ToolGPAOctober 2026

File Storage & Sync

The Insider’s Guide

Store, sync and share files across devices and teams.

Google Drive
MEGA
Microsoft OneDrive
Filen
IDrive
Nextcloud

Every one we grade, what they cost, the best buy at each budget and the three to look at first.

Checked Oct 18, 2026 · toolgpa.com

18graded

01WelcomeWhat these tools do, how many we grade and what to know before choosing
02Our top threeThe three we'd look at first, and who each one suits
03What they costWhat paid plans start at, the best buy at each budget and the free plans
04The gradesThe highest graded, and how the whole category does on each subject
05Keep or make?Which are worth paying for, and which you could make yourself
06Every toolAll of them, best graded first, with what each costs
07Quick answersThe questions people ask when choosing, each answered in a line or two
08About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it

ToolGPA put this guide together from each tool’s own pages, their app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on the File Storage & Sync page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 18, 2026.

Part 01 · Overview

Welcome

What these tools do, how many we grade and what to know before choosing

18

file storage and sync services we grade, from their own pages

Store, sync and share files across devices and teams.

Before you choose, here are 8 things to know about file storage and sync services, worked out from every one we grade.

1
We grade 18 file storage and sync services
18 of them are free or have a free plan. Everything in this guide comes from their own pages and our grades.
2
Paid plans start at $4.17 a month in the middle
From $0.25 (IDrive) to $11.99 (Internxt), going by what each one's paid plans start at.
3
Best value: Microsoft OneDrive, IDrive and Syncthing
Nothing on our chart scores higher than these without costing more.
4
16 of 18 have iPhone and Android apps
17 run in a web browser and 17 have a Windows app. Check the one you need before you fall for anything.
5
The middle GPA is 2.8
6 score 3.0 or higher. The highest is Google Drive, at 3.6.
6
Best free option: Google Drive
Google Drive has the highest GPA of the free ones, 3.6. Cloud storage tied to Google Docs, Gmail and Photos.
7
18 worth keeping, 0 you could make
By our keep-or-make rules, 18 do something you couldn't reasonably build yourself, 0 are simple enough to make with an AI app builder, and 0 are a close call.
8
3 price changes in the past year
That's how many price moves we've recorded for file storage and sync services in twelve months. Prices change, so check the maker's page before you pay.

Part 02 · Top three

Our top three

The three we'd look at first, and who each one suits

The three file storage and sync services we'd look at first. First place suits the most people; second and third are the best picks for the people it leaves out. Each has an Insider's Guide of its own.

1st
3.6GPA
Google Drive
Free plan · from $1.99/mo
For: Most people
Google Drive gives every Google account 15 GB at no cost, and Docs, Sheets and Slides files can be edited together in the browser. It runs on the web, Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android, and its iPhone and iPad app averages 4.8 from about 7.8 million ratings. More space starts at $1.99 a month for 100 GB, the price on the US App Store. Know the limits: the free 15 GB is shared with Gmail and Google Photos, there is no desktop app for Linux, and shared drives and client-side encryption are premium features of some Workspace Business and Enterprise plans, which are sold separately.
The Google Drive Insider’s Guide
2nd
3.2GPA
MEGA
Free plan · from €3.33/mo
For: People who want encrypted storage and more free space
MEGA encrypts files on your device before they are uploaded, and says only you and the people you authorize hold the keys. Its Free plan gives 20 GB, against 15 GB on Google Drive, and it runs on the web, Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone and Android. Its iPhone and iPad app averages 4.6 from about 108,000 ratings, and paid plans start at €3.33 a month, charged yearly, for 200 GB. It is second because it stores and shares files but its listing has no document editing, where Google Drive edits Docs and Office files in place. Downloads count against a transfer quota, which is limited on the Free plan, and prices are set and charged in euros.
The MEGA Insider’s Guide
3rd
3.4GPA
Microsoft OneDrive
Free plan · from $1.99/mo
For: People who use Word, Excel and PowerPoint, and families
OneDrive comes with a Microsoft account: 5 GB free, or 100 GB with Microsoft 365 Basic at $1.99 a month. Microsoft 365 Personal, at $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year, gives 1 TB with the desktop Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook apps, and Family, at $12.99 a month, covers up to 6 people, who share 2 TB on subscriptions started since 7 October 2026. It runs on the web, Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android, and its iPhone and iPad app averages 4.7 from about 488,000 ratings. It is third because its free plan is 5 GB, a quarter of MEGA's, no Linux client is listed, and home plans jump from 100 GB to 1 TB with no tier in between.
The Microsoft OneDrive Insider’s Guide

Part 03 · Pricing

What they cost

What paid plans start at, the best buy at each budget and the free plans

$4.17

A month to start, in the middle of those that charge

Going by our grades, Microsoft OneDrive, IDrive and Syncthing give the most for the money among file storage and sync services: no tool on this chart scores higher without costing more.

Paid plans start at a middle price of $4.17 a month across the 17 that charge, from $0.25 (IDrive) to $11.99 (Internxt). 1 more costs nothing at all.

5 of the 18 score above the category's average while starting at or below its middle price. 6 cost more than the middle price and score below the average.

The best buy at each budget

Free
Syncthing
Costs nothing. Nothing at that price or less scores higher.
Up to $5 a month
Microsoft OneDrive, Google Drive, Box
Starts at $1.67 a month when paid by the year. Nothing at that price or less scores higher.

Price against what you get

Each dot is one of 18 file storage and sync services. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. The green line is the best score at each price.

