Up and Hunt is an independent mobile app comparison platform. We may earn a commission when you click through.
Cloud Storage Apps Compared: Free Space vs Privacy
pCloud offers up to 10 GB free, while TeraBox advertises 1 TB. Compare storage, privacy, platforms, ratings, and practical limits.
Quick Picks
Best overall: Google Drive for people already using Google’s productivity tools.
Best free allowance: TeraBox, which advertises 1 TB of free storage.
Best for privacy: Proton Drive, although its Australian App Store rating is only 3.8 from 108 ratings.
Best for sharing: pCloud, with password protection and expiry dates for shared files.
Cloud storage is no longer just a backup folder. The useful question is what you need to do after uploading: collaborate on documents, protect private files, stream personal media, or simply clear space from your phone.
The storage market has split into two camps
The biggest change is the widening gap between integrated services and storage-first apps. Google Drive and OneDrive are tied to broader office ecosystems, while pCloud, Proton Drive, Degoo, and TeraBox lead with storage capacity, backup, or privacy claims.
Free allowances now range from 5 GB on OneDrive to 1 TB advertised by TeraBox. That headline number is useful, but it is not the whole decision. A large quota means little if the app’s sharing controls, privacy model, or platform support do not match your workflow.
Ratings also tell a story. Google Drive has a 4.7 rating from 464,000 App Store ratings in Australia, compared with Proton Drive’s 3.8 from 108 ratings. The gap does not prove that Google is more private or that Proton Drive is unreliable, but it does show a much larger base of public user feedback for Google.
Everyday storage and collaboration
These are the apps that make sense for work documents, shared folders, scanned files, and photos you need across several devices. Their advantage is not just capacity; it is the surrounding ecosystem.
Google Drive
Google Drive is the safest default for people already using Google Docs, Sheets, Gmail, or shared calendars. The Australian App Store listing gives it 4.7 from 464,000 ratings, a far deeper review base than Proton Drive or Degoo. It also includes file scanning and broad document access, so it handles work and personal storage in one place. The downside is familiar: the free allowance is shared across Google services, and the app makes most sense inside Google’s wider ecosystem. Pick it if collaboration matters more than maximum free capacity.
Microsoft OneDrive
OneDrive starts with 5 GB free and becomes more interesting for Microsoft 365 households: the listing describes 1 TB for Personal and 2 TB shared by up to six people with Family. Offline access, camera upload, photo tagging, and a secure photo locker push it beyond a basic file bucket. Compared with Google Drive, the value depends heavily on whether your documents live in Word and Excel. A Google-centric household will find Drive more natural; a Microsoft household gets the better fit here.
Dropbox
Dropbox remains the cleaner handoff tool for people who constantly share folders and files outside one organisation. Its Australian App Store listing shows 4.7 from 69,000 ratings, giving it strong public feedback, though far less than Google Drive. The listing highlights file transfer and photo sharing, but the supplied data does not state a free storage quota, so do not choose it on capacity alone. Compared with OneDrive, Dropbox feels less tied to a particular office suite and more focused on moving files between people.
Cloud Drive App
Cloud Storage: Cloud Drive App is an iPhone-only alternative with a 4.5 rating from 120 Australian App Store ratings and a clear focus on photo and video backup. That narrow remit can be an advantage if you only need a simple camera archive, but the listing says it is not verified for macOS. Compared with Dropbox or Google Drive, it offers less confidence for a mixed-device household because the available data confirms iPhone support but not a broader platform footprint. Treat it as a focused backup utility, not a full work-drive replacement.
Google Drive has the strongest evidence of broad adoption, while OneDrive wins on household storage when its paid plans fit your software setup. Dropbox remains easier to justify for file exchange, and the iPhone-only app is the narrowest recommendation in this group. The practical insight: platform compatibility matters more than a small rating difference once your files are spread across a phone, tablet, and computer.
For official feature details, compare the Google Drive website, Microsoft OneDrive page, and Dropbox website.
