It's 2024, of course we all have a digital footprint and loads of data to go along with it. Whether we are shooting large videos for social media, taking pictures of our daily lives and working on our devices, there’s a good chance we need to store our files securely.
Sometimes using our smartphones or tablets to store personal data may not be the best option due to the size of our documents and multimedia because we want on-device storage for things like our music library or new apps.
With that in mind, here are some affordable cloud storage options for personal use.
1. Google One
Every Gmail account comes with 15GB free storage as part of your Google One account. This is linked to Google Drive, Photos, Docs, Sheets, etc. Google Drive is the best way to upload all your data to the cloud and free up space on your phone. But if you’re running out of cloud data, you can upgrade your Google One account. The following tiers are available: 100GB for R34.99pm; 200GB for R52.99 pm; and 2TB for R184.99 pm.
2. iCloud+
While Google is more generous with free storage, Apple is not. Apple users get 5GB of free iCloud storage, thereafter if you want to keep your data on Apple’s ecosystem, you need to pay for an iCloud+ subscription. An iCloud Drive is available between iPhones, iPads, MacBooks etc, making it easy to access your data, including backups. You can also make your Photos album an iCloud album and remove it from your phone storage. iCloud+ plans are available as: 50GB for R14.99pm; 200GB for R59.99pm and 2TB for R199.99pm.
3. OneDrive
Microsoft’s OneDrive is available to users on most platforms like Android, iOS, MacOS, and Windows, which makes it a great cross-platform solution if for example you use a Macbook and Android device. OneDrive is tied to a Microsoft 365 account; the basic free tier gives you 5GB of cloud storage but you are better off upgrading. A Basic plan offers 100GB cloud storage for R39pm; a Personal plan offers 1TB of cloud storage for R109pm; and a Family plan offers 6TB between 6 people for R149. The Personal and Family plan has full access to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, Defender, etc.
4. Dropbox
Dropbox supports Windows, MacOS, Linux, iOS, and Android and on a free account, you get 2GB of storage, which admittedly is not much. But its best value for money personal plan is Dropbox Plus, which gets you 2TB of storage, the ability to transfer files up to 50GB and 30 days to restore deleted files for $11.99 pm, which works out to roughly R225pm. The next tier goes up to $19.99pm for 3TB of storage, transfer files up to 100GB, 180 days to restore deleted files and advanced features like tracking engagement, PDF editing, signature requests, etc. This option is great for those who do video editing or photography work.
All of these cloud storage options have free accounts, and affordable expansion packages you can activate if you need more space. But for these to work seamlessly you need a reliable internet connection. Explore some of Vodacom's home internet options which include LTE, 5G and fibre. Find out whether there is coverage in your area and choose an option that suits you.
