---
id: bridge-devices.how-is-bridge-different-from-a-cloud-account
url: https://storagestudio.us/faq/bridge-devices/how-is-bridge-different-from-a-cloud-account
category: "Bridge & your devices"
subcategory: "About Bridge"
question: "How is a Bridge device different from a cloud account?"
alt_questions:
  - "Bridge vs cloud storage"
  - "Is Bridge a cloud service?"
  - "Do Bridge files get uploaded anywhere?"
  - "Why use Bridge instead of Dropbox between my computers?"
  - "Difference between Devices and Accounts in Storage Studio"
short_answer: "A cloud account stores files on a provider's servers. Bridge stores nothing anywhere else: files stay on your device and travel straight to your Mac over a direct, end-to-end encrypted link — but only while that device is on and connected."
tags: ["bridge", "cloud", "comparison"]
related: ["https://storagestudio.us/faq/bridge-devices/what-is-storage-studio-bridge", "https://storagestudio.us/faq/bridge-devices/where-do-shared-folders-from-a-device-appear-on-my-mac", "https://storagestudio.us/faq/bridge-devices/what-happens-when-a-paired-device-is-offline"]
applies_to: "all"
last_reviewed: 2026-10-01
---

# How is a Bridge device different from a cloud account?

A cloud account keeps your files on a provider's servers; a Bridge device keeps them on the device itself and sends them straight to your Mac. With Bridge there's no server, no cloud and no storage plan in the middle — the link is direct and end-to-end encrypted between your two devices.

The trade-off: a cloud account is reachable whenever you're online, while a Bridge device's folders are only reachable while that device is switched on and connected. When it's offline, Storage Studio simply skips it until it's back.

Both kinds can appear side by side inside the Storage Studio location in Finder.

- [Where do shared folders appear?](https://storagestudio.us/faq/bridge-devices/where-do-shared-folders-from-a-device-appear-on-my-mac)
- [Cloud accounts](https://storagestudio.us/faq/cloud-accounts/)