Digital Storage Options for Writers

Written by Daniel Samford 

As a copywriting agency, we rely on high-powered digital storage solutions to streamline our business processes. Digital storage—or storage space that’s kept “in the cloud”—has an supersaturated market that can be confusing for such a seemingly simple proposition.  It’s just a safe digital place to stick your files, so why do there need to be dozens of options? The truth is that different kinds of technology users will be asking different things of cloud storage providers—what works for a freelance writer likely won’t be best for a company team of 50. 

Below are our professional recommendations for simplifying your digital storage, with security in mind.

Find the profile that sounds the most like you and follow the corresponding recommendation:

You love your Apple devices and want the most seamless cross-device experience

iCloud

If you’re the kind of person who’s always pulling up files on your iPhone, iCloud may be the best storage solution for you. Especially in an age where it’s possible to use three or more different Apple devices in a workday, utilizing iCloud will mean that your files will be continuously available and synced between your iPad and Macbook—or across multiple computers if you have separate ones for work and personal use. If you already own an iOS or macOS device, you get 5GB of free storage to start, with bigger offerings priced between only 99 cents (for 50GB) and $9.99 (for 2TB) per month. iCloud is actually also usable on Windows, either with the desktop app or online. If you have an Android phone, however, there are better options out there for cross-device compatibility. 

You already use mostly Microsoft technology

OneDrive

OneDrive has actually been around for five years longer than its direct competitors iCloud and Google Drive. And even if you don’t use Windows, if you mainly use the Microsoft 365 (formally Office 365 or Microsoft Office) suite, OneDrive’s watertight integration with apps like Microsoft Word and Outlook could make it a really useful tool for you. In addition, OneDrive matches iCloud’s 5GB of free storage. But it may end up being the most cost-effective digital storage solution of all if you’re already a Microsoft 365 subscriber—1TB of storage is included in the subscription. This deal, alongside its ease of use, makes OneDrive a great option for solo workers.

You frequently utilize synchronous collaboration 

Google Drive

Google Drive may be known for the collaborative features of its associated G Suite, but its best advantage is that it offers 15GB of file storage space for free, which is more space than any other free offering on the market. If you already back up your phone with something like iCloud and you don’t work as a part of a team, you may find that a free Google Drive account is all you need to store files online.

In addition, if you’re a student or freelancer copywriter whose main priority is sharing files with a wide variety of people, Google Drive is incredibly accessible from every kind of operating system or device, especially since it’s the most web-friendly. Many people also appreciate the smart features of Google Photos, especially in comparison to Apple Photos, even on Apple devices, finding it easier to locate specific photos with a word search and delete duplicate or otherwise unnecessary photos.

Google Drive’s reasonably priced personal plans, 100GB per user and 2TB of pooled cloud storage on Drive is included in Google’s G Suite Essentials business subscription, which is $10 per user per month. 

Box

A long time cloud storage contender, Box now markets itself as more than that—they’re a “cloud content management” provider. Their personal plans are a bit too expensive for us to recommend them with a good conscience, but their business plans offer quite a few useful and unique features. If you work on a team where many people are accessing and editing content all throughout the day, Box Business is ideal because it prioritizes ease of collaboration, data security and compliance, and expansive third-party integration. 

You want to use what everyone else uses

Dropbox

Everyone’s heard of Dropbox—it’s been around for ages, with users spanning the camps of Apple, Microsoft, and Google. It’s a mainstay for a good reason, as it has foolproof syncing capabilities and is easy to use on every operating system and device. Dropbox pioneered the “just dump it into that one folder” cloud storage structure, integrating seamlessly into the workflow and saving protocols you’re already accustomed to on desktop and mobile. It’s effortless to share Dropbox links to files with anyone. However, Dropbox doesn’t have any particularly unique features, its free options aren’t that great, and it’s a little on the expensive side for what it is. 

You want the best bang for your buck (and have a lot to store)

Zoolz

At only $50 a year for 5TB, Zoolz is the most affordable cloud-based storage provider for consumers looking for a straightforward, easy-to-use, high-capacity option. With military-grade security features and long-term storage solutions, Zoolz gears themselves towards businesses, but home users might also benefit from what they offer. They’re also constantly expanding their AI features, with their latest product, BigMIND, using smart technology to analyze files and present them to you in the most logical, easy-to-search way.

You don’t have super individual preferences—you just want the best all-around

IDrive

Both IDrive’s personal and business plan options are incredibly reliable and multifaceted cloud storage solutions. IDrive is very safe not just in its security capabilities—it’s also there for you in cases of human error (if you delete an important file by accident, it’ll remain on the IDrive server) and random catastrophes (with a feature they call IDrive Express, you’ll get a physical hard drive sent to you to restore any large amount of lost files).

IDrive will save up to 30 previous versions of backed-up files so you can forever edit without regrets. Their pricing plans are really reasonable: personal plans clock in at $69.50 a year for 5TB, while business plans start at $99.50 a year and offer the benefits of unlimited users, unlimited computers, and unlimited servers. There are usually deals for your first year, too: right now, it’s only $6.95 for the personal plan. 

No matter your cloud storage preferences, secure, easy-to-navigate digital storage is paramount in running your business. From storing quarterly reports to keeping blog posts on deck, maximizing your digital storage will maximize your business.