iCloud alternative: five photo storage picks with US prices

iCloud alternatives for a photo library

Five iCloud alternatives are priced here for a photo library: pCloud, Google Drive, Microsoft 365 Family (OneDrive), Icedrive and Proton Drive. iCloud+ 200 GB is $2.99 a month and 2 TB is $9.99 a month, both billed monthly, as read in Apple's US price table on 6 October 2026.

pCloud Premium 500 GB is $219 one-time or $49.99 a year, as listed on pCloud's US pricing page on 3 October 2026, and its iPhone and Android apps upload photos at original quality. pCloud vs iCloud sets the two services side by side.

Moving phone photos off iCloud

iCloud Photos is a sync: Apple says that when you delete content from your device, it is also removed from iCloud and from any device with iCloud Photos turned on. pCloud's Automatic upload, the phone-app setting that copies new photos and videos to pCloud, is one-way. Deleting a photo on the iPhone does not remove the copy that Automatic upload already stored.

Turn it on in the pCloud app for iOS or Android under Settings, then Automatic upload. It copies new photos and videos as they are taken, uploads everything by default unless you narrow it, and keeps photos at original quality. It works on the free Basic account too, within that account's storage: 2 GB at sign-up and up to 10 GB.

Before clearing the phone, preview the photos in pCloud; pCloud says you can free up device space once the upload is complete.

To get photos out of iCloud first, Apple documents three routes:

• iPhone: in Photos, select the photos, tap Share, then Export Unmodified Originals, and pick a place in Files.
• Mac: in Photos, open Settings, then iCloud, and click Download Originals to this Mac.
• iCloud.com: select up to 1,000 photos or videos at a time.

For a library kept long term, best cloud storage for photos compares photo tools and prices.

Paying once instead of every month

Apple's page says you are billed monthly once you upgrade iCloud+. pCloud Premium Plus 2 TB is also $9.99 a month billed monthly, the same as iCloud+ 2 TB, and adds $99.99 a year and $499 one-time, as listed on 3 October 2026.

pCloud calls its one-time plan Lifetime, and its terms say it lasts for the account owner's lifetime or 99 years, whichever is shorter; it starts at $219 for 500 GB. Icedrive's Lifetime starts at $399 for Personal 500 GB, as read on 6 October 2026. Cheap cloud storage for photos lists the smallest paid plans.

Family sharing after iCloud

On iCloud+, every paid tier can be shared with up to five other family members. Microsoft 365 Family covers up to 6 people with 1 TB each for $129.99 a year, and Google One can be shared with up to 5 family members who share one quota.

pCloud Family is Lifetime only: 2 TB for up to 5 users, the owner plus 4 family members, each in a private account, at $749 one-time, as listed on 25 September 2026.

• pCloud to pay once and upload from iPhone or Android at original quality.
• Google Drive to start on a free tier of up to 15 GB, or Google One Basic 100 GB at $1.99 a month.
• Microsoft 365 Family for up to 6 people at $129.99 a year.
• Proton Drive Plus for 10 years of file versions.
• iCloud+ itself for 50 GB at $0.99 a month, billed monthly.

pCloud's terms let you ask in writing for a refund within 14 calendar days of the purchase; a promotional purchase can be refused.