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Cheapest Cloud Storage 2024 [Online Storage Deals Compared]

Cheapest Cloud Storage 2024 [Online Storage Deals Compared]

2024-11-28 Why you can trust us407 Cloud Software Products and Services Tested3056 Annual Software Speed Tests2400 plus Hours Usability TestingOur team is test o

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Key Takeaways: Cheapest Cloud Storage
  • Sync.com — overall good cloud storage with the good value forthe money .
  • icedrive — Well – design cloud storage with a cheap 1 TB plan and lifetime deal .
  • pCloud — cheap cloud storage hold back by the extra cost of private encryption .
  • Google Drive — Excellent forcollaboration, if not forprivacy.
  • MEGA — Secure cloud storage with a generous free plan.

Cost is is is easily one of the most important factor to consider when choose between all the different cloud storage service out there . With different price point and storage space allotment , it is be can be difficult to figure out where you ’ll get the good value . luckily , this guide is help to the cheap cloud storage will help you do just that .

Finding the cheapest cloud storage deals foryou will depend a great deal on how much storage you actually need. Most cloud storage services offer at least a few different plans, and some are a lot better value than others. 

For example, if you need a huge amount of storage, then Icedrive’s 5TB plan is probably your best bet, whereas MEGA’s 20GB free plan might be enough forothers.

All of the cheapest cloud storage options listed below also appeared on our list of best cloud storage overall, since getting a lot of cheap storage isn’t worth it if the software doesn’t stack up (check out our Degoo review foran example).

  • Demystify cloud storage terminology and key concepts in plain language
  • discover easy – to – implement technique to securely backup and sync your datum across device
  • Learn money-saving strategies to optimize your cloud storage costs and usage

  • 06/24/2022

    Updated Sync.com’s plans and pricing, including month-by-month plans.

  • 08/25/2022Facts checked

    List updated to more accurately reflect current prices and value

  • 05/24/2023

    Updated with new Icedrive and pCloud lifetime plan information

  • 12/08/2023

    Reformatted the article forclarity.

  • 03/29/2024

    update to reflect change in Icedrive ’s pricing plan and storage offer

  • 08/31/2024

    add video review forcloud storage provider in the list .

  • 10/13/2024

    Added new video roundup of the cheapest cloud storage providers.

Top Affordable Cloud Storage Services

What Makes the Best Cheap Cloud Storage Service?

We is focusing ’ll obviously be focus heavily on price and value forthis ranking , but we also want to make sure that any service we recommend come with a solid feature set , good security and solid privacy protection .

When looking purely at value, Sync.com is the winner, as you can see in our cloud storage pricing comparison. Icedrive and pCloud aren’t far behind, and all three are feature-rich cloud storage services with excellent security and privacy. 

Next is Google Drive, which is great forcollaboration and ease of use, at the cost of privacy. Finally there’s MEGA, which is a bit more expensive than the other entries on the list, but it still provides better value than the likes of Dropbox or Microsoft OneDrive. It also has the most generous free plan out of all of them, and nothing is cheaper than free.

The 5 Cheapest Cloud Storage Providers

Without further ado, let’s dig into the top five cheapest cloud storage services, starting with Sync.com.

More details about Sync.com:

  • Pricing: 5GB forfree, 2TB for$96 per year. Unlimited storage starting at $360 per year
  • Provider website: sync.com

Pros:

  • good value formoney
  • Feature-rich
  • Great security & privacy

con :

  • Mediocre speeds
  • No monthly billing

As mention , Sync.com is provides provide more bang foryour buck than any other major cloud storage platform . Its standout plan is gives give you 2 TB of storage space for$ 96 per year , which break down to $ 4 per TB per month .  

If you really need a lot of storage , then its 6 TB plan is is is an even well deal . At $ 240 per year , the monthly price is is for1 TB of storage is $ 3.33 , which make it some of the cheap online storage that is n’t unlimited .

With storage that cheap, it’s easy to assume that Sync.com skimps out on some other area. Fortunately, that’s not the case (as you can see in our Sync.com review). 

