5 of the Best Free Cloud Storage Options

Although limited, there are several free cloud storage options available today. Even though these services offer much less storage than Google Drive’s paid plans, which can offer more than 1TB, they still help many users. Phone or computer storage can run into problems when you least expect it, a common mistake that could cost you all your data, causing important photos and files to disappear without you being able to do anything.

Even though you don’t have the same freedom of uploading everything to the cloud with these free services, they still help you, simply by being free. These are good options for users who don’t need to store a lot of files or just need an extra layer of security for a few documents, photos, or smaller backups, making them great alternatives if you’re looking for a subscription-free option.

Google Drive, OneDrive and iCloud are some of the most well-known options, but not the only ones. There are many other services with different features, such as privacy features, easy syncing, or even just more space to start with. So we have selected the options that are worth trying for users interested in these free services.

Among the cloud storage services offering free storage, few are as generous as MEGA, one of the cheaper alternatives to Google One. The 20 GB offered by the service surpasses even Google Drive, for example, but this extra space comes with limitations that are rarely discussed, as it also includes a dynamic bandwidth limit. In practice, your ability to transfer files may vary significantly depending on network usage at the time.

Additionally, if you use the free plan not only to back up your files but also to share them with multiple people, MEGA may block new downloads until the quota is renewed. This often happens if you send the link to a large file to multiple people at the same time, or if you also try to download many files, and it may take a few hours to restore. So users should pay attention to this issue to avoid surprises later.

In this way, MEGA ends up being a better alternative for anyone who wants to keep a backup of personal files rather than sharing files with other people. Additionally, the service offers good privacy and the option to subscribe for more space. The plans can even reach up to 20TB for users.

pCloud only offers 10GB of storage, which isn’t as generous as MEGA, but it offers a much better user experience and is one of the best alternatives that users swear by. The built-in media player lets you listen to music or watch videos directly from the cloud, without the need to first transfer them to your PC or phone. Additionally, you can upload files of any size, making it ideal for storing important files.

An important detail is that the free 10 GB does not work straight away. When creating an account, the user only has 2 GB of storage and can unlock more by completing goals such as checking their email, uploading files to the cloud, and downloading both mobile and desktop versions. Inviting up to 3 friends also unlocks additional space, helping you reach the promised 10GB.

pCloud’s privacy is also a bit more limited than other services. End-to-end encryption, for example, is not available on the free plan, since pCloud sells it separately through pCloud Encrypton. In exchange, this service offers lifetime options with a one-time payment.

For those who value privacy more, Filen is a great, lesser-known cloud storage alternative that offers 10GB of free storage. This is an open source project protected by European Union privacy laws, which tend to be strict. So even though it is free, the service offers users zero-knowledge encryption at no extra cost. Even the company itself cannot access the contents of your files, which some companies only offer in premium plans.

But Filen is also a relatively new service on the market, so it lacks some basic features that many users consider essential. You cannot, for example, edit documents directly through the browser of the service itself. So if you want a free service to work, it may not be the best option available for you.

At the same time, Filen also stands out in paid plans, as it generally offers lower prices, although most of the lifetime options were discontinued at the end of 2025. Plus, if you sign up through a referral link and invite up to 3 friends, you can turn that 10GB into 50GB, significantly increasing the service’s free storage.

At first, MediaFire offers users 10 GB of storage, which is already a good amount, but the company also allows users to expand it up to 50 GB. However, a large part of this extra space, 39 GB, comes from inviting new people to sign up for the service through a referral link. In other words, you need to convince many people to achieve this goal.

The remaining 1 GB comes from smaller tasks, such as logging into the service and posting about it on X, as well as installing the mobile app. Although this space never expires, the process takes some work, but it can help anyone who wants enough free storage space and wants to complete it.

Although it does not sync with the PC and requires users to manage all files manually, it works well for users who want more space than the traditional 5 GB offered by other services. To share a file, simply send the person the link and they can download it without needing to create an account. The only problem is that the download page is usually filled with ads, which can confuse anyone not used to the interface.

Also owned by the same team that created Proton Mail, Proton Drive encrypted cloud storage is another solid choice for anyone who prioritizes how their data is handled. The service includes end-to-end encryption and open source code, and operates under Swiss law, which places a strong emphasis on privacy. This makes it a solid option for users who prioritize this over additional storage space, but this level of protection comes at a cost, as upload and download speeds tend to be slower due to server locations and how encryption works.

Additionally, Proton Drive only offers 2GB in its free option, but you can upgrade to 5GB, which may not be enough if you want to store lots of photos, videos, or large files. For this reason, it works best for those who need to protect sensitive documents, personal files, or smaller backups with more control. If you’re interested in other Proton services, such as messaging or VPN, the paid plan can help you keep everything in the same ecosystem.

To choose the products for this list, we first avoided the most obvious and well-known options, like Google Drive or OneDrive, because the idea was to show lesser-known alternatives that deserve attention. We also rated each service based on the storage it offers, although few offer more than 5GB. Data privacy was also important, with some services offering no storage even on the free plan, which is rare.

MediaFire and Filen deserve special attention because they start with acceptable storage and you can expand it via additional steps, which can help you. It is worth remembering that each of these options also addresses different user profiles, one valuing sharing between people, while others favor a personal backup experience. For this reason, we also looked at what each service can offer beyond the free plan, such as affordable prices or lifetime options, in case the user wants to expand their storage in the future.