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Internet based storage providers, providing storage that you can access across the internet.
Some companies provide internet based storage (also often referred to as "internet based storage space", "remote file storage" or "virtual hard drive"). Internet based storage is a simple means of sharing files (for example between home and work or with friends), for giving you access to your files from any location, and for off site backups.
Most sites that offer this service charge a modest fee and some will provide either a more restricted free service or a limited free trial. There are fewer internet based storage providers now than there used to be. When the first version of this list was put together there were a number of sites offering free storage space. Now most of those have gone out of business and others have converted to offering a commercial (i.e. paid for) service. Be aware of this before relying upon an internet storage device as your sole method of keeping backups - a service you pay for will be more dependable than a free one.
The information provided on this page is believed to be accurate, and is based on the information published on provider's website. Please check with each company before signing up. If you find any errors or omissions please report these via e-mail to: feedback@cryer.co.uk.
The following table provides summary information on each storage provided included in the comparison.
| Summary | Free service | Paid service | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Space | Trial | Share | FTP | Initial space | Max space | Max file size | FTP | |
DriveHQ
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1GB | free |
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2GB | 20GB | no limit | |
Mozy
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2GB | free |
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2GB | 30GB | no limit | |
Huddle
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100MB | free |
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1GB | 25GB/unlimited | no limit | |
| Snapfish
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no limit, but image flies only | free | TBA |
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no limit - but image files only | |
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| AxiFile | 150MB / file | free |
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no paid service | |||
| FileDen | 1GB | free |
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5GB | 15GB | 1GB | |
| Box.net | 1GB | free |
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5GB | 15GB | 1GB | |
| Znail | 1-5MB | free |
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20MB | 50MB | no limit | |
| ZumoDrive | 1GB | free |
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10GB | 500GB | no limit | |
| Sayabit | 50MB - 100MB | free |
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50MB | 100MB | no-limit | |
| SwissDisk | 50MB | free |
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100MB | 5GB | no-limit | |
| FileGenie | 20MB | free |
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50MB | 7GB | 1MB - 4MB | |
| TrueShare | 7 day trial |
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3GB 30GB/Month |
no specified limit | no limit | |
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| FilesAnyWhere | 30 day trial |
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50MB | 2GB | no limit | |
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| Pixagogo | 15 day free trial | no limit - but image files only | |
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| Kodak Gallery | free for 12 months |
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no limit - image files only. | 150MB images only |
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| SafeSnaps | one month trial | no limit - but image files only | |
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| I2Drive | no free service | 2GB | 100GB | no limit | |
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Terms:
Box.net is an online file storage platform that enables users to share, access and store important files online anytime, anywhere. Users can access or share their files from any computer or mobile device (no software required), so any files stored on the service can be retrieved or shared anywhere. Box.net currently has over a million registered users. They offer a free 14-day trial of paid services to new users, who can sign up for either a Plus, Individual or a Business account. Their main features include:
Their free service is their "Lite" plan. They offer a 14 day free trial of their "Individual", "Business" and "Enterprise" plans.
| http://box.net | Free service | Paid service |
|---|---|---|
| Initial space provided: | 1GB | 5GB |
| Maximum space provided: | 1GB | 15 GB with their Business plan or 5GB per user with their Enterprise plan. |
| Maximum file size: | 10MB | 1GB |
| Can share files: |
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| Access via FTP: |
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| Access via browser: |
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ZNail provide storage for free. They use a points system, with points being earned by either using the system or making a donation and the number of available points dictates how much storage you are allocated. For the free service the initial allocation is 5MB, but this can fall to 1MB.
| http://znail.com | Free service | Paid service |
|---|---|---|
| Initial space provided: | 5MB / 1MB | 5MB |
| Maximum space provided: | 5MB | 50MB |
| Maximum file size: | no apparent limit | no apparent limit |
| Can share files: |
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| Access via FTP: |
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| Access via browser: |
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Host your files with AxiFile, providing free file storage that can be used without the need to register. Fast, reliable and completely free.
