Today all eligible iPhone users are happy that iOS 17 is available. There are many interesting features and functions including the new iCloud+ offering up to 12TB. However, is it worth subscribing to this Apple cloud storage service or is it better to choose another service?
In this article I will share the differences and opinions about some cloud storage services that I myself have used. You can see for yourself which one is more worthwhile and more user-friendly in order to get the best user experience.
CLOUD STORAGE PLANS AND PRICES
Apple iCloud+ 5GB – Free
50GB – RM3.90 (Per Month)
200GB – RM11.90 (Monthly)
2TB – RM44.90 (Monthly)
6TB – RM129.90 (Monthly)
12TB – RM269.90 (Monthly)
Google One 15GB – Free
100GB – RM8.49 (Month) or RM84.99 (Year)
200GB – RM11.99 (Month) or RM119.99 (Year)
2TB – RM42.99 (One Month) or RM429.99 (One Year)
5TB – RM107.49 (One Month) or RM1074.99 (One Year)
10TB – RM214.99 (Monthly)
20TB – RM429.99 (Monthly)
30TB – RM644.99 (Monthly)
Microsoft OneDrive 5GB – Free
100GB – RM8.90 (Monthly)
1TB – RM21.90 (Monthly)
6TB – RM28.90 (Monthly)
DropBox 2GB – Free
2TB – RM48.90 (Monthly)
3TB – RM84.90 (Monthly)
5TB – RM89.56 (Monthly)
iCloud if seen in the table above is quite worth it. This is because Apple not only offers cloud storage but also provides access to iCloud Private Relay to hide emails to avoid spam and use temporary email addresses. In addition to offering HomeKit Secure Video to encrypt videos recorded by smart closed-circuit cameras and access those videos anywhere.
Based on my experience, iCloud is not user-friendly enough because it is difficult to access on all platforms. Loading times if accessing iCloud share links are also very slow. Then if taking a family plan, the storage quota will be shared instead of separate. However if you are 100% using the Apple ecosystem, this is a good choice. Personally I prefer Google One.
This is because Google One offers monthly and annual plans and has up to 30TB of storage. Most interesting are the Google One and Google Drive applications which are very user-friendly and easily accessible regardless of the Apple, Android or Windows platforms. Only thing I don't like is that the family sharing plan will use the original quota. Google also provides access to a premium customer support service where if there is a problem, the customer can make a phone call or chat with a Google representative at a very fast rate.
If you want the biggest storage, Microsoft OneDrive is the best value. It is the cheapest which is RM28.90 per month for 6TB while Apple and Google cost more than RM100. DropBox is the second cheapest but 5TB already costs almost RM90. Microsoft also has applications that are user-friendly and easily accessible on Windows computers.
Dropbox Extensions
Last but not least is DropBox because the 3TB plan is priced at RM84.90 and other platforms continue to offer 5TB and above. To save more, they offer a 2TB family plan priced at RM82.90 which can be shared by 6 people and each will use their own account and receive 2TB due to the unshared quota. Annual plans are also offered but are limited to web subscriptions.
After years of using cloud storage and trying various services, I found Google One to be the best so far. This is because it doesn't matter what device you use whether Android, iOS, Windows, macOS etc. Google One and Google Drive are easily accessible. It's fast, easy to use, reliably secure, lots of storage options and has flexible subscriptions.
There are still many cloud storage services out there. Some are based on the block chain like Internxt at a very expensive price, some are cheap but data security is not guaranteed some are even free if you dare. I've been using Google's cloud storage service since it launched in 2012 and to this day my files are all safe, still accessible and have never had a problem.
what do you say Which one did you choose and why? If you feel there is another cloud storage service that is more worthwhile, share it in the comment section because my heart still wants to be loyal to Google.