Best cloud storage: eight services compared on US prices

The best cloud storage services, matched to the buyer

Eight cloud storage services are priced here, and each is the best pick for one kind of buyer: pCloud to pay once, Google Drive for up to 15 GB free, iCloud+ for family sharing, Dropbox for large transfers, Microsoft 365 Family for large households, Sync.com for a free trial, Icedrive for included encryption and Proton Drive for encryption on every plan, the free one included.

At 2 TB, price alone does not separate them. pCloud, Google, iCloud+ and Icedrive each list $9.99 a month billed monthly, Dropbox lists $9.99 a month billed yearly, and pCloud and Google each list $99.99 a year (pCloud as listed on 3 October 2026, Google and Dropbox on 5 October, iCloud+ and Icedrive on 6 October). The differences are in the terms below.

Best cloud storage to pay for once: pCloud

pCloud sells three Lifetime plans for individuals, each a one-time payment, as listed on 3 October 2026: Premium 500 GB at $219, Premium Plus 2 TB at $499 and Ultra 10 TB at $1,499. pCloud's terms define Lifetime as the account owner's lifetime or 99 years, whichever is shorter, and let pCloud change or discontinue the service. A Lifetime account has no inactivity clause.

Icedrive is the other one-time seller among the services priced here: Personal 500 GB is $399 and Personal+ 2 TB is $699, as read on 6 October 2026. Lifetime cloud storage plans compares six one-time plans.

pCloud has no free trial of a paid personal plan, and its client-side encryption, the Crypto folder that encrypts files on your own device, is a paid add-on at $49.99 a year or $150 one-time, as listed on 28 September 2026.

Icedrive includes encryption, file and folder names too, on its paid plans, and Proton says its files and their names are encrypted on your device before upload on every plan, free included. pCloud review covers pCloud's plans and limits.

Best free and low-cost cloud storage

Google gives every account up to 15 GB free, in one pool that Gmail, Drive and Photos share. Apple and Proton Drive give 5 GB free, Icedrive 10 GB and Dropbox Basic 2 GB.

pCloud Basic starts at 2 GB and unlocks up to 10 GB by finishing a tutorial and inviting friends; pCloud's home page says no credit card is required to start, and a free pCloud account inactive for 12 months is deleted with its files.

For a paid plan at the lowest price, iCloud+ 50 GB is $0.99 a month, billed monthly, as read on 6 October 2026. Cheap cloud storage for photos lists the six smallest paid plans.

Best cloud storage for families and phones

iCloud+ shares any paid tier with up to five other family members, on one monthly bill. Microsoft 365 Family is $129.99 a year, or $12.99 a month, for up to 6 people, 1 TB each, and it renews automatically unless canceled in your Microsoft account. Google One shares with up to 5 family members, who share one quota. Proton Family is 3 TB for up to 6 users at $23.99 a month billed yearly.

pCloud Family, sold only as Lifetime, puts the owner and up to 4 family members in private accounts within 2 TB for $749 one-time, as listed on 25 September 2026.

For phone photos, pCloud's Automatic upload on iOS and Android copies new photos at original quality, one way, so a photo deleted from the phone stays in pCloud. Best cloud storage for photos covers a library kept long term.

Best cloud storage for large libraries and small teams

pCloud Ultra 10 TB is $29.99 a month, $299.99 a year or $1,499 one-time, as listed on 3 October 2026. iCloud+ has 6 TB at $29.99 a month and 12 TB at $59.99 a month. Google AI Pro, 5 TB, is $19.99 a month or $199.99 a year, and Icedrive Pro Plus, 4 TB, is $15.99 a month, billed monthly.

Small teams have two priced options here: Dropbox Standard, from 3 TB for the team at $15 a user a month billed yearly, and pCloud Business, 3 users with 1 TB each at $29.97 a month billed monthly (listed 19 September 2026), with client-side encryption and a 30-day free trial. Google and Dropbox figures are as listed on 5 October 2026, and iCloud+ and Icedrive figures as read on 6 October 2026.

Best cloud storage for trials, refunds and file history

Sync.com has both a 30-day free trial and a 30-day money-back guarantee, with 90 days of file history on Personal 1 TB. Its regular 1 TB price, after a first-year promotion, is $16 a month billed monthly or $12 a month billed annually. Icedrive gives a 30-day money-back guarantee, and so does Proton Drive, prorated. Proton Drive Plus keeps previous file versions for 10 years.

For pCloud's personal plans, the fallback is a 14-day money-back window on a written request, rather than a trial, and a refund can be declined on a discounted purchase. On pCloud, deleted files and old versions stay recoverable for 30 days on a paid plan, or 365 with the paid Extended File History add-on. Dropbox Plus lists 30 days to restore deleted files.