Choosing the right cloud storage service to host and back up your video content is vitally important as a content creator. The best cloud storage for video editing can save you tremendous time, headache, and, yes, space.
While memory cards and external hard drives offer an affordable place to archive your media files, cloud storage providers offer a more secure, robust, and easy-to-access option for video editing projects.
With a good internet connection, there’re now tons of cloud services available with mobile apps, large storage space, and easy access.
However, not all cloud storage systems are created equal.
GoodFirms found that 54.62% of people use at least 3 different cloud storage providers and more than 50% are concerned about privacy and data loss.
Well, you don’t need to.
In this guide, I’ll discuss all the major factors you need to consider to find the best cloud storage for video editing. You’ll find trust indicators, key features, pricing, pros, cons, and recommendations to help you find the best cloud storage services. The full comparison table at the end of this post will put all those things into perspective.
Let’s get right into it.
What is the best cloud storage for video editing?
Here are my top picks for the best cloud storage for video editing:
- Best collaborative cloud storage for video editing: MEGA
- Best security-focused cloud storage for video editing: Tresorit
- Best overall cloud storage for video editing: pCloud
- Best value for money cloud storage for video editing: Sync
- Best emerging cloud storage for video editing: Icedrive
- Best secure cloud storage for large media files: NordLocker
- Best cloud storage for Adobe users: Adobe Creative Cloud
- Best cloud storage for content management: Box
- Best cloud storage for heavy Office users: Microsoft OneDrive
- Best cloud storage for automation and collaboration: Google Drive
1. MEGA
Best collaborative cloud storage for video editing
🏠 Headquartered: New Zealand
🌱 Founded: 2013
MEGA is a cloud storage and communication platform. They offer large and secure storage space along with individual messaging, group chats, and video conferencing tools.
MEGA uses zero-knowledge encryption, which means that the company doesn’t have access to your files, you completely own your data. They call themselves the Privacy Company. They even have a whitepaper explaining their security process.
With MEGA’s mobile apps, desktop apps, and web client, you’ll easily access your files and documents everywhere. The secure chat and video conferencing tools together with the granular permission levels, flexible pricing, and security measures make MEGA a great tool for online collaboration and video editing.
Key features:
- Protect your links with passwords and expiry dates
- Set granular permission levels to control who has access to what
- Share files and folders even with people without a MEGA account
- Gather files and videos from clients and team members with file requests (even if they don’t have a MEGA account)
- Chat, make one-on-one calls, and meetings via the secure MEGA platform
Plans and pricing:
Flexible pricing.
The flexible pricing makes MEGA one of the best cloud storage services for video editing. The free plan comes with 20 GB of storage and limited transfer.
MEGA offers individual and business plans. You can get flexible storage and pay only based on your actual storage and transfer. Business plans start from €15.00 per month per 3 users, which come with 3 TB of storage and transfer. The individual plan starts from €4.99 per month.
What I like and dislike about MEGA:
Like:
- Transparent and easy-to-use website and privacy
- Superior security
- Generous and flexible storage capacity
- Truly cross-platform
- Powerful chat and video conferencing
Dislike:
- Lack of third-party integrations
Platforms:
Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android, Web, Browser extensions
2. Tresorit
Best security-focused cloud storage for video editing
🏠 Headquartered: Switzerland
🌱 Founded: 2011
With its award-winning, zero-knowledge security, Tresorit is one of the best cloud storage for those who want their data stored securely. The company received the Swiss Digital Trust Label, which means they’re undergoing regular audits on 35 criteria about data protection, security, fair user interaction, and reliability. As a business user, you can choose the data centers where your files will be stored. Tresorit published a dedicated whitepaper explaining the encryption process.
Tresorit has everything you need to support your video editing workflow: automatic camera upload, secure file sharing, custom branding, password protection, expiring links, file versioning, mobile apps, and more.
Tresorit E-sign and plugins for Gmail and Outlook strongly complement the cloud storage service, and new features and integrations are coming up regularly.
Key features:
- Use Tresorit Send as a file transfer site to send and receive large video files securely
- Keep all your files synced and available across all your devices
- Sign your documents securely with Tresorit eSign
- Use the end-to-end encrypted document scanning to upload files to the cloud
- Enjoy the email encryption service included in Tresorit
Plans and pricing:
€9.99/mo-€23.99/mo (per user)
The Professional plan comes with 4 TB of storage space, custom branding, enhanced control, and more. Add-ons are sold separately (e-sign, email encryption for Outlook).
