Best cloud storage deals: Get FREE 200GB backup from Google

Looking for the best cloud storage deals? Whether you’re looking to back-up your iPhone, Windows PC, Android phone or tablet …there are a dizzying number of solutions that promise to keep your precious files, photos, and documents stored in the cloud.

We’ve scoured the latest cloud storage promotions and price cuts to find the best deals in the UK today.

Short on time? IDrive has slashed prices by 50% for the first year of your subscription, dropping the cost of 5TB of storage for your laptop, home PC, smartphone, digital camera, or tablet to below £5 per month.

For context, Apple charges £8.99 per month for just 2TB of storage with its iCloud+ service, Google charges £7.99 for 2TB of storage, and Microsoft charges £5.99 for 1TB. That’s a huge saving – and hundreds of additional gigabytes to store your files.

IDrive offers military-grade 256-bit AES encryption for any files stored on its servers.

The US brand allows you to backup to your cloud storage from multiple devices simultaneously, including PCs, iOS and Android devices, personal servers, and many more. Downloading the companion apps created by the teams at IDrive will let you begin to automatically back-up files at regular intervals – helpful if you’re forgetful at the best of times.

Do not be put off by the $ pricing on their website, customers from the UK can still sign-up and use IDrive, but you may be charged a conversion fee from your bank. If possible, you’ll want to use an account that doesn’t charge fees when paying in other currencies to take full advantage of the savings.

Of course, IDrive is just one of a huge number of brands that offer back-up to the cloud. Below, we’ve assessed a number of the most prominent cloud storage brands, and answered some of the most common questions around cloud storage. Scroll down for our complete guide to the best cloud storage deals in the UK, or click the links above to jump to a relevant section.

As the name suggests, cloud storage is a way to keep digital files on a hard drive in another location worldwide, with everything accessible via the internet. Think of it like backing-up important files on a USB flash-drive …but instead of keeping that drive stored next to your computer, it’s locked away in a vault in California.

While local back-ups are incredibly important if there’s an issue with your PC (so you restore your files), if you lose your possessions in a flood, fire, or theft, then it’s easy to lose the back-up copy of the files you want to restore. If those same files are stored in the cloud, you’ll only need to download fresh copies over the internet.

As such, cloud storage can be a lifesaver for families, young professionals, or small businesses with gigabytes of photos, videos, documents and files that they cannot afford to lose.

Cloud storage is available from a huge number of providers, including the manufacturer of your smartphone and laptop, internet brands like Google and Yahoo, the best VPN brands, and many more. There are also free options, but the amount of storage offered with free pricing tiers is usually very limited – meaning you’ll run out of space fast (forcing you to upgrade to a paid tier).

Cloud storage providers are responsible for hosting your files, managing that data (so nothing is corrupted), and securing everything so that it doesn’t fall into the wrong hand. That’s a lot of responsibility and that’s why it’s so important you go with a trusted cloud storage provider.

Cloud storage is a huge upgrade that means individuals, families or small businesses can store vast amounts of data without clogging up their local hard drive …or filling drawers with external flash drives.

As mentioned above, crucially, it means if one of your devices is damaged or stolen, cloud storage will have all your files in one neat and tidy place so you can restore them when you’ve got a new machine (or repaired an old one).

Cloud storage works by allowing a computer, tablet, or smartphone to send and retrieve files online to and from a remote data server. The same data is usually stored on more than one server simultaneously, so customers can always access their data – even if one server is down or loses data.

We’re living in a digital world: our treasured family photos and videos, payslips, CVs, warranties, healthcare documentation are all stored on hard drives on our laptops, tablets, and phones.

This makes finding files, creating copies, and sharing photos and documents much easier than rifling through folders of print-outs …but there is a flaw with these digital versions. That’s because problems can occur with these devices, not to mention thefts, corrupted software, and breakdowns …resulting in the loss of data.

And that’s when you really need a cloud storage solution in your corner.