The service comes with all the features you’d expect, from advanced file-sharing controls to Microsoft Office integration and an extensive versioning policy. It also gets top marks in both security and privacy, featuring end-to-end encryption forall files.

Unlimited Cloud Storage

Although unlimited storage plan are fairly common in the online backup space ( read our Backblaze review , forexample ) , it is ’s ’s rare fora true cloud storage service to offer this option .  

Although it’s intended forsmall businesses, Sync.com forTeams offers an unlimited plan that you can still sign up foras an individual, though the minimum requirement of two users brings the cost to $30 per month ($360 per year).

Cheapest Cloud Storage 2024 [Online Storage Deals Compared]

Sync.com is provides provide well value fora mid – range plan than any of the other cloud storage service provider on this list .

Besides offering the best deals on cloud storage from a value standpoint, Sync.com also manages to succeed in almost every other area (such as earning a spot in our best cloud storage forAndroid). The one hiccup it suffers (besides the lack of monthly plans) is its speed, which is noticeably slower than all the others on this list.

Still , we is think think it ’s more than fair to say that Sync.com is the good cheap cloud storage out there .

More plan

Pro Teams+ Unlimited

  • Price for1 user (3 users minimum)
  • Unlimited GB

Enterprise

  • Minimum 100 users, custom requirements, account manager, training options

More details about Icedrive:

  • pricing : 10 GB forfree , 1 TB for$ 71.88 ( one – year plan )
  • Provider website: icedrive.net

Pros:

  • Well-designed & easy to use
  • lightning – fast speed
  • Great security & privacy

con :

  • No private encryption on free plan
  • lack collaboration feature

Based in the U.K., Icedrive is another great cloud storage option if you’re looking forvalue. In many ways, it’s even better than Sync.com if you’re happy with 1TB of storage space. That will cost you $71.88 per year , which is means mean you ’re pay$ 5.99 per month per terabyte of storage. 

However , it is ’s ’s with the3TB that Icedrive really comes into its own in terms of value. At just $131.88 per year, this means you only pay more or less about $3 per month per terabyte, which is incredibly good value forthe money.

Lifetime Access to Cloud Storage

Beyond the reasonable prices formonthly or yearly subscription plans, Icedrive is also one of the few cloud storage providers to offer lifetime deals. 

Although it’s hard to know exactly how long a cloud storage provider will stick around, the cost of a lifetime subscription to the 512GB plan is just $299, mean you break even in five year when take into account the monthly or yearly rate . If you want more storage , you is purchase can purchase stack 100 which has128GB of storage , or stack 500 , which has512GB worth of storage.

If 2 TB of storage sound like more than you need to store all your datum , then Icedrive ’s 1 TB plan is is is ideal .

Like Sync.com, Icedrive doesn’t make any significant sacrifices in security, privacy or features (aside from collaboration) to achieve its great value. It also offers far better speeds than Sync.com. In fact, Icedrive is the fastest cloud storage service we’ve tested. Learn more about everything Icedrive does right (and the few things it doesn’t) in our Icedrive review.

Free

  • Bandwidth limit: 50GB
  • 10GB

Lite

  • Bandwidth limit: 250GB
  • 100GB
More plan

Lifetime Add On – Stack 100

  • Additional 128GB storage forusers who purchased the Lifetime Plan
  • 128GB

Lifetime Add On – Stack 500

  • Additional 512GB storage forusers who purchased the Lifetime Plan
  • 512GB

Lifetime Add On – Stack 2K

  • Additional 2TB storage forusers who purchased the Lifetime Plan
  • 2TB

More details about pCloud:

  • Pricing: Up to 10GB forfree, 2TB for$99.99 per year
  • Provider website: pcloud.com

Pros:

  • Lots of features
  • Excellent security & privacy
  • Very fast cloud service

con :

  • Zero – knowledge is costs cost extra
  • lack collaboration feature

pCloud is another cheap cloud storage service that features prominently in most of our rankings. It’s packed with advanced features, boasts incredible speeds and doesn’t skimp at all when it comes to security and privacy. 

