iCloud vs. Google Drive vs. Dropbox vs. OneDrive - Business Tiers

In a previous article, type: entry-hyperlink id: 1qYoM8k3hotCqv1P8eOhDL, but what about cloud storage for businesses? Deciding on the best cloud storage provider for your business is different from choosing one for personal use. Businesses' needs are more dynamic and depend heavily on various factors, including the size of the team, types of files, how they are accessed, current infrastructure, and the security and support offered by the storage provider.

Not only do Google Drive, OneDrive, and Dropbox provide personal plans, but business storage plans as well. This article will compare each cloud storage provider and what they offer businesses to help you decide which of the three has the best cloud storage pricing. 

Areas of Consideration When Deciding on Storage 

Businesses have evolving needs as they scale, which means new priorities are at the forefront. Unlike personal packages designed for a single person or small family, business packages are much more dynamic. Before you decide on which cloud storage provider is right for your business, you’ll want to research and consider these specific features from each cloud provider and assess them in order from highest to lowest priority. 

Cost per user 

Business storage plans typically charge on an annual or monthly basis per user. Consider the current size of your team and your business’s goals to scale your team throughout the year.

Storage Capacity 

Before purchasing cloud storage for business, ask yourself this: How much storage capacity will your team need to succeed? Depending on how much data your business is handling, file size limits can be a huge roadblock when deciding on a cloud storage provider.

Service & access support 

When choosing the best cloud storage for your business, keep in mind what kind of reputation the storage provider’s support team has. Around-the-clock support, live chat support, and priority email support are all crucial considerations for service and access support. 

Security / Encryption 

How often are you handling sensitive data for daily operations? If you work with confidential information or sensitive data often, then encryption, file sharing, and collaboration should be high on the priority list.

While each cloud provider offers something unique that caters to a specific business size and model, your ultimate decision will be based on how important each of these meets the needs of your current budget, vision, and team’s needs. 

Google Drive

Google Drive is a cloud storage provider for businesses of all sizes. Whether you’re a solopreneur, a startup, or an established company, Google Drive’s business storage guarantees some of the most affordable cloud-storage pricing per user and access to all of Google Suite’s applications. 

Pricing 

Google Drive’s pricing is inexpensive and easy to scale. If you’re looking for more than 5 TB of storage per user, Google Drive has an enterprise option for businesses with a flexible budget and more complex needs. This option allows you to connect with Google’s sales team and customize a plan to get “as much storage as needed.” 

Benefits 

The custom “As much storage as you need” option is one of the many perks that Google Drive offers for its business tiers. It also is known for supporting over 100 file types and its considerable upload limits of 750 GB per user each day. As one of the most prominent leaders in the cloud space, Google Drive has the leverage of affordability. Native integration with the Google Suite products offers the most efficiency for the lowest price. 

One of the most significant considerations for Google Drive’s services is its security. It provides security features like group-based policy controls, two-factor authentication, and endpoint management, but security quality is relative to tier level. If you want more advanced security features like LDAP, Cloud Identity Premium (A unified identity, access, app, endpoint management (IAM/EMM) platform), or S/MIME encryption, you’ll have to purchase the enterprise tier. 

Ideally, Google Drive’s business storage is a perfect option for startups and small businesses scaling quickly. Large companies dealing with sensitive information or compliance-related data might be at a higher risk of data breaches with Google Drive. 

OneDrive

OneDrive is an excellent option for businesses already using Microsoft’s proprietary products or companies that need to maintain corporate compliance. OneDrive has a robust list of security features that help businesses stay aligned with rigid compliance requirements in strict industries like health, government, and finance.

Pricing 

The best way to assess OneDrive’s plans are to choose whether or not you want access to Microsoft Office applications or just OneDrive’s storage on its own. If you only need storage with OneDrive, your options are Plan 1 or 2 for OneDrive for Business. Plan 1 has a maximum of 1 TB per user, whereas plan 2 has the option for unlimited individual cloud storage for a single user. These plans are best suited for a solopreneur or small team that only needs storage. The Microsoft 365 Business Basic and Standard plans are for scaling teams that need flexibility and plan to increase users over time. 

Benefits 

Microsoft OneDrive is best for businesses that must meet rigid security demands. OneDrive storage has advanced security and robust file sharing features, like “Anywhere Access” and a list of compliance offerings, like data encryption, file auditing, reporting, data retention, and sensitivity labels. Another benefit to Microsoft OneDrive is that it offers a free month trial of Microsoft 365 Business Basic or Standard and has an unlimited storage option for solopreneurs. Some tradeoffs with OneDrive are the 1 TB cap with all users, limited access to Microsoft’s Office applications, and a maximum limit of 250 users for Teams video meetings. 

Dropbox

Of the three cloud storage providers, Dropbox is the most expensive, but it also offers the most customizable experience for teams using multiple platforms. Whether you’re a freelancer or an agency working with several clients on different cloud platforms, Dropbox is the perfect choice to bring them all together. 

Pricing 

Dropbox has three plans that can be billed monthly or annually. Unlike the other two cloud providers, Dropbox offers a lot of storage off the bat with 3 TB / user. Similar to Google, Dropbox offers an option to get “as much storage as you need” if the first two plans don’t meet your needs.

Benefits 

Despite Dropbox’s more expensive prices, it offers a wide range of benefits for businesses that are using multiple platforms, including a default of 3 TB for the lowest plan. Outside integrations, the option for annual or monthly billing, and free trials for all tiers are all features that help you better customize the platform with your needs by connecting your existing platforms to the cloud. 

Though it doesn’t have proprietary applications for creating documents, presentations, and spreadsheets, it offers other features to make your business better, like a watermarking feature, multi-factor authentication, and a remote device wipe option.

Conclusion 

Overall, each of the three platforms offers pricing for under $20/user/month and options for individuals, small teams, and large teams. If you’re a team scaling quickly and looking for the biggest bang for your buck, Google Drive’s business tiers accompanied with free suite applications are unmatched. Microsoft OneDrive is best suited for teams looking for high-security compliance or solopreneurs that need limitless storage. Lastly, Dropbox is a great option for businesses that want a highly customizable cloud experience with integrations. The right cloud storage provider for you will depend heavily on your business’s needs related to cost per user, storage capacity, collaboration features, and security.