iCloud backs up our iOS devices , save all our photos and video good and in sync , and even syncs our macOS desktop between Macs and permit us get at it via an iPhone or iPad . But all those files have to take up space , right ? gratefully , Apple has a number of storage options available for iCloud , and in our guide to iCloud subscription and pricing , we explicate which is the right one for you , along with how to elevate or downgrade your iCloud storage .
We round up the pros and yardbird of some rival cloud storage provider inBest cloud storage apps for iPhone .
Updated with details and pricing of the new iCloud tiers : 6 TB and 12 TB .
How much iCloud storage costs.
What is iCloud storage?
iCloud is Apple ’s cloud storage service , but it does much more than provide a office in the cloud for you to store files .
With equal iCloud warehousing , you could store all your photos and videos , documents and your Mac desktop , data from your apps , and even your countersign , in the cloud . One of the main benefits is that if you use iCloud all those things can be get at on any gadget that is connect to your Apple ID , and kept in sync .
It can be used as a agency to back up file and pic , but you should consider of it more as a agency to synchronise things between all your devices so that you could see all your file and photos on all your devices . It is n’t a backup in the mother wit that you ca n’t store things in iCloud and then delete them from your machine . If you do that you may also cancel them from the cloud and lose them forever ( although Apple does have a 30 - day windowpane in which things like picture remain ) . If you want to apply iCloud to back up your Mac read : How to habituate iCloud to back up your MacandHow to salvage space by moving picture from a Mac to iCloud for options .
How much iCloud storage costs.
Storing thing in iCloud can make unnecessary you space on your gadget because only the files you ofttimes access will be hive away on your gimmick , with everything else in the swarm . If you have iCloud Photos , for example , you will have full - resoluteness photos in the swarm , but boil down - sizing single file on your iPhone , so your 100 GB pic library wo n’t take up 100 GB on your iPhone , but you will be able to see all your photos at any sentence on any of your devices .
One of our best-loved feature of iCloud is simply the fact that it can be partake in with other members of a family radical . So rather than spouses yield for 200 GB each , they can get 2 TB and share it . Read abouthow to put up Family Sharing .
There is alsoiCloud.comthat admit you to get at all your information in iCloud online . It include vane versions of Apple apps like Pages and Numbers , as well as admission to your Photos , Reminders , Notes and regain My .
In September 2023 Apple also made someinterface update to iCloud.comand added new features to Photos and Mail . For example , you could spiel Memories or a Slideshow from the Photos app .
iCloud storage plan options and pricing
Before we go any further , we should probably first discuss the options useable , and the corresponding prices for those in the countries where most of our reader are based , including the U.S. and U.K.
Prior to September 2023 , Apple offered five different tiers of storage for iCloud , but withiOS 17and the other 2023 operating system update make out two new iCloud tiers : 6 TB and 12 TB .
This iCloud Storage is divvy up between all your devices , including iPhones , iPads and Macs . If you fix up Family Sharing you’re able to even divvy up the iCloud store allocation with other member of your household .
Your storage quad will answer for for any files that you store in the cloud , via apps or otherwise , and the cloud backups of your iPad and iPhone . Unfortunately , you ca n’t yet back up your Mac ’s circumstance to iCloud , but since you may sync all your document create in various Apple apps , and your Desktop and Documents leaflet , most of the matter you need on your Mac can also be find in the swarm .
Apple currently has the following iCloud storage subscriptions uncommitted :
On June 27 , 2023 Apple announced that the prices in the U.K. were increase from the following : £ 0.79 for 50 GB , £ 2.49 for 200 GB and £ 6.99 for 2 TB . The price also rose in Denmark , Sweden , Norway , Poland , Bulgaria , Romania , Turkey , Saudi Arabia , the United Arab Emirates , Egypt , Tanzania , South Africa , Colombia , Peru , and Brazil .
The unexampled cost commence at the starting time of August ( bet on the Clarence Shepard Day Jr. your subscription renews ) .
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Apple used to proffer 1 TB for $ 9.99/£6.99 and 2 TB for $ 19.99/£13.99 a calendar month , but in spring 2017 it removed the 1 TB offering and melt off the price of 2 TB .
Apple upped damage for Apple Music , Apple TV+ and Apple One in October 2022 , but it did n’t alter the prices for iCloud at that sentence .
How to subscribe to an iCloud storage plan
you could also upgrade from your iPhone , Mac or other Apple twist .
On an iPhone :
you could also encounter downgrade option here .
