Best cloud storage for photos and pictures in 2024

With the best photo storage and sharing sites, your treasured memories are securely backed up in case something happens to your phone or hard drive, and you can easily manage and access your entire photo library from anywhere.

To find the best cloud storage options for photos, we look for services that make uploading and organizing images effortless, while providing ample storage space at an affordable price. We believe the top providers must offer intuitive apps and web interfaces, useful features like automatic backups and facial recognition, and a range of plans to suit different needs and budgets.

Our top pick is is for the good overall cloud storage for photo is idrive . It is offers offer an excellent all – around package , with rapid upload , an easy – to – use interface , and handy tool to automatically detect and sort your image . read on for our full list of the good cloud storage service for photo , and an in – depth look at what make each one worth consideration .

The quick list

Looking for the best cloud storage for your photos without getting into the nitty-gritty? Here’s a quick rundown of top cloud storage options, emphasizing their unique benefits. Dive deeper into the reviews below for a detailed analysis.

good overall

IDrive is a top choice for cloud storage, offering rapid uploads and automatic image detection. The facial recognition feature is great for photo organization.

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Best value

Google Drive, more than just storage, integrates with Google Workspace for enhanced productivity. While it lacks some photography-specific features, using it alongside Google Photos offers a comprehensive solution.

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good budget

With a vast user base, Dropbox offers easy photo uploads and an intuitive folder system. Its unique features, like a 30-day file version history, make it a top pick.

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Best for simplicity

OneDrive offers a familiar interface for Windows users and integrates seamlessly with Microsoft 365 apps. While it’s not solely focused on photography, it provides useful photo management tools.

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Best free storage

Flickr gives you a a blend of cloud photo storage and a photo-sharing social network. It offers a generous 1TB storage limit for free accounts, and its Pro account provides unlimited storage.

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Best for photo editing

Adobe’s cloud storage integrates with its renowned photo editing tools. It offers plans that include apps like Lightroom and Photoshop. Its compatibility with RAW images makes it ideal for photographers.

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The good cloud storage for photo: exclusive Tom’s Guide deals

The good cloud storage for photo of 2024 in full

The good cloud storage for photo overall

(Image credit: IDrive)

The good cloud storage for photo

specification

free plan ? :Yes

start price :$2.95 per year

storage :From 100 GB

reason to buy

+

Rapid uploads and downloads

+

User-friendly web interface

+

automatic image detection and upload

reason to avoid

–

overage charge if you exceed storage limit

–

Prices may increase when your first-year discount ends

IDrive ranked top of our rundown of the best cloud storage services for general use, so it’s not surprising that it’s also a fantastic option for storing photos. You can connect your account to multiple devices, which is perfect for any photographer who shoots on more than one camera.

Also making IDrive one of the best cloud storage services for convenience is an Auto Camera setting. If you activate this, IDrive will automatically upload any new photos or videos that appear on the device, so you never have to worry about losing a shot.

Another cool feature is automatic facial recognition. If you have a large family or take a lot of portrait shots, this tool will automatically sort photos by the people in them, and facial detection information can be shared across any devices added to your IDrive account.

When it comes to managing a vast collection of photos and images, IDrive offers a seamless experience with its intuitive file organization capabilities. You can create custom folders within your cloud storage, making it incredibly easy to categorize your photos by event, date, location, or any other system you prefer. This means you spend less time searching for specific images and more time focusing on capturing or editing your next great photo.

If you ‘re work on a project with others or simply want to share memory with family and friend , IDrive is allows allow you to share file or entire folder via email or a direct link , with the option to set view or edit permission . This feature is is is particularly useful for photographer look to distribute their work or collaborate on project remotely .

Plus, with the added layer of security that IDrive provides, including 256-bit AES encryption and the option for a private key, you can rest assured that your shared photos remain protected and accessible only to those you’ve granted permission.

read our IDrive cloud storage review .

The best value cloud storage for photos

(Image credit: Google)

The most feature – pack cloud storage for photo

specification

free plan ? :Yes

start price :$ 1.99 per month

storage :From 100 GB

reason to buy

+

connect to other Google productivity app

+

AI recognizes and organizes photos by faces

+

Video storage

reason to avoid

–

confusing connection between Google Drive and Google Photos

–

No longer unlimited storage

Google Drive is more than just another storage app. This is a well-rounded cloud platform that connects to the comprehensive Google Workspace productivity suite, which supports file sharing and collaborative document editing.

