Alternatives to Google Drive: 12 Cloud Storage Services Worth Switching To
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About Google Drive
Founded
2012
USA
Ships to
Worldwide
Editor-reviewed
Every recommendation read and refined by hand
Honest tradeoffs
Drawbacks listed, not hidden
No paid placements
Brands cannot pay to be ranked
The thing that made Drive indispensable was never the storage — it was the way a shared folder became a Doc became a comment thread became a Meet link, all without leaving the browser tab. Real-time collaboration where you watched a colleague's colored cursor crawl across a spreadsheet at 11pm. That reflex of dragging a file into a Gmail attachment and having it just live in the cloud instead of your inbox. For a lot of people, Drive was the first place "the cloud" stopped being an abstraction.
But the free 15GB now fills up faster than ever because it's shared across Gmail, Photos, and Drive itself — one photo backup binge and you're staring at the Google One upgrade wall.
And the deeper unease is about who reads what. Google's business is knowing you, and even with encryption in transit, Drive is not zero-knowledge — Google holds the keys. For anyone storing tax documents, medical scans, or client contracts, that's a growing itch. The alternatives below split cleanly along that fault line: some, like Sync.com and pCloud, hand you the encryption keys Google keeps for itself, while Proton Drive builds the whole thing around the assumption that even the host shouldn't be able to peek.
But the free 15GB now fills up faster than ever because it's shared across Gmail, Photos, and Drive itself — one photo backup binge and you're staring at the Google One upgrade wall.
And the deeper unease is about who reads what. Google's business is knowing you, and even with encryption in transit, Drive is not zero-knowledge — Google holds the keys. For anyone storing tax documents, medical scans, or client contracts, that's a growing itch. The alternatives below split cleanly along that fault line: some, like Sync.com and pCloud, hand you the encryption keys Google keeps for itself, while Proton Drive builds the whole thing around the assumption that even the host shouldn't be able to peek.
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The 12 Best Alternatives to Google Drive
1
Dropbox
Est. 2007
San Francisco, USA
$$$
pricier
People who want dead-simple, reliable sync above all else
The original file-syncing service, still the smoothest at keeping a folder identical across every device without you thinking about it. Its Paper docs and file-request links cover a lot of Drive's collaboration ground.
Pros
- Best-in-class sync engine and conflict handling
- Smart Sync frees local disk space
- Huge third-party app integration
Cons
- Free tier is a stingy 2GB
- Cheapest paid plan jumps to 2TB you may not need
Visit Dropbox
Full guide: Apps Like Dropbox
2
Microsoft OneDrive
Est. 2007
Redmond, USA
≈
similar
Anyone already living in Word, Excel, and Outlook
Bundled with Microsoft 365 the way Drive is with Workspace, and the Office web apps mirror Docs and Sheets almost feature-for-feature. Real-time co-authoring in Word online is genuinely good.
Pros
- 365 subscription bundles 1TB plus full desktop Office
- Personal Vault adds an extra-locked folder
- Deep Windows integration
Cons
- Sync client can be finicky on Mac
- Same big-tech privacy tradeoff as Google
3
Sync.com
Est. 2011
Toronto, Canada
≈
similar
Privacy-first users who still need to share files
Zero-knowledge encrypted storage that still offers shared folders and file links, so you get Drive-style sharing without Google holding the keys.
Pros
- End-to-end zero-knowledge encryption by default
- Canadian jurisdiction, PIPEDA and HIPAA compliant
- Generous 2TB and 6TB plans
Cons
- No real-time document editing
- Web access is slower because everything is encrypted client-side
4
pCloud
Est. 2013
Baar, Switzerland
$
cheaper
People who hate subscriptions and want to pay once
Swiss storage with a rare lifetime-purchase option and optional Crypto folder, plus solid media streaming that rivals Drive's photo and video handling.
