2 of 2

Write now Article Tools

Online file hosting is a new fad. People use online file hosting websites to host images for there own website, to share files, to back up files, or just for transferring files from one computer to another. Online file hosting can make life managing files very convenient if you can find a file hosting website that fits your needs.

As when given many options each one is better or worse depending on your own needs, every person is different. There are a couple of things which you will need to look at when choosing an online file hosting website. These things include, total space, file size limit, upload/download limits, sharing abilities, speed, how things are uploaded, and cost.

Total Space is the amount of online storage you are given for hosting your files. File size limit is how big is the biggest file you can upload to the online storage website. Upload and download limits may limit the amount bandwidth you use a month for uploading and downloading files. Once the limit is used you would have to wait till next month, until you limit is re-filled. Sharing abilities has to do with how easy is it to share your files you have uploaded. For example many sites allow you to give a link to a friend which they navigate to, and download the file. Some sites will email friends about where to download files. Lastly some sites make your friends sign up if they want to be able to download your file, which can be a pain. Speed is how fast or slow you can upload or download files to the online storage website. Lastly cost, do you want to pay for a place to store files online or do you want it to be free?

With so many things to consider how do you choose which online file storage you want to use? I personally look at cost first, I don't like to pay. But the advantage of paying for an online storage website is that you know your files are safe, and the website that is hosting your files will not just go off line the next week or month. Every online storage website has its mixture of all these things, some of these features they have are better while some are lacking. Here are a couple short reviews of some great online storage websites.

Box.net is a great file hosting website which offers a free account with 1 gig of space. 1 gig is a great amount of space for the average users, but the downside is the largest file you can upload is 10mb. They also give free accounts a limit on download bandwidth of 10 gigs which shouldn't be a problem for you unless you plan on doing a heck of a lot of sharing. Box.net also has a pro account for $7.99 per month which gives you 5 gigs of storage, unlimited download bandwidth, and a 1 gig cap on file size limits. The one great feature for box.net is the ability to upload files by dragging and dropping files. This is great for uploading multiple files at once.

mediafire.com is another great online storage website. It offers unlimited file space, and no bandwidth limits. The only downside is a 100mb file size limit. You share files by sharing links with your friends where they can go download the file. One last downside of mediafire is that you can only upload 1 file at a time. This could be a pain if you want to use it for backing up a whole computer.

adrive.com is the last one I will review. It has an astounding 50 gigs of free online storage. Files are easy to upload and you don't have any bandwidth limits. The only downside to adrive is speed. Uploading and downloading large files can take a long time. But if you have time, this is a great place with a ton of storage.

Learn more about this author, Puller.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

Add your voice

Know something about What options do you need to look for when choosing a free file hosting website?
We want to hear your view. Write now!