How to choose the best cloud storage service

Moving your files, photos and documents online to the cloud is one of the smartest computing decisions you can make.

With your most important files stored safely online, you don't need to panic about your laptop seizing up or your external hard drive breaking down. Even if your computer is lost or stolen, you'll still be able to access your documents or photo collection online.

If you aren't currently using cloud storage, you might be searching for a trusted service. We've seen some that make transferring files a seamless task, whereas others are far more fiddly. Here, we run through your options.

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What is cloud storage?

Cloud storage is a service that lets you back up and store your data online on remote servers. As long as you have an internet connection, you can access cloud-based files from a PC, smartphone or tablet. 

It's more secure and can be safer than storing your photos and files on your computer or an external hard drive. You can use cloud storage to both store and share data with trusted contacts.

Providers offer various tiers of membership, so you can pick the right one for you based on how many files you want saved in the cloud and how much you're willing to pay. Costs can range from nothing at all to a small monthly fee or a higher fee for extra space and features. 

Paid vs free cloud storage services

Many of the big-name services offer free storage between 5GB and 15GB. If you want more space, you'll need to pay an annual or monthly fee.

Of course, nothing is stopping you from setting up multiple free accounts and enjoying a sizeable combined amount of storage. But this could become confusing and annoying – and you probably don't want to spend too much time going through all your accounts to find one specific document.

Some popular storage service providers include:

The cost of physical storage

Most photos taken with a smartphone camera are about 2MB each. With that in mind, here's a breakdown of how much it could cost to store 10,000 photos on different devices:

• £500 – printed photos (postcard-sized 6x4-inch prints, not including the album to store them in)
• £8.99 – CDs (30 blank 700MB discs)
• £2.03 – flash drive (£12.99 for a 128GB model)
• £1.67 – DVDs (£6.29 for 16 blank 4.7GB discs)
• £1.20 – solid-state drive (£60 for a 1TB model)
• 60p – external hard drive (£60 for a 2TB model)
• 7p a month – cloud storage (iCloud's monthly £6.99 2TB plan)

Cloud storage vs external hard drives: advantages and disadvantages 

Backing up your data to an external hard drive only defers the worry of losing the files on your PC. Hard drives are every bit as susceptible to loss, damage or data corruption.

If you're saving a large number of files, it can be more expensive to pay an annual fee for cloud storage than it is to simply buy an external hard drive. But with the financial outlay comes the convenience of being able to access your files anywhere.

Prefer physical storage? Check out our reviews of the best external hard drives and best USB sticks from our tests

Cloud storage features to look out for

Not all cloud storage services offer the same functionality, so make sure you pick one with all the features you want.

1. Multi-device access

You can use most cloud storage services on your smartphone or tablet, as well as on your laptop or desktop PC. But check that the service has dedicated apps for your brand of tablet or phone.

2. Editing

Surprisingly, some services don't let you edit documents within cloud storage itself – instead, you open the file outside of the storage service, then it syncs automatically. Many give you the option of both, though, giving you a little more flexibility. 

Some cloud storage services, including Knowhow and Livedrive, let you edit pictures, too.

3. File sharing

Most services let you share your files with other people – for instance, you might like to share some holiday snaps with your family. Some don't, though, so consider whether it's something you'd like to do.

4. Real-time syncing

This means your edited files will automatically have their changes updated in the cloud storage service. Most modern services offer this, although you sometimes used to have to upload files manually afterwards, which isn't as smooth a process.

5. Rollback

This lets you roll back to an earlier version of a document – useful if something goes seriously wrong. A few providers also let you roll back everything on your cloud storage service to a previous time.

6. Video and music playback

Videos and music often take up a lot of storage space, so many people stick them on cloud storage services to make room for other files. Some providers let you watch videos and play music within the service, too.

However you access your favourite tunes, our independent survey results can help you find the best music streaming services

How secure are cloud storage services?

Reports of data breaches keep rolling in thick and fast. Unfortunately, we share a world with hackers who work hard to get their hands on our personal data. You can stay on top of the latest online scams by signing up to Which? Scam Alerts for free.

Millions of people upload personal documents and photos to cloud storage services. So it's imperative that the brands behind those services protect all the data they hold to withstand breaches from even the most devious attackers. It will be up to your cloud storage provider to do everything possible to protect your data.

Does the cloud storage service encrypt your data?

Website encryption and traffic encryption are both extremely important. 

• Website encryption relates to whether the cloud storage website itself is secure – ie whether there's a safe connection between the cloud website and your own web browser. 
• Traffic encryption is about whether the data you're transferring to a website is travelling through a secure tunnel. 

Ultimately, the combination of website and traffic encryption means that a hacker would have a tough job of trying to intercept your data. 

Weak vs strong passwords

Part of the onus of creating a strong password is on you, the user. But that doesn't mean a cloud storage service should let you get away with one that's too easily guessed by a stranger.

The best cloud storage services won't even accept weak passwords. Instead, they will encourage you to provide one with a combination of eight or more characters, numbers, and upper and lower case letters. They also often give an assessment of how strong your password is to prompt you to improve it. Yet, some cloud services will let you use a password that's easier to crack, such as your surname. 

It's also good if two-factor authentication (2FA) is available. This form of security requires you to enter your password, but then an extra code is sent to one of your personal devices (usually a phone), which you'll then need to enter to log in.

Follow our advice on how to create secure passwords to protect your accounts and data

What happens if you delete your account?

If you delete your cloud storage service account, you'll also want to know that every file you've previously uploaded will be wiped securely. Some services make the process of deleting your account very straightforward, whereas others require more time and effort. 

While some services will let you know that everything has been deleted, others don't tell you much, so your files may be left dwelling long after your account has closed. 

Do I need to worry about sharing files with other people?

Lots of people like to share files they've uploaded to a cloud storage service with other people, whether you're sharing pictures of your holiday with your family, or a document with work colleagues. When doing this, make sure you're sharing files with people you know and trust. 

Also, make sure you're happy with the rights you're transferring – some only let people view and download the file, whereas others allow editing and commenting.

Make sure your laptop or PC is protected with our pick of the best antivirus software

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