Pros
- One-time lifetime plans kill recurring fees
- Swiss privacy jurisdiction
- Built-in media player streams your library
Cons
- Zero-knowledge Crypto folder costs extra
- No built-in document editor
5
Proton Drive
Est. 2022
Geneva, Switzerland
≈
similar
Users who want everything encrypted, even from the host
From the Proton Mail team, built end-to-end encrypted from the ground up. If your reason for leaving Drive is Google reading your files, this is the philosophical opposite.
Pros
- Zero-knowledge encryption on every file and filename
- Bundles with Proton Mail, Calendar, VPN
- Swiss privacy law and open-source clients
Cons
- Younger service, fewer power features
- Document editing is basic and newer
6
Box
Est. 2005
Redwood City, USA
$$$
pricier
Small businesses and teams with compliance needs
Enterprise-grade collaboration and permissions that outdo Drive for teams handling compliance-heavy files, with granular access controls and audit trails.
Pros
- Granular permissions and audit logging
- Strong compliance certifications
- Workflow automation with Box Relay
Cons
- Overkill and pricey for individuals
- Consumer features feel secondary
7
iCloud+
Est. 2011
Cupertino, USA
$
cheaper
All-Apple households wanting seamless device sync
If your daily driver is an iPhone and a Mac, iCloud does the same invisible photo and file syncing Drive does, but tied into the Apple ecosystem instead.
Pros
- Advanced Data Protection adds end-to-end encryption
- Cheap 50GB tier and tight iOS integration
- Private Relay and Hide My Email included
Cons
- Painful outside the Apple ecosystem
- Web interface is limited on Windows
8
MEGA
Est. 2013
Auckland, New Zealand
$
cheaper
People who want lots of free encrypted space
A famously large free tier with zero-knowledge encryption baked in, giving you Drive-like generosity without the surveillance tradeoff.
Pros
- Up to 20GB free with encryption
- Zero-knowledge by default
- Chat and file links built in
Cons
- Data transfer caps can throttle heavy use
- Brand carries some legacy baggage
9
Nextcloud
Est. 2016
Stuttgart, Germany
$
cheaper
Technical users who want total data ownership
Open-source and self-hostable, so you own the server and the data outright. It replicates Drive's files, calendar, and docs but on hardware you control.
Pros
- Fully self-hosted, you control everything
- Collabora Office adds real document editing
- Huge app ecosystem, calendar, contacts, chat
Cons
- Requires a server and technical upkeep
- Managed hosting still costs money
10
Icedrive
Est. 2019
Newport, UK
$
cheaper
Budget users wanting encryption and clean design
Slick, affordable storage with client-side encryption and a genuinely nice interface, plus lifetime plans like pCloud for subscription-haters.
Pros
- Cheap lifetime plans available
- Twofish client-side encryption option
- Clean, modern desktop and mobile apps
Cons
- Smaller company with fewer resources
- No real-time collaborative editing
11
Tresorit
Est. 2011
Zurich, Switzerland
$$$
pricier
Lawyers, doctors, and anyone handling confidential files
Swiss zero-knowledge storage aimed at professionals handling sensitive documents, with the shared-folder collaboration Drive teams rely on but end-to-end encrypted.
Pros
- End-to-end encryption with granular sharing controls
- Swiss and GDPR compliant
- Strong access management for teams
Cons
- Among the priciest options here
- Overkill for casual personal use
12
Backblaze
Est. 2007
San Mateo, USA
$
cheaper
People whose real need is bulletproof backup, not sharing
Less a Drive clone than a fix for the real fear behind it — losing everything. Unlimited computer backup for a flat price, so your files survive even if a service dies.
Pros
- Unlimited backup on a flat annual fee
- Restore by mail on a physical drive if needed
- Optional private encryption key
Cons
- Backup, not live sync or collaboration
- B2 cloud storage priced separately per GB
Zero-knowledge picks (Google can't read these)
If privacy is why you're leaving, go straight to the services where the host literally cannot decrypt your files: Sync.com, Proton Drive, Tresorit, and pCloud's Crypto folder all use zero-knowledge encryption. Sync.com is the easiest switch for people who still need shared folders, while Proton Drive suits anyone already using Proton Mail. Tresorit costs more but adds the granular sharing controls that professionals handling contracts and medical records actually need.
