When it comes to online storage services, you are pampered with choices. Although Google is a titan in the Internet, that doesn’t mean its newly launched Google Drive will replace all other players and become the de-facto for cloud storage. Conversely, there are many other players that are able to provide you with more value for your money. Here is a comparison table of the various popular online storage providers and how they stack against each other.
| Free Storage Space | Pricing per month (US$) | Desktop client | Mobile Support | File Sharing | Unique Selling Point | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Dropbox | 2GB, free referrals upgrade up to 18GB | $9.99 for 50GB $19.99 for 100GB | Windows Mac Linux | Android iOS Blackberry | Yes | Support almost every platforms, sync seamlessly |
 Skydrive | 7GB. Existing users can have free upgrade to 25GB for a limited time | $13/year for $20GB $32/year for 65GB $65/year for 100GB | Windows Mac | WP 7 iOS | Yes | A generous amount of storage space to start with and great integration with Windows OS and devices |
 Google Drive | 5GB | $2.49 for 25GB $4.99 for 100GB $7.99 for 16TB | Windows Mac Linux (coming soon) | Android iOS (coming soon) | Yes | Great integration between Google Docs, Gmail, and Picasa. Cheap and affordable storage space upgrade |
 Ubuntu One | 5GB | $2.99 for every 20GB | Linux Windows | Android iOS | Yes | The native sync client for Ubuntu and supports music and contact sync |
 iCloud | 5GB | $20/year for 10GB $40/year for 20GB $100/year for 50GB | Requires iTunes, for Windows and Mac only | iOS | No | Integrate seamlessly with iOS device and Mac. |
 Amazon Cloud Drive | 5GB | $20/year for 20GB $50/year for 50GB $100/year for 100GB $200/year for 200GB $500/year for 500GB $1000/year for 1TB | Windows Mac (only a upload/download client, not a sync client) | No sync client for mobile (yet). Mp3 saved in the Cloud drive can be played with the Amazon MP3 Android app | No | Music purchased from Amazon will be saved to the cloud drive for free, without affecting the storage status |
 SpiderOak | 2GB | $10/month per 100GB increment | Windows Mac Linux | Android iOS | Yes | Encrypted online backup |
 SugarSync | 5GB | $4.99 for 30GB $9.99 for 60GB $14.99 for 100GB | Windows Mac | Android iOS Blackberry Symbian | Yes | Able to sync any folders on your computer |
 Box | 5GB. Android users and Apps email holder can upgrade to 50GB | $9.99 for 25GB $19.99 for 50GB | Windows & Mac version only for business and enterprise user | Android iOS Blackberry | Yes | Good focus on business side |
 Wuala | 5GB | $39/year for 20GB $79/year for 50GB $129/year for 100GB | Windows Mac Linux | Android iOS | Yes | Wuala encrypts the data on your computer before it is uploaded. During the upload, your data is split up into many different pieces and stored in multiple places to make certain that you never lose a single file. |
 iDriveSync | 5GB | $4.95 for unlimited sync storage | Windows Mac | Android iOS | Yes | Data are encrypted at the data center |
The Analysis
If you are looking for a cross-platform compatible storage service, Dropbox is the one to go. It is the easiest to use and supports the most number of OS and platforms.
If you need plenty of storage space and are looking for a cheap and affordable storage provider, you can consider either SkyDrive or Google Drive. For up to 65GB, SkyDrive has the lowest price per GB. When the storage space go up to and above 100GB, Google Drive is the cheapest. However, on the mobile side, you don’t expect Microsoft to come up with an Android app for SkyDrive and Google might not be so keen to create a WP7 app for its GDrive too. If you need to have mobile access, this is something you need to consider as well.
iCloud is the obvious choice for iOS users since it is deeply integrated into the OS. It may not be the cheapest choice though, but with all Apple stuff, it just works.
Amazon Cloud Drive is really useful if you are a regular Amazon customer, particularly if you buy MP3 and eBooks often. I have a feeling that Google will merge its Drive and Music services together in the future, but as of now, Amazon has really done a good job linking your digital download and the cloud storage together.
Being a Ubuntu user, I really like the way that Ubuntu One is integrated into the system. The syncing and restoration is seamless that I can reformat my PC and still have my settings and configuration intact the next time I boot up my PC.
Wuala and SpiderOak are good if you are paranoid about the confidentiality of your files in the cloud. Both services are cross-platform compatible and encrypt your data by default. Wuala offers more storage space for free (5GB) but if you need more than 100GB of space, SpiderOak is slightly more affordable.
Which storage provider is your favorite?
Image credit: By wwarby
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You missed Fiabee. While not it doesnt have an OS specific client the Chrome add-in + Android app makes it invaluable.
Fiabee looks good, but the initial storage space (1GB) is really pathetic when compared to the rest and the pricing is much more expensive as well.
I just found a new cloud storage service with 10GB free storage:
https://www.cx.com/
On my PC I use a free web app to manage all my cloud storage accounts in one window:
http://otixo.com/
On Android, I use the free app ES File Explorer to access Dropbox, Google Drive, & Skydrive:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.estrongs.android.pop
Hope any of this info is useful!