Announcing the Top Rated Cloud Storage Providers for 2019

TrustRadius Top Rated

Today, we awarded the 2019 TrustRadius Top Rated badges for Cloud Storage Providers. The TrustRadius Top Rated awards are the most trusted in the industry because they are an unbiased reflection of customer sentiment, based solely on user feedback and satisfaction scores. Top Rated awards are the voice of the market and are not influenced by analyst opinion, the vendor’s company size, popularity, or status as a TrustRadius customer.

Cloud Storage Providers

In the past quarter more than 23,284 professionals used TrustRadius to evaluate cloud storage providers. Visitors evaluating cloud storage providers were most curious about comparing different products and reading reviews—36% compared at least two products and 28% read product reviews.

Here are the winners:

Google Drive

Google Drive is a cloud storage system that provides browser-based access and editing. In addition to uploading and syncing files, users can create, edit, and comment on documents within Drive using Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides. Drive includes features like file searching, in-browser collaborative editing, file viewing, version and change tracking, file metadata, sharing and permissions for files and folders, image recognition, and media playback. It also includes both desktop and mobile apps. Google Drive users on TrustRadius are primarily (38% and 37% respectively) from small and midsize businesses. Reviewers love Google Drive’s ease of use, live collaboration features, and integrated office suite.

“Where I used to have to use multiple software programs- such as Word, Excel, Powerpoint, etc.- now I can access them all in one place and share them very easily…Because it offers so much collaborative ability, companies with any number of employees would find this product helpful.”

– Verified User | Professional in Professional Services | Mental Health Care Company

[easy-tweet tweet=”Google Drive: Offers so much collaborative ability.” user=”trustradius” template=”qlite”]

Dropbox

Dropbox is a cloud storage solution focused on serving individual users. It also offers file sharing, document search, commenting, mobile access, view tracking, access control, and remote device wiping features. Dropbox’s ‘showcase’ feature helps users arrange media collections to show to clients, executives, or potential customers. Dropbox also includes and integrates with Paper, DropBox’s browser-based tool for document editing, collaboration, and project management. A significant number (39%) of Dropbox users on TrustRadius are from small businesses. They recommend Dropbox for its fast file search, secure data storage, and file recovery capabilities.

“There was one instance where a client sent me a file (and probably deleted their copy) and I accidentally deleted the file. The file was 300MB and hadn’t yet been backed up by my computer’s backup system. Luckily Dropbox allowed me to recover the deleted file…Compared to all the file-sharing services I’ve used, Dropbox is the most reliable and easiest to use.”

– Brandon Zell | Web Designer | Internet Company

[easy-tweet tweet=”Compared to all the file-sharing services I’ve used, Dropbox is the most reliable.” user=”trustradius” template=”qlite”]

Dropbox Business

Dropbox Business is a cloud storage solution focused on meeting business needs. In addition to the core Dropbox features, it offers administrative features such as admin dashboards, tiered administrator roles, account transferral, and audit logs. Dropbox Business also includes team-based folder structures, support for HIPAA compliance, and granular sharing permissions. The software integrates with MS Office and existing SSO solutions, and an API allows customized integrations. Users from small businesses make up almost half (45%) of Dropbox reviewers on TrustRadius. Reviewers value Dropbox Business’s unlimited storage space for sharing large files, robust user and team management tools, and activity tracking notifications.

“Files upload quickly, the web portal is easy to navigate and the mobile app is convenient. The reports I’ve downloaded on usage have been fairly easy to read as well…If you need to store a large number of files that need to be backed up and inaccessible to some employees, but not others, Dropbox Business is great.”

– Daniel Ledbetter | Chief Operating Officer/ Chief Financial Officer | Education Management Company

[easy-tweet tweet=”Dropbox Business: Files upload quickly, the web portal is easy to navigate.” user=”trustradius” template=”qlite”]

Citrix ShareFile

Citrix ShareFile is a business-oriented cloud storage system. In addition to core file storage and synchronization features, it offers automated workflows, review and approval tools, encrypted email, and branded customer access portals. ShareFile also includes 2FA and SSO capability, integration with Office 365, and user management tools. Its integration capabilities also allow ShareFile to act as a single point of access to legacy and 3rd-party data storage systems—without the need to migrate data. Almost half (45%) of Citrix Sharefile users on TrustRadius are from midsize companies. Reviewers highlight ShareFile’s data security and permissions features, effective integration with Outlook, and ease of sharing files with external users.

“I particularly find that being able to offer a client the ability to send a large file without the client belonging to a file sharing service to be helpful. And my clients are comfortable knowing that the files are sent securely…I want to impress clients and make their interaction with me as smooth as possible. Citrix ShareFile helps me accomplish that.”

