete transparency of their online data would find Icedrive an excellent choice! To know more, check out my Icedrive Review.


Pros of Google Drive

15 GB Free Space

As soon as you sign up on Gmail, you get 15 GB of cloud storage for free!

Swift Speeds

With Google Drive, you get to experience faster speeds while uploading and downloading your files. 

Best for Collaboration

Google Drive is your best shot if you want to work on office files or collaborate in real-time with your team members.

Remarkable Sync Feature

Changes are reflected across all devices as soon as you make edits to a file!

Cons of Google Drive

Weak Privacy Policy

As we all know, the Privacy Policy of Google is very doubtful. They collect a lot of their users’ data and then use it to display personalized ads to them.

No Zero Knowledge

Because your data does not remain encrypted with zero knowledge, it is always at a risk of being compromised.

Strict Terms and Conditions

Copyrighted content uploaded on Google Drive is automatically deleted.

Google Drive is a cloud storage put forth by Google. It is the most popular cloud solution and most people use it regularly without even realizing! It gives you access to 15 GB of storage space with quick speeds. 

If you need to work or collaborate on office documents with your teammates, there’s no better solution than Google Drive!


Pros of OneDrive

5 GB Free Cloud Space

Registering for an account on OneDrive gives you 5 GB of online storage free of cost.

Excellent Editing and Collaboration

If you wish to work on office documents online, OneDrive would be great for creating, editing, sharing, and collaborating on your files online.

Good Sync and Backup

You can enable automatic backups for your local folders so they always remain synced to the cloud.

Version History

OneDrive offers a 30-day versioning, so you can preview and restore the previous versions of your files. 

Cons of OneDrive

Terrible Download Speeds

The upload speeds with OneDrive are decent, but the download speeds are surprisingly slow!

OneDrive is a cloud storage offered by Microsoft. You get 5 GB of cloud space on its free plan. If you wish to edit office documents online, then you might try it! I use it for Office Documents and OneNote.


Pros of Degoo

20 GB Free Space

Degoo provides you a 20 GB of cloud storage space that you can extend by referring more friends.

Cons of Degoo

Intrusive Ads

Their mobile app and website are stuffed with intrusive ads that spoil the user experience. 

Less Space

Earlier they used to offer 100 GB of free space. Now they have reduced it to 20 GB only.

No Zero Knowledge Encryption

The free plan of Degoo does not come with a secure zero knowledge encryption.

Inactivity Clause

If your Degoo account remains inactive for 90 days, their team might permanently delete it.

No 2FA

It does not offer 2FA support, so your account is always vulnerable to online threats. 

File Size Limitation

You cannot upload extensive files on Degoo. It only supports a maximum file size of 512 MB.

Degoo is a Swedish Cloud Storage that offers a 100 GB storage space on its free plan. However, other than the generous storage, there’s no other feature that makes it stand out!

Overall, if you have no problem with ads covering your interface, and you can stay active over it, then you might give Degoo Cloud a try! 


Pros of Jio Cloud

Free 5 GB Space

JioCloud provides free cloud storage of 5 GB for Jio users and 2 GB for non-Jio users. 

Decent Referral Program

You can extend your cloud storage upto 50 GB by referring JioCloud to others.

Good Backup Options

Its mobile app lets you enable automatic backups for your photos, videos, audios, documents, contacts, and even messages!

Clean UI

The interface of JioCloud is neat, simple and easy to use for beginners.

2 Languages Supported

JioCloud supports two languages – English and Hindi, that are helpful for the Indian audiences. 

Cons of Jio Cloud

Intrusive Ads

They collect all your data uploaded on the cloud and might even disclose your personal information to affiliates, consultants, contractors, vendors, etc.

Terrible Speeds

Even Sync Cloud Storage offers far better speeds in India than our own Indian cloud storage – JioCloud!

JioCloud is a cloud storage offered by Reliance Jio, an Indian company. It is the official cloud service of Jio and is quite famous among the Indian audiences. With its free plan, you get 5 GB of cloud storage if you are a Jio user. 

I had higher expectations from JioCloud as they made it for the Indian audiences. But even after multiple speed tests, I experienced slow speeds. 

I personally won’t use it or recommend it to my friends. But if you want a cloud storage app for storing your files or photos, and can adjust with its slow speeds and a doubtful privacy policy, you can check out JioCloud. 

To know more about it, check out my JioCloud Review.


Pros of Tresorit

5 GB Free Space

With Tresorit send you can send you can send files upto 5 GB Securely.

Good for Large File Transfer

If you need to transfer large and important files, then Tresorit should be your go-to cloud storage provider.

Exceptional Security 

Tresorit is a secure cloud storage solution, so you get Zero-knowledge encryption, 2FA support, and more!

Neat Privacy Policy

Tresorit is GDPR and HIPAA Compliant, so you will find complete transparency about your collected data. They also do not belong to the 5-Eyes Alliance, which makes them more reliable.

Friendly UI

The user interface of Tresorit is quite easy to use, well-organized, and attractive!

