10 Best Cloud Storage Services of 2026

Google Drive is the default answer for most households because it is already there: every Google account gets 15 GB free, and that space covers Drive files, Google Photos and Gmail together. Upgrading through Google One adds 100 GB, 2 TB or 5 TB tiers, and every paid plan can be shared with up to 5 other people, so a family can run on a single subscription. The desktop app for Windows and macOS keeps a Drive folder in step with the cloud, and the mobile apps can scan receipts and letters into searchable PDFs. The trade-offs are the shared quota, which means a busy inbox and a phone camera roll compete for the same space, and the bundling of Gemini AI features into the 2 TB and 5 TB tiers. Files are not end-to-end encrypted by default. From our location the plans page showed local currency only, so the USD price is pending.

OneDrive is the strongest value on this list for a family that will use Microsoft's apps. Microsoft 365 Family costs $129.99 a year and covers up to six people, each with 1 TB of their own storage and the Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook desktop apps. If you only need storage, Microsoft 365 Basic gives one person 100 GB for $1.99 a month or $19.99 a year. Microsoft lists Personal Vault for sensitive files, ransomware detection with file restore, and password protected or expiring links on its paid plans, and storage can be expanded up to 10 TB. The weak spots are structural: Family storage is split into 1 TB per person, so one heavy user cannot borrow space from the others, and the price only looks this good if the Office apps matter to you. Files are not end-to-end encrypted by default, though Personal Vault adds an extra sign-in step.

For an all-Apple household, iCloud+ is the least effort option because it is already part of every iPhone, iPad and Mac. iCloud Photos keeps full-resolution photos and videos in the cloud while devices hold smaller versions, and device backups happen without another app. Apple's US prices start at $0.99 a month for 50 GB and run through 200 GB, 2 TB, 6 TB and 12 TB, and any plan can be shared with up to five family members at no extra cost. Paid plans add iCloud Private Relay for Safari, Hide My Email forwarding addresses and HomeKit Secure Video, and Apple offers Advanced Data Protection for people who want end-to-end encryption across more categories. The limits are clear: the free tier is only 5 GB, which fills quickly with a single phone backup, and the service makes much less sense for Android users or people who work mainly on Windows.

Dropbox built its name on sync, and the paid Plus plan still focuses on that: 2 TB for one person, unlimited connected devices, and 30 days of version history and deleted file recovery. Plus also includes features that other storage services charge for or skip, such as file transfers of up to 50 GB, PDF editing, document scanning and unlimited self-signing of documents, along with integrations with AI tools. Remote device wipe and multi-factor authentication are listed on every paid plan. The free Basic plan is the weak point at 2 GB, which is not enough for photo backup. Dropbox is also hard to justify on value for a family, since Plus covers a single person and the team plans are priced per user. From our location the plans page showed euro prices only, so the USD price is pending. Choose Dropbox when sync reliability and work tools matter more than storage per dollar.

pCloud stands out because you can buy storage once. Its lifetime plans cover 500 GB, 2 TB and 10 TB for a single payment, and subscription billing is also offered. Every Premium plan includes pCloud Photos, with timeline and map views, and pCloud Docs, which has six editors for documents, spreadsheets, presentations, PDFs, text and markdown. A built-in music and video player streams media straight from the cloud, the desktop app can work with files without filling local disk space, and you can recover data from up to 30 days back. The Family Plan covers up to 5 users. The catches: client-side encryption is sold separately as pCloud Encryption, so standard plans are not zero-knowledge, and a lifetime plan is a bet that the company will be around for decades. From our location the pricing page showed euros only, so the USD price is pending.

Proton Drive is the encrypted choice from the company behind Proton Mail. Files are end-to-end encrypted on every plan, so Proton says it cannot read them, and the free plan gives 5 GB with the same encryption. Drive Plus adds 200 GB and 10 years of previous file versions for $4.99 monthly or $2.49 a month billed $29.88 yearly on the current offer. Proton Unlimited adds 500 GB plus Proton VPN, Mail, Calendar and Pass, and Proton Family covers up to 6 users with 3 TB. Online document and spreadsheet editors work inside the encrypted drive, and shared links can carry passwords and expiry dates. The trade-offs are capacity and price clarity. Personal plans stop at 3 TB, the cheapest tier is small for photo libraries, and the advertised prices are discounted yearly rates, so check the renewal price before committing.

IDrive approaches cloud storage from the backup side. One Personal account can back up multiple PCs, Macs and Linux machines plus iPhones, iPads and Android devices, and continuous backup picks up changed files in near real time. It also backs up external USB drives and NAS boxes from Synology, QNAP and others, which most sync services do not. Cloud Drive adds a sync folder across linked devices. Pricing is the draw: there is a free 10 GB plan, IDrive Mini starts at $0.25 a month billed yearly for 100 GB, and Personal 5 TB costs $6.99 a month on yearly billing in the first year. IDrive Express ships a storage device to speed up large first backups or restores. The downsides are an interface built around backup sets rather than a simple folder, and first-year discounts that give way to standard prices. If your goal is backup rather than file sharing, it is hard to beat.

Sync.com is a straightforward encrypted alternative to the big platforms. Every plan uses end-to-end encryption, and Sync says it does not track, share or sell app usage data. Personal 1 TB costs $9 a month billed annually in the first year ($108), rising to $12, with Solo 5 TB and a Personal Unlimited plan above it. File history runs from 90 days on 1 TB to 365 days on Unlimited, which is longer than most rivals. Sharing controls include passwords, expiry dates, download limits and preview-only links, and Sync CloudFiles keeps files in the cloud until you open them. Apps cover Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android and the web, and a 30-day money-back guarantee applies. Downsides: the discount is first year only, plans are single user so families need separate accounts, and the Unlimited plan may slow uploads beyond 10 TB.

MEGA offers the most free encrypted space here: 20 GB with the same zero-knowledge encryption as its paid plans, so files are encrypted on your device before upload and MEGA does not hold the keys. Every plan keeps up to 100 file versions, and Pro plans add Rewind, which can roll a folder back up to 60 days. Pro plans also include MEGA VPN and MEGA Pass, and every account gets encrypted chat and video meetings, limited to one hour on the free tier. A Pro Flexi plan charges by usage above a 3 TB base. The drawbacks are mostly about money and limits. MEGA says it charges in euros for all transactions, so US buyers face exchange rates, free accounts have limited transfer quota, and the pricing page we fetched did not show fixed USD prices, so the price check is pending.

Icedrive is a smaller provider that competes on price and built-in encryption. Paid plans include client-side Twofish encryption with zero knowledge, so files in the encrypted space are locked before they leave your device, and Icedrive cannot read them. Pro 2 TB is $6.29 a month billed $75.52 for the first year, against a regular $8.99, and offers 90 days of file versioning, unlimited desktop sync devices, file requests and protected public links with passwords, expiry dates and download limits. There is also a 100 GB tier, larger 5 TB and 10 TB tiers, and one-time lifetime plans. A free 10 GB account lets you try the apps, but it has no encryption and no file history. Mobile and web access on Pro 2 TB is capped at 5 devices, and the Icedrive Docs editors are still marked as coming soon. A 30-day money-back guarantee covers paid plans.