Most cloud storage providers provide online applications that automatically back up any files you put on your phone or PC. It means that you don’t need to worry about that file disappearing if your Android or Apple phone is stolen or it breaks.

As well as this, using the cloud for storage gives you access to your files from anywhere that has an internet connection so if you forget your laptop or phone, you can access the file from anywhere with another device.

Cloud storage solutions are that expensive either and some providers offer storage for very cheap. Some storage options can cost as little as 50p a month depending on how much storage you need and the features it provides.

IDrive offers some of the cheapest cloud storage on the market with very competitive pricing. It offers a free version for anyone without the need to enter your credit card or any payment information.

IDrive’s also supplies business plans which start at $99.50 for 5TB of storage shared among five users and five computers and scale up from there.

But there’s a special offer for new customers and you can 5TB of storage space for $7.95 (£6.18) for the first year as part of its introductory paid plans.

It comes with its own software which constantly backs up any files or data you have on your PC, iPhone or any device you want to back up and supports Windows and iMacs.

For PC users, the desktop app regularly backs up files and you can schedule exactly when you want to backup your data and files. On iPhones, it can back up your photos, videos, contacts, and calendar. Android users have even more options, with the ability to back up all that plus complete SMS and call log history.

IDrive also uploads are encrypted using 256-bit AES encryption on transfer and storage, which is the industry standard. You can also use time-based one-time passcode sent to an authenticator app or get a code by email or SMS.

IDrive desktop and mobile applications both have restore functionality that lets you choose which files you want to restore to your computer and where you’d like them to go.

One unique selling point to IDrive is if you have poor internet or a power outage, you can choose to have ability to recover files via a hard drive shipped to you in the mail if you have a large amount of data that needs to be downloaded.

Google has become one of the most trusted companies for cloud storage and offers a vast amount of space completely for free. Google One offers 15GB of storage for free cloud storage for everyone who has a Google account.

However, it offers larger storage plans for as little as £1.59 a month depending on what you want to use it for. Members also get up to 10 per cent back on Google Store devices and accessories including exclusive offers and special features.

Google’s more Premium tier – which including 2TB worth of storage – also allows you access to Google Workspace Premium. If you’re a small business and need access to video-calling, Workspace Premium means that you can host calls for up to 24 hours, livestream Youtube videos and record meetings when your in call with colleagues or friends.

In terms of security, Google boasts that it has one of the world’s most secure and reliable cloud infrastructures. It’s continuously monitored to protect your data and keep it available. And in the event of a disruption, services can be automatically and instantly shifted from one facility to another so that they can continue without interruption.

Google One also offers a free VPN with the service. With the VPN, you can reduce online tracking by hiding your IP address and help protect against eavesdropping while on unsecured networks like public Wi-Fi.

But if you want a dedicated VPN, you can find out more about the best VPN deals here.

Microsoft OneDrive is no more and it has since merged with Microsoft 365 offering more features and value.

Microsoft offers some of the best value in terms of features and cloud storage on the market. Its new 365 model provides not just cloud storage but access to its popular productivity apps such as Microsoft Word, Powerpoint, Excel and more.

It also offers some of the biggest and generous storage options on its higher tiers of subscription – offering each family member 1TB worth of storage for six people. Pricing is also very reasonable, giving you access to large amounts of storage, productivity apps and it works on Windows, iOS and Android devices.

The best part is you can try it for FREE for a month to see if its the right thing for you.

Microsoft also offers absolutely security for its users including password-protected sharing links, expiring sharing links and its Personal Vault which allows you to store extremely sensitive information such as digital copies of your passport and driver’s licence.

It makes sure these files are safe by making sure you give your fingerprint, face or other biometric information.

It also lets you easily expand your storage by up to 2TB depending on the plan you decide to subscribe to. Microsoft also offers easy and simple business options which includes all the above.

Apple recently announced it was raising its pricing for all of its iCloud services but it still offers some of the best value in terms of storage for those in the iOS ecosystem.

