Google Drive: top 5 best free alternatives

At Icedrive, for 0 €, you will have access to the same quantity of storage as at PCloud, that is to say 10 GB. It’s a good start, and the rest of the offers is not really expensive in itself.

Cloud: 7 alternatives to Google Drive to store and share your data

Google Drive has been at the forefront of storage (and synchronization) storage services for almost ten years now, and rightly so.
If it is estimated that more than a billion users use it, and that it continues to be the reference product for many users, there are serious competitors.

Alongside the most popular alternatives, more and more challengers emerge and offer new ideas in the world of cloud storage services. We will therefore list some of these solutions, whether they are known or more confidential.

1. Infomaniak kdrive

If you are looking for a collaborative cloud hosted in Europe, respectful of privacy and generous in storage, KDRIVE should hold your attention.

Developed and hosted in Switzerland by Infomaniak, KDRIVE is designed for online collaboration: common files promote teamwork, an office suite allows you to work online on Word, Excel and PowerPoint and KDRIVE documents also includes a versionning service and apps to synchronize (fully or on demand) its files on all its devices.

Very complete, competitive and 100% managed in Switzerland, KDRIVE is a solid independent alternative to market giants with free support and recognized for its quality.

Price: free up to 15 GB, kdrive paid plans range from € 4.99 (2 TB) to € 10.00 (3 TB) per month. There is also an offer dedicated to companies at € 6.66 per month and per user for 6 to. It is possible to increase storage per level by 5 TB for 36 € per month.

2. Dropbox

Extremely popular and much appreciated, both for personal and professional use, Dropbox works on all platforms, and has around 500 million users worldwide.

Whether you want to use your platform for personal or professional purposes, you cannot be mistaken by choosing this storage service, hence its place at the top of the list.

For personal use, you have 2 GB for free, with the possibility of increasing this capacity by promoting.

With the “plus” formula, you will have access to 2 storage TBs and additional options, but still somewhat limited, all for € 9.99 per month. The “family” and “professional” packages will cost you € 16.99 and € 16.58 per month respectively and will open other Dropbox advantages and features.

Finally, Dropbox “Standard” will help your team to share and collaborate so that you can synchronize and stay organized. The standard package costs 10 € per month and per user, and gives access to 5 to storage for a maximum of 3 users, when the “Advanced” package is displayed at 15 € per month and per user, your company can then have as much space as necessary and benefit from sophisticated control and security functions.

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Google Drive: top 5 best free alternatives

Google Drive has its limits, especially in terms of GDPR and Security. Discover 5 free and safer alternatives !

In terms of online storage tools, Google Drive is of course a reference on the market. However, for certain reasons, you may not be satisfied by Google’s online storage function. It can be confidentiality, or even security. In any case, if you are looking for a new cloud storage service, here are our most relevant, free or paid alternatives to replace Google Drive on a daily basis.

Quick access (summary):

The best free alternatives to Google Drive in #Short

1. Mega
2. pcloud
3. Icedrive
4. kdrive
5. Sync.com

What is the use of Google Drive ?

Google Drive, It’s just an online storage tool, More specifically on the cloud. Its biggest advantage is obviously in its name: It is a tool that belongs to the very large Google family. We can indeed find it among docs, Meet, Gmail, Sheets, Slides, etc.

So there is no need to register from the moment you have a Google account. And, as there is a good chance that you have an account, the ease solution is of course to use Drive for your online storage.

It is clearly This very simplified use and integration which make a powerful tool drive. And again, it’s not just that. This software is like most Google tools: completely free. Finally, it is not paying if you don’t need more than 15 GB. Among the free tools like this, 15 GB, it’s a good thing. There are some that offer more, but most will not give you access to so much space.

Performance level, there is not much to say either on Google Drive. The speed of file uploads is very correct.

What is the problem with Google Drive ?

The concern for this solution is that it is Google and therefore that in terms of transparency, it is limited. Using Google Drive you choose to entrust your precious files to A fairly opaque company on its data operating policy.

We have seen it recently in Europe, but Google (and GAFAM more generally) do not often follow the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulations). In addition, in terms of security, Drive is not the best tool.

Discover the different alternatives we have to offer you if you no longer want to use Google Drive.

The 5 best 100 % free alternatives for Google Drive

1 – Mega, the open source alternative

The first solution we have to present to you is Mega. In reality, it is not completely free, but offers a Very interesting free version, What earned him his place in free alternatives.

Indeed, you will have access to 50 GB of online storage without paying a single penny ! Which makes it one of the most generous offers on the market, by far.

Mega has not always had an excellent reputation, but he is trying today to make his past forget by providing a very good quality service. In terms of confidentiality, we are still more informed than on Google Drive. We find a end -to -end encryption of data. You can indeed Secure your files with a password that you will define yourself. If you wish, you can even add an additional safety layer with a dynamic password to defend you any attacks.

Another Mega advantage is thatIt is open source and therefore completely transparent. If you have the skills, you can go and check for yourself the operating processes of Mega (if you doubt their reliability). The design model and the safety processes applied by MEGA are presented in a document dedicated to their site.

