In this article, we’ll be looking at the best file hosting providers and their pricing plans.

What is File Hosting?

File hosting is also referred to as file storage. You’re storing your files in the hosts’ system where you can easily share them with other people. Many file hosting providers offer certain security measures and make sure your files are safe or are only sharable to people of your choosing.

Here are several factors you’ll want to keep in mind while hunting for the perfect file hosting company…

  • Security
  • Storage Space

If you run a business you may be looking for a secure place to store some of your important files on the cloud or make certain company-related files and information more widely accessible to your partners and employees. If that is the case, security should be the number one deal-breaker for deciding whether or not to go with a particular file hosting provider.

Lots of non-business people use file hosting as well though. For example, if you’ve ever had to type up a paper for educational purposes using either Microsoft Word or Google Docs then you have used a file hosting provider.

Most file hosting providers offer a free plan with limited space and features. If you don’t plan on storing very much on the cloud then we’d suggest going with one of those free plans.

If you need a little more space you can always sign up for the free plans from different companies. For example, you can have Google One, Jumpshare, and use Dropbox all at the same time.

Now that we have that out of the way, let’s look at our top suggestions for file hosting.

1. CloudMe

CloudMe is a widely used cloud hosting platform for people who want to store files. One of the main reasons people use them is to download and save picture files so they’ll be safe but out of the way.

CloudMe is also very much a type of Dropbox doppelganger. If you take a look at the pricing plans that they offer for file hosting and then go over to Dropbox’s website and begin to compare plans you’ll see that they’re practically identical.

Since they’re so much like Dropbox (which we’ll be looking at later in this article) you may be tempted to assume that they are identical in every way, but that isn’t the case. Here are a few things to consider while deciding whether or not to …

  • Very slow compared to some of its competitors.
  • CloudMe doesn’t upload multiple files at the same time.
  • They aren’t a good place to host video clips.

If you’re needing a secure file hosting provider we would suggest looking into a different file hosting platform. CloudMe doesn’t automatically encrypt your files, so if you are still wanting to use them but need some security you can always upload pre-encrypted files.

You can sign up for their free plan or choose one of their Consumer or Business plans. There are four consumer plans and three business plans, but we’re only going to list the cheapest ones:

  • Free
  • Starter (for consumers)
  • Team Plan (for businesses)

The reviews are about half good and half bad when it comes to CloudMe, but that’s mainly because of its inability to upload multiple files at the same time.

Free Plan: This plan includes 3 GB storage, allows file sizes up to 150 MB, and one user. The plan is free.

Starter Plan: This plan includes 25 GB storage, allows file sizes up to 150 MB, and one user. The cost is $4.75/month.

Team Plan: This plan includes 100 GB storage, allows file sizes up to 2 GB, and 5 users. The cost is $177.10/month.

2. Dropbox

Dropbox is the Blue Host of the file-hosting world, meaning that it’s the go-to option when looking for a place to host your files.

With so many alternative file hosting options that have come into prominence over the years Dropbox has lost some of its former glory, but they’re still one of the best options you can host your files with.

Here are a few things to keep in mind before deciding to go with Dropbox…

  • If you are only using their free option you’ll have limited storage space.
  • Referring others to Dropbox will buy you some extra space.
  • They don’t have a CAD system so you can’t view those files on the web.

While they have a lot of great features and plans to fit the needs of any and every customer, they are a little expensive if you go with one of their paid plans. Because of that, Dropbox is best suited to those who either don’t mind paying a little extra to host their files or are okay with the limitations that come with a free plan.

Their free plan is pretty good, so If you don’t have all that many files you want to be stored we’d say you’re probably safe sticking to Dropbox’s free option since it has most of what you’ll want.

Dropbox has two sets of plans, one for businesses and one for personal use but we’ll just list the cheapest ones…

  • Basic plan
  • Plus plan
  • Family plan
  • Standard plan
  • Advanced plan
  • Enterprise

Enterprise is completely customizable but you have to contact Dropbox directly to set it up for your business team. The cheapest plan is the freebie (Basic) but the cheapest paid-for plan would be their Plus package for personal use and Standard for business.

Basic Plan: This plan includes 2 GB storage, file encryption, up to 3 devices, and one user. Cost is free.

Plus Plan: This plan includes 2 TB storage, file encryption, unlimited devices, and one user. The cost is $9.99/month.

Family Plan:

Standard Plan: This plan includes 5 TB of space for secure storage, easy-to-use sharing and collaboration tools, and allows up to three users. The cost is $12.50/month.

3. Google Drive/Google One

Google offers the best file hosting on the market.

It’s more than likely that you have already signed up for a free Google account that comes with Gmail, Docs, Sheets, and other apps that are all a part of Google Drive. Because Google offers so many free features some very small businesses or freelancers use Google Drive exclusively for all their file hosting needs.

