Whether you’re a professional photographer or a keen hobbyist, having the best online photo storage for your images is a must. Beyond backing up your photos, cloud storage is an effective method for easily sharing images with others. Today, many cloud services offer excellent features for storing images, from lightning-fast sync speeds to easy file management.
Key Takeaways:
- pCloud is the best storage option for professional photographers.
- MEGA comes with fantastic features for security and privacy, plus 20GB free storage.
- Google Photos is great for the everyday smartphone user, with 15GB free space.
We’ve reviewed many cloud storage services over the years. Plenty of them offer remarkable features and performance, while others, well, we’d all rather forget. In our reviews, we’ve put each cloud storage service to the test to see how well it handles photos, which means we can whittle down the options and provide you with the very best services to store photos.
From mainstream tech giants to the underdog that deserves your attention, below are five of the best online photo storage services you can use in 2021.
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09/20/2021 Facts checked
Updated the list with new entries, changed the format and added new images.
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07/30/2022
Updated to reflect an increase in IDrive’s free plan to 10GB of storage.
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05/23/2023
Updated to remove IDrive’s discontinued free plan and add its new free 30-day trial.
Best Cloud Photo Storage Comparison
Most cloud storage providers offer a certain amount of free storage space when you open an account. MEGA leads the pack of mainstream providers, offering 20GB of free storage. Beyond that, photographers can turn to Shutterfly where they can enjoy free unlimited storage space.
Out of the five providers we list here, the safest online photo storage options include pCloud, IDrive, Backblaze and MEGA, which all offer excellent security and privacy.
Yes. Shutterfly offers unlimited photo storage space to its customers. There are some drawbacks, however, as there’s no option to upload RAW files or videos, which is why it didn’t make this list.
What Makes the Best Cloud Storage for Photos?
Security has to be at the forefront of any cloud-based product. Consumers need to know their files are safe, and any provider worth its salt will prioritize this. Companies also need to take their users’ privacy seriously. For example, those offering zero-knowledge encryption have an advantage over those that don’t.
When it comes to photos, which tend to be large files, we want to see providers offering large amounts of storage space. It’s also essential that they allow users to upload files of unlimited size, especially those who handle raw files.
- pCloud — Fast sync speeds and solid privacy with 10GB free storage
- IDrive — Great mobile app dedicated to photos
- MEGA — A strong emphasis on privacy and security with 20GB free plan
- Google Photos — Fantastic automated file management with 15GB free plan
- Backblaze — Super affordable unlimited storage plans
- Sync.com — Secure cloud storage with very affordable plans
Price is, of course, an important factor. When we assess affordability, we consider which provider offers the best value for the money, rather than which one has the cheapest plans. Feature-stacked plans also catch our eye, especially when they include fast sync speeds, sharing tools and effective file management.
The 5 Best Cloud Storage for Photos Options
We have tested and reviewed all the services in this article. We’re confident in recommending all of them; however, the best option for you will mainly come down to your needs. Some services will appeal to casual photo makers, while others are better suited to those with more specific requirements.
More details about pCloud:
- Pricing: 10GB free; $350 for 2TB of lifetime storage
- Provider website: pcloud.com
Pros:
- Fast sync speeds
- Integrated media player
- No file size limits
- Backs up social media photos
- Light photo editing
Cons:
- Added privacy features make it expensive
- Limited customer support
pCloud is a superb photo management software for uploading images to the cloud. First, it offers super quick upload speeds. We uploaded a 5GB folder full of files in just over eight minutes on a 100 Mbps connection. The service also implements block-level sync, meaning any edited files will quickly update and sync across your devices (learn more about block-level sync).
On a productivity front, pCloud allows you to do some light photo editing. Such features can improve a photographer’s workflow, allowing them to get work done while on the move. The photo editor won’t compete with the best photo editors on the market, but it’s useful for basic tasks such as cropping.
pCloud also offers zero-knowledge encryption for your files. This means only you can access the photos stored on pCloud’s servers. The only downside is that you have to pay extra for this level of privacy. To show a commitment to consumer privacy, we would like to see pCloud include this feature in all of its paid plans.
Most people create images with their smartphones, and they tend to do so from within their favorite social media app. A cool feature pCloud offers is the ability to backup images that you previously uploaded to your socials. This is perfect for anyone who doesn’t keep images on their mobile device, but wants more control of how they access and share them.
pCloud offers relatively affordable plans, and having the ability to pay a one-off fee for lifetime storage access is useful. The 10GB of free storage is generous when compared to many other providers. It not surprising that pCloud is the best free cloud storage for photos.