If The 50 GB of the free version Don’t be enough, you can always turn to their paid offers. There are different price levels, which correspond to this:

• € 4.99 per month for 400 GB of storage space
• € 9.99 per month for 2 to
• € 19.99 per month for 8 to
• € 29.99 per month for 16 to

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Mega
A secure exchange platform

2 – Pcloud, the cloud service with an interesting free version

Our second alternative is just as excellent, this is Pcloud. It is not as well known as Mega, Google Drive or Dropbox, but that is not as much as the service is not of quality. And, there are still more than 15 million users, it’s not nothing.

Again, this is only a free version, But which already gives you access to 10 GB. It is not as much as the 50 of Mega, but it is almost as much as the 15 of Google Drive. In addition, Pcloud has many other advantages that have a relevant alternative for you and/or your business.

In terms of security, he has no stress to have. As with Mega, You can encrypt and add passwords on the files most at risk. In addition, your files are stored on at least 3 different servers, in different places, to optimize even more security.

PCLOUD offers you advanced encryption features, in a very accessible and simple way. On a single account, you can manage encrypted and not encrypted files. Even if at first glance, one might think that all the files should be encrypted, this is not the case. This limits the management and use of these files.

Compared to Google, we have another big point of divergence here. Pcloud is based in Switzerland, and has servers in the European Union. In other words, in terms of compliance with data protection, it will be complicated to do better. Pcloud will not analyze your files to advertise behind or otherwise, they just take care of storing them, as you ask them.

Without your authorization, they cannot even transfer them to another server or anything. Their transparency at this level is quite rare with large data hosts.

3 – Icedrive, the data storage application for Android, Mac, Linux, iOS, Windows, browsers, etc

At Icedrive, for 0 €, you will have access to the same quantity of storage as at PCloud, that is to say 10 GB. It’s a good start, and the rest of the offers is not really expensive in itself.

Where Icedrive will stand out, it may be more on the practical side. Indeed, performance level, The duration of uploading files on their platform is quite impressive. Regardless of the plan to which you will subscribe, the bandwidth allocated to you is sufficient and generous so as to make your life easier.

Something that Icedrive insists, is The flexibility of their tool. Not only can you access it on your computer, but you will also have access to mobile, tablet and almost everything you want.

For the software version, you can install Icedrive for Windows, Mac and Linux. For Mobile, you will find the ICEDRIVE application on the play store for Android and the IOS app Store.

Otherwise, thanks to any web browser (Chrome, Firefox, etc.), you can access the web application. Regardless of the support, Icedrive is there to accompany you and accommodate your files.

In terms of data protection, Icedrive completely bends to GDPR standards. You can consult the data yourself to which they have access. In addition, they do not use any analytics tools to track down your activity on their tools, in order to prevent a potential commercial use of these data.

4 – KDRIVE, the cloud storage of the Swiss host Infomaniak

If you work on the web, you may know infomaniak, theEnvironmental Swiss web host. In addition to their accommodation offers, they also offer other tools to evolve serenely on the web.

As such, they therefore developed a Cloud storage solution To allow you to keep your data easily and in a secure manner. Like the other platforms we have seen until then, Kdrive offers an unlimited free plan To test their solution and store a limited number of data.

On this point, Kdrive competes with Google and its 15 GB of free storage. To increase the limit, it will be necessary to go through one of their paid plans, designed for professionals.

In terms of data protection, KDRIVE undertakes to Store all of your files in Switzerland. It is a big difference from the constant opacity imposed by Google and the GAFAM more generally.

If you used another cloud platform previously, such as Google Drive, One Drive or Dropbox, there is a automatic import functionality To transfer everything easily to KDRIVE.

Another interesting function on their free plan, it is possible to create Word, Excel or PowerPoint documents directly from KDRIVE space and collaborate on it.

If you create an email address with your free drive, you will also have access to other tools like Swisstransfer for sending files, Kmeet for videoconferences or Calendar to manage your schedule.

5- Sync.com, 5 GB of free storage !

Sync.com is an excellent free alternative to Google Drive for several reasons.

First of all, you should know that Sync attaches great importance to the security and confidentiality of data. All files are encrypted from start to finish, ensuring that only you and the people with whom you share the files can access it. Same sync.com does not have access to your data, thus ensuring maximum confidentiality.

In terms of storage space, sync.com offers a Free 5 GB departure space, which is more than enough to store and share your important files. And in addition, you have the possibility of win more free space by sponsoring friends or performing certain actions, As, for example, the installation of the mobile application.

Sync.com Facilitates file sharing and collaboration. You can share files and folders by generating sharing links or inviting other users to join a shared folder. Real -time collaboration allows you to work simultaneously on documents with other users, which is ideal for group projects.

The platform also offers a Multiplateform synchronization, This means that you can access your files from different devices (Windows, Mac, iOS and Android). The changes made on a device are automatically synchronized on others, ensuring that you always have your up -to -date files.