Even though they’re voted as number one across the board for file hosting here a few things you need to take into account…

  • They don’t have as much security as some other file hosts do.
  • It’s cheaper to sign up for yearly payments instead of monthly.

Google Drive does, however, have some limitations, and eventually, you may fill up your storage. When that happens you can purchase Google’s paid option: Google One.

At this point, we should probably mention that if you own a business and have a Google Workspace account you already have access to Google One as part of your paid account.

Google One’s cheapest plan is free and a part of what you get when you sign up for google drive. From there they have three paid options:

  • 100 GB
  • 200 GB
  • 2 TB

If you just want a little extra storage then Google’s 100 GB plan should work perfectly for you. Even if you decide to spring for one of their other plans they’re cheap compared to some of the other mainstream file hosting providers.

100 GB Plan: This plan includes 100 GB storage, access to Google experts, the option to add your family, and extra member benefits. The cost is $1.99/month.

200 GB Plan: This plan includes 200 GB storage, access to Google experts, the option to add your family, and extra member benefits. Cost is $2.99/month.

2 TB Plan: This plan includes 2 TB storage, access to Google experts, the option to add your family, extra member benefits, and aVPN for Android phones. The cost is $9.99/month.

4. Microsoft OneDrive

OneDrive is the Microsoft equivalent to Google One and a lot of the same principles apply.

First off, in case you don’t recognize the name Microsoft OneDrive its name was changed a while back. Previously it was called SkyDrive, but for whatever reason, they decided to change it.

Aside from that, here are a few things to consider before deciding to use Microsoft OneDrive as the file hosting company for your personal needs or business…

  • The applications work best if you download them onto your Windows computer.
  • It’s less expensive if you sign up for their plans for a year instead of monthly.

Microsoft OneDrive has Three sets of hosting plans and a total of eleven individual hosting plans within the three sets. Four of the plans are geared towards businesses and three are specially meant for people paying for OneDrive’s enterprise level.

The last four plans are all geared towards personal and day-to-day file storing needs, which of course are the cheapest tier of plans that they offer. For the sake of simplicity we’ll only list their Home and business plans which are their more popular ones:

  • OneDrive Basic (Free)
  • OneDrive Standalone
  • Microsoft 365 Personal
  • Microsoft 365 Family
  • OneDrive for Business Plan 1
  • OneDrive for Business Plan 2
  • Microsoft 365 Business Basic
  • Microsoft 365 Business Standard

Microsoft OneDrive manages to beat most of its competitors when it comes to how much storage space they give you when you sign up for their free plan. The only other file hosting company that offers even more free space is OneDrive’s main competitor: Google One.

If you’re going to purchase one of their business plans we would suggest buying either the Microsoft 365 Business Standard or at the very least Microsoft 365 Business Basic.

The other two less expensive business plans don’t offer much of anything except storage space and if that’s all you need we would suggest going with a different file hosting provider.

OneDrive Basic Plan; This plan includes 5 GB storage and OneDrive services. Cost is free.

Microsoft 365 Family: This plan includes 6 TB of total storage with 1000 GB per person, OneDrive and Skype services, Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, productivity tools, Microsoft Office, advanced security, and other main features. The cost is $99.99/year.

Microsoft 365 Business Basic: This plan includes Microsoft teams, cloud storage, Exchange, OneDrive, SharePoint, Teams, web and mobile version of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, core features, file sharing, anywhere access, productivity tools, advanced security, email, and calendaring. The cost is $5/user per month.

Microsoft 365 Business Standard: This plan includes Microsoft teams, cloud storage, the desktop version of Microsoft apps, Exchange, OneDrive, SharePoint, Teams, Yammer, all Microsoft apps, core features, file sharing, anywhere access, productivity tools, advanced security, office integration, email, and calendaring. The cost is $12

Our Verdict

Now that we’ve looked at our options we’ll give you our verdict on what we think are the best qualities displayed by each of them.

Best in Show for Free Storage: Google Drive

Google’s services outshine everyone else as the customer’s favorite with the 15 GB of free storage space they give everyone. If your main concern is pricing, we’d recommend going with them.

Best in Show for programmable services: CloudMe

If you have technical skills and enjoy working with the codes or extensions in the services you purchase then you’ll love ColudMe. It has special functions that you can access with a little technical maneuvering.

Best in Show for Security: Dropbox

Sometimes the tried and true options are the best ones. If your first and foremost concern is that your best bet is going with Dropbox.

Best in Show for Microsoft Products Integration: Microsoft OneDrive

This shouldn’t be any surprise since it’s the biggest advantage that Microsoft has over its competitors. When you or your team purchase Microsoft OneDrive you’ll be able to use it with any other Microsoft application, it’s a smooth and seamless process. The benefit is that OneDrive gives you the ability to have multiple people working on or editing the same file at the same time.