As you can see, we’re big fans of pCloud. It provides a reliable, secure space to upload images and has some productivity features that make it appealing to photographers and enthusiasts. It also offers an enjoyable user experience, making managing files and folders simple to do. To learn more, check out our full pCloud review.
Business
- Price per user (minimum 3)
- 1TB
Business Pro
- Price per user (minimum 3)
- 2TB
pCloud Crypto Encryption
- Encryption for pCloud Drive
More details about IDrive:
- Pricing: $59.62 per year for 5TB of storage.
- Provider website: idrive.com
Pros:
- Fantastic app for photos
- Super affordable
Cons:
- No monthly plan
- 10GB upload file size limit
IDrive is somewhat of a mixed bag when it comes to offering cloud storage for photos. In some areas, it totally excels and rivals the competition, while in others, it completely drops the ball. For example, it’s only tested for file size uploads of up to 10GB on the desktop and 2GB on the website. However, it is extremely affordable, even for larger storage plans.
IDrive comes into its own with its mobile app, IDrive Photos. It’s separate from its traditional backup platform, and allows you to backup and view photos (and videos) at their highest image quality. It also comes with unlimited storage space. The app itself has a user interface that is easy to navigate, and there’s also an option to share photos with others.
Enjoy Total Privacy With IDrive
IDrive doesn’t store your encryption key on its servers. This means you can fully protect your files and ensure that you — and only you — can access them.
As we said, IDrive offers some of the best value for the money, across all its plans. There’s also a free 30-day trial so you can take it for a spin.
When it comes to cloud storage space for photos, there’s plenty to love with IDrive. Having a dedicated photos app is a wise move, and should appeal to those who do anything photography-related only on mobile. To learn more, check out our full iDrive review.
Personal 5TB
- Large discount for first-time signup.
- 5TB
Personal 10TB
- Large discount for first-time signup.
- 10TB
Personal 20TB
- Large discount for first-time signup.
- 20TB
Business 250GB
- Large discount for first-time signup.
- 250GB
Business 500GB
- Large discount for first-time signup.
- 500GB
Business 2.5TB
- Large discount for first-time signup.
- 3TB
Business 5TB
- Large discount for first-time signup.
- 5TB
Business 12.5TB
- Large discount for first-time signup.
- 13TB
More details about MEGA:
- Pricing: 20GB free; $11.84 per month for 2TB of storage
- Website: mega.io
Pros:
- No file size limits
- Largest free storage option
- Strong privacy features
If you handle sensitive photos, it’s important to know they’re stored safely behind the best protection. MEGA is a cloud storage solution that excels at privacy and security. The platform offers user-controlled end-to-end encryption, though a recent report cast some doubt on the quality of its encryption process.
Users can expect 256-bit AES encryption for their files, both in transit and at rest. MEGA also implements two-factor authentication when users sign up, making it more secure and harder for intruders to access your account.
Get Plenty of Free Storage With MEGA
What helps MEGA pull away from the pack is the generous amount of free storage given to you when you create an account. You can enjoy 20GB of free storage when you sign up, which is considerably more than other services offer. While 20GB may not be enough for those with lots of photos, it will be enough to keep the light user going for a good amount of time.
The 20GB of storage space makes it the clear leader for free users. The paid plans are costly, and only offer more storage space, rather than attractive features.
We highly recommend MEGA for those looking for a secure space to upload photos. Its free 20GB of storage is unrivaled by the competition. Also, when you consider the company’s positive emphasis on user privacy, you begin to see why it’s one of the best cloud storage services available.
MEGA could improve its user experience. Sharing and collaboration features aren’t as good as the others (that’s partly due to the enhanced privacy), and the design of the platform is lacking. Overall, there are plenty of reasons that this is the best option for most users. (Read our full MEGA review for more information.)
Pro I
- File transfer: 2TB (Monthly plan) 24TB (yearly plan)
- 2TB
Pro II
- File transfer: (monthly plan) 96TB (yearly plan)
- 8TB
Pro III
- File transfer: 16TB (monthly plan) 192TB (yearly plan)
- 16TB
Business
- Price per user (minimum 3)
- Unlimited GB
More details about Google Photos:
- Pricing: 15GB free; $2.99 per month for 200GB of storage
- Provider website: google.com/photos
Pros:
- Great for automated backup
- 15GB of free storage
- Simple sharing tools
Cons:
- Poor privacy
- No option for unlimited storage space
Google Photos (not to be confused with Google Drive) is a solid option for those taking images on smartphone devices, as you can program your photos app to automatically sync images to your Google Photos account. So if you lose or damage your phone, you can install the app on your new device and access all your images.