What I like and dislike about Tresorit:
Like:
- Zero-knowledge end-to-end encryption
- Transparent data policy and excellent website
- Truly cross-platform
- Diverse functions and granular setup
- Awesome integrations and complementary functions
Dislike:
- Relatively low file size limit (except for the highest business tiers)
- Pricy
- Add-ons are sold separately (still, they’re a good value for money)
- No built-in video player
Platforms:
Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android, Web, Browser extensions
3. pCloud
Best overall cloud storage for video editing
🏠 Headquartered: Switzerland
🌱 Founded: 2013
pCloud is an easy-to-use and secure cloud storage platform.
The company behind pCloud is based in Switzerland. They have data servers in the U.S. and the EU, and you can choose where you want your data stored. All your files are stored in 5 copies and on at least 3 different server locations, using 256-bit AES encryption during and after transfer.
pCloud is a zero-knowledge platform meaning that the company won’t have access to your files, although it has an additional price of €49.99 per year.
With the recently introduced pCloud Pass, you can keep your passwords encrypted in one secure place and access them on all your devices. It already has some promising features like autofill and credit card credentials, but more is on the horizon.
Key features:
- Sync your media files on all your devices
- Share individual files and folders even with people without a pCloud account
- Protect your shared files with a password or an expiration date
- Preview files and use the integrated video player to access your videos
- Brand your shared links with images, headlines, and descriptions
- Upload your photos automatically from your camera
Plans and pricing:
Various pricing models available.
pCloud offers up to 2 GB of free space. There’re multiple plans and tiers to accommodate different needs. Unfortunately, you should purchase encryption separately. What I like about pCloud is that they have lifetime deals, beginning from €199 for 500GB of storage. The only viable option for a content creator with lots of video files and photos, however, is the custom plan, which costs €1190 for 10 TB (lifetime deal). The Business Pro plan is also an appealing offer, which comes with unlimited storage and encryption from €15.98 per user per month.
What I like and dislike about pCloud:
Like:
- Transparent and strict data policy
- Superior security
- Good customization options
- Truly cross-platform
- Password management
- Great website and help guides
Dislike:
- Encryption is sold separately for most plans
Platforms:
Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android, Web, Browser extensions
4. Sync
Best value for money cloud storage for video editing
🏠 Headquartered: Canada
🌱 Founded: 2011
Sync is based in Canada and their mission is to provide a safe space for the world to collaborate. The company offers document storage, file sharing, and collaboration, all built on cutting-edge security with end-to-end encryption. Your files are stored across multiple data center locations.
Sync excels at collaboration and is widely customizable. You can, among others, set up passwords, expiry dates, custom branding, comments, permissions, and notifications to access control over your media files on a granular level.
Key features:
- Access your files from everywhere through mobile apps and desktop versions
- Brand your files with your logo
- Use expiry dates, passwords, notifications, and comments to control your shared files
- Use the Microsoft Office integration to preview, open and edit your documents
Plans and pricing:
$0/mo-$20/mo (per user)
Sync is free to use for up to 5 GB of storage. There’re individual and team plans available. The Solo Professional plan is ideal for video editing. It starts from $20 per month and gives you 6 TB of space, a 365-day backup history, custom branding, and all features except team administration. You can upgrade anytime to get more storage. Teams Unlimited costs $15 per month (per user) and gives you unlimited storage.
What I like and dislike about Sync:
Like:
- Advanced security
- No hidden costs
- Wide customization options
- Integrates with Microsoft Office, Slack, and Adobe Photoshop & Illustrator
- Great collaboration features
Dislike:
- Hard to find any
Platforms:
Mac, Windows, iOS, Android, Web
5. Icedrive
Best emerging cloud storage for video editing
🏠 Headquartered: UK
🌱 Founded: 2019
Icedrive is a UK-based, zero-knowledge cloud storage solution available for mobile devices and computers. They use the Twofish encryption algorithm to protect your data, which is known as a very strict encryption method.
Icedrive doesn’t offer much customization and collaboration options; rather it focuses on security and minimalism. Still, you get a built-in video player, decent apps (even a portable one), expiry dates, password protection, and more.
Key features:
- Preview your documents in your web browser and use the built-in media player to stream your videos
- Sync your media files across your devices
- Purchase a lifetime plan to get your video files stored in the cloud
- Password protect your files or use expiry dates to control access
Plans and pricing:
$0/mo-$15/mo (per user)
The free version includes 10 GB cloud storage without client-side encryption.