– Andrew Simpson | Attorney/President | Legal Services Company

[easy-tweet tweet=”Citrix ShareFile: my clients are comfortable knowing that the files are sent securely.” user=”trustradius” template=”qlite”]

Box

Box is a cloud storage system focused on centralizing business content. It includes core file storage and sync features, SSO integration, data migration, activity tracking, user management, file history, tiered admin roles, mobile access, and customizable terms of service. Box’s workflow tools help businesses automate tasks, keep approval records, and move files through review processes. The software also offers AI-driven speech-to-text transcription, image recognition and labelling, and natural language processing. Users from midsize companies and enterprise-level organizations account for the majority (38% and 36% respectively) of Box users on TrustRadius. Reviewers value Box’s granular access permissions, intuitive UI, and fast performance – especially for large files.

“File opening and reading is super fast compared to some of the other platforms available. It is smooth as browsing the locally stored data in a computer…If you are working in an organization where teamwork is a regular practice, then Box makes file storing and sharing among the team much more effective.”

– Verified User | Manager in Engineering | Textiles Company

[easy-tweet tweet=”Box makes file storing and sharing among the team much more effective.” user=”trustradius” template=”qlite”]

OneDrive

OneDrive is a cloud storage system from Microsoft. It offers features such as secure file sharing, in-app document creation and editing, file search tools, mobile scanning, and file previewing. OneDrive also includes automated data protection tools and file recovery tools. Integration with Office allows real-time collaborative editing in Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and other Office applications. More than one-third (37%) of OneDrive users on TrustRadius are from midsize companies. OneDrive’s granular access permissions, live multi-user editing, and tight integration with Office are frequently cited by reviewers.

“OneDrive, in concert with SharePoint, allows our team to synchronize their work to our cloud storage, collaborate in real-time, share links to documents rather than send attachments and track changes, and control permissions to individual folders or documents…OneDrive keeps things in sync fairly quickly and without consuming a lot of system resources.”

– David McCann | Director of Technology | International Affairs Organization

[easy-tweet tweet=”OneDrive keeps things in sync fairly quickly and without consuming a lot of system resources.” user=”trustradius” template=”qlite”]

Apple iCloud

Apple iCloud is a personal cloud storage system built-in with Apple devices. It primarily focuses on individual users, automatically storing and syncing photos, contact information, messages, email, calendar entries, and more. A family sharing option gives multiple family users access to media and apps purchased through Apple. iCloud also offers file-sharing and live collaboration features within iOS apps like Pages, Numbers, and Keynote. Automatic backups and device migration help users keep their data if they lose or upgrade a device. Users from small businesses and mid-sized companies make up an equal share (35% each) of iCloud users on TrustRadius. Reviewers note iCloud’s strong data security, intuitive usability, and zero-setup integration with the Apple ecosystem.

“Because the free-tier of iCloud is baked into MacOS and iOS, most of our team use it without even thinking about it. It solves the simplest case of cross-device syncing really well…iCloud is better than any competitors for single-user cross-machine file syncing on iOS and MacOS devices.”

– Jeff Eaton | Senior Digital Strategist | Internet Company

[easy-tweet tweet=”Apple iCloud: It solves the simplest case of cross-device syncing really well.” user=”trustradius” template=”qlite”]

Congratulations to the winners of the Top Rated Cloud Storage Providers Award!

What are Cloud Storage Providers?

Cloud storage software provides an online server where users can save and sync their files. Users can log in to access their files from any device, removing the need to manually send individual files from device to device. When the user changes a file locally, the software updates the server-side version of that file. Similarly, the software keeps local files updated to the latest version of the server-side files. This synchronization lets users work with a single set of files across multiple devices. Some cloud storage software also enables real-time collaboration, allowing multiple users to view and edit a document together. Other common features include file change notifications, file-sharing with access permissions, and change tracking.

Both individuals and businesses use cloud storage software to manage files. Businesses may use these products for file-sharing across groups, creating backups of important data, and version control. Access control and data security features help businesses protect sensitive information. Buyers of cloud storage solutions should consider their security and collaboration needs. Some businesses may just need a place to backup and secure their data, while other companies might benefit from additional collaboration and  editing features.

Top Rated Criteria

Products included in the 2019 Top Rated Cloud Storage Providers list must have been in the top tier of their category TrustMap as of March 13th, 2019. To qualify for the Cloud Storage Providers Top Rated Award, products must have at least 10 reviews written within the past year, a TRScore of at least 7.5 out of 10, and must receive at least 1.5% of the traffic in their category.  Every reviewer is verified and every review is vetted before publication. Products are plotted on the TrustMap based on end-user data, including users’ likelihood to recommend scores as well as buyer research patterns. To learn more about TrustMaps and Top Rated methodology, check out this page.