4 Fastest Cloud Storage

Storing your files in the cloud is much more convenient than storing them on a hard drive.

When using a cloud service, you can access all of your files instantly from any device, and you never have to worry about losing your data again.

However, if you are dealing with large files across multiple devices regularly, using cloud storage is not just a matter of convenience. It is necessary.

With so many different cloud storage services available today, how do you know which one to choose?

Speed Matters

File transfer speeds are very important to cloud storage, especially if you deal with large files.

You spend 5x as much on your cable bill, shouldn’t you deserve something better and more efficient? You would want the fastest file transfer service.

Speaking of file transfer, why not use our free Ninja QuickSend to transfer large files of yours to any of your recipients?

The fastest cloud backup can make or break your first impression of any cloud service.

A business needs to speed up its website as we all know slowness affects revenue. It is the same when it comes to cloud storage, slowness affects efficiency.

When choosing a cloud storage provider, it’s important to check not just the download speed they offer, but the upload speed too.

If the upload speed is low, it could take forever to upload your files, which can be frustrating.

Let’s have a quick rundown on some KEY Findings of upload speed:

Quick Recommendation:

If you’re looking for a quick recommendation on the fastest cloud storage service, we’d go with pCloud. We are using their 2TB + Crypto bundle plan and our cloud storage comparison shows that they excel in comparing with competitors. Read our full review on pCloud here.

Here are a few more things you should know about before we get to the details:

Check out our test video below:

Upload Speed Test Conducted by GoodCloudStorage – Video open on Youtube [new tab]

What are the 2 most important things for Cloud Storage?

1. Speed

When looking for a cloud storage provider, the two most important things are speed and security.

If you are reading this article, you are most likely looking for the fastest cloud storage. But it’s no match in speed when it comes to local storage vs cloud storage for cloud-based storage.

However, there is one thing you should take into consideration if you want your cloud storage to be not only fast but also secure: secure cloud services will always be a bit slower due to encryption.

2. Security

Most cloud storage providers use encryption to protect your data while it’s being transferred and also while it rests in the cloud.

All of the cloud storage providers on our list certainly do so.

Check out our research on the most secure cloud storage too.

Who’s The Fastest Cloud Storage Service? or the slowest …

We’ve researched and tested storage service providers to determine which one is the fastest.

We have not only tested the upload speeds, but we have also compared the prices, features, and security levels each of them offers.

The results are in!

1. Dropbox

Dropbox upload speed tops our experiment here with less than 2 minutes of transfer.

Dropbox has been around since 2007, and they are still one of the most well-known cloud services.

Did you know Dropbox is listed on Nasdaq?

What is the secret behind Dropbox’s popularity despite the fast upload speed?

The simple, clean design makes the platform incredibly easy to use and set up.

You just drag your files into your Dropbox folder, and you can access them whenever you want through the Dropbox website or one of their applications for desktop and mobile.

There are no size limits when it comes to uploading files, but you only get 2GB of storage for free.

However, you can get 3GB of extra storage space if you turn on the automatic photo upload feature on your Dropbox mobile app.

You can also get extra storage space by inviting your friends to join Dropbox. Well, certainly I’m not a fan of referring.

While Dropbox is certainly the fastest cloud storage among here, if you look into Dropbox alternatives, it’s not hard to see why all the competitors are chasing up the game.

Dropbox currently offers two personal plans – Dropbox Plus and Dropbox Professional

Dropbox Plus costs $9.99 a month (or $119 if billed yearly). You get 1TB of storage with this plan. $10 per month for 1TB is not expensive, but you can find better deals with other providers, like pCloud, for example.

Dropbox Plus does not have features like SmartSync and others.

Furthermore, some of the best features Dropbox has introduced lately are reserved for Dropbox Professional users. Dropbox Professional comes with some cool features, like password protection for our links, smart sync, and 120-day versioning.

However, at the price of $20 a month, this plan might be too expensive for most of us.

Find out more from our Dropbox review here.

2. pCloud

PCloud is definitely one of the fastest cloud storage services available, but that’s not the only reason why we love it.

First of all, pCloud is incredibly comfortable and easy to use.

There are no limits when it comes to the size of the files you can upload.

Furthermore, pCloud works on all desktop computer and mobile platforms, and the Automatic Upload feature allow you to automatically synchronize data from multiple devices.

PCloud offers a desktop tool, but most people prefer using the web interface.

Using your browser, you can access all of your files, search through them, and filter them according to the file format. You can also view images, play music, and watch videos stored in the cloud storage service right from your browser.

Another great thing about pCloud is the file versioning feature.

By default, pCloud will keep older versions of your files for 15 days. If you are a Premium or Lifetime member, your files will be kept for 30 days.

