I’ve finally ditched OneDrive for this much cheaper (and better) alternative

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Released Oct 18, 2026, 11:30 AM EDT

Alvin found his love for composing while finishing up his very first degree in Analytical Chemistry. As an innovation lover, he began his composing profession as a tech author meddling various elements of innovation in 2019.

Now, with an IT degree under his belt and over 5 years of composing experience, he focuses on composing training shows tutorials on HTML/CSS, JavaScript, Python, Cloud, and Linux. Beyond composing, he works as a software application engineer.

Alvin signed up with MUO in May 2021. His work has actually been included in numerous publications, consisting of XDA DevelopersBeyond software application engineering and writing, he’s enthusiastic about travel and physical fitness.

OneDrive was my go-to cloud storage service. I selected it due to the fact that it offered whatever I required at that time, however as my storage requires grew, I ultimately lacked persistence with it. I set out to discover an option that’s not just less expensive however likewise much better. I discovered it, and I have not recalled.

The issue I had with OneDrive

I was spending for apps I didn’t utilize

Now, I’ll caution this by stating that OneDrive is among the very best cloud storage services readily available. I began utilizing OneDrive naturally because I currently had a Microsoft Outlook e-mail. When I initially began utilizing OneDrive, it appeared like the best cloud storage option. It was developed into Windows (my present laptop computer OS at the time), worked effortlessly throughout my gadgets, and used a good quantity of area to begin. You might likewise update as soon as you filled your complimentary quota at what looked like an affordable charge.

Over time, the fractures started to reveal, and they ended up being harder to disregard. The most significant disadvantage I encountered was expense. Microsoft packages OneDrive with Microsoft 365, which supplies great worth if you utilize Word, Excel, and the rest of the business’s Office apps every day. The most inexpensive paid strategy (Microsoft 365 Basic)is the only strategy that does not consist of Office apps.

Microsoft 365 Basic expenses$1.99/ month and offers you 100GB of cloud storage, 100GB of mail box storage, and more software-focused advantages. The next strategy, Microsoft 365 Personal, costs $9.99/ month and features 1TB of cloud storage, access to Microsoft’s Office desktop apps (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and OneNote), Windows Defender, Copilot, exceptional assistance, and other software application benefits.

If you utilize Office apps, Microsoft 365 deserves spending for. The bundling was great worth while I was still in school and utilized Office apps many of the time. After finishing, spending for apps I do not utilize to get cloud storage began seems like a waste of cash. When I compared it to standalone cloud suppliers, I understood I was spending beyond your means.

The primary appeal was the benefit of getting Office apps and storage in one plan. I no longer required the business’s performance apps. All I desired sufficed area to save my files.

The look for options

Cost per terabyte preceded

When I understood OneDrive was no longer worth the expense, I began searching for options that might much better fit my requirements. My top priorities were clear: I desired something budget friendly. I didn’t require a bundled performance suite. I simply desired devoted cloud storage that was simply as excellent as OneDrive however less expensive.

The initial step was comparing rates. I took a look at popular names like Google Drive, Dropbox, Box, iCloud, and even a couple of lesser-known and underrated cloud storage services like Sync.com, pCloud, iDrive, and Proton Drive. Due to the fact that various services have various rate tiers, I chose to compare them based upon the rate you pay per one terabyte(TB )of storage for the least expensive strategy that consists of a minimum of 1TB of storage. That method, I might quickly compare the numerous services offered and discover the most inexpensive one.

While price was at the leading edge, I didn’t forget other important functions that are vital to think about when selecting a cloud storage option. A few of them consist of security, information personal privacy, ease of usage, cross-platform assistance, simple file sharing, trusted speed and efficiency, and healing alternatives. I ruled out Apple’s service due to the fact that, while you can access iCloud on any gadget, accessing it is troublesome since you can just access it through the web if you utilize a non-Apple gadget.

With these functions in mind, I had a lot of prospective cloud storage services to select from. Throughout the procedure, I recognized simply the number of options exist beyond the huge names. On the surface area, the majority of them looked comparable. They all let you save files, sync throughout gadgets, and show others. The much deeper I dug, the more distinctions I saw.

Some focused on personal privacy, others were tailored towards backups, and a couple of stood apart for their simpleness. And in the end, I discovered one that struck the best balance in between expense, benefit, functionality, personal privacy, and dependability.

Why I picked Mega

More storage, less cash, much better personal privacy

After comparing offered choices, I eventually arrived on Mega– and it inspected all packages I was trying to find. What instantly stuck out was its prices. Mega deals generous totally free storage of 20GB for every user, and you can update to one of its paid strategies for more. That makes it among the very best complimentary cloud storage services since this writing. With 20GB storage on the complimentary strategy, that’s 4 times the 5GB OneDrive deals.

The most affordable paid strategy uses 3TB of storage for $11.69/ month (or$9.75/ month paid yearly). That assemble to about$ 3.87/ TB/month, which is much better worth for cash compared to most traditional choices, consisting of OneDrive. OneDrive charges $ 9.99/ month for 1TB of storage, which is practically the like what you get on Mega for 3TB of storage. While Mega isn’t the outright least expensive service, its rates and functions make it a strong choice.

Among those functions is personal privacy. Unlike OneDrive and numerous of its rivals, Mega puts end-to-end file encryption front and. That implies my files are secured before they ever leave my gadget, and just I hold the secrets to access them. OneDrive does utilize file encryption for information in transit and at rest. The distinction is that Microsoft holds the secrets, implying it can access and scan your information.

Mega does not do that since of its zero-knowledge file encryption. It can just scan your files if you share them with somebody else. For somebody worried about information collection and abuse, this was a big selling point.

It likewise impressed me with its cross-platform assistance. Like OneDrive, it’s readily available on all significant platforms, consisting of Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS. The schedule of apps throughout gadgets makes it practical to access them, no matter what my favored gadgets are. It likewise has a web application that I can utilize to access my files on any platform that does not have an app, like Linux. I didn’t seem like I was losing out on anything by changing to Mega.

How I moved my information to Mega

Much easier than I anticipated

Changing from one cloud storage supplier to another can be daunting, particularly when you have years of files thoroughly arranged. My experience of moving from OneDrive to Mega turned out to be much simpler than I anticipated. Here’s how you can do it:

1. Visit to your OneDrive account by means of the web and choose the My files folder in the left sidebar.

2. Hover over any file or folder and click the checkmark on the delegated pick it. Ensure to pick all the files and folders you ‘d like to move.

3. Click the Download button in the leading bar. This will download all your chosen files in OneDrive to your gadget.

4. When done, go to mega.io and log in to your account, then choose Cloud drive in the left sidebar.

5. Drag the downloaded files and folders from your computer system and drop them onto Mega’s web user interface, then click Submit in the pop-up to begin the upload procedure.

And easily, I had actually moved all my files to Mega. After that, you can likewise download the desktop app to immediately sync particular files and folders on your gadget to Mega, similar to you can with OneDrive. After migration, check if whatever’s fine, then if it is, you can securely erase your information from OneDrive.

OneDrive served me well, so leaving seemed like a gamble. Mega has actually shown to be a much better and more affordable option. With it, I fixed my 2 primary discomfort points with OneDrive: rate and personal privacy. Now I have a cloud service that does not charge me a premium for benefits I do not require and appreciates my personal privacy.

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