When backing up your Android device, it makes sense to use cloud apps from trust­worthy external providers. With Android cloud storage solutions, you can create a document in the office, continue working on it on the go and then share it with your col­leagues at any time, wherever they are. Here are the best Android cloud apps.

The best storage apps for Android compared

Storage location Free cloud storage Biggest selling point Price
IONOS HiDrive Local, in-house cloud High level of data security 100 GB: £1.50 / month
2 TB: £20 / month
Google Drive Local, in-house Google Cloud 15 GB Largest amount of free storage 100 GB: £1.59 / month
2 TB: from £7.99 / month
Dropbox Local, pro­pri­et­ary cloud 2 GB+ Widely used 3 TB: £16.58 per month / month
9 TB+: from around £14 / month
Microsoft OneDrive Local, in-house cloud 5 GB Windows in­teg­ra­tion 100 GB: £1.99 / month
1 TB: £10.49 / month
Super Backup Local, Google Cloud, Dropbox, Gmail Best price One-time: around £1.50 (removes ad­vert­ising)
Box Local, in-house cloud 10 GB Ideal for companies 100 GB: €12.00 (around £10) / month

Updated: June 2025

HiDrive Cloud Storage
Store and share your data on the go
  • Store, share and edit data easily
  • ISO-certified European data centres
  • Highly secure and GDPR compliant

What makes cloud apps for Android special?

Android cloud apps are smart­phone programs that allow you to back up data to the cloud instead of local storage. You can then retrieve your data from any device that you have au­then­tic­ated (e.g., by using a password-protected sharing link). Users can manually back up their system, selected files or data cat­egor­ies at any time. Al­tern­at­ively, you can create an automatic storage plan. Some Android cloud apps also allow you to back up all ap­plic­a­tions you have installed including the con­fig­ur­a­tion, personal and access data of the ap­plic­a­tions – provided your device is ‘rooted’.

Tip

Keep in mind that when backing up app data, you are also trans­fer­ring personal in­form­a­tion like contacts, messages, pictures and stored wireless passwords to your Android cloud.

Good cloud storage should generally have the following features:

  • As large a memory as possible (at least 1 GB for in­fre­quent backups)
  • A free version for private and oc­ca­sion­al users
  • A wide range of storable data cat­egor­ies (not just calendar entries and photos, but also app data)
  • A high syn­chron­isa­tion speed so that uploaded files can also be retrieved im­me­di­ately on other devices
  • Optimum user-friend­li­ness and smooth func­tion­al­ity
  • Ad­di­tion­al features such as file sharing, folder struc­tures, software in­teg­ra­tions, and offline func­tion­al­ity that allow users to edit data without internet access and sync later
  • High data pro­tec­tion and cloud security (factors include: con­nec­tion en­cryp­tion, server locations, and privacy policies, GDPR)
  • Advanced security features like end-to-end en­cryp­tion, zero-knowledge ar­chi­tec­ture, and two-factor au­then­tic­a­tion (2FA) to protect against un­au­thor­ised access
  • Good value for money for Pro versions

What are the best Android cloud storage apps?

Some Android cloud apps in the Play Store are generally more popular than others, but the number of downloads shouldn’t be the only criteria you follow when selecting one. Cloud apps for Android work on the same principle but offer different amounts of storage space, different pricing models and different features. In this article, we’ll provide you with in­form­a­tion to help narrow down your choices.

IONOS HiDrive

HiDrive from IONOS has im­press­ive data security. All stored data needs to be secured with a PIN code. If you opt for a IONOS server located in Europe, data pro­tec­tion is secured in ac­cord­ance with the GDPR.

This makes IONOS’s online storage a good choice for busi­nesses: With 2 TB, teams can also use HiDrive for col­lab­or­a­tion. The data is syn­chron­ised across all devices at all times. Thanks to various protocols, data exchange and backup work quickly and securely: WebDAV, (S)FTP/FTPS, rsync, SMB/CIFS, SCP, and Git are available—though except for WebDAV, only in the Pro version.

Image: IONOS HiDrive screenshot
You can add a device backup function to IONOS HiDrive; Source: https://www.ionos.co.uk/office-solutions/hidrive-cloud-storage

IONOS HiDrive has a user-friendly interface, and customers can choose from 100 GB, 250 GB, 1 TB, or 2 TB of storage space. With the Pro edition, users benefit from device backup and end-to-end en­cryp­tion.

