Use cloud storage for free
Back up photos, sync documents across multiple devices or share files with others: for many use cases a paid cloud storage service is not necessary. Numerous providers offer several gigabytes of storage permanently free of charge. In our comparison you can see which free cloud storage services are particularly interesting, how much storage you receive and which limitations you should be aware of.
The size of the free storage is not the only deciding factor. Upload limits, the encryption used, the data location and integration with existing devices and applications can also play an important role when choosing a service.
| Provider | Free storage | Key strength | Best suited for | Provider location | Server / data location | Privacy profile | End-to-end encryption | Important to know |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MEGA | 20 GB | Very generous free storage combined with a strong focus on encryption |
Users who want to store larger amounts of data for free and value encryption | 🇳🇿 New Zealand Auckland |
Europe, New Zealand and Canada | Third country E2E New Zealand has an EU-recognised level of data protection. Additionally, MEGA uses client-side encryption. |
✓ Yes | One of the most generous free plans. However, data is not necessarily stored exclusively within the EU. |
| Google Drive | 15 GB | Strong Google ecosystem including Docs, Sheets and easy collaboration |
Google and Android users as well as teams that collaboratively edit documents online | 🇺🇸 USA Google LLC |
Globally distributed Google data centres; with a standard free account you cannot choose a fixed EU data region | US / international US corporation with a global infrastructure. For private users the storage location cannot be set to a specific EU region. |
No | The 15 GB is shared with Gmail and Google Photos. Data is encrypted in transit and at rest, but not end-to-end by default. |
| Infomaniak kDrive | 15 GB | Swiss cloud with 15 GB and integrated office features |
Users who are looking for a European alternative to Google and Microsoft with a transparent data location | 🇨🇭 Switzerland Infomaniak |
Exclusively Switzerland Infomaniak-owned data centres |
CH / very clear Swiss company, Swiss infrastructure and storage exclusively in Switzerland. |
No | Very transparent data location approach. Data is encrypted in transit and at rest, but not with client-side zero-knowledge encryption. |
| pCloud | up to 10 GB | Selectable EU data region and straightforward cloud synchronisation |
Users looking for a classic cloud alternative with a Swiss provider and a selectable European data location | 🇨🇭 Switzerland pCloud International AG |
Selectable: 🇱🇺 Luxembourg (EU) or 🇺🇸 Dallas (USA) |
EU region selectable For users from Germany the Luxembourg data region is particularly interesting. Files, metadata and backups remain in the selected region. |
Optional / paid | When registering you should specifically choose Luxembourg as the data region. The additional zero-knowledge feature pCloud Encryption is not included in the standard free plan. |
| Icedrive | 10 GB | Generous free plan with simple, modern cloud usage |
Users who need a straightforward 10 GB for documents, photos and general files | 🇬🇮 Gibraltar Ice Privacy Ltd |
International infrastructure; including Germany, the United Kingdom and the USA. No free choice of region. | International Company based in Gibraltar, but data may reside on infrastructure in different countries. |
Not in the free plan | Client-side zero-knowledge storage is part of paid plans. The data location is less clear than with kDrive or pCloud. |
| Box | 10 GB | Sharing and collaboration with a strong focus on documents |
Users who mainly store Office documents and smaller files or share them with others | 🇺🇸 USA Redwood City, California |
Global infrastructure; regional storage via Box Zones with appropriate business plans | US / international US company. Targeted regional data residency is generally possible, but is not a central feature of the free personal plan. |
No | Data is encrypted in transit and at rest. In the free plan individual uploads are limited to 250 MB. |
| Microsoft OneDrive | 5 GB | Windows integration and tight integration with Microsoft services |
Windows users and those who already use Microsoft services and Office regularly | 🇺🇸 USA Microsoft Corporation |
Global Microsoft infrastructure; for standard personal OneDrive accounts no freely selectable EU storage region | US / international US corporation with worldwide cloud infrastructure. Advanced data-residency features are aimed primarily at business customers. |
No | Particularly convenient for Windows users. However, the free storage of 5 GB is comparatively limited. |
| Apple iCloud | 5 GB | Seamless Apple integration for iPhone, iPad and Mac |
Users who primarily use Apple devices and want to automatically sync files, photos and backups | 🇺🇸 USA Apple Inc. |
International cloud infrastructure; no freely selectable storage region for standard iCloud accounts | US / international US company with international data processing. Users cannot individually determine the physical storage location of their iCloud files. |
Optional with ADP | With Apple's optional Advanced Data Protection many iCloud data including iCloud Drive can be end-to-end encrypted. The 5 GB is also used for photos and backups. |