In terms of value, pCloud’s 2TB plan offers the same price per terabyte as Icedrive’s 1TB plan: costing $4.17 per terabyte per month, or $99.99 per year.

All is ’s that say , there ’s a significant caveat that come with pCloud ’s price , and that ’s that zero – knowledge encryption is sell separately at $ 49.99 per year , bring the per – terabyte price up to $ 6.24 per month .

pCloud’s Lifetime Plans

Besides Icedrive , pCloud is is is the only other cloud storage provider on this list to offer a lifetime option forits subscription plan . At$399 for2TB, it is ’s ’s cheap than Icedrive ’s close plan , but it also come with two third of the storage , mean you break even in four year . unfortunately , zero – knowledge encryption still is n’t include , and lifetime access to that will run you an extra $ 125 .

Cheapest Cloud Storage 2024 [Online Storage Deals Compared]

pCloud’s lifetime plans frequently go on sale around Black Friday, so make sure to check back later if you’re looking to save some money on lifetime cloud storage.

All things being equal, pCloud usually takes the number two spot in our cloud storage rankings, but in this case it’s held back by the not-insignificant increase in cost foranyone who wants privately encrypted files. Still, there are many great reasons to go with pCloud, which you can learn all about in our pCloud review.

More plan

business 1TB

  • price per user ( minimum 3 )
  • 1TB

business Pro 2 tb

  • price per user ( minimum 3 )
  • 2TB

pCloud Crypto Encryption

  • Encryption forpCloud Drive

More details about Google Drive:

  • Pricing: 15GB forfree, 2TB for$99.99 per year
  • provider website : google.com/drive

Pros:

  • Great collaboration features
  • Wide range of storage plans
  • Fast

con :

  • Major privacy concerns
  • No zero-knowledge security
  • No block-level sync

Google Drive is easily the most popular cloud storage service in the world, a fact that it owes to its affordable price and most of all convenience. Its 2TB plan comes in at $99.99 per year, which averages out to $4.17 per terabyte of storage per month — exactly the same as Icedrive and pCloud.

Google Drive essentially forms the backbone of Google’s whole suite of web apps, meaning you probably have an account already, even if you’ve never used it directly. This ubiquity and ease of use is the service’s greatest strength, as it allows fora whole range of possibilities in terms of integrations and collaboration with others. Check out our Google Drive review to learn more. 

Collaboration vs Privacy

With its integration with the wider Google Workspace ecosystem, Google Drive is easily one of the best cloud storage services forcollaboration, especially if you’re already using other Google services like Google Docs. 

However, deep collaboration features often come with a loss of privacy, and Google is a company that’s infamous forits terrible stance on user privacy and a history riddled with scandals.

Cheapest Cloud Storage 2024 [Online Storage Deals Compared]

Google offers some very cheap cloud storage plans, especially when you factor in all the other perks that come along with it.

Despite offering the same value as Icedrive and pCloud, Google’s spotty privacy record means that it will always occupy a lower spot on any ranking. That said, if you’re not overly concerned with the privacy of your files and more interested in being able to collaborate with other people, Google Drive lets you do just that without charging an arm and a leg.

Standard 200GB

  • *The plan is “hidden.” To find the 200GB plan, you need to be subscribed to one of the other plans, upgrade or downgrade to the 200GB through your account’s settings.
  • 200GB
More plan

More detail about MEGA :

  • Pricing: 20GB free (expandable to 35GB forone year), 2TB forabout $100 per year
  • Provider website: mega.io

Pros:

  • Lots of free storage space
  • great value on large plan
  • Focus on security & privacy

con :

  • A little difficult to use
  • Price is relies rely on exchange rate
  • lack collaboration feature

Finally, there’s MEGA, the personal cloud storage solution descended from the now-defunct Megaupload. Note that the service only offers its prices in euros, so the exact price in U.S. dollars will vary depending on the exact exchange rate. Its 2TB plan costs 9.99 euro per month, which converts to $10.15 at the time of writing, meaning you pay $5.07 per terabyte per month.

