These bad guys might also want to lock up your data and force you to pay a hefty sum to take back your secrets. Tap or click here for our guide on surviving ransomware attacks. Bottom line: If you want to keep your files safe, cloud storage is a requirement. Luckily, you’ve got a ton of choices at your fingertips, including iCloud and Google, both free options. But as Kim likes to say, there’s no such thing as free — you pay for your privacy. Today we’re comparing iCloud, Google Photos and IDrive so you can find out which service best matches your needs.
iPhone and Mac users default to iCloud
Apple’s branded cloud service offers 5GB of free capacity. With that much space, you can store around 1,600 average-sized photos. Sounds nice at first, but most people have more photos than that, especially if they’re into photography. Plus, 5GB isn’t enough to cover your phone — and it sure isn’t enough space to back up all the essential stuff on your computer. When you contrast iCloud’s space to the average amount of storage space you get from most phones, 64GB, it looks paltry in comparison. That’s just not enough storage space to cover everything important. You’ll have to decide which few photos are worth saving, which could mean you’ll have to throw out pictures you want for the sake of saving space. And what about all your important documents and other files? “Wait a minute,” you might be thinking. “Can’t I just buy more space?” That’s true, iCloud offers a paid storage tier. You can upgrade from free 5GB of storage to $9.99 a month for 2TB of space.
The numbers don’t lie
You won’t find a free storage tier with our sponsor, IDrive, but you’ll get a ton of bang for your buck. With the deal Kim arranged for her listeners and readers, we’re talking just $7.95 for an entire year of cloud backup. You get a whopping 5TB of storage space. Compare that to the Apple plan above. You get just 2TB of storage and you have to shell out 10 bucks every month. The numbers don’t lie. Speaking of math, let’s look at Google Photos. Most Android and Windows users rely on Google Photos since it’s native to their devices. It’s full of intuitive features that made photo sharing a snap. In past years, Google Photos gave unlimited storage space for free, but that changed in 2021. Now, it offers three tiers of paid storage plans:
You can get 100GB for $1.99 a month or $19.99 per yearNeed more? 200GB costs $2.99 a month or $29.99 per yearFor 2TB, you’ll have to pay $9.99 a month or $99.99 per year
In other words, for the maximum amount of storage space, both iCloud and Google Photos demand the same price. Of course, you could save a ridiculous amount and get a lot more storage space by using IDrive.
Price is just one of the many factors to consider
The crux of it is if you’re in the Android and Windows ecosystem, you’ll probably gravitate toward Google Photos. Mac or iPhone, iCloud is the easy choice. That’s because each service is designed to work best on native operating systems. IDrive evens the playing field, though. It works well on every device, plus it’s a smart way to keep a secure backup with a ton of space for one low monthly cost. Here’s a chart to help you visually compare each service. Check it out: If you have a lot to save, the choice is clear. IDrive is safe, secure and works with all your devices. Right now, get 90% off and back up all your devices onto one account. Tap or click here to get started.
