Good morning, Tech Lovers! It’s another edition of Tech Luv Thursday! Today, I’m running a comparison of three great solutions: Dropbox, Copy, and Google Drive. Now, I don’t profess to include every single cloud storage solution out there in this article. Nope, in true Tech Luv style, I’m discussing my personal experiences only. So if you’ve got something you like better, please share it in the comments. I’m betting readers would like the exposure to more storage options. I know I would! First thing’s first…

What’s Cloud Storage?

The whole premise behind cloud storage is that you’re taking your information, files, photos, whatever, and saving it in a remote location. Like on a cloud above your head–get it? That’s the layman’s version of it anyway. The difference with cloud solutions is that they are generally accessible via the Internet through a variety of devices and they all play well together. Just like my kids. Or not. Okay, they don’t always play well, but the variety of stable options out there makes it a great time to focus on keeping your data safe.

Basically, you can save a file in a specific folder on your laptop/PC. When you connect to the Internet and your cloud sharing app is activated, your new and/or modified files are saved to an identical folder on your Cloud service’s server. You’ll then be able to access the files remotely from any device or other laptop/PC via the Internet or the app. No flash drives needed. A great thing for those of us that lose data as much as we lose our car keys.

I must preface this by saying you need access to the Internet to make this happen. So if you aren’t on WI-FI or don’t have a smartphone–don’t lose your flash drive. The three solutions we’ll check out today, all have desktop options and apps to make your data accessible when you’re on the go. And friends? I am always on the go. Let’s check out a few of them.

Dropbox

Dropbox got its start in 2007 from a bunch of MIT students. Good things come from forgetting your flash drive all the time. No, seriously–Drew Houston, one of the founders forgot his flash drive constantly while in school. Hello, Dropbox!

They great thing about Dropbox is that it’s extremely stable. In the four years I’ve been a Dropbox user, it’s crashed very little and I’ve never lost a file. In addition, there is a fabulous Camera Upload feature, which takes photos from your phone and uploads them to Dropbox automatically when on WI-FI (unless you change preferences).

Free users are given 2GB of storage, but you can buy more. Dropbox offers the following plans: $2/month for 100GB, $4/month for 200GB, $7/month for 1TB Also, if you’re into sales, you can ping your friends with referrals and get more storage space. Free users have a 10GB file size restriction.

Pros: As I mentioned, stable and reliable. Camera upload capability is a plus. It also serves a wide range of OSs and devices–specifically, Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iOS, Windows Phone, BlackBerry, and Kindle Fire.

Cons: As a personal user, I have more images than anything on my laptop. I love the camera upload option, but the 2GB of storage is limiting on the free account. Especially, when you consider the storage sizes its competitors are dishing out. Although I have a free plan, I’m unlikely to convert it to a paid plan for a simple reason. I don’t need to. Still, I’m loyal, which is one of the reasons I keep saving files to Dropbox.

Google Drive

So cloud storage comes along and you know Google has to throw their hat in the ring. Even if you know nothing about Google Drive, you’ve probably experienced it. Google’s done a seamless job of integrating it with attachments on their email client, so that users are always given the option of downloading to Google vs. locally.

What’s nice about Drive is that it comes with Docs. So when you open a file on Drive you can edit it, right there, and it will still play well with your native Office client on your laptop. So, well, in fact, that you may choose Drive over Office consistently. If you are a Mac user (raise your hand!) you’ll know that Microsoft has consistently treated Mac Office users like the ugly, redheaded stepchild. Full features have been historically absent from the Mac version of the suite that result in massive headaches for those of use with large documents and feature-rich PowerPoint presentations. The Google version with the Drive and Docs combo? A breath of fresh air.

Free users win 10GB of storage, but with a 5TB file size restriction. If that’s not enough for you, you can upgrade at $2/month 100GB, $10/month for 1TB. Then use the seamless app to access your files anywhere.

Pros: Google has never forgotten what it’s like to be a college student. Or in my case, a poor writer. Their plans are affordable and functional. The docs feature is a bonus. You still get all of the features of Dropbox, but with more storage, making it a better value.

Cons: My only complaint, sometimes finding Google Drive and getting to your files can be a challenge if you have multiple Google accounts. Also, Linux users get short changed here–at least for right now. Drive is available for Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, Windows Phone, BlackBerry users only. That being said, I have high hopes for this solution. Give Drive a try!

Copy

Copy is similar to Dropbox. It doesn’t offer a app off-shoots like Dropbox does, however, it does give you great storage. Perhaps its best feature is that it provides more storage on its free account than Dropbox does. With no file size restrictions and 15GB of storage, many Dropbox users chose to jump on-board the Copy train.

I use copy for the bulk of my storage. I also have my Scrivener files automatically backed up to copy so that I can always get to my work, even if my laptop gets fried. Occasionally, I’ve had the app crash, but it’s only been a few times. The data is always there whenever I need it.

Free users can upgrade at a rate of $5/month for 250GB, $10 for 1TB. That makes it a cheaper option than Google’s Drive for mid-tier storage, though both the free and 1TB options offer the same storage at the same rate.

Pros: Copy offers a nice amount of storage for an affordable price. Plus, you don’t have to spam your friends for more.

Cons: There are some stability issues with the app, at least that I’ve experienced. Although, it’s infrequent enough that it’s not a deal breaker.

So just a quick highlight of these three solutions. What are you using? Share it in the comments below. I’d love to hear from you!

Update: Copy has since discontinued its service. Look for more information on this site about other options in the weeks to come!