The Cheapest Personal Cloud Storage Offers 2026
Finding the cheapest personal cloud storage doesn’t mean compromising on privacy or security.
In this guide, we compare the best and most affordable cloud storage options for personal use in 2026, covering free plans, monthly subscriptions, storage capacity, security features, and lifetime deals to help you find the best value for your needs.
If you ned the best and cheapest cloud storage for personal use, now is the best time of the year, as Black Friday deals will soon become available, which you can prepare for by signing up for our newsletter, or checking out the best cloud storage Black Friday deals from our blog where you can get early access to Internxt’s biggest deal ever.
Table of contents
- Free vs paid cloud storage for personal use
- How to choose the best and cheapest cloud storage for personal use
- Cheapest cloud storage for personal use by storage capacity
- Cheapest personal cloud storage lifetime plans
- Related products
- Frequently asked questions
Free vs paid cloud storage for personal use
Free cloud storage is a good option for personal use if you need an extra backup for smaller files such as PDFs, photos, or other documents. It’s not suitable for large files such as videos or RAW photo libraries, as these can fill your cloud storage quite quickly.
Other things to be aware of with free or cheap cloud storage are limited features, unlocking more storage, and whether a free plan includes end-to-end encryption.
Below are the options for free cloud storage plans, including storage, features, and privacy.
| Cloud Storage Provider | Free Storage | End-to-End Encryption |
|---|---|---|
| Internxt | 1 GB | Yes |
| Google Drive | 15 GB Shared across the Google Workspace | No |
| iCloud | 5 GB | No |
| Outlook (OneDrive) | 5 GB | No |
| TeraBox | 1 TB | No |
| pCloud | 2 GB, expandable to 10 GB | No |
Internxt is the best free cloud storage option if you want end-to-end and post-quantum encryption for smaller-sized files or photo albums. As it’s the only option for cloud storage for personal use that includes end-to-end encryption, you can store your files in total privacy, where nobody can access them.
Terabox has the largest free plan, but these plans include promotional advertising, restricted speeds, and other privacy concerns, which you can learn more about in our is Terabox safe article.
How to choose the best and cheapest cloud storage for personal use
Backing up photo albums
If you need automatic backups for your photo albums to keep your memories safe and accessible on your phone, choose personal cloud storage with photo backup to keep copies in the cloud.
Protecting personal documents
Keep personal documents, such as IDs, financial statements, contracts, or other sensitive information, secure in the cloud with encrypted cloud storage to ensure maximum privacy and that only you can access these sensitive and private documents.
Prevent data loss
Cloud storage plans that include file versioning and backups will keep current copies of your data safe and accessible across all your devices. If your device is stolen, lost, damaged, or corrupted, backed-up copies remain in the cloud so you can recover them when needed.
Share files privately
Cloud storage allows you to share photos with family members and colleagues via a secure link or email. Check for providers that offer secure file transfer with password protection and end-to-end encryption so files remain private between sender and recipient.
Avoid subscriptions
When choosing the cheapest cloud storage for personal use, you will want to consider subscription plans vs lifetime plans. If you regularly store your files in the cloud, then investing in lifetime cloud storage could save you more money over time with a one-time payment plan instead of annual or monthly subscriptions.
Cheapest cloud storage for personal use by storage capacity
For the cheapest cloud storage for personal use, we will start with the lowest storage normally offered, at 100GB, and move up to 5TB and more, which is enough for heavy personal use such as cloud storage for videos or cloud storage backup solutions.
50GB to 1TB plans
How much can you store?
File type | Approx. file size | 100 GB | 500 GB | 1 TB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Documents (PDFs, Word files) | 1 MB | 100,000 | 500,000 | 1 million |
Photos (JPEG) | 4 MB | 25,000 | 125,000 | 250,000 |
High-resolution photos | 10 MB | 10,000 | 50,000 | 100,000 |
Songs (MP3) | 5 MB | 20,000 | 100,000 | 200,000 |
1080p videos | 500 MB/hour | 200 hours | 1,000 hours | 2,000 hours |
4K videos | 2–5 GB/hour | 20–50 hours | 100–250 hours | 200–500 hours |
Cloud storage costs for 50GB to 1TB are as follows
| Cloud Storage | Storage & Price | End-to-End Encryption | Included Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Internxt |
|
Yes | Antivirus, backups, VPN, password-protected file sharing |
| Google Drive |
|
No | Drive, Gmail, Google Photos, Gemini AI |
| iCloud |
|
No | iCloud Drive, Mail, Photos, iWork |
| Outlook / OneDrive |
|
No | OneDrive, Outlook, Microsoft Office |
| Filen |
|
Yes | Drive, Notes, Chat |
| pCloud |
|
No | Drive, pCloud Photos, pCloud Docs |
For the cheapest personal cloud storage per GB for plans up to 1TB, Internxt is the cheapest and most secure option at €0.00149/GB/month, while the most expensive per GB is an iCloud 50 GB plan at €0.0198/GB/month.
2TB to 5TB plans
How much data can 2 to 5TB plans store?