One massive disadvantage is that you can’t use iCloud on Android or Linux devices but you can use it on Windows PCs. iCloud also only offers its services on a monthly payment which is good because you don’t have to pay a large amount upfront but that also means you’re probably paying more overall compared to some cloud services.

iCloud storage offers absolutely seamless storage between all iOS devices as it is built into almost every iOS device so it’s a no-brainer if you are already heavily part of the Apple ecosystem, If you aren’t, there might be better choices out there.

The best part of iCloud is its photo storage and sharing. It allows your original high-resolution photos and videos to be securely stored and protected in iCloudwith lightweight, space-saving versions on all your devices.

Apple has also cranked up its privacy options through iCloud. Its Private Relay is designed to prevent websites and network providers from building a profile about you based on your IP address, location and browsing history on the Safari browser.

iCloud also offers a “Hide My Email” option which lets you generate unique, random email addresses that automatically forward to your personal inbox and even lets you reply. There’s also password storage built into iCloud so you can seamlessly ensure that your passwords and log-ins are available across all iOS devices.

Livedrive offers unlimited cloud backup for your computer but also offers a unique file system called Briefcase and it allows you to customise and choose which features you want.

For individuals who want to backup their entire computer, Livedrive offers this with ease with no worrying about getting more storage but this doesn’t include your operating system so you’ll have to reinstall that to get your files back.

If you need to sync files between computers, Briefcase lets you do that and there’s cloud storage space limited to 5TB.

Livedrive lets you get at your files on the web, and there are competent client applications for Windows, macOS, iOS, iPadOS and Android.

The backup files stored by Livedrive are AES-256 bit encrypted on its servers, but it doesn’t offer complete end-to-end encryption.

For businesses, the pricing starts at £30 a month, and that gets you protection for three users, as well as 2TB of cloud storage.

Cloud storage providers normally have their own platform where you can access the files that are backed up. For example, Apple has its iCloud that allows iPhone and iMac users to access online or on their phones.

From there, you can manage what files you have backed up and access files from your account. Some providers ask you to download a application to your phone or PC so it can automatically backup any file you download.

Most cloud storage providers make it very easy for anyone to access their files without the need to learn anything too technical. As well as this, cloud storage applications automatically upload files that you have on your device so you don’t have to worry about uploading every file you want to store.

But if you want to be particular with what files you want in cloud storage, users can easily pick and choose what files they do and don’t want so you don’t fill up on space quickly.

Keeping data secure is one of the most important things for individuals and businesses especially during a time where hackers are continually trying to access people’s information and data. Keeping prying eyes away from your personal or businesses’ data can be extremely important and it can be very detrimental if your data is leaked.

The good news is that information stored in the cloud is likely to be more secure than are files, images and videos stored on your own devices. But why is that?

That’s because cloud companies often rely on far more robust cybersecurity measures to protect your sensitive data. Servers are usually located in warehouses that most workers don’t have access to.

Secondly, the files stored on cloud servers are encrypted. This means that they are scrambled, which makes it far harder for cybercriminals to access.

These days, cloud providers are also turning to artificial intelligence, or AI, to help protect your data. It’s not easy to find experienced security professionals to oversee data. Cloud providers, though, can instead turn to AI to tackle at least the first level of security analysis.

Most of the biggest cloud providers practice redundancy. This means that they copy your data several times and store them on many different data centers. This way, if one server goes down, you can access your files from a back-up server.

As well as the above, when you store your data in the cloud, the companies overseeing the servers should be consistently updating their security measures. You won’t have to worry about forgetting to run an update.

It can entirely depend on your personal or business needs. Some storage options can range from 1GB of space to 50TB depending on what you need cloud storage for.

The good news is that most providers can easily allow you to change the amount of cloud storage that you need. only give you the new space, but also automatically up your subscription charge. Even better, once the project is done, you can ratchet both capacity and price back down again just as easily.