| Proton Drive | up to 5 GB | Privacy and end-to-end encryption | Privacy-conscious users and anyone who wants to store sensitive documents especially securely | 🇨🇭 Switzerland Proton AG |
Switzerland, Germany and Norway infrastructure operated by Proton |
CH / Europe E2E Swiss company, European server locations and default end-to-end encryption. |
✓ Yes | Particularly strong focus on privacy. Not only file contents but also file and folder names are end-to-end encrypted. |
| Dropbox | 2 GB | Proven synchronisation and particularly simple file sharing |
Users who want to synchronise smaller amounts of data between devices or share them with others | 🇺🇸 USA Dropbox Inc. |
For regular accounts mainly data centres in the USA; additional regions such as the EU, UK, Japan and Australia for eligible plans | US / international For the free Basic plan a freely selectable EU data region is not a priority. |
No | Dropbox encrypts files in transit and at rest, but the free standard offering does not provide client-side end-to-end encryption. With 2 GB the free plan is also small. |
Note on privacy classification: The colour coding does not constitute a legal assessment or statement as to whether a provider is "GDPR-compliant" or "not GDPR-compliant". It serves as a quick guide based on company headquarters, data location, possible data residency options and technical encryption. Providers outside the EU can also lawfully process and transfer personal data in accordance with European data protection requirements.
As of: August 2026. Server locations, privacy terms and features of free plans may be changed by providers.
There isn't a single best cloud storage solution for every user. Depending on your device setup, desired storage capacity and requirements for data protection and collaboration, different services may be suitable.
With 20 GB, MEGA offers particularly generous free storage among the services compared here.
Proton Drive also uses end-to-end encryption for its free offering, making it particularly suitable for users concerned about data protection.
Infomaniak kDrive combines 15 GB of free storage with a Swiss data centre and integrated office features.
Google Drive, OneDrive and iCloud are at their strongest, especially if you already use the respective Google, Microsoft or Apple ecosystems.
Behind the free offers are sometimes very different concepts. While some providers supply as much storage as possible, others focus more on collaboration, device synchronisation or privacy.
MEGA is one of the most interesting options when a large amount of storage space without monthly costs is required. With 20 GB the free plan is well ahead of many well-known competitors.
At the same time, the provider strongly emphasises encryption and privacy. This makes MEGA suitable not only for individual documents but also for larger collections of photos or other files.
Google Drive is one of the best-known cloud storage services and is closely integrated with services like Google Docs, Google Sheets and the rest of the Google ecosystem. Files can therefore not only be stored and synchronised but also edited online and shared collaboratively.
It is important to note, however: the free 15 GB is not available exclusively for Google Drive. The storage quota is also used by Gmail and Google Photos.
With kDrive the Swiss cloud provider Infomaniak offers an interesting alternative to the big US platforms. The free plan includes 15 GB of cloud storage and is suitable for documents, photos and other files.
A particular feature is the location: Infomaniak develops and operates kDrive in Switzerland. In addition, functions for online editing and collaboration on documents are available.
pCloud is also a Swiss cloud provider and offers up to 10 GB of storage in the free plan. Files can be stored, synchronised and shared across various devices.
However, the full 10 GB is not necessarily available immediately after registration. Parts of the free storage are unlocked by certain setup steps. Users can also choose between a data region in Europe and the USA.
Icedrive already offers 10 GB of storage in the free plan. This puts the service among the higher end of our comparison for available free storage.
The cloud storage can be used via the web interface and apps and is suitable for storing, retrieving and synchronising typical files such as documents and photos.
Box is best known as a platform for file sharing and collaboration. A free plan with 10 GB of storage is also available for personal users.
However, there is an important limitation: individual files may be a maximum of 250 MB in size on the free plan. For documents this is usually unproblematic, but for larger videos, archives or backups the limit can quickly become a hindrance.
OneDrive is deeply integrated into Windows and the Microsoft ecosystem. Files can be synchronised automatically and accessed on different devices. In addition, web versions of various Microsoft Office applications are available.
With 5 GB the free storage is considerably smaller than with MEGA, Google Drive or kDrive, but the quota can still be sufficient for documents and smaller amounts of data.
Every Apple user receives 5 GB of free storage when setting up iCloud. The major advantage lies less in the amount of storage and more in the seamless integration with iPhone, iPad and Mac.