What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →

The best free ones

Google Drive
Free plan · Free plan · from $1.99/mo
3.6
Filen
Free plan · Free plan · from €11.99/yr
3.4
Microsoft OneDrive
Free plan · Free plan · from $1.99/mo
3.4
IDrive
Free plan · Free plan · from $0.25/mo
3.2
MEGA
Free plan · Free plan · from €3.33/mo
3.2
Nextcloud
Free plan · Free plan · from €71.29/yr
3.2

Part 04 · Grades

The grades

The highest graded, and how the whole category does on each subject

3.6

The highest GPA, Google Drive's

Every tool gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. Here are the 12 highest graded file storage and sync services, then how the whole category does on each subject.

Tool	Value	Free	Features	Ease	Platforms	GPA
Google Drive	A	B	B	A	A	3.6
Filen	A	B	B	B	A	3.4
Microsoft OneDrive	A	C	B	A	A	3.4
IDrive	A	C	B	B	A	3.2
MEGA	B	B	B	B	A	3.2
Nextcloud	A	A	B	D	A	3.2
Box	D	C	B	A	A	2.8
Dropbox	D	C	B	A	A	2.8
iCloud	A	C	B	B	C	2.8
Koofr	B	C	C	B	A	2.8
pCloud	C	C	C	B	A	2.6
Proton Drive	B	C	B	C	B	2.6

How the whole category does

Each bar is every file storage and sync service we grade, cut by the letter it got on that subject.

Value for money
avg 2.7
Free plan and trial
avg 2.4
Features
avg 2.6
Ease of use
avg 2.9
Platforms and integrations
avg 3.5

Part 05 · Keep or make

Keep or make?

Which are worth paying for, and which you could make yourself

0

Simple enough to make yourself, of 18

Some software does something you couldn’t reasonably build yourself. Some is simple enough that an AI app builder could make the core of it in an afternoon. Here’s where file storage and sync services land, by the same rules for every tool.

18
Keep it
It does something you could not reasonably make for yourself, or it costs nothing.
0
Your call
You could make the core of it, and you would give something up.
0
You could make this
What it does is the kind of thing an AI app builder makes well, and it charges every month.

Worth keeping

Google Drive
To replace Google Drive you would be making files kept in step across devices without losing one. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
Filen
To replace Filen you would be making files kept in step across devices without losing one. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
Microsoft OneDrive
To replace Microsoft OneDrive you would be making files kept in step across devices without losing one. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
IDrive
To replace IDrive you would be making files kept in step across devices without losing one. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.

Part 06 · Every tool

Every tool

All of them, best graded first, with what each costs

18

Tools, best graded first

Every file storage and sync service we grade, with its GPA and what it costs. Each one has a page of its own on toolgpa.com, with its Insider’s Guide.

Part 07 · Questions

Quick answers

The questions people ask when choosing, each answered in a line or two

9

Questions, each answered in a line or two

What are the best file storage and sync services?

Google Drive first, MEGA second, Microsoft OneDrive third. Google Drive is for most people.

Which file storage and sync services give the most for the money?

Microsoft OneDrive, IDrive and Syncthing. Each is the highest-scoring tool at its price or below: Syncthing scores 1.7 out of 4 and is free; IDrive scores 3.3 out of 4 and starts at $0.25 a month; Microsoft OneDrive scores 3.7 out of 4 and starts at $1.67 a month when paid by the year.

Which are the best free file storage and sync services?

Of the 1 file storage and sync services here with no paid plan at all, Syncthing scores highest, at 1.7 out of 4.

Which file storage and sync services are best for under $5 a month?

Microsoft OneDrive, Google Drive and Box, with a score of 3.7 out of 4: the highest among the 12 that start at $5 a month or less.

Which file storage and sync services are best for under $10 a month?

Microsoft OneDrive, Google Drive, Box and Dropbox, with a score of 3.7 out of 4: the highest among the 17 that start at $10 a month or less.

Which file storage and sync services cost the most for what they offer?

On this chart, Internxt (starts at $11.99 a month, scores 2.7 out of 4, and 11 tools score higher for less), Icedrive (starts at $8.25 a month when paid by the year, scores 2.7 out of 4, and 10 tools score higher for less) and Nextcloud (starts at about $6.66 a month for each person, scores 2.7 out of 4, and 9 tools score higher for less).

How much do file storage and sync services cost?

The middle starting price is $4.17 a month: half of the 17 file storage and sync services with a recurring price start below that and half above.

How is the score on this chart worked out?

It is the average of three of the five grades ToolGPA gives every tool: features, ease of use, and platforms and integrations, with an A worth 4 and an F worth 0.

How does ToolGPA grade file storage and sync services?

Five grades, A to F, for value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them.

Part 08 · About

About ToolGPA

Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it

3,189

Tools graded, in 94 categories

ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.

Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.

3,189
tools graded
94
categories
426
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries

What else is on toolgpa.com

Scan for the live page

Prices and grades as they are today

Quoting this guide?

Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:

ToolGPA, "File Storage & Sync: The Insider's Guide", checked Oct 18, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/categories/file-storage

Know someone choosing between file storage and sync services?

Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/categories/file-storage/guide

ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa

See our other guides

The top three file storage and sync services have guides of their own, and so does every category near this one.

ToolGPA

Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.

Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›

Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what each tool’s pages, app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Product names are trademarks of their owners, and no maker made, paid for or approved this guide. Prices and plans change: check each maker’s own site before you buy.