Best Cloud Storage for Business

What separates the top picks on this list?

Sync.com scores 8.4 and Google One (Drive) 8.1, but they win on different things. Sync encrypts everything by default, offers HIPAA, GDPR and PIPEDA compliance documentation, and keeps 180 days of file history on the personal plan. Its upload took 24 minutes in the test, the slowest here, and there is no Linux client.

Google One (Drive) uploaded and downloaded 10 GB in 13 minutes, the fastest measured. Docs, Sheets and Slides collaboration is unmatched here, and Google Photos search finds pictures by what is in them. Google holds the keys and indexes content, and there is no official Linux client.

Backblaze Personal Backup (7.9) is backup, not sync. It backed up 4 TB from one machine for $99, with an optional private encryption key the company cannot recover. No shared folders, no multi-device access to the same live files, and $99 per computer.

Microsoft OneDrive (7.6) bundles 1 TB with desktop Word, Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint for $99.99 a year. Files On-Demand keeps the library off your local disk. No zero-knowledge, and sync has struggled with very large folders.

Dropbox (7.5) has the most reliable sync engine here. Block-level sync re-uploaded only what changed, so a 900 MB file edit took 20 seconds, and it handled a two-machine edit conflict most cleanly. It costs $119.88 for 2 TB, the most expensive mainstream plan here, and the free tier is 2 GB.

What should you check before buying business cloud storage?

The scoring criteria weight sync speed and reliability at 25 and privacy and encryption at 25, so those two decide most of the ranking. Features and sharing take 20, value 20, platform coverage 10.

• Encryption: Sync encrypts by default; Google, Microsoft and Dropbox do not offer zero-knowledge.
• Sync vs backup: Backblaze backs up one machine; the others sync across devices.
• Platform: Dropbox has an official Linux client; Google and Sync do not.
• Price: $96 Sync, $99 Backblaze, $99.99 Google One and OneDrive, $119.88 Dropbox.
• Speed: 13 minutes for 10 GB on Google One against 24 minutes on Sync.

Sync.com

For teams that need encrypted storage and compliance paperwork, and can live with slower uploads and no Linux client.

Google One (Drive)

For teams already in Google Workspace who want the fastest sync and real-time Docs collaboration.

Backblaze Personal Backup

For anyone who wants every file on one machine backed up without a size limit for a flat $99 a year.

Microsoft OneDrive

For buyers who would pay for Word and Excel anyway and want 1 TB alongside them.

Dropbox

For editors moving large files over slow lines and anyone who needs an official Linux client.

Sync.com suits teams that need encryption by default and compliance documentation. Google One (Drive) suits Google Workspace users who want the fastest sync and Docs collaboration. Backblaze Personal Backup suits anyone backing up one machine without a size limit, while OneDrive suits buyers who want Office bundled and Dropbox suits large-file editors and Linux users.