Ad­vant­ages Dis­ad­vant­ages
High data security No free version
Option for European servers (adherence to strong EU data pro­tec­tion law)
Business packages can be fully in­teg­rated into your own system landscape
HiDrive Cloud Storage
Store and share your data on the go
  • Store, share and edit data easily
  • ISO-certified European data centres
  • Highly secure and GDPR compliant

Google Drive

For Android users with a Google account, Google Drive is the most con­veni­ent solution because the app comes pre­in­stalled on the system, so no ad­di­tion­al setup is required. With 15GB for backups, it offers the most free storage of any Android cloud app on our list. If you need more Android cloud storage, you can upgrade from Google Drive to Google One. Depending on your sub­scrip­tion, you can get up to 2 TB of storage space. Ad­di­tion­ally, users of the AI Premium package can access Gemini Advanced, a powerful AI func­tion­al­ity that makes handling data and using Google Drive more efficient and smarter.

Image: Google Drive screenshot
The con­veni­ent user interface offered by Google Drive makes it possible to create docs, sheets and slides with the in-house cloud software; Source: https://workspace.google.com/intl/en_uk/products/drive/

Folder man­age­ment, data syn­chron­isa­tion with Google Cloud, and file sharing (with other Google users or through an external link) can be easily done with the ‘+’ button on the start page. Photos can also be stored in the cloud through Google Photos. This can be done auto­mat­ic­ally right when they’re taken.

Another advantage of the app is the ability to integrate popular Google Workspace ap­plic­a­tions such as Google Docs, Google Spread­sheets, and Google Present­a­tions. However, you need to first convert documents into an Office format before you can download them and use them offline. Fur­ther­more, Google Drive impresses with its resource-saving func­tion­al­ity and high syn­chron­isa­tion speed. Two-factor au­then­tic­a­tion and encrypted con­nec­tions offer suf­fi­cient security. However, many Android users will not want their sensitive data placed in the IT company’s hands.

Ad­vant­ages Dis­ad­vant­ages
15 GB of free disk space Google Workspace files need to be converted to Office formats to use them offline
Pre­in­stalled on Android devices Wide­spread security concerns about Google
Perfect func­tion­al­ity and simple to use
Google Workspace (formerly G Suite)
Working smarter, together
  • Familiar Google tools all in one place
  • Using Gmail with your domain from IONOS
  • Configure business Gmail for your domain

Dropbox

Dropbox belongs to the pioneers of the industry and was even con­sidered syn­onym­ous with the cloud for a while. Both the desktop ap­plic­a­tion and the Android cloud app have remained virtually unchanged since then. The easy-to-use interface ensures a con­sist­ent ex­per­i­ence across all platforms, which is probably why no major changes have been made to the design.

The app owes its high syn­chron­isa­tion speeds that have become char­ac­ter­ist­ic of Dropbox to its special tech­no­logy. Instead of con­stantly syn­chron­ising entire files, only changes to the files are trans­ferred. This enables record time syn­chron­isa­tion between devices.

Image: Dropbox screenshot
Dropbox’s history gives an overview of all file changes from the last 30 days; Source: https://www.dropbox.com/en_GB/install

With the majority of Dropbox servers located in the U.S., some users may be concerned about data privacy. The free storage space is also nothing special: 2 GB (ex­pand­able) is far behind the 15 GB offered by Google Drive. With paid sub­scrip­tions, you can expand the storage space to up to 3 TB. Dropbox even offers unlimited cloud storage for companies.

Similar to its com­pet­it­or Google, Dropbox also offers its own word pro­cessing tool called Dropbox Paper, which you have to download and link to the app. Although it isn’t as extensive as a Microsoft Office program, it can be linked directly to Dropbox and Adobe Acrobat products.

Ad­vant­ages Dis­ad­vant­ages
Widely used Re­l­at­ively little free storage space
Proven func­tion­al­ity and easy to use
High syn­chron­isa­tion speed

Microsoft OneDrive

The biggest advantage of OneDrive is obvious. As an Android cloud app from Microsoft, it is in­teg­rated into a wealth of Windows ap­plic­a­tions. For example, it’s possible to load Word docs, Excel sheets and Power­Point present­a­tions directly from the re­spect­ive ap­plic­a­tion into the cloud.

