The Best Free and Paid Cloud Storage Services
When it comes to important data, you should always have a backup. And then a backup of that backup. Cloud storage services don’t have to be your entire strategy, but they can help. Sometimes you just don’t have enough physical space to store all the photos you’ve taken in your life, or all your e-books and work documents. Plus, there’s the convenience factor of syncing your files across all the devices you use, so that a document you created on your iPad can instantly appear on your Mac or Windows PC.
However, choosing cloud storage is not as easy as it used to be. Now that most cloud usage is tied to platforms and ecosystems, your cloud service will truly depend on the devices you use.
Google One
If you are fully into the Android or Google ecosystem, Google One will be the best plan for you. With every Google account you get 15GB of storage for free, which is shared across services like Gmail, Google Drive and Google Photos. But you can add more space for just $0.99 per month for 100GB and $2.99 for 200GB.
With Google One, your photos are automatically backed up to Google, you can upload large files and share them to Google Drive, and you won’t have to worry about running out of space in Gmail. The Google Drive web app is robust, and there are desktop app options as well. In addition, the tariffs for TB are quite competitive and even cheaper than Microsoft.
The 2TB premium plan may suit most users. It’s $10 per month or $100 per year and supports family sharing (as do cheaper plans). Plus, you get 10% cash back on Google Store and Google Workspace Premium purchases. If 2TB isn’t enough, you can add up to 30TB of additional storage for up to $150 per year.
Microsoft 365
Microsoft’s policy of bundling all possible additional services into one plan is still in effect. That’s why Microsoft 365 is so popular among businesses. A single plan gives you access to the entire Office suite and Microsoft Teams for enterprise, which can be used by multiple users. Each user gets 5GB of OneDrive storage for free, and a Microsoft 365 subscription increases that to 1TB. Unfortunately, unlike Google One, there are no intermediate plans between these options.
While 365 enterprise offerings are popular, the Microsoft 365 Family plan offers a similar package for individuals. This plan supports all paid Office apps, Copilot AI, and 6TB of storage space shared across 6 accounts, making it a great deal for families or to share with friends. It costs $12.99 per month or $129.99 per year.
If you don’t want to use multiple accounts, the $9.99/month cost per TB per account doesn’t make sense. In this case, it is better to look for alternatives.
iDrive
iDrive is a popular choice when it comes to backing up data or storing copies of entire drives in the cloud. But while it’s not just a storage solution, its file sharing and collaboration features make it competitive with other options on this list. The service provides a generous 10GB data plan for free.
The downside is that there’s no built-in productivity suite as individual files aren’t really the focus of this service, but the benefit of backup is that iDrive does provide end-to-end encryption, although it must be enabled by the user. And if you forget the encryption key, you’ll lose access to all your files.
However, you can use iDrive to download data from your computer and share it with others. The 5TB plan will cost you $69.96 for the first year. There’s also a 10TB plan for $105 for the first year.
Proton Unlimited
If you’re looking for security and don’t need a lot of features, the Proton might be right for you. The Proton Unlimited plan gives you access to Proton Mail, Proton VPN , Proton Docs , as well as 500GB of storage for $12.99 per month or $120 per year. Instead, the Proton Duo 1TB plan will cost you $15 per month. In terms of free storage, Proton only offers 1GB of space for free users.
It’s more expensive than traditional cloud sync services, but Proton offers you extra peace of mind. You get encrypted storage and no one, including Proton, has access to your files. Additionally, the company is based in Switzerland, so it is subject to strict Swiss regulations and privacy laws.
Synchronize
Sync offers a reliable alternative to cloud storage for large companies. This makes things extremely simple. It’s just about storing and synchronizing files between devices and between different platforms. There are add-ons, no email accounts, no document apps, nothing. Just like the good old days of Dropbox.
The free plan gives you 5GB of space, and you get 2TB of storage for $96 per year, which is about the same price as iCloud+ or Google Drive. Here you get client-side encryption so Sync won’t be able to access your data. Sync offers simple, lightweight apps for Mac and Windows, as well as mobile clients. Anything you transfer to the Sync folder on your device appears instantly in your Sync account. There are also no file restrictions here. Now that Dropbox has become so bloated (more on that later), Sync offers a simpler, easier-to-use alternative.
pCloud
pCloud is another secure cloud backup provider that has two features. First, it offers 10GB of storage space for free, which is much more than most of its competitors. Secondly, it offers lifetime cloud storage for a one-time fee. This is a good choice for users who don’t like paying monthly fees.
At the time of writing, you can get 500GB space for $199 and 2TB space for $399. pCloud also has annual plans, but I wouldn’t recommend it at $99 a year for 2TB of storage (you can get Google One or iCloud+ plans for the same price).
iCloud+
iCloud+ is aimed at users of the Apple ecosystem, and that’s where it makes the most sense. iCloud+ is useful not only as a storage service, but also as a place to back up user settings and device data. If you’re fully involved in the Apple ecosystem, it might make sense to use iCloud+ as your default cloud storage provider, as it makes it easier to sync photos, videos, and documents from your Mac. iCloud+ is another service that places a strong emphasis on privacy and offers end-to-end encryption.
A free iCloud account gets you 5GB of storage, and Cloud+ also offers flexible plans starting at $0.99 for 50GB of storage. The $9.99/month or $99/year 2TB plan may be the best option for most users since it includes family sharing (the 200GB plan can also be shared with a family). However, I wouldn’t recommend iCloud+ if you’re at all cross-platform or want to access files frequently from a web browser, as the Windows app and iCloud+ website aren’t very good, especially compared to the competitors on this list.
Why I Don’t Recommend Dropbox
One name missing from this list is Dropbox. In the previous decade, Dropbox had become a popular option for simple cross-platform storage that didn’t cost a fortune or anything at all. Now, the free Dropbox account can only work on three devices, has a 2GB data limit, and lower transfer speeds than paid plans.
The app has also become more business-focused and has greater support for third-party integration. Storage plans are no longer the cheapest or most varied. The 2TB plan costs $11.99 per month, while iCloud and Google One are cheaper.
The ease of use aspect has also disappeared. For example, the Mac app has encountered so many reliability issues that we recommend using a third-party app instead . Combine all of these issues, and using Dropbox in a personal capacity no longer makes sense.