Additionally, you can buy the Extended File History add-on, allowing you to recover files a year after deleting them.

pCloud Pricing

The cost of pCloud services is quite reasonable.

You get 10GB of storage for free, and you can pay $4.99 a month for 500GB or $9.99 a month for 2TB.

You can also purchase a lifetime subscription and never think about monthly payments again. If you are worried about the storage limit, they have a 10 TB plan in the store for a lifetime as well.

All of this sounds nice, but the advanced privacy and security features are our favorite parts of pCloud.

They use TLS encryption to protect your files during the file transfer, but that’s not all they have to offer.

You can also purchase the pCloud Crypto add-on which will allow you to privately encrypt your files (only you will have control over the encryption keys).

Find out how pCloud Crypto works in my review about pCloud here.

3. Carbonite

Carbonite stands out among other cloud storage providers because it doesn’t limit the amount of data you can store in the cloud.

However, Carbonite is primarily a backup service just like Backblaze, and it only lets you back up one device with a personal plan.

Carbonite can handle all common file types. All you need to do is install the client and turn on automatic backup, and all of your files will be stored in the cloud.

There are no limits when it comes to filing size either, although you’ll need to add files larger than 4GB manually.

Carbonite offers desktop clients for Windows and macOS. It takes less than two minutes to install any of them, and most of the processes are automatic which is nice.

If you choose Carbonite as your cloud storage provider, you’ll also get access to top-notch security features.

By default, Carbonite encrypts all of the files kept on its servers using 128-bit AES encryption.

However, there is also the option to turn on zero-knowledge encryption, so you have complete control over your data.

4. Sync.com

Sync is a relatively young cloud service provider with a strong focus on privacy. Zero-knowledge architecture is the reason why many people decide to go with Sync.

When using Sync, nobody will have the keys to your data except you. This kind of security doesn’t come without problems, though.

Most importantly, if you lose your password, no one will be able to get your files back, ever.

Even though its main focus is privacy and security, Sync’s interface is also very functional and elegantly designed. It offers fast syncing and easy file and folder sharing to maximize your productivity.

The size of files you can upload is limited to 40GB, but this is more than enough for most people. You get only 5GB of storage for free, though.

For $4 a month, you can buy a subscription that gives you 500GB of storage space.

However, you can get 2 TBs for $8 a month, which is a really good price.

Sync also offers some nice solutions for business users. You can get 10TB of storage with the Business Pro Advanced subscription. It costs only $15 a month, which is pretty amazing, and it also includes a range of additional features.

Furthermore, sync keeps old versions of your files for up to 30 days by default, which is more than most other providers offer.

If you upgrade to Sync Pro, you can store versions of your files indefinitely.

In conclusion, Sync might not be fast but is certainly a functional and affordable cloud storage service, but it also comes with the best security features available.

Find out how this Canadian cloud storage manages to pump out 9 amazing features in my review of sync.com here.

How To Speed Up Your Cloud Storage With These Simple Tips

Cloud storage is a great way to store your files, but it can be slow sometimes.

Here are some tips to speed up your cloud storage:

1. Choose the right cloud storage provider.
2. Optimize your data storage setting.
3. When uploading files, try to avoid simultaneous uploading activities from your source.
4. Use a VPN and see if it gets better.

Following these simple tips should help you speed up your cloud storage and enjoy all the benefits it has to offer!

It doesn’t have to be technical sometimes

To wrap out our upload speed test experiment

If we had to choose one fast cloud storage provider to use for the rest of our lives, it would probably be pCloud.

It isn’t the fastest online backup service on our list, but it still offers decent upload and download speeds. Most likely is because of the encryption process that they had that dragged down the result.

Furthermore, all the plans offered by pCloud are reasonably priced and come with the best security features you can find.

For detailed reporting of our testing and charting, please refer to https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1yVbka32ErDBnKYTCBDyzhhmlA84qIQxqNIYKigm7tNo/edit?usp=sharing

Luckily, there is no need to choose one cloud service and stick with it forever.

But I would love to skip the headache afterward by picking the correct cloud storage in the first place.

It’s no joke when you need to migrate or transfer a tonne of files from one to another.

Check out how much time you need to spend uploading your desired data to the cloud storage server using our file transfer calculator tool for a better overall picture.

All of the services on our list are fast (maybe except for Sync), secure, and come with all the necessary features.

But that did not mean we do not recommend Sync.com. As a matter of fact, we speak highly of them.

For $8 per month, you’ll get truly private and secured cloud storage at 2TB storage as one of our best cloud storage selections. This is something that we don’t see elsewhere.

At least pCloud is extra charging the Crypto features ($4.99/mo) so users can enjoy the end-to-end encryption, but not with Sync.