86 GB of Free Cloud Storage

My free Dropbox account is now up to 10.6 GB. I’ve written in the past how I got 7GB of cloud storage space for free, and a service called Just Cloud, offering unlimited storage for $150 for two years.

I wanted to follow up with something that I was having a tough time figuring out for myself.
I was running out of space on Dropbox, when I realized I was using Dropbox differently than it should be used, and I could use another service instead.
This is what I’m trying to explain…
I use dropbox to sync files across two home computers, my work computer and a laptop. Dropbox works perfectly for this, but the real feature of dropbox is having access to these files on any computer from anywhere.

I could use Microsoft Live Mesh to sync files across my computers, thus freeing up my Dropbox account for files that I want to access from anywhere. I’m not sure if this solution will be around for much longer though, as Windows is combining Live Mesh with their Sky Drive service when using Essentials. Apparently when using the software “Windows Live Essentials 2011” it still works, but I don’t know for how long. If you install “Windows Essentials 2012”, you loose the functionality of Live Mesh. To install Live Mesh alongside of Windows Essentials 2012 you can try to use this Live Mesh installer.

I can’t seem to find other applications that allow folder sync directly that don’t involve a cloud sync with a limited storage capacity for free. Perhaps PureSync, but I’m not willing to try this one out. The only other one I could find was FolderShare, but that is what Microsoft bought to create Mesh.

Update: Dec. 2012Windows has announced that Windows Mesh (file syncing) will stop working on Feb. 13, 2013 (Happy Valentines Day), so now I’m left looking for another alternative. While I found one, it’s not free. Cubby, by Logmein.com is offering a feature called “DirectSync” which syncs “unlimited folders across computers without using your cloud storage.” This is perfect. This is what Windows Live Mesh did. BUT the only way to use DirectSync is to purchase their paid solution. They offer 5GB free online storage for free, but the cheapest paid option is for 100GB for $6.99/mo (paid annually). Because they are still in beta, you can get it for 50% off at $3.99/mo (paid annually) at Cubby.com.

Here is a list of sync and cloud storage services that I found. Currently I am using Dropbox, Google Drive, Sky Drive with Live Mesh and Box for file syncing and cloud storage.

Dropbox – 2 GB Free

Google Drive – 5 GB Free – upgrade 25 GB for less than $2.50 a month

Microsoft Sky Drive – 7 GB Free

Box – 5 GB Free

att locker – 5 GB Free

Amazon Cloud Drive – 5 GB Free

https://pogoplug.com/cloud“>pogoplug – 5 GB Free now 7GB Free with my affiliate link OR unlimited cloud storage for $4.95 a month

LogMeIn’s Cubby – 5 GB Free

Apple iCloud – 5 GB Free

Ubuntu One – 5 GB Free

Sugar Sync – 5 GB Free

IDriveSync – 10GB Free

CX – 10GB Free

Open Drive – 5 GB Free

Team Drive – 2 GB Free

Syncplicity – 2 GB Free

Spider Oak – 2 GB Free

Zumo Drive – 1 GB Free