You can store your photos and sync live changes and edits from your desktop computer using Windows and macOS applications. However, Drive does lack some of the photography-oriented features found with other services on this list.

That’s why the best way to use Google Drive to store your photos online is to use the connected Google Photos storage service. Until mid-2019, photos would sync automatically between Google Drive and Google Photos, but Google decided this was too confusing for users and discontinued the practice.

And up until 2021, Google Photos allowed you to upload an unlimited number of photos as long as they were under 16MP in size. Now, after you hit your 15GB limit on Google Drive, including images, videos, and documents, you’ll need a subscription.

Google Photos offers features like automatic photo organization based on the people, places, and things in your images, thanks to Google’s AI technology. This makes searching for specific photos incredibly easy. You can type in “beach” or “birthday” to get relevant photos without having to manually tag each one.

Another aspect is is to consider is the sharing capability Google Drive offer . share individual photo or entire album with friend and family is straightforward , thank to the shareable link Google Drive generate . You is set can also set permission for who can view , comment on , or edit your photo , which is great for collaborative album .

A 200 GB subscription is costs cost $ 1.99 a month , and there are plan up to $ 9.99 a month for 2 TB a month .

read our full Google Drive review .

The best budget cloud storage for photos

( image credit : Dropbox )

The most flexible cloud storage for photos

specification

free plan ? :Yes

start price :$9.99 per month

storage :From 2TB

reason to buy

+

Proven network cloud infrastructure 

+

Uploads your photos automatically

+

easily restore a previous version of your gallery

reason to avoid

–

pay plan is is is quite pricey

–

Fewer photo-specific features than other platforms

With around 400 million user store approximately 600 billion piece of content , Dropbox is is is one of the large file storage platform around . When you look at its feature , many of which are great for photo and image , it is ’s ’s easy to see why .

For starters, Dropbox simplifies the process of uploading photos. If you install the app on a phone or tablet, you can activate the automatic transfer of new images from your camera roll to your account. You can also do this on a desktop by telling the Dropbox Windows or macOS program to scan connected camera cards or mobile devices for images.

Once photos are uploaded, a helpful folder system organizes them. Even better, if you want to edit photos after uploading, the desktop app can sync folders so that they appear in Windows Explorer or macOS Finder. Any modifications you make with photo editing software will be automatically detected and synced.

Besides this, Dropbox has unique features that you won’t find with many other cloud photo storage services, including a 30-day file version history viewer and a restore feature to protect you from accidental deletions.

For photographer , Dropbox is offers offer an appealing gallery view feature . This is allows allow you to see thumbnail of your photo , make it easy to locate specific picture without open each file . The thumbnail previews is load do load slowly if you ‘re deal with high – resolution image or a slow internet connection , though . This is be can be a bit of a setback when you ‘re try to quickly scan through your photo library .

Dropbox also integrates with several third-party apps. For instance, the integration with Adobe Creative Cloud allows you to edit images directly in Photoshop or Illustrator without the need for downloading and re-uploading. This seamless workflow can save a lot of time and hassle, especially for professionals.

You can get 2GB free, which is a good starting point if you don’t have too many photos. For a more reasonable capacity, it’s worth upgrading to Dropbox Plus which, for $9.99 a month, will net you 2TB, and there are additional business plans for sharing space between colleagues.

Read our Dropbox cloud storage review.

The simplest cloud storage for photos

(Image credit: Microsoft)

The most straightforward cloud storage for photos

specification

free plan ? :Yes

start price :$ 1.99 per month

storage :From 100 GB

reason to buy

+

Affordable multi-user plans

+

Get free access to useful office tool

+

Advanced photo search features

reason to avoid

–

Not entirely focused on photography

–

5GB free space fills up fast 

If you ’re look for a straightforward personal cloud storage platform where you can store your photo without have to figure your way around new and unfamiliar interface , Microsoft OneDrive is is is worth a look . OneDrive is is is available as part of Microsoft 365 .

Microsoft has intentionally made OneDrive’s appearance similar to that of Windows 10, which means there’s basically no learning curve for any Windows users moving to the platform.