Files can be uploaded without the need to register. You will then be given two links. The first link is to download the file, and this link can be emailed to those you wish to share the file with. The second link provides you with simple administration on the file, providing download statistics and the option to delete the file.
The AxiFile service is great for sharing files. It is not suitable for long term storage (because files are removed if 30 days elapse since being requested) or for managing a collection of files (because each file must be managed individually).
| www.axifile.com | Free service | Paid service |
|---|---|---|
| Initial space provided: | 150MB per file | No paid service |
| Maximum space provided: | ||
| Maximum file size: | 150MB | |
| Can share files: |
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| Access via FTP: |
files
can be uploaded only. To upload using FTP requires registering for a temporary account. |
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| Access via browser: |
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DriveHQ offers 1GB of storage space for free and this includes a rich set of extra functionality including storage, backup, sharing, publishing, and FTP. Their main features include:
The free service is for personal, non-commercial use.
| www.drivehq.com | Free service | Paid service |
|---|---|---|
| Initial space provided: | 1GB
200MB/month download |
2GB |
| Maximum space provided: | 1GB | 20GB |
| Maximum file size: | no obvious limit | |
| Can share files: |
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| Access via FTP: |
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| Access via browser: |
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Note:
FileDen operate four types of accounts: Free, Silver, Gold and Diamond. The paid accounts provide a photo album feature, but this is not available to users of their free service.
| www.fileden.com | Free service | Paid service |
|---|---|---|
| Initial space provided: | 1GB | 5GB |
| Maximum space provided: | 15GB | |
| Maximum file size: | 50MB | 1GB |
| Can share files: |
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| Access via FTP: |
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| Access via browser: |
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| Monthly bandwidth limit: | 5GB | 25GB to 100GB depending on subscription. |
Provides a number of packages. The greater the subscription the more storage provided and the larger the permitted size of individual files. Used to provide a free service, but this seems to have disappeared.
| www.filegenie.com | Free service | Paid service |
|---|---|---|
| Initial space provided | 20MB | 50MB |
| Maximum space provided: | 500MB | |
| Maximum file size: | 1MB | 1MB or 4MB depending on subscription |
| Can share files: |
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Provides a free 30 day trial, their service must be paid for after that. Cost varies according to space requirements. These start at 50MB.
| www.filesanywhere.com | Free service | Paid service |
|---|---|---|
| Initial space provided: | no free service
30 day free trial |
50MB |
| Maximum space provided: | 2GB | |
| Maximum file size: | no apparent limit | |
| Can share files: |
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| Access via FTP: |
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| Access via browser: |
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Huddle is primarily an on-line collaboration service. Huddle allows you to share more than simply your files, but also your calendar and task lists. Huddle attempts to address the need to be able to brainstorm with people from multiple cities or countries, allowing comments and discussions on ideas or projects. With Huddle you can do this and more. It is a leading collaboration tool, allowing you to manage projects, upload and share documents and other files, with anyone anywhere.
Since Huddle is much more than a simple file sharing service the following table (which provides a standard way of comparing storage providers) does not give an indication of the collaborative nature of Huddle. Other than their "Free" and "Personal" accounts, their other account types are aimed at businesses and teams.
| Huddle Collaboration | Free service | Paid service |
|---|---|---|
| Initial space provided: | 100MB | 1GB |
| Maximum space provided: | 100MB | 25GB/unlimited Their professional plan provides up to 25GB storage. Their Enterprise plan has no limit, but does require a minimum of 250 users. |
| Maximum file size: | no apparent limit | no apparent limit |
| Can share files: |
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I(2) Drive no longer offers a free service. All of their storage products are now paid. Each account comes with a monthly transfer limit, which (for their cheaper accounts) is equal to the storage provided on the account.
| www.i2drive.com | Free service | Paid service |
|---|---|---|
| Initial space provided: | No free service | 2GB |
| Maximum space provided: | 100GB | |
| Maximum file size: | unclear | |
| Can share files: |
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Kodakgallery has a primary focus on printing digital photos (either as traditional photos or on mugs, cards, calendars and the like). They also provide a photo gallery service where you can share your photos with family or friends.
