10 Best Photo Storage Apps of 2026

Google Photos earns first place because it does the two jobs on this list well for the widest group of phone owners: it backs up a camera roll automatically and it makes sharing easy. Every Google account gets up to 15 GB of storage, though that pool also holds Gmail and Google Drive, and in some countries the full amount requires adding a phone number. When space runs out, the US App Store lists 100 GB for $1.99 a month, 200 GB for $2.99 and the 2 TB Google AI Plus plan for $9.99. Search works with plain descriptions, duplicates and similar shots are grouped into stacks, and sensitive pictures can go into a locked folder. Shared albums open for people who do not use Google Photos, which matters when grandparents are on a different phone. Once photos are backed up, the app can clear them from the phone in one tap. The drawback is that the free space fills quickly when email and documents share it.

iCloud Photos is the easiest option for anyone whose family is all on iPhone, iPad and Mac, because it is already switched on in the device settings. Apple says it keeps high-resolution photos and videos in iCloud while devices hold space-saving versions, which frees room on a full phone. The free tier is only 5 GB, but iCloud+ starts at $0.99 a month for 50 GB, the lowest entry price we found, and 200 GB costs $2.99. Every iCloud+ plan can be shared with up to five other family members at no extra cost, so one 2 TB plan at $9.99 a month can hold a whole household's camera rolls. Shared Albums let friends and relatives add their own photos, videos and comments. Plans go as high as 12 TB for $59.99 a month. The limit is reach: people on Android or Windows get a weaker experience, which is why it ranks just behind Google Photos.

Amazon Photos is the strongest value for the many households that already pay for Prime. Its US App Store listing says Prime members in the United States get unlimited full-resolution photo storage plus 5 GB of video storage, so a phone full of pictures can be backed up without buying anything else. Customers without Prime receive 5 GB of photo and video storage, and monthly plans run from 50 GB for $0.99 to 2 TB for $11.99. Auto-Save uploads every new shot, search filters by date or location, and private Amazon Photos Groups gather an event's pictures into one album. Photos can also play on Echo Show screens and Fire TV, which suits people who like a digital frame in the kitchen. The catch is video: the 5 GB Prime allowance fills fast for anyone who records clips of children or trips, so heavy video users will need a paid tier or another service.

Ente Photos is the pick for people who want Google Photos conveniences without the company being able to see their pictures. Backups are end-to-end encrypted, and Ente says it stores them in 3 locations, one of them an underground facility. The free tier is 10 GB, twice what Apple and Amazon offer, and the US App Store lists 50 GB at $2.99 a month or $29.90 a year, 200 GB at $5.99 and 1000 GB at $11.99. Face recognition and natural language search run on the device, so search still works without exposing photos to a server. Any paid plan can be shared with up to 5 family members, each with private space, and a public link lets party guests upload their own shots. The code is open source and has been audited by outside experts. The tradeoffs are price, which is higher per gigabyte than the big platforms, and responsibility: with encryption like this, a lost password and recovery key cannot be reset by the company.

Microsoft OneDrive makes the most sense for people who already pay for Microsoft 365 or use a Windows PC every day. Its iPhone app backs up photos and videos once Camera Upload is turned on, tags pictures automatically and lets you search them by what is in them, such as a beach or snow. The free tier is 5 GB, and Microsoft 365 Basic adds 100 GB for $1.99 a month. The bigger draw is Microsoft 365 Personal, which includes 1 TB of storage alongside Word, Excel and PowerPoint, so a household paying for Office may already have room for years of photos. Paid plans add password-protected and expiring sharing links, and Personal Vault adds identity verification for scans of passports or other sensitive files. Photo browsing and editing are plainer than in Google Photos or iCloud Photos, and the free tier is small, which keeps it in the middle of the list.

Proton Drive suits people who want photo backup inside a broader encrypted storage account rather than in a dedicated photo app. Proton says files, photos and documents are end-to-end encrypted so that not even the company can access them. The mobile apps back up photos and videos automatically, and collaborative albums let family members add to the same collection. Sharing links can be protected with a password and an expiry date, which is useful when sending pictures outside the family. The free plan gives 5 GB, and Drive Plus offers 200 GB for $2.49 a month, billed $29.88 for the first 12 months and then $47.88 a year. Drive Plus also keeps previous file versions for 10 years and comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee. Compared with Ente, Proton puts less weight on photo-specific tools like face search, and its headline price rises after the first year.

Immich is for people willing to run their own photo server in exchange for never paying a storage subscription. The iPhone app's listing is direct about it: the app is a client for Immich Server, and you need to run and manage that server yourself. In return, photos live on hardware you control, and space grows with the disks you add rather than a monthly plan. The software is open source and free to use. Its makers sell optional lifetime product keys, $25 for a single user or $100 for a family, and say the purchase grants no additional features because they are committed not to add paywalls. The purchase page also notes that it still requires hardware. That is the main hurdle: setup takes technical skill, and you are responsible for keeping a second copy somewhere else in case the server fails. For anyone who already owns a NAS or home server, though, it is the cheapest way to back up a very large library.

Flickr is a photo community first and a backup service second, which shapes who should choose it. Free accounts are limited to 1,000 uploads, and only 50 of those can be private, so it is not a home for a private family archive unless you pay. Flickr Pro removes that cap with unlimited storage and full-resolution uploads, adds unlimited private photos, and includes AutoUploadr for hands-free backup. Pro costs $82 billed once a year, which Flickr shows as $6.83 a month, $148 every two years or $11 month to month. Members also get ad-free browsing for themselves and their visitors, detailed view stats, 10-minute video uploads and partner discounts. For hobby photographers who want feedback, groups and a public portfolio alongside a full archive, that mix is unusual. For a parent who simply wants a camera roll copied somewhere safe, the community features add little and the free tier is too tight.

SmugMug is a paid service built around unlimited, private galleries rather than a free starter tier. Its App Store listing describes the Keep plan as made for family moments, with truly unlimited storage at full resolution, Auto Upload over Wi-Fi and control over who can see each photo or gallery. Sharing works through direct links, without a feed or an algorithm deciding who sees what, and prints and gifts can be ordered from any gallery. On the US App Store, Basic costs $11.49 a month or $96 a year and Keep costs $13.99 a month or $119 a year. The website's Direct, Portfolio and Pro plans, from $24.58 a month billed annually, add selling tools for working photographers. The price is the obstacle: a family storing a few hundred gigabytes pays far less with iCloud Photos or Google Photos. SmugMug pays off for very large libraries, or for people who want polished private galleries and prints in one place.

Dropbox is a file storage service that happens to back up photos, rather than a photo app. Its mobile app can upload photos and videos from the camera roll in the background, and its strength is sharing: a link sends large files to anyone, even people without an account, which helps when passing raw wedding video to relatives. It previews more than 175 file types, and Dropbox Rewind on Plus rolls back a file, folder or whole account up to 30 days. Basic is free with 2 GB, the smallest free allowance here. On the US App Store, Simple costs $6.99 a month and Plus, with 2 TB, costs $11.99 a month or $119.99 a year. There are no face search, memories or editing tools of the kind Google Photos and iCloud Photos include, and per gigabyte it costs more than those services. Pick Dropbox if you already use it for work files and want photos in the same place.