The OneDrive Android app also offers offline storage, allowing you to access your files without an internet con­nec­tion. Ad­di­tion­ally, photos and videos can be auto­mat­ic­ally uploaded to securely store them in the cloud.

You give and receive approvals using links with ex­pir­a­tion dates that guarantee extra security. There has been some backlash in­ter­na­tion­ally since their servers are based in the USA, however, there have been no major com­plic­a­tions with hacking and breaches so far, thanks, in part, to modern TLS data con­nec­tion en­cryp­tion.

Image: Microsoft OneDrive screenshot
OneDrive is not just in­teg­rated into the standard Office ap­plic­a­tions, but also into other Microsoft products; Source: https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/microsoft-365/onedrive/online-cloud-storage

New customers receive 5 GB of free storage and don’t have to worry about any func­tion­al lim­it­a­tions compared to the more expensive versions. Even with the best previous price-per­form­ance ratio, Microsoft had to make a few con­ces­sions due to high data spikes. You can also purchase OneDrive as part of a Microsoft 365 sub­scrip­tion: The single version offers 1 TB of storage for one user, while the family version provides 6 TB of storage for up to six people and includes special premium features. Ad­di­tion­ally, there are at­tract­ive business packages available.

Two-factor au­then­tic­a­tion (2FA) provides ad­di­tion­al pro­tec­tion for your account. Ad­di­tion­ally, OneDrive offers AI-powered features, such as an enhanced image search and automatic photo re­cog­ni­tion, making usage even more intuitive and con­veni­ent.

Ad­vant­ages Dis­ad­vant­ages
Microsoft in­teg­ra­tion Server location not se­lect­able
Available as a package with Office 365
At­tract­ive business packages
Microsoft 365 Business
The Office you know, only better
  • Up to 50 GB Exchange email account
  • Outlook Web App and col­lab­or­a­tion tools
  • Expert support & setup service

Super Backup

Don’t be put off by the ad­vert­ising banners in the free version, the external Android cloud app Super Backup: SMS & Contact can certainly hold its own among the big providers. Its strength lies in its storage of SMS and contacts. Call lists, calendar entries and pictures can also be stored locally in the internal memory or on an SD card. Super Backup does not operate their own cloud but instead supports Google Cloud and Dropbox. You can also send copies of files to your Gmail account.

Image: Super Backup screenshot
The external cloud app Super Backup allows not only app data to be stored, but also entire telephone calls to be recorded as MP3 files; Source: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.idea.backup.smscon­tacts

Un­for­tu­nately, videos and music are not storable file cat­egor­ies. Backing up apps and data is only possible on a rooted device. Another small bonus is that users have the option to use the min­im­al­ist but func­tion­al design of the app in dark mode.

Despite all its pos­sib­il­it­ies, Super Backup offers rather little in terms of ease of use. Each category needs to be saved and restored manually. In addition, the time settings for the automatic backup can only be per­son­al­ised to a limited extent. Premium users only need to pay a small, one-time fee to get rid of ad­vert­ise­ments per­man­ently.

Ad­vant­ages Dis­ad­vant­ages
SMS backup Ad­vert­ise­ments and in­con­veni­ent to use
Supports Google Drive, Dropbox and Gmail Does not store videos or music
Lowest price

Box

The Android cloud app Box is quite similar to the much better-known Dropbox in many ways. For instance, the user interface feels very familiar, and it includes an in­teg­rated document feature called Box Notes. However, Box offers sig­ni­fic­antly more free storage space: the standard 10 GB is already heading towards Google Drive’s realm. The Personal Pro package provides 100 GB. For busi­nesses, business packages are available, offering unlimited storage and ad­di­tion­al features like advanced ad­min­is­trat­ive rights and detailed version histories of all file changes. Therefore, Box is par­tic­u­larly suitable for companies and work­groups.

