The best apps to share files play a pivotal role in businesses globally, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic started. Often the same platforms as the best cloud storage solutions, these services offer file sharing facilities that are particularly important to companies looking for the best cloud storage for business.
File sharing impacts greatly on staff and employee interactions across a business, including on overall efficiency. With a hybrid workforce appearing to be the way forward to business in the new normal, cross-collaboration between homeworkers and those in the office has become more important and vital than ever before.
As such, it's now absolutely key for any business to utilize services that can safely, securely, and quickly handle data transfer at high levels of frequency, with haste, and with no loss. Below, we've reviewed, evaluated, and ranked the best apps to share files for your business: read on, and find the right file-sharing solution for your needs.
The 3 best apps to share files securely available
Egnyte: top-level security and synchronization
Egnyte’s business-focussed platform offers scalable pricing and enterprise-level security, as well as desktop syncing and integration with Microsoft Outlook. It’s the best file-sharing app for businesses looking to secure their file transfers.
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SpiderOak: zero-knowledge, encrypted file-sharing
SpiderOak’s zero-knowledge architecture ensures that even the provider cannot access your data, and this makes it a top choice. Other tools include backup and restore process encryption, while an accessible interface gives it a user-friendly boost.
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pCloud: scalable, secure cloud storage
pCloud is the best choice for security, as all business accounts come with end-to-end encryption on an unlimited number of files. Competitive plans include 1TB per user, and users can be added or removed as necessary, with a straightforward app and great file sharing enabling link sharing and custom access privileges.
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| File-sharing app | Lowest-priced plan | Free tier | Security specialty | Operating systems |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Egnyte | $10 a month per employee (Business) | ✔ (15 days) | MFA | iOS, Android, macOS, Windows |
| SpiderOak One | $6 a month (150GB Plan) | ✔ (21 days, no card required) | Zero-knowledge encryption | iOS, Android, macOS, Windows, Linux, Fedora |
| pCloud | $4.99 a month (Premium) | ✔ (10GB) | TLS/SSL encryption | iOS, Android, macOS, Windows, Linux |
| Dropbox | $11.99 (Plus) | ✔ (2GB) | File splitting during encryption | iOS, Android, Linux, macOS, Windows |
| Box | $11.50 a month (Personal Pro) | ✔ (10GB) | 2FA | iOS, Android, macOS, Windows |
| Microsoft OneDrive | $1.99 a month (OneDrive Standard) | ✔ (5GB) | Files individually encrypted | iOS, Android, macOS, Windows |
| Resilio | $59.90 (Sync Home) | ✖ | Zero-knowledge encryption | iOS, Android, macOS, Windows, Linux |
The best apps to share files available right now
Egnyte pitches itself as a business-only platform, and it excels in fulfilling this brief. Its scalable pricing system starts at $10 a month per employee for 1TB of online support, before jumping to $20 for 10 to 100 employees.
What it lacks in editing functionality, it makes up for in enterprise-level security, desktop syncing, and Microsoft Outlook integration. A gold standard choice for businesses of all kinds.
Read our comprehensive Egnyte review.
SpiderOak has long had a “No Knowledge” approach to data management, meaning that it can’t access any of your information. Other strengths include encryption during the backup and restore processes and an incredibly accessible interface design.
SpiderOak has a few obvious weaknesses. The mobile app, for example, can be buggy, and there is no way to edit a document at the same time as someone else.
Read our full SpiderOak review.
pCloud’s security capabilities are impressive, but can be expanded further for $5 a month to include encryption during transfers.
Its pricing structure is also impressive, offering a generous 10GB for free, 500GB for $5 a month, or 500GB for a one-off fee of $175. If utilized for long enough, the latter deal could be incredibly cost effective. Collaborators beware though, pCloud has one main weakness—a dearth of any real-time editing options.
Read our comprehensive pCloud review, our interview with the company's Ivan Dimitrov, and our comparison pitting pCloud vs Dropbox.
Dropbox has a strong security capability, utilizing 256-bit encryption when files aren’t in transit, as well as SSL/TSL transfer tunnels when they are. This is encouraging, as the sleek file-sharing platform has previously come under criticism for its data privacy. Of some concern, for example, is how they reserve the right to view any data on their servers.
Dropbox makes up for these doubts in other areas, however. Its mobile app and interface are intuitive and attractive, and a selection of pricing levels allows you to only pay for the file space you really need.
Read our full Dropbox review, and our Dropbox Business review.
Box has been around for a while, and has had time to add to its features and functionality. Integrating it with your macOS, for example, is easy—it appears alongside other folders in the Finder. It also one-ups Dropbox with end-to-end encryption and more space on its free tier.
One drawback is its slightly unclear layout, but that’s easily overcome after a few hours’ use, and its pricing is competitive.
Read our Box review and our Box for Business review.
Microsoft was arguably slow off the mark to launch a file-sharing and cloud host, but it was worth the wait. The OneDrive mobile apps, for example, work seamlessly and are elegantly designed, while the desktop version makes files you didn’t even upload accessible.
All the editing and sharing options we’ve come to expect are available too, making teamwork easy. One disappointment for OneDrive is its macOS client app, which feels a touch clunky.
Read our Microsoft OneDrive review and our OneDrive for Business review.
Resilio gains many benefits from its use of the BitTorrent Protocol, such as enhanced transfer times and the ability for peer-to-peer communication—so long as you and the receiver are both online.
In terms of security, Resilio claims that it cannot access your data, and neither can third parties. The service also offers several one-off payment tiers, including $59.90 and $99.90 for individual and family use respectively, and you can store as many files and as much data as you require.
How secure is cloud storage?
The best secure cloud storage provides leading security and encryption, even though it theoretically is not as secure as local storage. Stable and highly secure cloud storage for business in turn must give your sensitive and integral company data the utmost protection.
When looking for secure storage, ensure your chosen provider offers either end-to-end encryption or zero-knowledge architecture. Respectively, these mean services are either essentially hack-proof, or that not even their own employees are able to access your files, including even if law enforcement compels them or the form to do so.
If these aren’t an option, look for in-transit and at-rest encryption. In this case, your data is indecipherable even if a cybercriminal intercepted it from the provider. Storage as a service (StaaS) organizations provide their storage from highly-secure data centers, which are protected 24/7 by security features such as biometric entry authorization and frequent auditing.
Finally, look for additional tools like 2FA, which offers you added security on top of what the providers have undertaken behind the scenes. It’s perfectly natural to have data security concerns, but the best cloud storage providers offer strong tools that are right on the cutting-edge.
What file-sharing features can cloud storage offer?
The majority of cloud storage providers offering business services are StaaS businesses, providing customers with collaborative tools and seamless digital workflows. These help to facilitate and grow collaboration and productivity across a business.
With hybrid working across remote and office-based staff now more entrenched in the modern business world, these elements are particularly important. These providers also utilize cloud sync technology, which allows edits to documents to be visible immediately across all connected devices and to all users with the requisite access.
In turn, such providers also offer important administrative features and tools, which cover access management and system usage auditing. Such tools can range from 2FA all the way to roles-based permissions.
How to choose and use cloud storage
Check out our video below to learn how best to choose and then use cloud storage
Further reading on cloud storage
Before you choose one of the options above, make sure you take a look at our buying guides for the best cloud storage, the best cloud storage for business, the best free cloud storage, the best cloud storage for photos, the best secure cloud storage, and the best encrypted cloud storage, to see if any of these leading providers offer other cloud storage services you can take advantage of.
Original source: https://www.itproportal.com/guides/best-apps-to-share-files