Large quotas, privacy, and backup
The next group is more specialised. pCloud and Proton Drive focus on control and privacy, while Degoo and TeraBox compete with unusually large free allowances. Capacity is the headline; the fine print is the workflow.
pCloud
pCloud gives you up to 10 GB free and combines storage with practical sharing controls: password protection and expiry dates for shared files. The description also covers photo and video backup, playlist playback, and document previews, so it is more versatile than a simple archive. Compared with TeraBox, the free allowance is much smaller, but the feature set is easier to understand and more directly useful for sharing work files. Choose pCloud if controlled file delivery matters more than chasing the largest number.
Proton Drive
Proton Drive is the privacy-led pick in this comparison, built around documents, photos, and file management rather than a giant advertised quota. Its Australian App Store rating is 3.8 from 108 ratings, which is notably below Google Drive’s 4.7 from 464,000 ratings. That does not settle the privacy question, but it does signal a smaller and less established mobile review footprint. Pick it if privacy architecture matters more than polished mainstream adoption, and test the free tier before moving a large archive.
Online Cloud Storage
Degoo advertises photo, video, and file backup and holds a 4.4 rating from 592 Australian App Store ratings. That is a respectable score, but the supplied listing does not state the free storage amount, upload limits, platform breadth, or privacy controls. Compared with pCloud, there is less concrete information to evaluate before signing up. Use it for a secondary photo backup only after checking the current plan details inside the app and deciding how you will retrieve files if you leave.
TeraBox
TeraBox advertises 1,024 GB of free storage, the largest allowance in this list by a wide margin, and now promotes AI search and media tools alongside file storage. That is impressive on paper, but the headline quota should not be treated as a complete privacy or productivity assessment: the supplied listing does not provide an Australian rating, permission summary, or detailed limits for the free plan. I would use it for low-sensitivity media and large temporary files, not as the only home for identity documents or irreplaceable work.
This group exposes the biggest misconception in free cloud storage: more gigabytes do not automatically mean better storage. TeraBox wins the capacity contest, pCloud gives the clearest sharing controls, Proton Drive makes the strongest privacy-oriented pitch, and Degoo sits between backup utility and unknowns that need checking.
Official details are available from the pCloud website and Proton Drive website. Plan limits and permissions can change, so confirm them before uploading sensitive files.
One useful outlier: voice recording
Voice recorder, audio recorder is not cloud storage, so it does not belong in the ranking above. It is included only as a productivity outlier because the App Store listing places it in Productivity, rates it 4.5 from about 1,000 ratings, and supports iPad. It may complement a storage app for meetings or notes, but the supplied data does not confirm transcription, cloud sync, export formats, or Android support. That makes it a recorder first, not a replacement for Drive, Dropbox, or pCloud.
Comparison table
| App | Known free allowance | Platform evidence | Public rating data | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google Drive | Not stated in supplied listing | iOS and Android listings supplied | 4.7 from 464K iOS ratings | Google-based collaboration |
| Microsoft OneDrive | 5 GB | Android listing supplied; offline access described | Not supplied | Microsoft 365 households |
| Dropbox | Not stated | iOS listing supplied | 4.7 from 69K iOS ratings | File sharing and transfers |
| pCloud | Up to 10 GB | Android listing supplied | Not supplied | Password-protected sharing |
| Proton Drive | Not stated | iOS listing supplied | 3.8 from 108 iOS ratings | Privacy-focused storage |
| Degoo | Not stated | iOS listing supplied | 4.4 from 592 iOS ratings | Photo and file backup |
| TeraBox | 1,024 GB advertised | Android listing supplied | Not supplied | Large media archives |
Final recommendations
Choose Google Drive if you collaborate on documents and already use Google services. Pick OneDrive if a household subscription with up to 2 TB shared storage matches your Microsoft setup. pCloud is the better call for password-protected links and expiry dates, while Proton Drive fits privacy-conscious users willing to accept a smaller mobile review footprint.
Use TeraBox for large, low-sensitivity media when the advertised 1 TB allowance is your main concern. Avoid treating any free service as your only backup. The sensible setup is one primary drive for active files plus a separate copy for anything you cannot replace.