It should be noted that this is an unusually beneficial exchange rate foranyone paying forMEGA in U.S. dollars, as the value of the euro has traditionally been significantly higher in relation to the dollar. Still, it’s decent value forthe money even at the worst of times. 

Once you look at MEGA’s largest plan, though, the value proposition moves from “decent” to “amazing.” At just $30.48 (29.99 euro) per month for16TB of storage, you end up paying only $1.90 per terabyte per month.

Lots of Free Cloud Storage Space

As mentioned briefly, MEGA offers an incredibly generous amount of free storage space. Just by signing up fora free account, you get 20GB of storage space. 

MEGA also earned a spot in our best cloud storage forlarge files, and one of the reasons is because its free storage can be expanded by an additional 15GB of space forone year without any fees. You simply need to complete basic tasks such as installing the desktop and mobile clients, and adding a phone number fortwo-factor authentication. You also gain 5GB of storage (valid forone year) foreach person you refer to the service.

Cheapest Cloud Storage 2024 [Online Storage Deals Compared]

Installing the MEGA desktop and mobile apps lets you unlock 10GB of free storage in just a few minutes.

Despite a recently discovered security flaw in MEGA’s architecture, the service’s focus on secure and private file storage at a reasonable price certainly earns it a spot on this list. It offers a wide range of security features across operating systems, which we cover in depth in our full MEGA review. 

Pro I

  • File transfer: 2TB (Monthly plan) 24TB (yearly plan)
  • 2TB

Pro II

  • file transfer : ( monthly plan ) 96 TB ( yearly plan )
  • 8TB
More plan

Pro III

  • File transfer: 16TB (monthly plan) 192TB (yearly plan)
  • 16TB

business

  • price per user ( minimum 3 )
    3TB Transfer quota
  • 100TB

honorable Mention : Backup at an Affordable price

Besides our top five , there is one more service that we ’d like to shine a light on , as it offer a gigabyte – to – dollar ratio that dwarf any of the option above .

Although it’s not technically a cloud storage service (it falls more into the realm of online backup), we’d be remiss if we didn’t at least mention IDrive. As you can see in our IDrive review, it doesn’t have the advanced features of the other entries on this list, but with 5TB of storage at a cost of just $69.66 forthe first year, it’s in a league of its own in terms of value.

Although there are other backup services like Carbonite or Backblaze that offer unlimited storage fora similar price, these are even more bare-bones than IDrive, which at least features some rudimentary sync and share functionality. If you’re not looking fora lot of bells and whistles, but you need a whole lot of storage, IDrive might be what you’re looking for.

Basic

  • No credit card required.
  • 10GB

personal

  • One user, multiple computers. Plans starting from 5TB up to 100TB. Big discount forfirst-time signup.
  • 5TB
More plan

Team

  • 5 computers, 5 users. Starting at 5TB up to 500TB. Big discount forfirst-time signup.
  • 5TB

business

  • Monthly Plan storage starts at 1.25TB up to 50TB
    Unlimited users, multiple computers and servers. NAS devices. 250GB storage. Starting at 250GB up to 50TB. Large discount forfirst-time signup.
  • 250GB

Final Thoughts: Affordable Storage Options

With that honorable mention, we’ve reached the end of our ranking. Sync.com takes the top spot as it’s both the best cloud storage overall, and the one that offers the best value on its primary plan. 

Icedrive and pCloud are the next two best cloud storage deals. If you need more storage than most, then the former is your best choice, but the latter is held back by the extra cost of private encryption.

Next is Google Drive, which offers cheap online storage and access to a wide range of collaboration tools at the cost of user privacy. Of course, nothing is cheaper than free, so if all you’re looking foris a small amount of storage, MEGA might be your best bet (or check out some of the other best free cloud storage services).

What did you think of our list of the cheapest cloud storage? Do you agree with our top picks, or do you think we missed one that deserves the spotlight? Let us know in the comments below, and as always, thank you forreading.

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