The spill ofPhotos for OS Xhas many citizenry considering whether they want Apple to be a fundamental storehouse and managing director of their pic and videos . Security , privateness , perseveration , and data integrity ( i.e. , multiple point of backups ) all have their place . But cost is a factor , too .
iCloud storage is certainly commodious since it ’s build so deeply into iOS and OS X. But it ’s not the flashy .
WhileApple substantially lowered iCloud storage feeslast September , those fees remain eminent compared to Apple ’s competitors . The question is whether the service program associated with iCloud Photo Library is worth the extra dollars compare to the ecosystems of other companies .
And for many companies , cheap storage is a guide bound of a wedge to bring you into their product and military service ecosystem . For example , Amazon wants more users , because its drug user order more ware , especially eminent - security deposit digital products like books , video , and medicine .
( I employ U.S. pricing and U.S. dollars throughout for consistency . Leontyne Price outside the U.S. are typically slightly to slightly higher . )
Apples to Amazons and more
Apple currently has five pricing tier up for iCloud storage :
There is no yearly billing option , nor any option to store more information than 1 TB .
Competitors pack in more repositing for the sawbuck :
Dropbox . The free tier is 2 GB , with the power to make up to a total of 16 GB through referrals and other programs . Its single make up tier is 1 TB for $ 10 per month or $ 99 per year—40 pct of Apple ’s price .
That monetary value also includes 5 GB of non - photo entrepot , such as videos , which Amazon count separately from still images . For $ 60 per year , you’re able to store outright data point of any kind . prize user give full price for that inexhaustible plan .
Google Drive . The first 15 GB grade is free . 100 GB cost $ 2 per month , and 1 TB is $ 10 per calendar month . Google Drive offers plans up to 30 TB for $ 300 per calendar month .
Microsoft OneDrive . Microsoft offers 15 GB free ( and up to 35 GB with fillip ) , then has three tiers : 100 GB for $ 2 per calendar month , 200 sarin for $ 4 , and 1 TB for a bare $ 7 per month — a third of Apple ’s price — include a subscription to Office 365 .
( Amazon and Google also tender pure cloud - computer memory plays intend more for developers , and not integrate with sync service . )
The ecosystem
Apple ’s ecosystem is evidently plan to figure out seamlessly and in the background across all its devices and operating systems . With iCloud Photo Storage enable on iOS twist and Macs , photo and television are synced to every location — either at full result or in downsampled preview versions — as well as back up in Apple ’s cloud , and accessible via your iCloud news report .
Flip switches on your equipment and in your hardware , and you simply do n’t think about sync . Or that ’s the general intention .
countenance ’s reckon at the others , assuming that a common disadvantage is that you wo n’t be able admittance the picture in the Photos app on all your devices without additional measure . And countenance ’s also assume that if you ’re appear for an alternative , you do n’t frequently edit your photos : You mostly want to catch them yourself , apportion them in person via a machine , and deal them via album data link and societal networks .
you’re able to practice Automator action to spell images from cloud memory into Photos .
you could spell specific icon into Photos , of course . you could also use cloud - sync services to distribute and back up your sensitive , and then import entire folders on a regular basis into Photos on a given data processor ; you could even use anAutomater actionto accomplish this . ( Syncing a Photos subroutine library is completely feasible , but you would n’t want to unfold the same library on multiple computers , and that sync does n’t allow iOS access , either . )
Dropbox . Dropbox may have the best - design ecosystem because they ’ve been at it the longest . Any visual media ( or any files ) placed in a Dropbox folder in OS X , Windows , or other desktop political program is automatically synchronized to Dropbox ’s central storage and to all other computer linked to your account . ( Selective Sync can be used to debar specific folders on any given sync equipment . )
Dropbox ’s desktop utility can automatically spell medium from devices when they ’re impound , such as an iPhone . Its smartphone apps can be limit to upload photos and TV when the app is opened , as well as through background uploading .
If you store your exposure in Dropbox , you are n’t stuck reckon at tiny thumbnails or a list of computer file name . Just get Carousel , an iOS / Android app that act as a heading for viewing and sharing your photos and videos .
While you’re able to expect at picture and videos in Dropbox ’s peregrine apps , the company introduced a disjoined media app and site last twelvemonth calledCarousel , which is optimized for visual media playback and scanning .
reward : lowly toll , and you may already be compensate for it . highly efficient behaviour related to uploading and syncing . Selective sync allows you to find fault which media ( and files ) are duplicated to which estimator .
Disadvantage : None .
Amazon Cloud Drive . Amazon has the abject terms by far , but its cloud substructure is designed around centralised storage with the ability to view everywhere through apps , its Fire gimmick , and the WWW . TheAmazon Photosapp for iOS can upload exposure mechanically , but its desktop apps need you to select them .
If you take most of your photos with your iPhone ( or iPad ) , the Amazon Photos app can mechanically upload them to Amazon ’s cloud — which has the good damage .
This approach shot makes sense if you want centralized storage and your elemental intent is to reckon them and divvy up them , rather than edit out or upload them elsewhere .
Advantage : straight-out storage at an exceedingly grim price .
Disadvantage : miss automated computer upload and sync .
Google Drive and Microsoft OneDrive . Desktop computer software let you sync the content of a folder as you would with Dropbox , and mobile software can upload photo and television , admit automatically with OneDrive . However , neither service is targeted for any particular reward except central storage . They lack the point of Amazon ’s “ display everywhere ” direction , Dropbox ’s sync and photograph view apps , and Apple ’s sync everywhere .
reward : You may already be using it and devote for it .
Disadvantage : propose no particular advantage except cost .
Photo finish
Dropbox seems the clean winner if you do n’t routinely edit photos in Photos on different chopine , and Amazon if your intent is a central storage with access everywhere and at the lowest cost .
Apple can modify this with a few keystrokes , such as halving its repositing price . But as long as it has ecosystem lock in , it may feel its total note value will keep its users paying .