Cons of Tresorit

Only Transfer

Tresorit doesn’t have a free plan to store files. You can only use it to send/transfer your files..

Poor Download Speeds

Because Tresorit is a zero knowledge platform, its download speeds suffer to some extent.

Tresorit is a security-first cloud storage based in Switzerland and Hungary. Its free plan offers 5 GB of transfer secured with zero knowledge encryption.

Along with that, you also get good upload speeds, an easy-to-use interface, and a transparent privacy policy. So, If your primary requirement is transferring extensive files with enhanced security, you can check out Tresorit.


Pros of MediaFire

10 GB Free Space

MediaFire offers a decent 10 GB of free storage space when we create an account.

Good for Storing Files

It can be suitable for file storage, but MediaFire is not ready to be a full-fledged cloud storage right now!

Cons of MediaFire

Weak Security 

Forget zero knowledge encryption, MediaFire doesn’t even have a basic encryption! End-to-end encryption is the primary requirement for any cloud storage platform.

Terrible Upload Speeds

With my connection speed of 100 MB/s, it took 17 long minutes to upload an 844 MB video file on MediaFire!

Bad Privacy Policy

Similar to Google, they scan all your uploaded files and auto-delete any copyrighted material. 

Ads Everywhere

The free version of MediaFire has lots of ads on every single page. When you interact with these ads, your information is collected and they serve you more ads based on that information. 

No Desktop App

MediaFire is one of the oldest players in the cloud storage market. Sadly, it still doesn’t feature a desktop app!

MediaFire, launched back in 2006, is an ancient service. It offers you a decent 10 GB of storage space. It began as a file transfer service and is now operating as a cloud storage. But unfortunately, its performance in both the fields is below average.

I won’t recommend it. If you only wish to transfer files that are not very sensitive, and speed is not a problem for you, then you might try MediaFire! 


Pros of GitHub

500 MB Cloud Space

GitHub offers you 500 MB of free online storage, which is decent for uploading your important websites and Android projects. 

Good for Developers 

GitHub is a suitable cloud option for developers to upload their projects on private repositories.

Easy-to-Use Interface

You get a friendly and simple web interface. So, even beginners can operate it with no troubles.

File Versioning

Along with all the other advanced features of GitHub, you can also view and revert to the previous versions of a file with ease. 

File Backups

GitHub can be an interesting option for backing up your important projects on the cloud.

Cons of GitHub

Security Issues

Your important data might be vulnerable when stored on GitHub’s servers. They have faced cyber attacks before and are constantly targeted by hackers.

GitHub is a platform for developers and programmers to work together on coding. It offers you 500 MB of cloud space which is sufficient for storing your most important projects. 

If you are a developer who needs advanced functions for your projects like file backups and versioning, GitHub would be a suitable solution for you. 


Pros of Terabox

1 TB free cloud storage

Signing up on Terabox gives you an unbelievable 1 TB of cloud storage space!

Basic Sharing

You can share your files with others and set link validity between 1 to 30 days.

Automatic Backups

Terabox supports automatic backups on its mobile device. So, you can choose specific folders and all the fresh changes will always remain synced with the cloud.

Decent Interface

The user interface of Terabox is simple for beginners to understand.

Swift Speeds

I received superb speeds while uploading files on Terabox. 

Cons of Terabox

Owned by a Chinese Company

Terabox Cloud Storage comes from PopIn, which is owned by Baidu (a Chinese Search Engine). Any relations with China are harmful to security, in my opinion!

Weak Privacy Policy 

They collect all your uploaded data and share it with third party affiliate companies, which is not appreciable.

Data Centers in Hong Kong and China

Their Data Centers are in China, which is again a big NO for privacy and security.  (Now they have changed it to japan)

Terabox, previously known as Dubox, is a Cloud Storage owned by a Chinese company. Though it offers an insane 1 TB of storage space, any connections with Chinese apps and services are a big NO from my side! Unlimited storage is just a bait to lure you in their trap!

Well, if you wish to dive deeper into the features and motives of Dubox Cloud Storage, check out my Terabox Review article


Conclusion

I hope this article helped you figure out which free cloud storage provider is the best for your requirements. I personally use Google Drive for collaboration with my team, and have purchased the lifetime plans of pCloud and Icedrive for cloud storage. 

In case you want to upgrade to a paid cloud storage service, you should definitely check out my article on Best Cloud Storage in India 2023.

Anyway, if you have any doubts about these free cloud storage services, leave them in the comments box below. I would be glad to answer them. 

If you liked this content, you can subscribe to my Newsletter for all the latest information on digital tools! This is Kripesh signing off. Keep growing and stay safe! 🙂

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Kripesh Adwani

Kripesh Adwani is a digital tool expert who buys, tests, and reviews SAAS tools for small businesses. Based on 10+ years of experience in tech he provides insightful reviews. His content is widely consumed, serving millions of users each month. Kripesh has also been featured in more than 50 publications, including The Economic Times, The Free Press Journal & Cloudways.

18 thoughts on “12 Best Free Cloud Storage Providers (2023)”

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