9 Best Cloud Storage of 2026

Google Drive takes the top spot because it gives the most people a sensible default. Every Google account starts with 15 GB of storage, shared across Drive, Gmail and Google Photos, which is triple the free space Apple and Microsoft include. When that fills up, Google One plans add room in steps: Basic gives 100 GB for $1.99 a month on the US App Store, and the 2 TB Google AI Plus plan costs $9.99 a month. Every paid plan can be shared with up to 5 other people, so one subscription can cover a household. The Drive app stores more than 100 file types, scans paper documents with your camera, searches files by name and content, and keeps chosen files available offline. The catch is that the free 15 GB also holds your email and photos, and Google now packages its 2 TB and 5 TB tiers with Gemini AI features, so you pay for extras if you only want space.

If everyone in your home uses an iPhone, iCloud+ is the most natural place for photos and backups. It is already built into iPhone, iPad and Mac, so iCloud Photos uploads full-resolution pictures and videos and keeps lighter copies on each device, while iCloud Backup saves your phone's data whenever it is charging on Wi-Fi. Apple lists five paid tiers in the US: 50 GB for $0.99 a month, 200 GB for $2.99, 2 TB for $9.99, 6 TB for $29.99 and 12 TB for $59.99. Any iCloud+ plan can be shared with up to five other family members at no extra cost, and the Shared Photo Library lets up to six people pool their pictures. You also get privacy features such as Private Relay in Safari and Hide My Email. The free tier is only 5 GB, though, which most iPhone owners outgrow quickly, and there is no Android app, so mixed households will find it awkward.

OneDrive is the right pick for people who live on a Windows PC or already pay for Office. It can back up your Windows PC folders, and the mobile app uploads your camera roll, tags photos automatically and lets you search them by what is in the picture, such as beach or snow. Microsoft 365 Basic gives 100 GB for $1.99 a month or $19.99 a year in the US. Microsoft 365 Personal costs $99.99 a year and raises storage to 1 TB while adding the Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and OneNote desktop apps, and Family covers up to six people for $129.99 a year. Security features include Personal Vault for sensitive files, ransomware detection with file restore, and version history. The free tier is only 5 GB, and if you want more than 100 GB without Office you have no standalone option, so the bundle is great value only if you will use the apps.

pCloud stands out for one reason most rivals do not offer: lifetime plans, where you pay once and keep the storage. The service is based in Switzerland and lets you choose whether your files live in Europe or the USA. New accounts start with up to 10 GB free, the phone app backs up photos and videos automatically, and the built-in player streams music and video straight from the cloud, which suits people with large media libraries. On the US App Store, Premium costs $4.99 a month and Premium Plus $9.99 a month, with plans reaching 10 TB, and a Family plan covers up to 5 users. Zero-knowledge encryption is available but sold separately as pCloud Encryption, also $4.99 in the app. Lifetime prices on the website appeared in euros from our location, so confirm the US price before buying, and do the math: a lifetime plan pays off only if you keep using it for years.

Proton Drive is for people who want the convenience of cloud backup without handing a big tech company readable copies of their photos. Everything you store, including photos and documents, is protected with end-to-end encryption, and Proton says not even it can access your data. The free plan gives 5 GB with no credit card required. Drive Plus adds 200 GB and 10 years of previous file versions, shown at $2.49 a month billed $29.88 every 12 months, half its listed $4.99 rate. Proton Unlimited bundles 500 GB with Proton VPN, Mail and Pass for $6.49 a month on the same yearly offer, and Proton Family stretches to 3 TB for up to 6 users. A built-in editor handles documents and spreadsheets. The tradeoffs are the small free tier and promotional pricing that may not last, plus fewer integrations than the big platforms, so check renewal terms before you commit.

Dropbox is still one of the smoothest ways to keep the same folders in sync across several computers and to send big files to people who do not use the service. The Plus plan gives one person 2 TB, connects unlimited devices, lets you restore deleted files for 30 days and sends transfers of up to 50 GB. Online-only files keep your laptop drive free while everything stays visible in your folders, and PDF editing and signatures are included. On the US App Store, Dropbox lists a Simple plan at $6.99 a month, Plus at $11.99 a month or $119.99 a year, and a Family plan at $19.99 a month. The free Basic plan is the weak spot: 2 GB and up to 3 devices is enough to try the app but not to back up a phone. For pure photo backup, Apple's 2 TB tier at $9.99 a month costs less than Plus billed monthly, and Google and Microsoft sell cheaper small tiers.

Sync.com combines end-to-end encryption with big storage tiers, which makes it a strong fit for people backing up years of photos who also care about privacy. The company says its encrypted platform ensures only you can access your files, and it does not track, share or sell app usage data. The free plan includes 5 GB and syncs up to 5 of your devices. Paid plans start large: Personal 1 TB is $9 a month billed annually, $108 for the first year after a 25% discount from $12, Solo 5 TB is $21 a month and Personal Unlimited is $33.75 a month on the same first-year offer, with 365-day file history. The mobile apps upload photos and videos automatically, and you can keep chosen files offline. If you only need 100 or 200 GB, Sync.com is poor value because there is no small tier, and the prices shown are introductory.

Icedrive is a lean, low-cost alternative for people who want encrypted storage without a big platform attached. New accounts get 10 GB free with no referral tricks, and the phone app backs up photos and videos automatically, streams music and video, and lets you request files from other people. Paid plans add client-side Twofish encryption, so files are encrypted on your device before upload, plus 90 days of file versioning on Pro. The website lists plans from 100 GB to 10 TB, with Pro 2 TB normally $8.99 a month, and the US App Store sells Lite at $4.99 a month or $47.99 a year and Pro I at $7.99 a month. Lifetime plans are also offered, and every paid plan has a 30-day money-back guarantee. The free tier skips encryption and file history, and Icedrive is a smaller operator than the names above it, so keep a second copy of anything irreplaceable.

MEGA gives away more free space than anyone else on this list: 20 GB of encrypted storage with no credit card required. Files are protected with zero-knowledge encryption, so they are encrypted and decrypted on your device and MEGA says it cannot read them, and its client code is published on GitHub. The phone app backs up your camera roll automatically, keeps file version history, and shares files through password-protected links with expiry dates, even to people without an account. It also includes encrypted chat and video calls. On the US App Store, the Essential plan costs $59.99 a year, PRO LITE is $6.49 a month or $79.99 a year, and PRO I through PRO III add more space. The website states that all transactions are charged in euros. Because only you hold the keys, losing your recovery key can mean losing your data, so set it aside on day one.