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Cheapest cloud storage in 2026
Updated July 2026
At a glance
- Cheapest per terabyte: IDrive, about $1.40 to $2.00 per TB each month.
- Cheapest over time: pCloud lifetime plans, paid once.
- Cheapest 1 TB with apps: Microsoft 365, storage plus Office.
- Free and roomy: MEGA at 20 GB, Google Drive at 15 GB.
The cheapest cloud storage depends on how you pay. Measured per terabyte on a subscription, backup-first IDrive wins. Measured over several years, a one-time lifetime plan from pCloud costs the least. And if you count the apps you get alongside the space, a Microsoft 365 plan is hard to beat. Here is how the prices line up in July 2026.
Cheapest by price per terabyte
Comparing the sticker price of plans with different sizes is misleading. The honest measure is cost per terabyte per month. On that basis, IDrive is the outright cheapest, though it is built for backup rather than everyday sync. Among general storage services, Sync.com and pCloud come next, and the big three sit near five dollars per terabyte.
| Service | Plan | Price | Per TB / month |
|---|---|---|---|
| IDrive | 5 TB (first year) | $83.88/yr | ~$1.40 |
| IDrive | 5 TB (regular) | $119.88/yr | ~$2.00 |
| Sync.com | 5 TB | $14/mo | ~$2.80 |
| pCloud | 2 TB | $99.99/yr | ~$4.17 |
| Google One | 2 TB (annual) | $99.99/yr | ~$4.17 |
| iCloud+ | 2 TB | $9.99/mo | ~$5.00 |
| Dropbox | 2 TB | ~$9.99/mo | ~$5.00 |
Prices in USD, seen July 2026 on each provider's plan page. IDrive's first-year rate is promotional and renews higher.
Cheapest over time: lifetime plans
A lifetime plan flips the math. You pay once and keep the storage for as long as the service runs, with no monthly bill. pCloud is the best-known option, and its 2 TB plan pays for itself against a subscription in roughly four years. Icedrive offers a similar one-time deal. The one risk to weigh is longevity: the value only holds if the company stays in business, so lifetime plans suit people who want to pay up front and forget it.
| Service | Storage | One-time price | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| pCloud | 500 GB | $199 | Cheapest way in to a lifetime plan |
| pCloud | 2 TB | $399 | Beats a subscription after about four years |
| pCloud | 10 TB | $1,190 | For large, long-term libraries |
| Icedrive | 2 TB | $389 | Sleek app, encrypted folder included |
One-time prices in USD, seen July 2026. Sources: pCloud, Icedrive.
The hidden costs people miss
Cheap headline prices often hide a catch. Promotional first-year rates, like IDrive's, renew higher, so read the renewal price before you commit. Annual billing is usually a good deal cheaper than paying monthly, so if you are confident in a service, pay yearly. And free tiers that seem generous can push you to a large, pricier plan the moment you cross the line, since most services jump straight from a small free tier to a 1 TB or 2 TB paid plan with little in between.
Which cheap plan should you pick?
If you want the lowest running cost and mostly need backup, IDrive is the value leader. If you would rather pay once, a pCloud lifetime plan is the cheapest over any horizon beyond four years. If you also want Office apps, Microsoft 365 bundles 1 TB and the software for close to the price of storage alone. And if you only store documents, you may not need to pay at all: see our best cloud storage for personal use guide for the roomiest free tiers.
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest cloud storage?
By price per terabyte, IDrive is the cheapest at about $1.40 to $2.00 per TB each month for its 5 TB plan. Among lifetime plans, pCloud's one-time deals cost the least over four or more years.
Is a lifetime cloud storage plan worth it?
If you plan to keep the storage for four years or more, yes. pCloud's 2 TB lifetime plan at about $399 costs less over five years than most 2 TB subscriptions. The risk is that the company must stay in business for you to keep the value.
What is the cheapest way to get 1 TB of cloud storage?
A Microsoft 365 subscription includes 1 TB with Office apps for around the price of storage alone. Icedrive and pCloud annual plans also land near five dollars a month for 1 TB or more.
Is free cloud storage enough?
For documents and a phone backup, a free 10 to 20 GB tier from MEGA, Google Drive, or pCloud is often enough. Photos and video are what push most people onto a paid plan.
More in cloud storage: Best for personal use · Best for photos
Free File Hosting is an independent publication. We review and compare third-party services and are not affiliated with any provider named on this site. The historic freefilehosting.net file-hosting service is no longer in operation. Prices were checked in July 2026 and change often; confirm current pricing with each provider.