For many years there has been a promise of online file storage. There has been some false starts by many
providers. Probably the most successful serious contender was Dropbox. They made a name for themselves for having an app for just about any platform and they rewarded referrals generously with additional free storage.
Recently Dropbox has gotten some big-name company. The next company to get aggressive was Microsoft with their SkyDrive product. Just in the past couple of weeks Google has joined the fray with Google Drive.
Premise
A simple explanation is that a folder on your computer is monitored for any changes or additions. As you add or changes files the activity is synchronized with an online folder when you are connected to the Internet. If you make changes to files while you are offline then the apps will catch up when you reconnect. You can install the app on multiple devices and the files across all of the devices will stay synchronized.
Access and Sharing
Each one offers the ability to install an application on your computer, tablet, or smartphone and then sync documents to this hard drive in the sky. Some of the operating systems covered by each includes Linux, Mac, Windows, Android, and iPhone. The only one lacking on that list is Google Drive which does not currently offer an iPhone app. That is probably going to change very soon. They also offer the ability to share folders and/or files with specific users, groups, or the general public.
Document Creation and Editing
Dropbox is more of the pure player when it comes to this function. They do not offer any sort of documentation creation or editing tools. You only get synchronized storage. On the other hand Microsoft and Google both offer the ability to create and edit documents such as spreadsheets and presentations in a web browser. If you use the current version of Microsoft Office then SkyDrive is going to offer the most familiar editors.
The Stats and Pluses of Each Service
Dropbox
Default storage: 2 GB, with additional space for referrals and activities
Additional storage: Free; Pro packages available in tiers of 50/100 GB for $99/$199 per year
Online document editing: No
Native clients: Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android, BlackBerry
A great feature of Dropbox that I like is that it will track if your other computers are on the same network. If so then it will synchronize over your network first before it sync’s with the Internet version. This great if you are sharing folders with co-workers.
Microsoft SkyDrive
Default storage: 7 GB (25 GB free as a “loyalty reward” for current users)
Additional storage: Extra storage available in 20/50/100 GB increments, at $10/$25/$50 per year, respectively
Online document editing: Yes, with Office Web Apps
Native clients: Windows, iOS, Windows Phone, Mac; Android apps via third parties
A unique feature of SkyDrive is that you can register a computer through a secure process then access any file on that computer from the SkyDrive web interface.
Google Drive
Default storage: 5 GB
Additional storage: Extra storage available in tiers from 25 GB ($30/year) and 100 GB ($60/year) all the way up to 16 TB ($9,600 per year)
Online document editing: Yes, with Google Docs
Native clients: Windows, Mac, Android
If you have used Google Docs in the past you will notice that Drive is a reworked Google Docs. Being the new kid in this space they are still playing catch-up a bit.
Is It Right For You?
Understand this is just the tip of the iceberg. There are many more services available. I just wanted to focus on the biggest and most-well-known.
If you are considering these services for personal use then I would grab which ever one works best for you. If you are considering one of these for business use then these may not be right for you. The largest problem with these for business use if have employees is lack of control of files. Employees could leave without you having control of documents shared amongst yourselves. If you have employees then it is best to look at enterprise options.