Comparing personal cloud storage plans

Apple announced iCloud Drive at last week’s Worldwide Developer Conference. The company also cut iCloud prices.

iCloud isn’t for everyone. To get the best value you need to own at least one Apple iOS device. It is also a good option if you use OS X. iCloud is a must if you have an iPhone and any other Apple hardware.

Microsoft and Google have their own personal cloud storage services: OneDrive and Google Drive.

Like iCloud, OneDrive and Google Drive are closely tied to each company’s software and hardware. They are essential parts of each technology stack.

Some cloud services are more cross-platform than others. OneDrive and Google Drive have Windows, iOS and OS X apps. At the time of writing iCloud is mainly an Apple-only affair although when Apple delivers iOS 8 there will also be a  iCloud Drive Windows client.

If you are more interested in cross-platform personal cloud services Dropbox and Box are the best known. I’ve never used Box, but understand it is like Dropbox. Both look expensive in light of the competition.

And let’s not forget New Zealand’s own Mega which adds encryption to the mix.