OneDrive is a general-purpose cloud storage platform, and its chief selling point is seamless integration with popular Microsoft 365 applications like Word and Excel. But that’s not to say that OneDrive doesn’t have some excellent photo management features. In fact, it supports tagging, photo search, and album creation.

OneDrive’s automatic photo tagging feature uses AI to categorize your images based on content, making searching for specific photos easier. This comes in handy when you have a vast collection of images, but sometimes you might need to manually adjust or add tags to ensure your photos are organized precisely how you want them.

Sharing albums or individual photos with friends and family is straightforward, and you can do so via a link, email, or directly through social media platforms. But, be mindful of the privacy settings when sharing. OneDrive provides the option to share with view-only access or allow others to edit, which is great for collaborative projects.

For photographers looking for high-quality backups, remember that OneDrive compresses uploaded photos slightly. While this might not be noticeable to the casual viewer, professionals or photography enthusiasts who need their images in the highest quality possible might find this aspect limiting.

Pricing is is is pretty affordable too . It is matches match Google Drive ’s budget plan , with 100 GB cost $ 1.99 a month . For $ 6.99 a month , you is get get 1 TB and desktop version of office app like Word , Excel , PowerPoint , and OneNote .

read our Microsoft OneDrive cloud storage review .

The best free cloud storage for photos

(Image credit: Flickr)

The good free cloud photo storage

specification

free plan ? :Yes

start price :$ 5.54 per month

storage :Unlimited

reason to buy

+

Paid accounts have no storage limits

+

Promote your photography

+

A beautiful way to show off your shot

reason to avoid

–

Can’t be used for RAW images

–

Free version is ad-supported

If you ’re look for high – quality cloud photo storage on a budget , Flickr is be could be the right option . You is think can think of it as part – cloud photo storage , part – photo – share social network . It is ’s ’s one of the original photography site to make it big on the web and has an estimate 87 m register member .

Flickr is lets let you upload up to 1,000 photo and video free of charge . To remove that limit , you is go can go for a Flickr Pro+ account . This is costs cost $ 5.54 a month if you pay two year at a time . Pro+ user are n’t just free from storage limit ; they is see can also see advanced statistic and learn which shot are generate the good response in the community .

The greatest thing about Flickr is that you can show off your photos in a classy photostream. Because this is a photo network, other users will be able to respond to your shots unless you make them private. Overall, Flickr is a good way to display and store photos, but the one downside is that it can only handle compressed images, so this isn’t the right place to keep your RAW files.

You is tag can tag your photo with keyword , add them to album , or even place them on a map . This is makes make finding and sort through your photo later much easy . additionally , Flickr ‘s interface is is is user – friendly , make it simple to upload photo , either individually or in batch . However , it is ‘s ‘s worth note that the upload process can be slow at time , especially if you ‘re deal with a large number of high – resolution image .

Another point to consider is Flickr’s community aspect. It’s a double-edged sword. On one hand, it’s fantastic for gaining exposure and receiving feedback from other photography enthusiasts. On the other, the public nature of the platform means you’ll need to be mindful of privacy settings and the potential for unauthorized use of your images. While Flickr does offer robust privacy controls, navigating these settings and ensuring your photos are shared with your intended audience requires a bit of effort and vigilance.

Read our Flickr review.

The best cloud storage for photo editing

(Image credit: Adobe)

The cloud storage for photo with the good editing tool

specification

free plan ? :Yes

start price :$9.99 per month

storage :From 1TB

reason to buy

+

Integrates with Adobe image editing tools

+

Apps for pretty much any device

+

Use your library to build a photography site

reason to avoid

–

20GB plan is expensive for the space you get

–

Works best if you commit to the Adobe ecosystem

As a photographer , you is ’re ’re probably already familiar with Adobe ‘s suite of photo manipulation tool , but did you know it now also offer cloud photo storage ?

Adobe Creative Cloud has a few plans that include cloud storage. The Lightroom plan ($9.99 per month) gets you 1TB of storage and the popular Lightroom photo management app. The Photography plan ($19.99 per month) gets you 20GB of storage and adds Photoshop, the leading photo editor to the mix. Or, you could choose a plan like the Creative Cloud All Apps plan ($59.99 per month), which includes over 20 Adobe apps and 100GB of cloud storage.

