Cloud storage has become a major trend in recent years. With so many high-capacity options available, it's hard to know which one is the best. This article will focus on how to save photos to the cloud . You'll find options from Apple, Google, Microsoft, and several others, which we'll discuss below.
Although you have many options, not all of them offer the same storage space . Furthermore, the capacities vary considerably between alternatives, and for some, you'll have to pay to keep your entire photo library safe and sound.
Google Photos, perhaps the best-known alternative to save photos in the cloud
For years, Google has offered its customers the most popular option for storing all their photos in the cloud: Google Photos . This service is linked to a Google user account and allows users to access their entire photo library from any device, anywhere . All you need is the app downloaded—it can also be accessed through a web browser—and an internet connection.
Google, by default, offers free accounts with a maximum storage capacity of 15 GB . However, you should keep in mind that this capacity must be divided among all services: Gmail, Google Drive, etc. As with other services, you can increase this storage capacity through a monthly—or annual—subscription called Google One . These capacities and their respective prices are as follows:
- 100 GB of space: 1,99 euros per month / 19,99 euros per year
- 200 GB of space: 2,99 euros per month / 29,99 euros per year
- 2 TB of space: 9,99 euros per month / 99,99 euros per year
- 5 TB of space: 24,99 euros per month / 249,99 euros per year
Amazon Photos, no space limits but no free account
Amazon jumped on the cloud-based services bandwagon. Moreover, Amazon's offering includes an annual subscription at the lowest cost of all. Although the price has increased over the years, it currently (2023) stands at €49,99 . This subscription includes video-on-demand service (Amazon Video), Prime service for free shipping on a wide range of products, Amazon Photos, Amazon Reading, Amazon Music, and Amazon Gaming.
The best thing about this cloud-based service is that Amazon allows you to upload both photos and videos in the highest quality and—for now—with no storage limits. The Amazon Photos app is also available for various platforms: Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android.
Download Amazon Photos for Mac
Download Amazon Photos for Windows
OneDrive from Microsoft, another alternative to save photos in the cloud with different capacities
Microsoft also offers its own cloud storage solution for photos. It's called OneDrive, an internet-based hard drive that comes with 5 GB of free storage . However, by upgrading to one of its paid subscription plans—monthly or annual—you'll have up to 6 TB of storage and access to its most popular products. This service is known as Microsoft 365.
In addition to having a hard drive on the Internet, you will also have access to applications such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, etc. Below we detail their different prices:
- 100 GB of space: it is known as Microsoft 365 Basic and its annual price is 20 euros
- 1 TB of space: it is known as Microsoft 365 Personal and its annual price is 69 euros
- 6 TB of space: it is known as Microsoft 365 Family and its annual price is 99 euros
Likewise, and as in the other services, it also has an application for the different platforms on the market, whether desktop or mobile.
iCloud, the exclusive solution for Apple devices
Apple also offers a cloud storage service called iCloud . This service is exclusively for Apple devices, meaning that everything stored on Apple's servers will automatically sync across all of the user's devices. This includes all the data the user has in their Photos app (iPhone, iPad, or Mac).
With the purchase of any Apple device, the user will receive 5 GB of free storage . If this is not enough, the user will also need to subscribe to a monthly plan with the following storage capacities:
- 50 GB of space: 0,99 euros per month
- 200 GB of space: 2,99 euros per month
- 2 TB of space: 9,99 euros per month
DropBox, a veteran customer in the field of cloud storage
Dropbox is another solution for storing all types of files, and it's available for every platform on the market, as well as through a web browser. Dropbox offers 2 GB of free storage , but it's not ideal for storing photos in the cloud.
Therefore, we will need access to a monthly or annual subscription plan to obtain at least 2 TB of storage, up to an unlimited amount . Furthermore, saving files is simple, as it's based on folders, just like a file explorer. The Dropbox plans are as follows:
- Plus plan with 2TB of space (single user): 9,99 euros per month
- Family plan with 2 TB of space (up to 6 users): 16,99 euros per month
- Professional plan with 3 TB of space (single user): 16,58 euros per month
- Standard plan with 5 TB of space (a minimum of 3 users): 12 euros per month per user
- Advanced plan with unlimited space (a minimum of 3 users): 18 euros per month per user
Download Dropbox for Windows
Download Dropbox for Mac
Conclusions on how to save photos in the cloud
After seeing all the solutions we have on the market, we can only tell you that choosing one of these services has many advantages. Between them:
- Enjoy more services plus storage
- possibility of view all photos on any device
- Avoid having mechanical failures and that the photos disappear from our physical storage devices