Whether you're interested in cloud storage to sync files across devices or because you don't have enough space on your computer, it makes sense to look for the cheapest cloud storage possible. After all, who wants to pay more than necessary?
Let's take a look at the cheapest online cloud storage options available. We'll look at the pricing in both absolute cost and per gigabyte (per month) so you can choose what's best for you.
1. The Most Generous Free Cloud Storage: Google Drive
Pricing: 15GB for free
The cheapest online storage doesn't get any more cost-effective than free. If you don't want to pay (or can't), Google Drive provides the most storage at no charge with a generous 15GB.
However, you should note that this storage is shared across your Google account. Thus, if you also use Gmail or Google Photos, you may find your storage disappears faster than you'd like. Consider using a separate account for Google Drive if this is a concern.
When your storage gets full, lean on our guide to freeing up space in Google Drive.
For another no-cost cloud storage option give pCloud a look. The service provides 3GB of free space to start, but you can increase this to 10GB by completing simple tasks after signing up. These include verifying your email address, downloading the software on your computer and phone, and enabling automatic photo upload.
2. The Best Budget Cloud Storage: iCloud+
Pricing: 50GB for $0.99/month ($0.0198 per GB)
Our next category is budget cloud storage, meaning the lowest price you can pay (aside from free) for any amount of storage. That distinction goes to iCloud, which is the only major cloud storage provider to offer a 50GB plan. Its price per GB is one of the highest on the list, but that's to be expected for such a small amount.
50GB isn't much space, but a dollar per month is the lowest absolute price you'll find for cloud storage. This is likely enough to back up your iPhone or give you some room to move files between devices. Of course, being an Apple product, it's best suited for those who primarily work on Mac, iPhone, and iPad.
Paying for any iCloud plan upgrade bumps you up to iCloud+, which includes goodies like Hide My Email and a custom email domain. You can also share your allotment with your family and friends. And don't forget about Apple One, which bundles iCloud storage with other Apple subscriptions like Apple Arcade and Apple Music at a lower overall price.
3. The Cheapest 100GB or 200GB Cloud Storage: Google One
Pricing for 100GB: $1.99/month ($0.0199 per GB) or $19.99/year ($0.0166 per GB)
Pricing for 200GB: $2.99/month ($0.01495 per GB) or $29.99/year ($0.0125 per GB)
In case 50GB isn't enough for you, or you don't use Apple devices, Google Drive (through Google One) provides the cheapest cloud storage for the next step up.
If you're interested in a 100GB plan, you can save 16 percent over monthly pricing by signing up for an annual plan and paying just $1.67 per month. Meanwhile, the 200GB tier works out to just $2.50 per month when you pay annually.
As mentioned, Google provides storage upgrades through its Google One program; you don't buy it through Google Drive directly. In addition to the extra storage, this service also grants access to Google experts, the option to add family members to your plan, Google's VPN, more features in Google Photos, and "extra member benefits."
These additional benefits include discounts on hotels, plus a percentage back on purchases made in the Google Store and an Android VPN if you upgrade to the 2TB plan or above. This makes it the best cloud storage for heavy users of Google services. And if you need a massive amount of space, Google One's upgrade options go all the way up to 30TB.
Meanwhile, several other services, including OneDrive (via Microsoft 365 Basic) and iCloud, offer 100GB or 200GB plans at the same price point. Google One is the overall best due to its extra features, but if you're heavily involved in another ecosystem, one of those choices might be better for you.
4. The Cheapest 500GB Cloud Storage: pCloud
Pricing: 500GB for $4.99/month ($0.00998 per GB) or $49.99/year ($0.00833 per GB)
We gave pCloud's free plan a shoutout earlier, but it's also the only major cloud storage provider to offer a 500GB plan. This is the first storage tier where prices fall below $0.01 per gigabyte, making it more cost-effective.
Of note is that pCloud limits you to 500GB of shared link traffic, which is used when people stream or download content from your public links. As long as you don't primarily use your cloud storage to host files for others to access, this shouldn't pose an issue.
We've compared pCloud to Google Drive before, so take a look at that for more info. If you really like it, you can upgrade to a lifetime 500GB plan for a one-time fee.
5. The Best and Cheapest 1TB Cloud Storage: Microsoft 365
Pricing: 1TB for $6.99/month ($0.00699 per GB) or $69.99/year ($0.00583 per GB)
If you're a Microsoft Office user, the best value in cloud storage is the Microsoft 365 Personal plan. In addition to a terabyte of cloud storage in OneDrive, you receive fully-featured versions of Office for your PC, Mac, and mobile devices. This includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook, plus Access and Publisher on Windows only.
Microsoft 365 subscriptions also include 60 minutes of Skype calls per month, in addition to Microsoft tech support. If you were interested in Office anyway, this is a no-brainer.
Families can get an even better value through a Microsoft 365 Family subscription. For $9.99/month or $99.99/year, you'll receive the above benefits for up to six people. 1TB per person for six people at the yearly price works out to just $0.00139 per GB, which is about the cheapest cloud storage you can find.
MediaFire used to offer a 1TB plan at a lower cost, but after a price increase, there's no reason to choose it over Microsoft 365.
6. The Cheapest 2TB Cloud Storage: Sync.com
Pricing: 2TB for $96/year ($0.004 per GB)
Dropbox, Google Drive, iCloud, pCloud, and the lesser-known Sync.com all offer a 2TB plan. They're close in pricing, but Sync.com has a slight edge. Its price comes out to $8/month when you pay annually, compared to the $10/month cost of most other services for this amount of storage.
Like pCloud, Sync has a focus on privacy and offers plenty of solid features that make it worth a look. This plan places no limits on the amount of data you share per month, and offers an impressive 180-day file recovery, compared to just 30 days for pCloud.
If you need even more storage, Sync also offers an individual 6TB plan for $240/year (this works out to $0.0033 per GB).
Note that iDrive (not affiliated with Apple, despite the name) offers a 5TB plan for $79.50/year, as well as 10TB for $99.50/year. This is a significantly lower cost. However, iDrive is focused on cloud backup, not cloud storage. Thus, we didn't include it here because it's not in the same category. Have a look at the best cloud backup alternatives if you're looking for something like that.
7. The Cheapest Massive Cloud Storage: MEGA.nz
Pricing for 8TB: $22.06/month ($0.00276 per GB) or $211.63/year ($0.00230 per GB)
Pricing for 16TB: $33.09/month ($0.00207 per GB) or $317.45/year ($0.00172 per GB)
If you need an absolutely massive amount of cloud storage space, the cheapest cloud storage you'll find is on MEGA.nz. This longtime cloud storage service was once known for offering 50GB of free space. While it no longer has this perk, it does offer the best value at high storage tiers.
MEGA might not have quite the level of familiarity as services like Dropbox, but it's certainly usable and offers solid features. Considering that Google One charges $99.99/month for a 10TB plan, these prices are a steal for the few that need them.
Note that MEGA lists its prices in euros (€19.99 for the 8TB plan and €29.99 for 16TB), so the above costs are estimates from the time of writing.
The Best and Cheapest Cloud Storage for Your Files
Now you know what the cheapest cloud storage provider is at every tier. Whether you're just looking for some extra space in the cloud or need a huge amount of affordable cloud storage, you can find the right service for your needs.
While we mainly focused on price here, it's important to consider the ease of use, feature set, and integration of your cloud storage service as well. It might be worth paying a few extra dollars per month for those benefits, compared to a service that doesn't fit into your workflow as smoothly.
Don't forget about other options for storage, either. Buying a NAS unit to build your own local network storage solution could work out to a lower cost than paying for cloud storage, especially in the long run.