However, the storage quota is not used solely for files in iCloud Drive. Device backups, iCloud Photos and other iCloud data can also consume the available 5 GB.
Proton Drive follows a different focus than many classic cloud storage services. The service uses end-to-end encryption for stored files even in the free plan and is therefore particularly aimed at users with high privacy requirements.
With up to 5 GB the storage quota is smaller than that of many competitors. Those who mainly want to store sensitive documents securely in the cloud may, however, accept this disadvantage.
Dropbox is one of the best-known names in cloud storage and has made a name for itself above all with simple file synchronisation and straightforward sharing features.
The free Basic plan, however, includes only 2 GB of storage. That is little for extensive photo archives or backups, but the free access can still be interesting for documents and smaller files.
With cloud storage, files aren't stored exclusively on your computer or smartphone; they are kept on the servers of a cloud provider. This means they can be accessed over the internet from different devices.
Many providers operate a freemium model. A limited amount of storage can be used for free indefinitely, while larger storage quotas or additional features require a paid plan.
Free does not necessarily mean the same feature set as a premium plan. Depending on the provider, aspects such as maximum file size, versioning, additional security features or other performance characteristics may be restricted.
How much storage makes sense depends heavily on which files are stored in the cloud. Text documents require little space, whereas high-resolution photos and especially videos demand much larger amounts of data.
| Storage size | Typical use | Assessment |
|---|---|---|
| 2 GB | Documents and a few important files | Sufficient for a small document cloud |
| 5 GB | Documents, some photos and small backups | Suitable for occasional use |
| 10 GB | Documents and a larger number of photos | A good starting point for private use |
| 15–20 GB | Documents, photos and small media archives | Relatively generous for a free tier |
| 100 GB and more | Extensive photo archives, videos and backups | A paid plan is usually advisable |
Anyone who stores personal documents, photos or other sensitive data in the cloud should not only consider the amount of storage. Equally important is how the provider protects the stored data.
Encrypted data transmission is standard for modern cloud services. Distinct from this is true end-to-end or client-side encryption. With that, data are encrypted on the user's device before being uploaded to the cloud.
The location of the provider or of the data centres used can also play a role. While major services such as Google, Microsoft, Apple, Dropbox and Box originate from the US, providers like Infomaniak, pCloud and Proton position themselves deliberately as European or Swiss alternatives.
The differences between providers are considerable. While Dropbox only offers 2 GB in its free basic plan, other services provide 10, 15 or even 20 GB.
| Free storage | Providers |
|---|---|
| 20 GB | MEGA |
| 15 GB | Google Drive, Infomaniak kDrive |
| up to 10 GB | pCloud |
| 10 GB | Icedrive, Box |
| up to 5 GB | Microsoft OneDrive, Apple iCloud, Proton Drive |
| 2 GB | Dropbox |
For some services, the actual available storage may depend on setup steps, storage already used in other services, or other conditions.
Free cloud offerings are often sufficient for documents and smaller amounts of data. However, those who regularly back up photos and videos or want to store full backups in the cloud will quickly hit limits with 5, 10 or 20 GB. Paid plans often offer significantly more storage for only a few pounds per month.
Paid cloud storage typically starts with smaller packages in the 50 or 100 GB range and goes up to several terabytes. In addition to extra storage, premium plans often provide, depending on the provider, enhanced sharing features, longer file versioning, additional security options or more extensive backup functionality.
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Whether a free plan is sufficient depends mainly on the amount of data to be stored. For documents, individual photos or exchanging small files, free offerings are often entirely adequate. Those who want to store an entire photo collection, larger videos or regular Backups, however, usually need significantly more storage space.
| Free cloud storage | Paid cloud storage |
|---|---|
| Depending on the provider, around 2 to 20 GB | From smaller packages up to several terabytes |
| Ideal for documents and smaller amounts of data | Suitable for extensive photo and video archives |
| Some restrictions on features and uploads | Generally higher limits and more features |
| No ongoing costs | Monthly or annual costs |
| Good for trying out a provider | Better for long-term and extensive use |
For our comparison we look not only at the number of gigabytes available for free. A good cloud storage service must also work in everyday use and should transparently inform users about the restrictions that apply to the free plan.
The most important comparison criteria include:
This makes it easier to assess which provider is suitable for a particular use case, rather than simply choosing the service with the highest number of free gigabytes.
Key questions about free cloud storage and its use at a glance.
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