Best Free Cloud Storage for Synology NAS in 2026

A Synology NAS gives you substantial local storage, but keeping every copy of important data inside the same NAS—or even the same building creates unnecessary risk. Cloud storage can provide another location for selected files, offsite backups, collaboration data, or disaster recovery.

Several providers still offer useful free storage in 2026. However, comparing them based solely on the number of free gigabytes can be misleading. Synology compatibility, file-size limits, API behaviour, egress charges, and whether you need Cloud Sync, Hyper Backup, or Hybrid Share can matter more than the headline capacity.

Quick Comparison of Free Synology Cloud Options

Current free allowances are based on the providers’ published 2026 information. Google provides 15 GB shared among Drive, Gmail, and Photos; Microsoft provides 5 GB of cloud storage; Box provides 10 GB; Dropbox Basic provides 2 GB; Backblaze provides the first 10 GB of B2 storage free; and Cloudflare R2 includes 10 GB-month of Standard storage monthly.

1. Google Drive: Best Free Capacity for Simple File Sync

Google One currently includes 15 GB of free storage with a Google account.

That is the largest mainstream consumer free tier among the major file-sync providers covered here. There is an important catch: those 15 GB are shared across Google Drive, Gmail, and Google Photos. Someone with a large Gmail mailbox may therefore have considerably less than 15 GB available for NAS files.

For Synology users, Google Drive is most attractive for Cloud Sync. DSM’s current specifications list Google Drive among supported public cloud services, although Synology notes limitations around Shared Drive support in the relevant remote-cloud functionality.

Google Drive makes sense for syncing:

• Documents
• Small project folders
• Personal files
• Selected photos
• Frequently accessed files

It is less compelling as a destination for multi-terabyte NAS backups.

2. Box: Generous Free Storage With a File-Size Catch

Box provides 10 GB with its free Individual plan.

That sounds excellent for a free Synology cloud tier, but there is a major limitation: the free Individual plan currently has a 250 MB maximum file upload size. That can make it unsuitable for large video files, disk images, archives, and many backup workloads. For documents and smaller files, however, Box can be useful. Synology currently lists Box among its supported public-cloud services.

Box also publishes bandwidth limits rather than traditional per-GB object-storage egress pricing. Its current pricing information lists 1 TB per user per month for upload/download ingress/egress bandwidth on Individual and Business plans, with additional limits applying to shared-link downloads.

3. Microsoft OneDrive: Good for Microsoft-Centered Users

Microsoft OneDrive gives free Microsoft accounts 5 GB of cloud storage.

Synology currently includes Microsoft OneDrive among supported public-cloud services, making it a practical Cloud Sync option. OneDrive is particularly logical when an organization or individual already relies heavily on the Microsoft ecosystem.

The free capacity is modest, so use it selectively for:

• Office documents
• Important personal folders
• Small working datasets
• Files needed across several devices

For large Synology backup repositories, 5 GB will disappear extremely quickly.

OneDrive is better thought of as a convenient file-sync destination than free disaster-recovery storage for an entire NAS.

4. Dropbox: Easy Synology Integration but Only 2 GB Free

Dropbox remains one of the most recognizable cloud file-sync platforms, and DSM supports Dropbox connectivity.

The limitation is capacity. Dropbox Basic currently provides only 2 GB of free storage. That makes it difficult to recommend as the primary free cloud destination for a NAS containing hundreds of gigabytes or several terabytes. Where Dropbox can still make sense is selective synchronization.

For example:

Synology NAS → Cloud Sync → Dropbox → Laptop/mobile devices

A small business might sync only a frequently used project folder rather than attempting to copy its entire file server.

5. Backblaze B2: Better for Actual NAS Backup

Backblaze B2 is different from Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, and Box. It is object storage rather than a conventional consumer file-sync service. That distinction makes it much more interesting for backup.

Backblaze currently provides the first 10 GB of B2 storage free, with paid storage starting at $6.95 per TB per month. More importantly, Backblaze explicitly supports Synology NAS workflows using Hyper Backup and Cloud Sync.

What About B2 Egress?

Egress is where cloud-backup costs can become confusing.

Backblaze currently includes free egress equivalent to three times average monthly stored data. Additional standard egress is $0.01 per GB, with unlimited free egress also available through certain CDN and compute partners.

That makes B2 attractive for users who want to experiment with genuine offsite NAS backup before scaling into paid capacity.

6. Cloudflare R2: Interesting Because Egress Is Free

Cloudflare R2 takes another approach.

