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Storing large quantities of images online is finally accessible to all as

prices continue to tumble. Daniel Calder looks at what the best

options are for backing up files to the cloud.

TESTS AND

PRODUCTS

G

oogle Drive offers

more than a secure,

ever-reachable place

to back up your

photos. It also contains Google

office programs, allowing you

to collaborate on documents,

spreadsheets and presentations

with anyone you invite.

Also, by downloading the

desktop program (for iOS,

Android, Mac and PC) it acts

as a file syncing tool so you

can work on the same file on

different machines and from

different locations as long as it

is in the Google Drive folder. But

most importantly, Google Drive

provides a huge amount of

cloud storage for a great price.

You get 15Gb free of charge,

while 1Tb costs a frugal £6.50

or so a month.

Storage options go all the

way up to a dizzying 30Tb

and the maximum file size of

5Tb will keep any moviemaker

happy. The web application is

M

icrosoft OneDrive

is built in to the

latest versions of

Windows, but is

also available for Macs and for

iOS, Android and Windows

mobile devices. Besides offering

the best value for cloud storage

on test, the desktop program

syncs files across different

machines. OneDrive also works

seamlessly with Microsoft Office,

going so far as to include the full

suite of software (including Word,

Excel and Publisher) found in

Office 365 when you sign up

for the 1Tb option. This facility

allows you to collaborate online

in real time with colleagues.

The web application of

OneDrive is just as pared down

as Google Drive, and also allows

you to share images by email

or a link. There’s also a handy

button for direct publishing to

Facebook. Files can be dragged

into the web app for uploading,

but somewhat frustratingly

GOOGLE DRIVE ONEDRIVE

TECH SPECS

TECH SPECS

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BEST FOR...MASSIVE FILE SIZES BEST FOR...VALUE FOR MONEY

unfussy, making it easy to sort

files, organise folders, preview

images (including Raw files) and

share with others. You can drag

files from anywhere on your

computer into the Google Drive

web app. And Google provides

phone and live chat assistance.

Free storage: 15Gb

Cost:

100Gb for $1.99/month (£1.30), 1Tb

for $9.99/month (£6.50), 10Tb for

$99.99/month (£65), 20Tb for

$199.99/month (£130), 30Tb for

$299.99/month (£195)

Contact: google.co.uk

Free storage: 15Gb

Cost:

100Gb for £1.99/month, 200Gb for

£3.99/month, 1Tb for £5.99/month

Contact: onedrive.live.com

Great price

Fantastic help options

Generous free storage of 15Gb

Max file size of 5Tb Best value product on test

Generous free storage of 15Gb

Max file size of 10Gb

Storage space is shared Fantastic help options

with email and Google+

Can’t directly upload to the

Photos page

Google Drive looks

simple but is very

powerful.

The Photos page on OneDrive

sorts images into a timeline.

The preview

window can

display Raw fi les.

not into the separate Photos

page. However, this is offset by

the images being arranged in

a calendar format and by the

ability to sequence files exactly

as you wish.

The maximum file size of 10Gb

is pretty generous and Microsoft

even provides a freephone

number and live chat service to

help with any problems.

Options for

sharing and

downloading

can be accessed

from the preview

window.

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