Microsoft OneDrive Assessment | Macworld

Value When Reviewed

Free (5GB), $1.99 (100GB), $6.99 (1TB) a month

Greatest Costs At the moment: OneDrive

We’ve been rounding up the very best cloud-based storage providers to your Mac, and OneDrive undoubtedly earns a spot on the checklist.

Whereas I’d argue it’s not as intuitive as Google Drive, in the event you’re utilizing Microsoft Workplace to any diploma you’ll discover quite a bit to love.

The app can exist in Finder identical to its rivals can, however with a wide range of storage plans that add in entry to Microsoft mainstays like Phrase, Excel, and extra, it’s obtained quite a lot of potential for the office – or for households with youngsters engaged on college initiatives.

It’s not all excellent news, although. The OneDrive internet app feels gradual in comparison with the likes of Google Drive (albeit not as gradual as iCloud Drive), and the 5GB base storage is painfully low without spending a dime customers (though nonetheless higher than Dropbox’s 2GB).

First Impressions

Microsoft

5GB base storage is certainly low, however Microsoft actually needs to nudge you to one among its paid plans. You possibly can spend $99.99/£79.99 per yr to get entry to Phrase, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and extra, with 1TB storage per particular person (6TB complete). That covers six customers, so that you may give everybody in your family entry to Workplace and OneDrive for a comparatively low worth. The Microsoft 365 Household plan is simply $30/£20 dearer than the Microsoft 365 Private model which prices $69.99/£59.99 a yr. Probably the most primary choice is the Microsoft 365 Fundamental at $19.99/£19.99 a yr for 100GB cloud storage. As with most providers nowadays, Microsoft additionally quotes month-to-month costs of $1.99/£1.99 (100GB), $6.99/£5.99 (1TB), $9.99/£7.99 (6TB for six individuals) a month.

Whichever choice you go for, OneDrive is a mannequin citizen on the subject of macOS. The app is light-weight and sits in Finder so that you can drag and drop as you see match.

OneDrive options

As I’ve already talked about above, the most effective components of OneDrive is that (for a worth) it opens up the remainder of the Workplace ecosystem, each for Mac and iPhone or iPad.

These apps are fairly uniformly nice throughout Apple’s platforms, and use OneDrive to sync throughout platforms. Should you’re not eager on Google Docs or Sheets, having Phrase and Excel paperwork unfold throughout your units could be an enormous boon.

You too can add content material straight from an Xbox console in the event you personal one, which means it’s simple to seize your favourite clips and drop them straight into OneDrive to then edit in your Mac or PC.

OneDrive annoyances

Microsoft

Extra storage on the free tier could be nice, however OneDrive’s greatest challenge, not not like iCloud Drive, is that its internet app can really feel gradual. It’s simply not as breezy to maneuver between information and entry issues from the net view.

It’s additionally extra attuned to discovering Workplace paperwork (which is sensible), however I saved hitting a difficulty the place it will merely inform me I couldn’t improve my storage tier whereas testing.

The difficulty did cease after some time, but it surely’s definitely unusual that OneDrive appeared to not need to take my cash.

The Backside Line

Should you want a cloud plan for a household or small crew, and also you’re already leaning on Microsoft’s Workplace apps, then OneDrive is a superb choice.