Their service is suitable for sharing, viewing, storing and printing digital images. It is important to note that their service is geared specifically to images (i.e. image files and video files) and it cannot be used for any other type of file storage.
They provide free storage for 12 months. This can be extended by making a purchase from them - each purchase extends the storage to another 12 months from the data of purchase. Alternately they do provide a premium based service which does not expire. Video files may be subject to additional restrictions on length of storage.
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Kodak Gallery
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Free service | Paid service |
|---|---|---|
| Initial space provided: | unclear | unclear |
| Maximum space provided: | unclear | |
| Maximum file size: | 150MB | 150MB |
| Can share files: |
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| Access via FTP: |
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| Access via browser: |
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Mozy provide a different approach to online-storage. Their storage offering is aimed primarily at providing free backup of data and files. When you sign up they provide an application that runs in the background which ensures that those files and folders you have selected are regularly backed up. This backing up is done across the internet, so it is essential that you have an internet connection. Their free service is aimed squarely at providing a reliable backup. This service is not suitable for exchanging files between users or computers (with the obvious exception of when you come to need to restore your files from the backup). Files are backed up using secure encryption, so its vital that you don't loose the key used to encrypt the files.
Free remote backup is finally here! Download and install Mozy to ensure your data is safely backed up at a secure, remote location. Mozy is a secure, automatic remote backup service for any PC in any home or office. It's simple to install and configure. No external hard drive, expensive subscription services, CD's or DVD's to burn. All you need is a broadband connection and you are ready to go!
| Mozy.com | Free service | Paid service |
|---|---|---|
| Initial space provided: | 2GB | 2GB |
| Maximum space provided: | 3GB The extra space is earned by referring others. |
30GB |
| Maximum file size: | no limit | no limit |
| Can share files: |
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| Access via FTP: |
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Pixagogo - Elegant Online Albums Easily Shared With Family and Friends. Pixagogo provides unlimited online photo storage, sharing photos in elegant highly customizable albums and seamlessly integrated photo printing. The only restriction is that it is for image files only, but the site is optimised for images and offer many features specifically for image files such as on-line albums and capability to order prints.
| www.pixagogo.com | Free service | Paid service |
|---|---|---|
| Initial space provided: | no free service
15 day free trial |
no apparent limit |
| Maximum space provided: | no apparent limit | |
| Maximum file size: | no apparent limit. Image files only. | |
| Can share files: |
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| Access via FTP: |
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| Access via browser: |
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Safe Snaps provides a service for automatically backing up digital photos across the Internet.
Their service is limited to image files, but is advertised as having no storage limit. You will need a broadband connection to use their service. They do not provide a means of sharing these files with other users.
Prices are in US dollars or UK sterling.
| www.safesnaps.com | Free service | Paid service |
|---|---|---|
| Initial space provided: | no free service
one month free trial |
Unlimited storage |
| Maximum space provided: | ||
| Maximum file size: | no apparent limit | |
| Can share files: |
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| Access via FTP: |
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Sayabit is primarily a file sharing solution rather than a storage provider. The distinction is that any files uploaded are potentially available for anyone else to see and don't need to be explicitly shared in any way. In practice the only people who can view the files you have uploaded will be those with whom you have shared the URL - each uploaded file is given a distinct and unique URL. Security is provided for as you can password protect each file should you want to (although the default is for files to be unprotected).
Sayabit describes itself as a links based file storage service, and this is quite an apt summary of the type of service they provide. Once registered, you can upload images, documents and files into your own space and Sayabit provides you with a unique URL for each of them. They also providing the facility to provide shortened URLs instead of long ones. What this means in practice is that you can upload files and you can access them via the web. If you share that URL with someone then they can also get access to your file. So Sayabit is primarily a file sharing solution rather than a solution providing dedicated private storage.
