5 best cloud backup services for Android in 2021

Livedrive is a reliable cloud backup provider that offers Android users secure storage for up to 2000 GB of data (Briefcase plan). Livedrive has both a web-based portal that you can access from Chrome or Firefox (or any other browser you care to use) and a custom Android app that is available for download from the Google Play Store. It is super easy to use, and you can set it up to back up all of your most important Android data automatically; including your personal photos, videos, and messages.

We like this service because it offers large amounts of storage space and all the functionality you would hope to get from an industry-leading cloud backup provider. This includes 30-day backups of deleted files to ensure you can still access your data if you make a mistake and file versioning that also goes back for 30-days. This service also has a useful ‘Scan’ feature built into the Android app that lets you use your device to scan physical documents so that you can upload them to the cloud as a PDF (ideal if you often need to back up documents that you don’t want to type up manually).

Livedrive is a complete solution that will let you access your files from anywhere. And it even allows you to stream your music and movies directly from your cloud space to your phone or Chromecast device. In addition, it will allow you to share files with friends and family securely if you want to. The cost of a subscription starts at $7, but you will need to pay $10 to get the Briefcase (or ProSuite) subscription if you want to take advantage of all features on Android.

Livedrive Mobile for Android also lets you:

• Automatically back up all the photos and videos on your tablet or smartphone
• View your backed-up photos in full-screen slideshow mode without needing to download them
• View and edit your documents from anywhere via the app or web browser
• Cross compatibility with other platforms

IDrive is a fully-featured cloud storage service that offers full system disk image backup, archiving, and the option to upload using secure end-to-end encryption.

The service is available for all platforms including Android, Windows, macOS, and iOS. This makes it a superb option for people who demand excellent cross-compatibility. It can be used to back up all of your important Android data, including your photos, videos, and calendar events. For $52.12 per year, you get 2 Terabytes of storage. This makes it extremely good value for money for those who need plenty of space.

IDrive lets you sync files and access files from anywhere thanks to its web app and custom apps for Android and various other platforms. And this service is great for sharing files securely with family and friends. With IDrive you can back up your Android on the fly, or pre-schedule backups to ensure backups are always occurring automatically in the background.

Plus, IDrive has snapshot recovery so that you can get your device back to how it was in case of a ransomware attack. To ensure data security, your files are protected during transfer and storage using 256-bit AES encryption, and it even provides E2EE to ensure that only you can gain access to your encrypted data.

pCloud is a secure cloud storage service that is ideally suited to Android users. The service is based in Switzerland – a location that is considered superb for data privacy purposes due to its non-invasive government. The service has both a web app and apps for all platforms – which makes it great in terms of cross-compatibility and accessibility to your backed-up data.

The Android app offers automatic upload of files, and it provides file versioning with easy recovery for your data. File versioning is available for 15 days on the free plan and for 30 days on the paid plans. It is also one of the few providers that allow you to stream your music from the cloud directly onto your Android device.

For security purposes, pCloud provides encryption in transit and at rest. It also allows for secure file sharing with friends and family. Plus, users can set up the ‘crypto’ feature – which means you can get end-to-end encryption for your data if you want it. With pCloud you can get 10GB of storage for free. And if you require more space, the prices are extremely reasonable: 500 GB of storage will cost you just $47.88. A fantastic all-rounder.

MEGA is a secure cloud storage service based in Auckland, New Zealand. The service has a special open source license that permits the code to be used “for the purposes of review and commentary”. This means that the source code for the service can be accessed and audited by any third party, which is great.

With MEGA you get an easy-to-use cloud backup service that can be accessed either via your web browser or the custom apps. And it has apps for both Android and iOS, which makes it great in terms of cross-compatibility. What is impressive about MEGA is that in addition to getting completely secure E2EE for your data, you also get a whopping 50 GB of storage space for free! And it is more than twice as cheap as competitors like Dropbox when it comes to storing large amounts of data.

The Android app lets you automatically back up photos and videos from your mobile device. Following that, you can easily store, search, download, stream, view, share, rename, or delete your files from anywhere.  It also lets you sync with your computer using the MEGA Desktop App. And the service provides file versioning so you can easily revert to previous versions of files if you need to. Plus, it even has an integrated secure chat feature as part of the service, and it will let you share files with friends and family in a completely secure manner! An impressive cloud backup service that is well worth trialing.

ElephantDrive is a service that will easily let you back up your important Android files to the cloud. It has an Android app that lets you access and manage files in your cloud backup from your phone or tablet, and the app is easily available in the Play store. Plus, you can access your data via a web portal in your browser too. Once installed, Elephant Drive provides automatic backups and a sync feature to let you access your data on various devices. It is also compatible with many platforms, including Android, iOS, macOS, and Windows.

Files can be shared password-protected via text, email, or a URL link – which makes it great for securely sharing data with friends and family. Elephant Drive provides security for your data by encrypting everything with AES 256 before upload, and you can opt to control your keys yourself (E2EE) if you prefer. File versioning is available for 30 days to ensure that you can backtrack if you need to. Plus, deleted files are also stored for 30 days – so that you can recover them if you delete something accidentally.

Overall, this is a simple backup service for Android that is, admittedly, missing some of the bells and whistles you get with the services recommended above it. However, it is good value for money and you can use the service on a limited basis for free (up to 2GB of storage). The paid subscriptions start from just $10 per month and will permit you to back up data from 10 devices to a total of three sub-accounts. This makes it suitable for families in need of backups.