Its Standard storage free tier currently includes:

• 10 GB-month of storage
• 1 million Class A operations per month
• 10 million Class B operations per month
• Free direct internet egress

After the free allowance, Standard storage is currently $0.015 per GB-month. The most interesting feature is egress. Cloudflare currently charges no direct egress bandwidth fee for R2, including data transferred through its S3 API.

That can make R2 financially attractive for workloads where data may need to be retrieved frequently.

However, this is an S3-compatible object-storage service rather than the same plug-and-play consumer Cloud Sync experience provided by Google Drive or Dropbox. Synology users should therefore verify the exact DSM application and S3 workflow they intend to use rather than assuming every Cloud Sync feature will behave identically.

Cloud Sync and Hyper Backup Are Not the Same

This distinction is essential when choosing a provider. Cloud Sync is primarily designed to synchronize files between Synology and cloud services.

For example:

NAS folder ⇄ Google Drive

Depending on configuration, changes can propagate between locations. That is convenient for accessibility and collaboration, but synchronization should not automatically be considered backup. If unwanted changes or deletions synchronize to the other side, the cloud copy may not provide the recovery history you expected.

Hyper Backup is designed around backup jobs, versions, retention, and recovery. For protecting important NAS data, Hyper Backup or another proper backup architecture is generally preferable to relying exclusively on synchronization.

What About Synology Hybrid Share?

Hybrid Share belongs in another category entirely. It should not be viewed as a generic feature that can connect DSM to whichever free cloud provider offers the most storage.

Synology’s current C2 OneStorage offering specifically includes C2 Storage for Hybrid Share, which provides cloud-backed multi-site file sharing and local caching of frequently accessed data.

In other words:

Cloud Sync → works with various supported public cloud providers.

Hybrid Share → built around Synology C2 Storage.

That distinction matters if Hybrid Share is one of your requirements. Google Drive offering 15 GB free does not make it a free replacement for C2 Hybrid Share.

Free Storage Is Useful for Testing, Not Full NAS Protection

A modern Synology may contain 20 TB, 50 TB, or more. Against those numbers, even Google’s 15 GB free tier is tiny.

Free cloud accounts are therefore most useful for:

• Testing Cloud Sync
• Testing backup workflows
• Protecting critical documents
• Synchronizing selected folders
• Maintaining small offsite datasets
• Evaluating a provider before paying

They are rarely realistic as the only offsite destination for an entire business NAS.

Pay Attention to Egress Before Scaling

Free capacity gets users started, but recovery cost becomes more important once several terabytes are stored. Imagine backing up 20 TB and then needing to restore the entire dataset after a disaster. At that point, storage price is only part of the equation.

Evaluate:

Monthly storage + API/operation charges + retrieval charges + egress + expected recovery frequency

Backblaze’s 3× free monthly egress allowance can substantially reduce normal restoration costs. Cloudflare R2 goes further by eliminating direct egress charges, although API operations and—in its Infrequent Access tier—retrieval charges still need consideration.

Consumer platforms such as Google Drive and OneDrive use different quota, bandwidth, and account models, so they should not be compared to object storage solely using a per-GB egress figure.

Which Free Cloud Storage Is Best for Synology?

There is no single winner because these services solve different problems.

• For the largest simple consumer free tier, Google Drive’s 15 GB is attractive.
• For document-oriented Cloud Sync, Google Drive, OneDrive, Box, and Dropbox are convenient choices supported within the Synology ecosystem.
• For testing genuine NAS cloud backup, Backblaze B2’s free 10 GB and established Synology integration make it more compelling.
• For users particularly concerned about future egress charges, Cloudflare R2’s free direct egress and 10 GB-month Standard free tier deserve attention.
• And if Hybrid Share is the requirement, the decision changes: Hybrid Share is tied to Synology’s C2 storage architecture rather than these generic free cloud tiers.

The key is to decide whether you need file synchronization, versioned backup, object storage, or cloud-backed hybrid storage before comparing free gigabytes.

About Epis Technology

Epis Technology helps businesses design Synology cloud storage around recovery requirements rather than choosing a provider based only on monthly storage prices. Services include Synology Cloud Sync and Hyper Backup configuration, Synology C2 planning, Backblaze B2 integration, cloud and offsite backups, Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace protection, large storage solutions, immutable backup strategies, disaster recovery, and ongoing Synology support. Epis Technology can help organizations determine which data belongs locally, which should be replicated to the cloud, and how storage, retention, egress costs, and recovery time affect the complete backup architecture.