File type | Approx. file size | 2 TB | 5 TB |
|---|---|---|---|
Documents (PDFs, Word files) | 1 MB | 2 million | 5 million |
Photos (JPEG) | 4 MB | 500,000 | 1.25 million |
High-resolution photos | 10 MB | 200,000 | 500,000 |
Songs (MP3) | 5 MB | 400,000 | 1 million |
1080p videos | 500 MB/hour | 4,000 hours | 10,000 hours |
4K videos | 2–5 GB/hour | 400–1,000 hours | 1,000–2,500 hours |
Costs for 2 to 5TB plans can be seen below.
| Provider | Storage | Price | End-to-end encryption | Features |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Internxt | 2 TB / 5 TB | €2.99 / €4.49 per month | Yes | Antivirus, backups, VPN, password-protected file sharing, Meet, file versioning, Mail, Photos |
| Google Drive | 2 TB | €9.99/month | No | Drive, Mail, Photos, Gemini AI |
| iCloud | 2 TB | €9.99/month | No | Drive, Mail, Photos, iWork |
| Outlook | 2 TB | €19.99/month | No | Drive, Outlook, Microsoft Office |
| Filen | 2 TB | €8.99/month | Yes | Drive, Notes, chat |
| pCloud | 2 TB | €9.99/month | No | Drive, pCloud Photos, pCloud Docs |
Cheapest per GB: Internxt 5 TB at €0.000898/GB/month (€4.49/month).
Most expensive per GB: Outlook 2 TB at €0.009995/GB/month (€19.99/month).
6TB plans and more
Beyond 5TB the best and cheapest cloud storage for personal use becomes more limited, as not many providers offer more than this plan.
| File type | Approx. file size | 5 TB | 10 TB |
|---|---|---|---|
| Documents (PDFs, Word files) | 1 MB | 5 million | 10 million |
| Photos (JPEG) | 4 MB | 1.25 million | 2.5 million |
| High-resolution photos | 10 MB | 500,000 | 1 million |
| Songs (MP3) | 5 MB | 1 million | 2 million |
| 1080p videos | 500 MB/hour | 10,000 hours | 20,000 hours |
| 4K videos | 2–5 GB/hour | 1,000–2,500 hours | 2,000–5,000 hours |
Below are the cheapest personal cloud storage options if you need more than 6TB or up to 12TB, with Apple iCloud pricing plans.
| Provider | Storage | Price | End-to-end encryption | Features |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| iCloud | 6 TB / 12 TB | €29.99 / €59.99 per month | No | Drive, Mail, Photos, iWork |
| Filen | 10 TB | €39.99/month | Yes | Drive, Notes, chat |
| pCloud | 10 TB | €29.99/month | No | Drive, pCloud Photos, pCloud Docs |
Filen vs pCloud for 10TB plans: pCloud pricing offers a cheaper option, but does not include zero-knowledge encryption. Filen is more expensive, but is an open-source and end-to-end encrypted pCloud alternative, like Internxt.
Cheapest personal cloud storage lifetime plans
If you want to avoid subscriptions completely the best investment you can make for your cloud storage is a lifetime plan.
If you choose a 5TB lifetime plan with Internxt, you get zero-knowledge and post-quantum cryptography, automatic backups for photos, and an encrypted email included with a one-time payment.
Ultimate plans also include support for QNAP and Synology, and WebDAV and Rclone support, so you can manage, sync, and back up your cloud from any device and any platform.
Internxt lifetime plans include 1, 2, or 5TB of storage, but if you need 10TB of lifetime storage, then you can stack your plan to get more storage whenever you need.
| Plan | Storage | Features | Annual (Paid monthly) | Lifetime Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essential | 1TB | €1.99/month | €380 | |
| Premium | 2TB |
|
€3.99/month | €580 |
| Ultimate | 5TB |
|
€5.99/month | €780 |
| *Prices are correct at the time of writing and are subject to change. For latest prices, check https://internxt.com/offerblogen | ||||
With your exclusive 85% discount, Internxt offers the cheapest personal cloud storage for subscription and lifetime plans, and offers all the features, privacy, and security to meet your personal cloud storage needs.
Related products
Frequently asked questions
What is the best and cheapest cloud storage for personal use?
Internxt Drive is the cheapest personal cloud storage, with prices for 1TB plans starting from €1.49/month, which equals €0.00149/GB/month. All plans include end-to-end encryption, backups, VPN, and Antivirus, with a full privacy suite available if you need to upgrade your plan.
Is cheap cloud storage secure?
Affordable cloud storage can offer strong security, but features vary by provider. Look for end-to-end encryption, secure file sharing, and reliable backup options. Internxt combines competitive subscription pricing with end-to-end encryption and additional security features.
How much does personal cloud storage cost per month?
Prices vary between providers and depend on promotional offers, storage capacity, and additional features. Prices for 100GB can start from €0.99/month and can go up to €59.99/ month for a 12TB plan with iCloud.
How much cloud storage do I need for personal use?
The amount you need depends on the files you store. A smaller plan may be enough for documents and everyday photos, while 1TB to 2TB can suit larger photo libraries and video collections. Plans of 5TB or more are useful for extensive personal archives and frequent backups.
What should I look for when choosing cheap personal cloud storage?
Compare monthly prices, cost per GB, storage capacity, encryption, automatic backups, file versioning, and secure file-sharing options. A low price is most valuable when the plan also provides the features you need to protect and manage your files.