Pay once, own it forever
Tired of the Google One upgrade wall and recurring fees? pCloud and Icedrive both sell lifetime plans — a single payment for storage you keep for good. pCloud's Swiss jurisdiction and media streaming make it the stronger all-rounder; Icedrive undercuts it on price with a cleaner interface. For self-hosters, Nextcloud is the ultimate one-time option: buy a server and pay nobody a subscription again.
Best for teams and real collaboration
Drive's superpower was live editing and comment threads. To keep that, OneDrive with Microsoft 365 gives you full Office co-authoring, and Box adds enterprise permissions and audit trails for compliance-heavy work. Dropbox remains the sync gold standard for smaller teams, and Nextcloud with Collabora Office lets you self-host collaborative docs without handing files to any big tech company.Which Alternative Is Right for You?
Choose based on why you're actually leaving. If it's privacy, Sync.com and Proton Drive give you real zero-knowledge encryption without abandoning shared folders — Proton if you want a whole encrypted suite, Sync if you just want storage that works. If it's the subscription fatigue and upgrade walls, pCloud and Icedrive let you pay once and keep the space for life. If you're deep in Microsoft Office, OneDrive is the natural home and matches Drive's live editing almost exactly; all-Apple households should just turn on iCloud+ with Advanced Data Protection. Teams with compliance needs should look at Box or Tresorit, while the technically confident who want to own everything outright should self-host Nextcloud. And if your real fear was losing files rather than sharing them, Backblaze does unlimited backup better than Drive ever pretended to. Frequently Asked Questions
QWhat is the best privacy-focused alternative to Google Drive?
For most people it's Sync.com or Proton Drive — both use zero-knowledge encryption, meaning the company cannot read your files even if compelled to. Proton Drive is ideal if you want an encrypted email and calendar suite alongside storage, while Sync.com is the smoothest for shared folders. Tresorit is the premium choice for professionals handling sensitive client data.
QIs there a Google Drive alternative with a bigger free tier?
MEGA offers up to 20GB free with encryption, well above Drive's 15GB that's shared across Gmail and Photos. Icedrive and pCloud both offer 10GB free tiers. If you need more permanently without a subscription, pCloud and Icedrive sell lifetime plans you pay for once.
QWhich alternative keeps Google Docs-style real-time collaboration?
Microsoft OneDrive with the Office web apps is the closest match, offering live co-authoring in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Nextcloud paired with Collabora Office gives self-hosters collaborative editing, and Dropbox Paper covers lighter shared documents. Pure encrypted services like Sync.com trade real-time editing for security.
QCan I move off Google Drive without paying a subscription at all?
Yes. pCloud and Icedrive both sell one-time lifetime plans, so you pay once and never see a recurring bill. For the truly self-sufficient, Nextcloud is open-source and free to run on your own server or a cheap hosted box — you only pay for the hardware or hosting.
QWhat's the best alternative if I mainly want to protect against losing files?
That's a backup problem, not a sync problem, and Backblaze is built for it — unlimited computer backup for a flat annual fee, with the option to restore from a physical drive mailed to you. Sync services keep your working files handy, but a dedicated backup like Backblaze is what saves you when a drive dies or a folder gets wiped.
Our Verdict
The Best Google Drive Alternative For You
Choose based on why you're actually leaving. If it's privacy, Sync.com and Proton Drive give you real zero-knowledge encryption without abandoning shared folders — Proton if you want a whole encrypted suite, Sync if you just want storage that works. If it's the subscription fatigue and upgrade walls, pCloud and Icedrive let you pay once and keep the space for life. If you're deep in Microsoft Office, OneDrive is the natural home and matches Drive's live editing almost exactly; all-Apple households should just turn on iCloud+ with Advanced Data Protection. Teams with compliance needs should look at Box or Tresorit, while the technically confident who want to own everything outright should self-host Nextcloud. And if your real fear was losing files rather than sharing them, Backblaze does unlimited backup better than Drive ever pretended to.