Compare services between Google Drive, Dropbox and Apple iCloud

Cloud storage service is currently used by a lot of users because of the utilities that it brings to users, you can share documents and data with friends and relatives through storage applications. cloud. It also saves you limited storage space on your computer.

But too many cloud storage services also make users have a headache choosing, not knowing which service to choose is the best. Currently, there are three most popular storage services: Google Drive, Apple iCloud and Dropbox, to help you choose one of these three cloud storage services, Download.com.vn will list the pros and cons. of cloud storage services under this article.

I. Cost of use

1. Dropbox

A free Dropbox account will give users 2GB of free storage. You will have 1 Terabyte of storage and other extras, for example, users can view files offline if you pay $ 9.99 / month .

For $ 19.99 / month, you will have Dropbox Professional with 2TB of storage and some other additional features such as full-text keyword search ... For large businesses, the service fee will be based on the storage needs of each business.

2. Apple iCloud

iCloud is currently only created on iPhone and iPad, if you are using either of these two Apple devices then you must create an iCloud account to control your phone, and you can also back up photos and apps , contacts and more on iCloud.

But Apple iCloud only gives users a mere 5GB of free storage. With such capacity, you only need to upload things like photo albums, videos, notes and light data ... If you want to expand the storage space, you have to spend $ 0.99 / month for 50 GB of data and $ 2.99 for 200GB of data. If you want to store large capacity, then you have to spend 9.99 USD / month for 2 terabytes of storage.

3. Google Drive

Particularly with Google Drive, there is more different, is one of the free applications that come with a Google account. It provides a free 15GB for users and is a storage source for all the files you create Google Docs , Excel and Slide , along with any files from the hard drive that you might want to back up in the cloud like important videos, documents or photos.

If you want to add more capacity then you will have to pay $ 1.99 for 100 GB . Such a storage level is sufficient for the average storage needs. Or when you need to back up on your phone. If you need more then pay $ 9.99 / month for 2 terabytes and 10-terabyte plan for $ 99.99 / month . If you want to store with a huge capacity of 20 TB , the price will be 200USD / month and 300USD / month for 30TB .

II. Accessible ability

An essential point of cloud storage service is flexibility, because you can't always use a single login from a single device, sometimes you need to log in and back up. Data from anywhere, from any device and just access to cloud storage services with simple operation.

1. Dropbox

In addition to signing in to Dropbox on your web browser, you can also log in to your Dropbox account on the PC application and on the mobile application. You can even log into Dropbox on your smartwatch.

Dropbox for macOS
Dropbox for iOS
Dropbox for Android

2. Apple iCloud

With an iCloud account, of course, on your iPhone, tablet and device using the iOS operating system first, then sign in iCloud to your web browser to manage your iCloud.

In addition, macOS users can also manage their iCloud settings from the System Preferences app . For users on a PC, Apple also has an iCloud management solution that is downloading the iCloud version for Windows with the link below.

iCloud for Windows

3. Google Drive

Google Drive for macOS
Google Drive for iOS
Google Drive for Android

Google Drive says nothing because the storage service comes in a variety of versions for both mobile devices and PCs, which can be downloaded on any device. But it also has a few minor inconveniences on the mobile version, that is, you can not edit files like Google Docs, Sheets and Slides. If you want to edit a spreadsheet file, you will have to download a separate Google Sheets application.

III. Level of use is easy to difficult

1. Dropbox

Dropbox's web interface and application interface have a fairly simple interface, if it is new, it will be a little difficult to use. Dropbox's web interface includes a tool menu on the left, an unload button on the right, a slightly cluttered page layout, and can be a bit confusing.

Plus, some of Dropbox's most powerful features seem to be hidden because of unclear labeling. In general, Dropbox's interface is a bit complicated and annoying for people who want to learn all the features.

2. Apple iCloud

The interface of iCloud on the web is as simple as Dropbox, all applications related to the saved data will be displayed for you to choose. Click on any icon will appear files stored on iCloud. This way of organizing icons is more convenient for iPhone, iPad and macOS users.

As for Android users, it seems that this type of arrangement is not suitable for this class. Also, for data not placed in Apple's own app icons like Pages and Numbers above, you can find these data in the iCloud Drive icon.

3. Google Drive

Google Drive arranges its interface by placing the function buttons on the right hand side, plus just right clicking on the file in Drive will display a context menu, from which you can perform the task with the file. Choose simply and quickly.

In addition, the Quick Access section, along with a number of custom features, makes Google Drive the most flexible and reliable of the three cloud storage applications.

 

IV. Ability to share

Sharing feature is an indispensable feature in cloud storage services, we can say this is the most valuable feature that cloud services provide to users. Of the three cloud storage services mentioned above, all three provide users with great sharing features.

1. Dropbox

With Dropbox, you only need to enter your email address to share files and folders with your friends and relatives. In addition, the user is also allowed to decide who can view the file, whether to edit, delete or download the file.

In addition, Dropbox also creates a link to the file, users can use that link to post to Facebook for many people to view, or copy and paste into a message window to send.

For example, if you want to share a photo folder with everyone for a friend in Facebook Messenger , or share via iMessage, instead of adding the shared member's email to the Share window on Dropbox, you just need to copy and Paste the link into the conversation and provide access to the person being shared.

In addition, users can customize their link settings. Like setting a link expiration after a period of time, or setting a password to view a file.

2. Apple iCloud

Similarly, you can also share the link with users by copying the link and pasting into the message window to send. Or add multiple emails to the distribution list.

3. Google Drive

Google Drive is similar, but the sharing category will add a feature that allows file recipients to add comments and suggestions. This feature is very useful when you share a text document, as it allows recipients to view and record comments from a shared document.

 

V. Conclusion

Through the above features, you can also see Google Drive is the cloud service worth using, this is also a service that is used by many users because of its flexibility, high free capacity and many most convenient feature.

One trick to using Google Drive to speed up the download of files, helping users reduce waiting time, is to compress the file to reduce the download size, if you do not want to use this method when downloading files on Google Drive can then see the article Instructions to download files on Google Drive uncompressed .

See also: How to convert images to text in Google Drive.