Paid alternatives to Google Drive

Maybe these few free solutions have not convinced you, and you prefer to turn to “common” tools, which have larger customer bases. Here are 2 !

Nevertheless, the last 2 alternatives that we have to present to you are Very restrictive and will probably not suit you if you are looking to leave Google Drive. It is especially for information.

Indeed, if it is the opaque side and little respectful of the GDPR that bothered you at Google Drive, you will not be better served with Dropbox and OneDrive (Microsoft).

If it is the storage space available for free that you find too low at Google, you will be even more disappointed with these 2 there.

In any case, they still have other advantages, but compared to Google Drive, difficult to put them forward.

Dropbox

With Dropbox, you will have at your Free layout 2 GB, In other words, not much at all. This is why we decided to present it to you as a paid solution. Currently, more than 600 million users and 500,000 teams use Dropbox as online data storage.

Marketing level, Dropbox is very good. We are offered offers adapted to all possible needs : professionals, families or simply personal use.

We also find Quality integrations With professional software: Zoom, Slack, Adobe Creative Cloud, Trello, Google Workspace, Microsoft Office, etc

For the GDPR, even if Dropbox highlights this point, we must still highlight the fact that they have worked on this to comply. Nevertheless, unless you subscribe to the Dropbox plan, Your data will be stored in the United States, which is not necessarily a guarantee of respect for data protection.

The other concern with Dropbox is the Lack of flexibility of offers presented. For personal use, you will only have access to 2 offers: “more” and “family”. The first is reserved for individual use and is limited to 2 TB, for € 9.99 per month. We have no more information than that on the possible scalability of the plan if the needs evolve. It’s a shame, especially in view of the quantity of storage that competitors offer.

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Dropbox
The Cloud Accommodation Service to store all your files

One Drive

Finally, we find OneDrive. This is also very well known and widespread software, which is light years from what all the other tools we have seen in this article offer in this article.

First, the registration process is more complicated, when it is a Microsoft tool. In addition to that, The price is twice higher than Dropbox for example.

And, the service clearly deserves its price, given the speed of uploading very slow files to their cloud.

If we add to that Microsoft’s opacity in terms of data exploitation, We understand how we must avoid OneDrive and favor less known but more qualitative solutions.

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Microsoft OneDrive
Store and share your files online.

Google Drive and its alternatives: the FAQ

Are Google Drive alternatives compatible with Google applications such as Google Docs, Sheets and Slides ?

It depends. Some alternatives to Google Drive offer compatibility with Google applications, while others can offer their own equivalent solutions. Here are some examples :

1. OneDrive offers close integration with Microsoft Office Applications: Word, Excel and PowerPoint. However, he can also support the importation and conversion of Google Docs, Sheets and Slides files.
2. Although Dropbox does not offer direct integration with Google applications, it is possible to import Google Docs, Sheets and Slides files in Dropbox. However, these files will not be editable online in the Dropbox interface.
3. Box also offers limited integration with Google applications. You can import Google Docs, Sheets and Slides in Box, but there may be limitations in terms of online publishing features.
4. iCloud does not directly support Google applications, but it is possible to import Google Docs, Sheets and Slides files in iCloud Drive. However, you will have to convert them to formats compatible with iCloud applications.

It is important to note that compatibility and features may vary from one alternative to another. Before choosing an alternative to Google Drive, we recommend that you take the time to check the specific features and the integrations offered by each solution for Google applications or other office suites.

How can I transfer my Google Drive files to an alternative ?

To transfer your Google Drive files to an alternative, you can follow the following steps:

1. Choose your alternative : Select the alternative to Google Drive that you want to use. Make sure it offers the functionality and storage space necessary for your needs.
2. Export your Google Drive files : Go to Google Drive and select the files you want to transfer. You can select them individually or by folder. Right -click on the selected files, then choose the appropriate export option. For example, if you want to export Google Docs files, choose the “Download” option and select the desired file format (for example, Microsoft Word for documents).
3. Import files in the alternative : Access your alternative to Google Drive and search for the file import option. This option can be called “import”, “add files” or similar. Click on it and select the files you previously exported from Google Drive.
4. Check the integrity of imported files : Once the import is finished, check that all your files have been transferred correctly. Make sure that file formats are compatible with the alternative to Google Drive that you use.

Does the storage of my documents on Google Drive compromise their confidentiality ?

Google Drive implements security measures To protect your documents and preserve their confidentiality. Your files are encrypted when stored on their servers, which means that they are coded and are only accessible with an appropriate decryption key. You also have a total control over access authorizations to your files. You can define sharing levels, grant specific access rights and determine who can consult or modify your documents. Two -factor authentication is also available, Adding an additional safety layer by requiring additional verification, such as a code generated on your phone, to access your account.

On the other hand, it’s important to Take into account Google’s privacy policies When using Google Drive. Although Google implements security measures, it is essential to understand that Any online storage method has a certain risk level. It is therefore advisable to take additional precautions to protect your files: the use of strong passwords, the regular update of your operating system and the use of appropriate safety tools on your devices.

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