Image: Box screenshot
Box Note lets you create notes that can be commented on by other users; Source: https://www.box.com/en-gb/home

This cloud app for Android easily keeps up with its more well-known com­pet­i­tion in terms of func­tion­al­ity. Box is also already in­teg­rated into many file man­age­ment programs. Only when uploading larger files does Box sometimes falter. This is due to the com­par­at­ively low maximum file capacity, which is only 250 MB in the free version. This is why it’s best to upload your data in a well-organised manner and in several small blocks.

Ad­vant­ages Dis­ad­vant­ages
In­teg­rated document function Box Notes Weak­nesses in upload file capacity
Unlimited storage in business packages
In­teg­rated into many file man­age­ment programs

How to ensure cloud storage security with online backup

If you want to always have important files at hand, cloud storage is the right choice. You can access your data from a variety of devices and col­lab­or­ate with others on documents, spread­sheets and present­a­tions. But online storage isn’t meant to protect your data. If you want to secure sensitive data in the long run, you should look into an online backup solution.

Cloud backup services store pro­fes­sion­al backup copies for you auto­mat­ic­ally and at short, regular intervals. Should your PC, laptop or smart­phone be infected by malware, get lost or stop func­tion­ing, you can still access your data, which is safely stored online. You can decide how extensive backups should be and how often they should be created. Below are two options that may be suitable for your backup strategy.

IONOS MyDe­fend­er

HiDrive is primarily aimed at saving in­di­vidu­al files in the cloud. Photos, videos or important documents can be stored there and easily shared with others. But if you want to back up larger amounts of data regularly, MyDe­fend­er from IONOS is a good solution. This cloud service is designed to auto­mat­ic­ally create a backup. With your Android device, you can use the software to back up your contacts, photos, videos, calendar and text messages. If you lose or break your smart­phone, your data will still be ac­cess­ible. This is also useful when you purchase a new device and need to transfer your old data.

MyDe­fend­er is available in four packages: 100 GB, 250 GB, 500 GB and 1 TB. While you can only connect one, three or five end devices per device type with the first three options, the largest package allows you to back up an unlimited number of devices. MyDe­fend­er is available for iOS, Windows, and macOS. All data is 256-bit AES encrypted and stored in ISO-certified data centres.

Special features of the cloud app include automatic detection of new devices. To set up the app, all you need to do is download and install the software on your smart­phone and log in. The con­nec­tion will be es­tab­lished auto­mat­ic­ally.

Ad­vant­ages Dis­ad­vant­ages
High data security No free version
Backup cleanup to restore storage space Basic version limited to a single device
Backups continue if in­ter­rup­ted
Anti-ransom­ware
MyDe­fend­er
Safeguard your data with easy cyber security
  • Regular virus scans
  • Automatic backups and simple file recovery

IONOS Cloud Backup

Pro­fes­sion­al users and busi­nesses can benefit from using the Cloud Backup from IONOS. This solution also stores backups in the cloud auto­mat­ic­ally and regularly, but at a higher level than MyDe­fend­er. In addition to devices like PCs and smart­phones, servers, virtual machines, databases and cloud en­vir­on­ments can also be backed up.

Image: IONOS Cloud Backup screenshot
Companies can use Cloud Backup by IONOS to back up mobile devices, work­sta­tions and servers; Source: https://www.ionos.co.uk/cloud/cloud-backup

With MyDe­fend­er you get a com­par­at­ively large amount of storage space, which can be used for different needs. Cloud Backup offers a total of eight different capacity cat­egor­ies between 100 GB and 2 TB. This means that the solution is scalable. The Cloud Backup Flex package is fully adaptable. This lets you pay per gigabyte used. The backup system provides different options for ver­sion­ing, in­cre­ment­al backups and log files. All data is encrypted with 256-bit AES.

Ad­vant­ages Dis­ad­vant­ages
High data security No free version
Ver­sion­ing
Com­pres­sion of backups
Pre­con­figured backup strategies available
Summary

When looking for the best cloud app for your Android device, you should ask yourself the following questions: How much disk space do I need?, What is my budget?, How important is data security to me? and How much do I know about software and hardware? There is a wide choice of free and fee-based Android cloud solutions that cater to the needs of IT teams in large companies and private in­di­vidu­als alike.

Cloud Backup powered by Acronis
Mitigate downtime with total workload pro­tec­tion
  • Automatic backup and easy recovery
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