There are three lifetime plans available starting from $99 for 150 GB storage space but the Pro X plan with 10 TB of storage is a great choice for video editing ($999). Regular monthly and annual plans are also available from $1.67 per month (per user).
What I like and dislike about Icedrive:
Like:
- Enhanced security
- Native desktop experience
- Portable app available
- Lifetime plans and great prices
Dislike:
- Limited collaboration features
- Not-so-comprehensive help guide and website
- Limited customization options
Platforms:
Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android, Web
6. NordLocker
Best secure cloud storage for large media files
🏠 Headquartered: UK
🌱 Founded: 2019 (the company behind the app was established in 2012)
NordLocker is a zero-knowledge cloud storage and file encryption app. Probably the name is familiar to you because NordLocker is the younger brother of NordVPN, which is a world-leading VPN service.
NordLocker distinguishes itself from the competition with unlimited local file encryption, meaning that you can encrypt and store files on your device without using cloud storage. That’s a great deal, especially for the security-conscious video editor.
Key features:
- Secure your files and videos with end-to-end encryption from one of the world-leading cybersecurity companies
- Store all your business documents along with your media files in a centralized and secure place
- Share your media files with encrypted folders (lockers)
- Enjoy the automatic backups
Plans and pricing:
€0/mo-€14.99/mo (per user)
NordLocker offers business plans from €8.99 per month, which comes with 500 GB cloud storage. The Business Plus plan with 2 TB of storage, however, is more appealing for content creators. Personal plans are available, too. All plans come with unlimited end-to-end encryption.
What I like and dislike about NordLocker:
Like:
- Encrypt and store files on your local hard drive without filling up your cloud storage quota
- End-to-end encryption
- Paid plan comes with 24/7 support
- Reasonable price
Dislike:
- 3 GB file size limit in the cloud (you can, however, store and encrypt large files locally)
- Not as feature-reach as some competitors
- No file versioning and automatic camera upload
Platforms:
Mac, Windows, iOS, Android, Web
7. Adobe Creative Cloud
Best cloud storage for Adobe users
🏠 Headquartered: US
🌱 Founded: 1982
Adobe Creative Cloud is Adobe’s native cloud storage service for video editors and creative professionals. If you’re already using Adobe products such as Adobe Illustrator or Adobe Premiere Pro, it’s probably the best option for your videos and photos since projects are already happening in Creative Cloud.
Beyond cloud storage space, Adobe Creative Cloud offers apps and resources for content creators. Your Creative Cloud subscription includes free stock photos, fonts, and more. You can customize your subscription plan or choose the all-in-one solution to get all Adobe apps.
Importantly, Adobe Creative Cloud doesn’t work the way traditional cloud storage systems do. You cannot upload files like MS Word; it only supports media files & Adobe files and you have less control over your material.
Key features:
- Use your favorite Adobe apps and sync your files in the cloud
- Access your projects on all your devices
- Get your creative assets with your Adobe plan (fonts, stock photos, templates, and more)
- Collaborate on creative projects with Frame.io for Creative Cloud (comes with Creative Cloud All Apps, Premiere Pro, and After Effects)
Plans and pricing:
You can build your own plan.
You can get individual Adobe apps or get them in a bundle (Creative Cloud All Apps) that includes more than 20 apps like Adobe Premiere Pro, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, and Adobe InDesign. With the Creative Cloud All Apps plan, you get 100 GB of cloud storage along with access to Adobe Fonts, stock images, and templates.
Individual plans start from $9.99 per month, while the Creative Cloud All Apps plan costs $54.99 per month. Adobe Premiere Pro charges $20.99 per month. Business plans come with 1 TB of storage available from $35.99 per month.
What I like and dislike about Adobe Creative Cloud:
Like:
- Seamlessly integrates with Adobe apps
- Membership comes with extras like stock photos, fonts, and templates
- Customizable plans
- Direct photo uploading from camera
Dislike:
- Not capable of storing other than media files
- Small storage capacity for individual plans (although you can upgrade)
- Hard to find a word about security and data storage
- Website and tutorials are hard to navigate
- No expiry dates and password protection on links
Platforms:
Mac, Windows, iOS, Android, Web
8. Box
Best cloud storage for content management
🏠 Headquartered: US
🌱 Founded: 2005
Box is a content cloud and collaboration platform with seamless integrations. They bring together cloud storage, content management, e-signature, and workflow to increase your productivity and automate your workflow.
Box has dedicated tools for whiteboarding (Box Canvas), note-taking (Box Notes), signing documents (Box Sign), and automating workflows (Box Relay). Not only that, but Box integrates with 1500+ tools via the API.