You can increase the storage they provide (up to a limit) by referring your friends. When you sign up you are given a named-subfolder, and should you choose to subscribe to their paid service you are guaranteeing that your subfolder name will remain yours.
| www.sayabit.com | Free service | Paid service |
|---|---|---|
| Initial space provided: | 50MB | 50MB |
| Maximum space provided: | 100MB gain space by inviting friends to join. |
100MB |
| Maximum file size: | no limit | no limit |
| Can share files: |
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Snapfish are an online photo printing service. They are owned by HP, so have a reputable name behind them. Whilst their primary business objective is to sell prints of your digital photos they also provide free photo storage.
Snapfish operate a number of regional sites, so when you visit their website start by selecting your location.
whilst promotional details vary from time to time, Snapfish typically offer a number of free prints with your first order.
| Snapfish | Free service | Paid service |
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| Initial space provided: | no limit, image files only | No separate paid service |
| Maximum space provided: | ||
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| Can share files: |
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| Access via FTP: |
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| Access via browser: |
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As well as providing a browser interface to upload (and view) your images, they allow allow you to email your pictures to them. This requires that you send from the email account that you have registered with them.
SwissDisk is encrypted end-to-end and offers free 50Mb accounts as well as a paid service.
From the SwissDisk website: "At SwissDisk, we protect sensitive information and enable compliance with data privacy and IT governance regulations. Our portable encrypted filesystems provide online storage, backup, and remote access to (private key) encrypted solutions that are integrated into the desktop environment and accessible using any web-enabled device."
SwissDisk place great emphasis on the security of your data, and files are uploaded and downloaded using a secure (SSL) connection. That said, its still a simple process to upload and share files.
| www.swissdisk.com | Free service | Paid service |
|---|---|---|
| Initial space provided: | 50MB | 100MB |
| Maximum space provided: | 5GB | |
| Maximum file size: | no limit | no limit |
| Can share files: |
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| Access via FTP: |
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| Access via browser: |
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Established in 2003 as EasyFTP.net, TrueShare provides business class online file management and backup services allowing unlimited users. Send, receive, backup, store and access all file types. TrueShare is used to transfer graphics files to vendors, receive audio files from clients, store pictures and videos, distribute spreadsheets to co-workers, keep offsite backups of your databases, send power point presentations and marketing materials to client prospects, share product information sheets with remote employees, centralize bid document distribution to contractors, and so much more. This can all be accomplished from anywhere, at anytime, securely with TrueShare.
| www.trueshare.com | Free service | Paid service |
|---|---|---|
| Initial space provided: | 3GB | 3GB / 30GB |
| Maximum space provided: | 3GB | no specified limit |
| Maximum file size: | no free service
7 day free trial |
no limit |
| Can share files: |
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| Access via FTP: |
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| Access via browser: |
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Zumodrive provide a web-based interface to your storage. They provide an installable utility which makes your storage space appear as a removable drive. The utility once installed will step you through the process of signing up, part of this process involves designating any folders that you want to be able to link to your "ZumoDrive". You can then share your files simply by installing their application on each pc and then logging in using the same account details.
| www.zumodrive.com | Free service | Paid service |
|---|---|---|
| Initial space provided: | 1GB On their website it claims 2GB free, but their utility shows a charge for anything over 1GB. |
10GB |
| Maximum space provided: | 500GB | |
| Maximum file size: | no apparent limit | no apparent limit |
| Can share files: |
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| Access via FTP: |
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| Access via browser: |
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There are a number of lists of virtual storage provider on the net. The following is a sample:
If you know of any other internet based storage providers that you would like to see listed on this page or wish to report any errors on this page then please e-mail: feedback@cryer.co.uk.
© Copyright 2004-2010, A B Cryer, All rights reserved.