10 Best Free Cloud Storage of 2026

Google Drive is the best free tier for most people because 15 GB comes with every Google Account and the account already does a lot of other work. Google's help pages say that storage is shared across Gmail, Google Drive and Google Photos, which is the main catch: a busy inbox or a phone that backs up every photo will use the same pool. In return you get Docs, Sheets and Slides for editing files in the browser, sharing links that anyone can open, and the option to save Gmail attachments straight into Drive. Apps cover the web, Android and iPhone. When the free space runs out, the step up is small. The Google Drive listing on the US App Store shows 100 GB for $1.99 and 200 GB for $2.99, sold as Google One plans. Privacy-focused users should note that Drive does not offer end-to-end encryption on personal accounts, so MEGA or Proton Drive are better fits if that matters more than convenience.

MEGA gives the largest free allowance here: its storage page says the service offers 20 GB of free encrypted cloud storage, and that the free plan uses the same zero-knowledge encryption as its paid plans. Files are encrypted on your device before upload, so MEGA says it cannot read them. The App Store listing adds automatic camera backup, version history, and share links that can carry a password and an expiry date, which is more control than most free tiers offer. Sync and desktop apps cover Windows, macOS and Linux, plus browser extensions for Chrome and Edge. The trade-offs are practical. MEGA's pricing page describes the free plan as having limited transfer, so moving a lot of data in and out can stall, and paid web plans are charged in euros. In the US App Store the cheapest plan, PRO LITE, is listed at $6.49 per month, which is a bigger jump than Google or Microsoft upgrades.

OneDrive is the free option that takes the least effort on a Windows PC, because it is part of the operating system and the free Microsoft account. Microsoft's free storage page lists 5 GB of cloud storage, 15 GB of mailbox storage, Outlook.com email and calendar, and photo and file backup across Windows, macOS, iOS and Android. That separate mailbox allowance is a real advantage over Google, where email and files share one pool. You also get the web versions of Word, Excel and PowerPoint for editing files without installing Office. The limit is the size: 5 GB fills quickly with phone photos or PC folder backup. Microsoft's upgrade is one of the cheapest on this list. The compare page shows Microsoft 365 Basic at $19.99 per year or $1.99 per month, with 100 GB of cloud storage, ad-free email and ransomware protection for files and photos. For people who already sign in to Windows with a Microsoft account, it is the obvious free starting point.

pCloud stands out for people whose free storage is mostly media. Its App Store listing promises up to 10 GB of free storage upon registration, automatic photo and video backup, and instant streaming of video and music without downloading files first. The pricing page describes a built-in music and video player, so a folder of your own music can work like a small streaming library. Large files can be shared by link with people who have no pCloud account, and sync works across your devices. The wording matters, though: the free allowance is up to 10 GB, so you should expect to start lower and earn the rest. Client-side encryption is sold as pCloud Encryption, a paid add-on, which puts it behind MEGA and Proton Drive for privacy on a free account. Upgrades are flexible. The US App Store lists Premium at $4.99, and pCloud also sells annual and lifetime plans up to 10 TB.

Proton Drive is the free plan to choose if privacy comes first and you still want to edit documents online. The pricing page lists Proton Free with 5 GB for storage, photos and documents, an online document and spreadsheet editor, and end-to-end encryption on everything, with no credit card required. Proton says that not even it can access your files. That combination is rare: most encrypted services store files but leave editing to other apps, while Proton Drive lets you write and collaborate on Docs inside the encrypted space. The free drive page also lists small privacy tools such as image and PDF watermarks and a metadata remover. The limits are space and price. At 5 GB the free plan holds a quarter of what MEGA offers. Drive Plus with 200 GB is listed at $4.99 per month, shown as $2.49 per month on an annual offer billed at $29.88 for the first 12 months, with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Box earns its place for people who need more than storage from a free account. The individual pricing page lists the free Individual plan with 10 GB of storage, a 250 MB file upload limit, one file version and five Box Sign signature requests per month. Being able to send a handful of documents for signature at no cost is unusual and useful for freelancers, tenants and small landlords. All plans include shared folders and links, two-factor authentication and built-in integrations with Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace, reflecting Box's background as business software. The limits on the free plan are tight in specific ways. The 250 MB file cap rules out most videos and large archives, and keeping only one version means there is no rollback if you overwrite a file. Personal Pro raises those to 100 GB of storage, 5 GB uploads and 10 file versions. The page showed euro prices from our location, so the US price is pending.

Icedrive is a straightforward pick if you want 10 GB free and expect to pay a little later. The plans page lists the free plan as 10 GB to get started, described as the essentials for storing and accessing your files, and its FAQ confirms a free account includes 10 GB so you can try the service before paying. The page is just as clear about what is missing: the free plan has no encryption, no file history and only basic collaboration. Those features, including client-side zero-knowledge encryption and 90-day file versioning on Pro 2 TB, are reserved for paid plans. That makes the free tier more of a trial than a long-term home for sensitive files. Paid tiers run from 100 GB to 10 TB, with monthly or yearly billing and lifetime plans sold as a one-time payment. The web plans page shows USD prices only after scripts run, so we list the upgrade price as pending.

iCloud is the free storage most iPhone owners already have, and that is its main strength. Apple's iCloud page lists a free 5 GB tier that backs up and syncs your data across your devices, with no setup beyond signing in to an Apple Account. Your data is kept backed up and in sync on each Apple device you sign in to. The weakness is the size. A single iPhone backup plus a photo library can pass 5 GB, which is why many people see storage warnings within months. Apple's answer is the cheapest upgrade on this list: iCloud+ with 50 GB for $0.99 per month, and all iCloud+ plans can be shared with up to five other family members at no extra cost. iCloud+ also adds iCloud Private Relay. Outside Apple hardware the experience is thinner, so Windows and Android users will get more from Google Drive or OneDrive.

Dropbox Basic is the free plan with the least space and some of the best file safety features. The Dropbox Basic page offers 2 GB of storage with apps for Windows and Mac, a web interface and iOS and Android apps that preview over 175 file types. Two features stand out for a free account: you can restore anything you deleted in the past 30 days, and roll a file back to any version saved in the past 30 days. Online-only files let you keep items in the cloud without using space on your computer, and camera uploads copy photos from a phone, camera or SD card. The problem is the allowance. At 2 GB, Dropbox Basic holds a tenth of MEGA's free plan, so it works for a working folder rather than an archive. Upgrades are also pricier than most here: the US App Store lists Dropbox Simple at $6.99 per month and Dropbox Plus at $11.99 per month.

Internxt is on this list for one reason: transparency. Its pricing page describes the service as open source and independently verified, with post-quantum encryption and sustainable energy sources, and its App Store listing says the code is open source and verifiable on GitHub. Files are end-to-end encrypted, and you can send them through encrypted, password-protected links. Apps cover Linux, Windows and macOS, iOS and Android, plus a web app, and paid plans add CLI, WebDAV, NAS and Rclone support. The free plan is the weakest here. The pricing page offers 1 GB of encrypted cloud storage for free, which is enough to test the apps and store a few documents but little else. Paid storage starts at 1 TB and is sold as annual or lifetime plans. Prices showed in euros from our location, so we list them as pending. If you want encryption with more room, MEGA's 20 GB free plan is the stronger choice.