Box encrypts your files in transit and at rest. With Box Zones, you can choose your server locations addressing regional data privacy concerns.
Key features:
- Use Box Canvas to generate and discuss content ideas and plan out your script
- Use Box AI to get your questions answered, summarize your docs, and create content
- Share large video files with customizable link settings
- Use Request File Link to gather content and files from clients and contractors
Plans and pricing:
€0/mo-€31.50/mo (per user)
Box offers personal and business plans. The free plan includes 10 GB of storage space, plus you get Box Canvas for whiteboarding and Box Sign for e-signature, and more. Importantly (and generously), all business plans come with unlimited storage.
What I like and dislike about Box:
Like:
- Puts your content management under one roof
- Direct integration with Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, and 1500+ integrations via the API
- Low price
- Granular permission levels for sharing
Dislike:
- Too broad spectrum of tools (generalist)
- No end-to-end encryption
Platforms:
Mac, Windows, iOS, Android, Web
9. Microsoft OneDrive
Best cloud storage for heavy Office users
🏠 Headquartered: US
🌱 Founded: 2007 (launch)
Microsoft OneDrive is a big player in the cloud storage game. Microsoft Office apps are still the norm in many industries and by getting OneDrive storage, you can put many things under one roof. The value of Office apps and the seamless integrations make OneDrive one of the best cloud storage for video editing and professional use.
Beyond that, Microsoft OneDrive has all the essential elements of a good cloud service.
Although OneDrive isn’t known as the most secure cloud storage, you can use the Personal Vault feature to add another layer of security. It’s a dedicated folder in your OneDrive account, which you may want to set up on all your devices. You’ll have to verify your identity before you can access the files stored on your Personal Vault and it automatically locks after a short period. It’s kind of a two-step verification process, but it’s not the same as the two-factor authentication (2FA) on your Microsoft account. Unfortunately, Personal Vault isn’t accessible in OneDrive business plans.
Key features:
- Automatically upload your photos and videos to OneDrive
- Collaborate on your Office documents in real time
- Have your photos automatically organized with OneDrive’s smart feature
- Scan and annotate your documents with the OneDrive mobile app (works the Evernote way)
- Use your Personal Vault to protect your sensitive media files
Plans and pricing:
$0/mo-$12.50/mo (per user)
Microsoft offers various paid plans. Some of them come with the Office apps, which makes OneDrive a great deal for anyone who’s already using Microsoft tools. The free plan gives you 5 GB cloud storage. The business plan is available from $5.00 per month (per user), which comes with 1 TB storage and without Microsoft Office apps. You can upgrade to get more storage space and the Office tools like Microsoft Word.
What I like and dislike about Microsoft OneDrive:
Like:
- Seamlessly integrates with MS Office
- Good value for money with the Office apps (if you choose such a plan)
- Automatic camera upload and scan on mobile
- Advanced collaboration features
Dislike:
- Web client sometimes fails to work
- No end-to-end encryption
- Cumbersome added security (Personal Vault)
- Sometimes handling a Microsoft account can be challenging and confusing
Platforms:
Mac, Windows, iOS, Android, Web
10. Google Drive
Best cloud storage for automation and collaboration
🏠 Headquartered: US
🌱 Founded: 2012 (launch)
Google Drive is one of the best cloud storage for video editing because it’s part of the Google Workspace. Show me someone who isn’t using Gmail, Google Docs, or even Google Drive. With Google Drive, you can rest assured that you’ll find the right integrations and third-party tools to support your workflow.
Drive also integrates with Google Photos, which makes it even more powerful for content creation.
Google encrypts your data during transit and at rest, but they can access your files because Google has the encryption keys. If privacy is of utmost importance to you, you can use third-party tools to encrypt your files on your computer before they’re uploaded to the cloud, or you can move to more security-conscious cloud storage providers like Tresorit, pCloud, or MEGA.
Key features:
- Connect your Google Drive account to all your productivity tools to enhance your video production
- Create your content calendar in Sheets, draft your video content in Docs, and automatically upload and backup your videos and photos to Drive
- Record your meetings and screen directly to Google Drive to get the raw material for your video content
- Collaborate with your team, virtual assistant, or client in real-time and with granular permission levels
- Use Google Drive with Google Photos together to backup, organize, search, and share your photos
Plans and pricing:
$0/mo-$18/mo (per user)
With Google Drive, you get 15 GB of free storage. The Business Standard plan costs $12 per month (per user) and comes with 2 TB storage space, custom business email, and more features. With Google One, you can get more storage along with VPN service, and more.