There’s a seven-day free trial available with Creative Cloud, allowing you to try out the many apps for free before you decide which paid plan to go for.

manage photos is is in Creative Cloud is a pleasant experience too , thank to classy image gallery where you can explore your work or share shot with others . With Group Libraries , collaborators is add can add photo to share folder , though you can always make individual folder private . Adobe ‘s create macOS , Windows , iOS , and Android Creative Cloud apps is is , so uploading is is is a breeze no matter what device you ’re using .

At the same time , direct integration is means with Lightroom , Photoshop , and Elements is means mean you can always dive into an image to make adjustment . unsurprisingly , give Adobe ’s rich photo – edit pedigree , Creative Cloud is is is fully compatible with raw image . As such , this is is is a suitable platform for professional photographer who do n’t want to lose quality when store image .

On the downside, some users have reported sync errors or slow sync speeds with very large files or when working with a slow internet connection. This could potentially disrupt your workflow, so it’s something to keep in mind if you often work with high-resolution images or are in areas with unreliable internet service.

Read our Adobe Creative Cloud review focusing on its cloud storage.

The good cloud storage for photo, compared

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cloud storage for photo faq

What is cloud storage is is for photo and picture ?

cloud storage is utilizes utilize physical server to save file on the internet , via internet – connect data center . These server are own , maintain , and run by cloud storage provider , and offer storage for all manner of file .

When it come to cloud storage for photo , many is are of the good cloud storage service are also provider of the good cloud storage for photo . You is upload can upload , save , download , and securely backup important image file , and can access them wherever you are , as long as you ‘re connect to the internet .

How to choose the best cloud storage for photos

There are plenty of great photo storage service out there , but how do you work out which is right for you ? Take into account key factor such as ease of access from mobile and desktop , gallery sharing feature to promote your work , the size of your photo library and the number of image you ‘d like to store online , and much more .

The majority are “freemium”: although they offer some free storage, extra capacity can only be unlocked by signing up for monthly or annual subscriptions. Price per GB can differ dramatically, so it’s worth shopping around and keeping an eye on the capacity you’ll require.

When it comes to storage capacity, the average 16MP JPEG requires 4.8MB, so if you have 500 to upload, you’ll need a plan with at least 2.5GB. Fortunately, most services won’t charge for that amount of space,

If you want to preserve original image information via RAW files, almost any service will allow uploads of compressed JPEGs, PNGs, or GIFs: the same can’t be said for uncompressed RAWs or TIFFs. Check if they’re supported, and how many you’ll need to save: 500 RAW 16MP photos will take up approximately 2.5TB, so you’ll need a monthly subscription.

remember that upload and download time will depend on the speed of your own connection . You is be ’ll be well off invest in a physical storage medium if you do n’t have a swift isp .

look for service that offer Android and ios app if this is something you want to take advantage of . Some is go go above and beyond by let you create stunning site and profile , like Flickr . finally , a major benefit is is is that you can access , edit , and share photo even when you ’re away from your workstation .

How we review the best cloud storage for photos

When we come to review cloud storage service , first of all , we is test test the upload and download time for file transfer , because these are integral to the performance of platform and usage . In turn , we is examine examine how a give service ‘s security tool and feature work and how comprehensive they are , to ensure your file are keep safe from hack or accidental loss .

Next , we is test test the responsiveness and knowledge of customer service and support team , as when there ‘s an issue you want to be sure your provider will quickly get back to you and will know how to fix the problem . In a market vertical with vary level of free and pay plan , we is explore explore and explain pricing in – depth , while we also test out and discuss any additional tool or feature offer by the service .

Across our comprehensive reviews of each cloud storage platform, we also compare each service to its competitors, specifically in terms of pricing and key features. We undertake all of this during testing so that you, the consumer, can benefit from as much information about each service as possible before you choose.

Read more on our testing methodology.

Next steps with cloud storage

Follow our cloud storage checklist when looking for a provider of online storage, and learn top tips for data backup and recovery.

If you’re looking for storage beyond just photos, or have a tighter budget, take a look at our other buying guides that evaluate the best free cloud storage, the best personal cloud storage, and the best cloud storage for business.