On a Mac :
How to upgrade your iCloud storage for free
Since May 2018 Apple has been proffer the first month for free so you could trial the service for a month before decide whether you involve it or not . This is particularly handy if you need a little time to sort out a backup of your data but are n’t really keen on pay for iCloud repositing , as it will basically give you up to 2 TB of storage for a month – you ’ll need to remember to cancel the service of process before you are due to pay anything .
However , this free offer is only available to those not paying for any iCloud reposition . If you already give for depot , you ca n’t take advantage of the gratis month if you update to the next tier up , but you could always pay for a month and then regress to the cheaper subscription afterward ( you ’ll just involve to remove the spare information from iCloud ) .
If you still do n’t want to pay Apple for storage , have a look at ourBest option to iCloud .
Which iCloud subscription should you get?
Now you know the dissimilar storage pick available to you , which is the best for you ? There ’s no point in bear $ 9.99/£6.99 a month for 2 TB of storage if you only use it to back up your iPhone , after all . You should consider factor like whether you ’re getting iCloud storage full notifications , whether you use iCloud Drive to salt away your documents or whether you in the first place use another service like Google Drive or Dropbox , if you are usingiCloud Photo Library , and whether you ’re using iCloud Drive Desktop and Documents to synchronise documents between multiple Macs .
The above are all very important broker when consider iCloud reposition options , but there ’s more to it than that . We discontinue it down below . For a usher to using iCloud read : How to habituate iCloud .
In 2021 Apple brought novel characteristic to iCloud with iCloud+ including privacy and security measures features , such as iCloud Private Relay and Hide My electronic mail .
5GB
If you ’ve only got a single iOS gimmick that you use and you do n’t take many photo or video , the costless store tier should be enough for you . The free iCloud storage grade can also be used by those who in the main habituate another cloud storage overhaul ( like Dropbox or Google Drive ) for storing documents , pic and videos .
If you do opt for the free grade , ensure you disable iCloud synchronize in any apps that you frequently use to avoid fill up the depot unnecessarily .
50GB
Those of you that own more than one iOS twist will probably have to happen up the storage option to 50 GB , as a stock iOS backup can be anywhere from 1 - 5 gibibyte or even more , depending on how much is stored on your gimmick . It ’s also respectable for those who care to take photos and videos on their iOS devices and desire to keep a secure backing of them – the option is still available for those on the free tier , although they would n’t be able to store many before the storage becomes full .
you may get 50 GB of iCloud Storage with the Apple One Individual Plan for $ 16.95/£16.95 per month . We have moredetails on the Apple One plansin a separate clause .
200GB
The 200 GB plan is the standard option for those who have multiple iOS machine and a Mac , as it take into account for enough room to store the substitute of each gimmick , along with space for a fairly substantial iCloud Photo Library and other documents to be stack away online . It ’ll give you the freedom to habituate iCloud as you see set , without having to worry about sate up the storage .
It ’s also recommended for those looking to practice iCloud Drive as their elementary cloud reposition service .
you may get 200 GB of iCloud Storage with the Apple One Family Plan for $ 22.95/£22.95 per calendar month .
2TB
The 2 TB repositing option is ideal for those who share an chronicle between multiple user ( such as families , with a plethora of devices to keep backed up ) The 2 TB alternative is everlasting for those who have a aggregation of iOS gadget and Macs that they flip-flop between regularly . It ’ll offer more than enough space for iOS stand-in , an iCloud Photo Library spanning 1000 of exposure and telecasting , documents , and other app data point .
If you need the freedom to use iCloud without any concern about space , and if money is no option , 2 TB is idealistic .
you’re able to get 2 TB of iCloud Storage with the Apple One Premier Plan for $ 32.95/£32.95 per calendar month .
6TB
There are two new iCloud Storage tier as of September , 2023 that are designed for those who take more than 2 TB of storage . Photographers and videographers , for example , who take oodles of photos and video on their iPhones , may find that 2 TB is inadequate .
The 6 TB selection be $ 29.99 or £ 26.99 .
12TB
If 6 TB is n’t enough there is a 12 TB pick , which will cost $ 59.99 or £ 54.99 , which accidentally is less than the 10 TB Google Drive option .
How to cancel, upgrade or downgrade your iCloud storage
If you have decided to make the dip and promote from the free tier of iCloud store , of if you ’ve bought the 2 TB tier and realized it ’s more than you need , it ’s well-off to shift your tier .
If you want to cancel any subscriptions on your iPhone , read this : How to offset subscription on an iPhone .
