Independent · sourced · Updated June 2026
Best Cloud Storage (2026)
The cheapest cloud storage is Dropbox at $0/mo. 3 offer a free tier (Dropbox, IDrive, Microsoft OneDrive (Microsoft 365)). This page compares 5 options on entry price, free tier, HIPAA/SOC 2 and best-for — every figure linked to its source, updated June 2026.
5 options compared on price, free tier, compliance and fit — ranked cheapest-first. Every figure links to the vendor's own page and the date we captured it; quote-only tiers show “—”, never a guess.
Key takeaways
- Cheapest: Dropbox at $0/mo (Basic).
- Typical paid price: from $0.99/mo, median $9/mo, up to $11.99/mo — across 5 with published pricing.
- Free tier: Dropbox, IDrive, Microsoft OneDrive (Microsoft 365).
- HIPAA-ready: Dropbox, Backblaze.
- Tracked: 5 vendors, data current through 2026-06-15.
Comparison
| # | Cloud Storage | Entry price | Free | HIPAA | SOC 2 | Best for | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dropbox | $0/mo Basic | Yes | Yes | Yes | Teams needing secure file collaboration with granular permissions | dropbox.com |
| 2 | IDrive | $0/mo Basic | Yes | No | Yes | Individuals and SMBs needing to back up multiple computers under one account | idrive.com |
| 3 | Microsoft OneDrive (Microsoft 365) | $0/mo Microsoft 365 (Free) | Yes | No | No | Microsoft 365 subscribers wanting tightly integrated document collaboration | microsoft.com |
| 4 | iCloud+ | $0.99/mo 50 GB | No | — | — | Apple ecosystem users wanting seamless sync across iPhone, iPad, and Mac | support.apple.com |
| 5 | Backblaze | $9/mo Personal Backup | No | Yes | Yes | Individuals and small businesses wanting simple unlimited computer backup at low cost | backblaze.com |
Prices are the lowest published self-serve monthly rate as captured on the linked source. Annual-billing and usage details are on each vendor's record in our open dataset.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest cloud storage?
Dropbox has the lowest published entry price at $0/mo (Basic), as of 2026-06-15.
How much does cloud storage cost per month?
Across the 5 cloud storage with published paid pricing, the median starting price is $9/mo, ranging from $0.99/mo to $11.99/mo, as of 2026-06-15. 3 also offer a free tier.
Which cloud storage have a free plan?
Dropbox, IDrive, Microsoft OneDrive (Microsoft 365) offer a free tier.
Which cloud storage support HIPAA?
Dropbox, Backblaze state HIPAA support (a BAA). Always confirm current scope with the vendor.
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How we compiled this
Each plan was independently verified by fetching the provider's own pricing page on 2026-06-13. A provider is retained only where its plan lineup, storage limits and prices could be confirmed on the live page (USD directly, or — for pages that geolocated to EUR — the same lineup and storage confirmed on-page with the matching US USD figures corroborated by multiple independent 2026 pricing references). Providers whose live page no longer matched the recorded structure, rendered no confirmable prices, or showed only non-USD lifetime figures were dropped rather than kept on a guess. Consumer plans are flat per-account per month in USD; team/business tiers that bill per user carry the per-user USD price with billingModel per_seat, and quote-only tiers are recorded with monthlyUsd null. HIPAA/BAA do not apply to consumer cloud storage and are null, annualDiscountPct is recorded only where the provider publishes an annual rate, and minutes/calls/overage fields are null for every tier. Dropped on 2026-06-13: google-one (live plans page now shows AI-bundled tiers, not the storage-only 2/10/20/30 TB lineup, and third-party sources contradict each other); pcloud (live page rendered only EUR lifetime prices, no confirmable USD subscription price); box (live pricing page renders no prices client-side and corroboration sources disagree on the lineup).
Last verified 2026-06-15. We re-check published prices and compliance on a recurring cadence and update this page when they change.
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