What I like and dislike about Google Drive:
Like:
- Seamless integration with Google Workspace and third-party tools
- Superior collaboration capabilities
- Ease of use
- Powerful file search
Dislike:
- Not-so-outstanding security
- Hard-to-navigate website and help guides
- No expiry dates and password protection on links
Platforms:
Mac, Windows, iOS, Android, Web
What is the best cloud storage for video editing, anyway?
There’re several things to consider to find the best cloud storage for video editing.
The first question is whether you want a single cloud storage platform to host all your files or you want to store your media files and videos on a separate platform.
Your answer will determine your choices and opportunities downstream.
Here’re the most important factors to consider:
- Security and privacy: Speaking of your files and data, security and transparent data policy are extremely important. I strongly suggest you immerse yourself in the security whitepaper, terms of service, or any other technical documents explaining how your data are stored. If the company doesn’t offer many details here, it can be a red flag.
- Trust and customer support: I purposefully added the founding date and the headquarters to each cloud service I listed above. You may want to cast your vote in favor of an established cloud storage provider that stores your data in a region and according to the governing privacy laws that are important for your business.
- Storage space: Storage is one of the most important factors to consider when you invest in a cloud storage service. Media and video files can eat up large space and pricing can quickly become a bottleneck here. Some cloud storage providers have flexible pricing plans or even offer lifetime deals (e.g., MEGA, pCloud, Icedrive).
- File size limit: File size limitation is rarely of concern for personal use but video editing means working with large individual files. Most cloud storage providers don’t put a limit on file size, others may have limitations depending on the plan you’re using. You’ll find all those limitations in the comparison table in this post.
- Complementarity: Finding the best cloud storage for video editing doesn’t end at the right provider. You may want to automate your workflow and connect your cloud storage to third-party applications. Well-established and popular cloud storage tools may offer better automation and integration with video editing software.
- Collaboration features: If you work as a solopreneur, maybe collaboration isn’t on your list. If you, however, want to work with a virtual assistant, a team, or a contractor, you’ll strongly benefit from collaboration features.
- User experience: A simple interface, native desktop experience, awesome search functionality, good transfer speed and uptime will all determine your overall user experience and productivity.
If you want to find the perfect laptop for video editing, check out my article discussing all the major factors you need to consider to find the best budget laptop.
Let’s get down to the most common questions about cloud storage for video editing.
Best cloud storage for video editing: FAQ
1. What security measures are cloud services using to protect my video files in the cloud?
Most cloud storage providers encrypt your data at rest and in transit, while some security-focused services use end-to-end encryption, which is considered the most secure option. With end-to-end encryption, your files are encrypted on your device and only you and anyone you authorize can decrypt the data.
Some cloud services go one step further and apply the zero-knowledge protocol, meaning that they don’t hold the encryption keys.
2. Are there any restrictions on file sizes when using cloud storage for video editing?
Most cloud storage providers don’t put a limit on individual file size, they rather limit the overall storage space. Some tools, however, have file size limits that may conflict with your video editing process. In the comparison table below, I listed all the file size limitations that might apply to individual cloud services.
3. How much storage space do I need for video editing in the cloud?
It depends on your workflow, how and whether you want to archive your videos, which tools you’re working with, which file format you’re using, etc. As a rule of thumb, you should pay for TBs instead of GBs. This means that you should look at the higher tiers of paid plans. Free services or free trials rarely offer more than a couple of GBs.
4. Can I edit my videos directly in the cloud, or do I need to download them first?
Most cloud storage providers offer native desktop experience and integration, meaning that you can work with your files as if they were on your local hard drive (which they can be). I recommend that you keep your project files synced to your desktop and when they’re finished (published, etc.), you can archive them in the cloud and remove them from your computer. You can easily set up this rule for individual folders on your computer. In most cases and with a good internet connection, you can edit your videos directly in the cloud with a web browser.
Best cloud storage for video editing: comparison table
MEGA | Tresorit | pCloud | Sync | Icedrive | NordLocker | Adobe Creative Cloud | Box | MS OneDrive | Google Drive | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
File size limit | No | 5-20 GB | No | No | No | 3 GB | 20 GB | 5-150 GB | 100 GB | 5 TB |
File versioning | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Collaboration | Yes | Internal | Yes | Yes | Basic | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
End-to-end encryption | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No |
Built-in video player | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Automatic camera upload | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Two-factor Authentication | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Expiry dates | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No |
Password protection | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No |
Offline access | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Photo by Peter Stumpf on Unsplash