Whether you’re interested in cloud storage for syncing files across multiple devices, or because you don’t have enough local space, you probably want to find the cheapest cloud storage possible. After all, who wants to pay more than they need to?
Let’s take a look at the cheapest online storage options available. We’ll look at the prices in absolute terms and per gigabyte so you can choose what’s best for you.
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1. The most generous free cloud storage: Google drive
Price: 15 GB for free
The cheapest online storage is no more profitable than free. If you don’t want to pay, Google Drive offers the most storage at no cost with a generous 15GB.
However, you should note that this storage is shared on your Google account. So, if you are also using Gmail or Google Photos, you may find that your storage is disappearing faster than you want.
If so, take a look at pCloud. The service provides 10 GB of free space, but you can easily increase it to 15 GB by performing simple tasks after signing up. These include checking your email address, downloading the software to your computer and phone, and turning on automatic photo uploading.
2. The best budget cloud storage: iCloud
Price: 50 GB for $ 0.99 / month ($ 0.0198 per GB)
Our next category is low budget cloud storage, which means the lowest price you can pay (besides free) for any amount of storage. That distinction goes to iCloud, which is the only major cloud storage provider to offer a 50GB plan.
50GB isn’t a lot of space, but a dollar a month is the absolute lowest price you’ll find for cloud storage. It’s probably enough to back up your iPhone or give you room to move files between devices. Of course, being an Apple product, it is best suited for those who mainly work on Mac, iPhone and iPad.
Its price per GB is one of the highest on the list, but that’s to be expected for such a small amount.
3. The cheapest 100 GB or 200 GB cloud storage: Google one
Price for 100 GB: $ 1.99 / month ($ 0.0199 per GB) or $ 19.99 / year ($ 0.01666 per GB)
Price for 200 GB: $ 2.99 / month ($ 0.01495 per GB) or $ 29.99 / year ($ 0.0125 per GB)
If 50 GB is not enough or if you are not using Apple devices, Google Drive (via Google One) provides the cheapest cloud storage for the next step.
If you’re interested in a 100GB plan, you can save 16% off the monthly price by signing up for an annual plan and paying just $ 1.67 per month. Meanwhile, the 200GB tier equates to just $ 2.50 per month when you pay annually.
As mentioned, Google is now offering storage upgrades through its Google One program instead of purchasing it directly through Google Drive. In addition to the additional storage, this service also provides access to Google experts, the ability to add family members to your plan, and “additional member benefits”.
These additional perks include discounts on hotels, as well as a percentage back on purchases made in the Google Store if you upgrade to the 200GB or more plan. This makes it the best cloud storage for heavy users of Google services. And if you need massive space, Google One plans go up to 30TB.
4. The cheapest 500 GB cloud storage: pCloud
Price: 500 GB for $ 4.99 / month ($ 0.00998 per GB) or $ 47.88 / year ($ 0.00798 per GB)
We’ve mentioned pCloud’s free plan before, but it’s also the only major cloud storage provider to offer a 500GB plan. This is the first tier of storage where prices drop below $ 0.01. per gigabyte, which makes it more cost effective.
It should be noted that pCloud limits you to 500 GB of download link traffic, which is used when people stream or download content from your public links. As long as you’re not primarily using your cloud storage to host files for others to access, this shouldn’t be a problem.
5. The cheapest 1TB cloud storage: MediaFire
Price: 1TB for $ 5 / month ($ 0.005 per GB) or $ 45 / year ($ 0.00375 per GB)
A lot of people use MediaFire primarily for sharing files with others, but it also works as a personal cloud storage solution. Its 1TB price is the cheapest you’ll find, but unfortunately it does have a few issues that might make you look elsewhere.
MediaFire doesn’t offer desktop apps, so you’ll have to sync everything using the website or mobile apps. Its security and privacy features are lacking compared to other vendors, and it ignores some power features that make other cloud storages so convenient.
Give it a look if you only care about the price, but for most people there’s a much better option at the 1TB level …
6. The best 1TB cloud storage: Microsoft OneDrive
Price: 1TB for $ 6.99 / month ($ 0.00699 per GB) or $ 69.99 / year ($ 0.00583 per GB)
If you are a Microsoft Office user, the best value in cloud storage is Microsoft’s Office 365 Personal plan. In addition to a terabyte of cloud storage through OneDrive, you receive full versions of Office for your PC, Mac, and mobile devices. This includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook, plus Access and Publisher on Windows only.
Office 365 subscriptions also include 60 minutes of Skype calls per month, in addition to Microsoft technical support. If you were interested in Office anyway, that’s for sure.
Families can get even better value with an Office 365 Home subscription. For $ 9.99 / month or $ 99.99 / year, you will enjoy the above benefits for up to six people.
7. The cheapest 2TB to 4TB cloud storage: Sync.com
Price for 2 TB: $ 96 / year ($ 0.004 per GB)
Price for 3 TB: $ 144 / year ($ 0.004 per GB)
Price for 4 TB: $ 180 / year ($ 0.00375 per GB)
Dropbox, Google Drive, iCloud, pCloud, and the lesser-known Sync.com all offer a 2TB plan. They’re close in price, but pCloud and Sync.com have the edge at $ 8 / month each.
We talked about pCloud above, so let’s focus on Sync here for large amounts of cloud storage.
Like pCloud, Sync emphasizes privacy and offers a lot of solid features that are worth a look. The service doesn’t limit the amount of data you share per month and offers an impressive 180-day file recovery (365 days on 3TB and 4TB plans), compared to 30 days for pCloud.
Since the two services are similar, it’s worth trying a free account for both and see what you prefer before you decide to upgrade. If you need even more storage, Sync also offers a 3TB plan for $ 144 / year or 4TB for $ 180 / year. Each is the most profitable at its levels.
Note that iDrive, a backup tool (not affiliated with Apple), offers a 2TB plan for $ 69.50 / year, which is a significantly lower cost. However, since it offers cloud backup and not cloud storage, we haven’t included it here.
8. The cheapest massive cloud storage: MEGA.nz
Price for 8 TB: $ 22.17 / month ($ 0.00277 per GB) or $ 221.81 / year ($ 0.00231 per GB)
Price for 16 TB: 500 GB for $ 33.26 / month ($ 0.00208 per GB) or $ 332.72 / year ($ 0.00173 per GB)
If you need absolutely massive cloud storage space, the cheapest cloud storage you’ll find is on MEGA.nz. This long-standing cloud storage service was once known to offer 50 GB of free space. While it no longer does, it offers the best value at this level of storage.
MEGA might not quite have the level of familiarity with services like Dropbox, but it is certainly usable and offers solid functionality. Since Google One charges $ 99.99 / month for a 10TB plan, these prices are a steal for those who need them.
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The cheapest online storage for your files
Now you know which is the cheapest cloud storage provider across the board. Whether you are just looking for free cloud storage or need a huge budget, you can find the one that fits your needs.
While we’ve mostly picked the price here, it’s important to consider the ease of use, feature set, and integration of your cloud storage service. It might be worth paying a few extra dollars per month for these benefits.