The service also has some cool automated features. It automatically sorts your photos by location (if you authorize geo-tagging), and it can divide your photos of people into different categories through facial recognition.
Privacy is where Google Photos is lacking. Google is known for giving your data to third parties, and a lack of zero-knowledge encryption means they can hand over your files to others, should they deem it to be justified.
Easily Share Images With Google Photos
Because Google targets the mainstream audience, it makes its features as streamlined and understandable as possible. You can set up a partner account with someone else or shared albums, which allows you both to access your favorite images. It’s also super easy to generate a shared link and give access to files and folders to anyone with the link.
Google Photos offers 15GB of free storage when you join, which puts it at the higher end of this short list. The paid plans are attractive too, more so at the budget end.
While we wouldn’t recommend Google Photos for those with a dedicated camera, smartphone shooters (especially Android) should certainly consider this option. As far as being a photo storage service goes, Google Photos is the go-to app for automated synchronization and file management for your smartphone images. Its free service will appeal to many users, while its paid options certainly won’t break the bank.
More details about Backblaze:
- Pricing: 15-day free trial; $7.00 per month for unlimited storage space
- Website: backblaze.com
Pros:
- Inexpensive unlimited storage plans
- Clean user interface
- Sharing features
Cons:
- Lacking in features
- Security is a gray area
Backblaze targets a specific user: those with a large number of images who need unlimited photo storage. If you want to store raw files and heavily edited images, Backblaze is the solution for you. While it’s not the only provider to offer unlimited storage, it’s the one that does it at the best value.
For what’s predominantly an online backup provider, it does have some features traditionally reserved for cloud storage. (Read about the difference between online backup and cloud storage.) You can share photos with users outside the platform, which is a welcome feature for a service of this kind.
There aren’t any collaboration tools, and because users have to hand over encryption keys to restore files, we can’t call Backblaze a true zero-knowledge provider. Again, the core selling point here is the unlimited storage space.
Receive Courier Recovery Service
If you decide to use Backblaze for an online backup solution, and your system is damaged or stolen, the online backup provider will send you a hard drive containing your files and data. This feature will not only help you recover your files, it will also allow you to seamlessly get set up on your new system.
Backblaze keeps its storage plan simple: one plan for everyone. There are no tiers, only one unlimited storage plan that costs $7 per month, $70 per year or $130 for the two-year plan.
Backblaze is far from the best cloud storage option for photos. Those needing a feature-stacked user experience best look elsewhere. However, those who need a good place to store a ridiculously large number of photographs should seriously consider Backblaze. (Read our full Backblaze review for more information.)
Unlimited Personal
More details about Sync.com
- Pricing: 5GB for free; 2TB for $8 per month (one-year plan)
- Provider website: sync.com
Pros:
- Affordable paid plans with plenty of storage
- Great security and privacy
- Great file-versioning and sharing tools
Cons:
- No real photo management tools
- Mediocre speeds
Although Sync.com is usually our top pick for cloud storage overall, it finds itself at the bottom of this list. While it’s an excellent service with a heavy focus on affordability, security and privacy, it doesn’t offer much in terms of features specifically for photos or videos.
That said, if all you want is a way to securely store your photos online, share them with other people, all without breaking the bank, Sync.com deserves a mention.
Sync.com’s Extensive Sharing Features
One of the joys of having your photos on the cloud is the ability to share them with other people. Luckily, Sync.com offers a variety of extra settings for all file sharing, including photos and videos. You can set expiration dates and download limits, enable password protection and encryption, and even see how many people have viewed or downloaded the photo you’ve shared (and how often).
Another benefit of using Sync.com to store your photos is that it offers a large amount of storage for a low cost. If you’re storing a lot of digital media (which takes up a lot of space), the smallest plan you’ll want to consider is the 2TB Pro Solo Basic plan, which costs $96 per year. If you need even more storage, there’s also the 6TB Pro Solo Professional plan, at $240 per year or $24 per month..
Pro Teams Unlimited
- Price per user
- Unlimited GB
Final Thoughts: Best Photo Storage Online
People in the world take more photos than ever before. Because of this, the significance of the photos has increased, making them more valuable and meaningful. That’s why everyone should consider backing up their photos to one of the storage options above.
Our personal favorite is pCloud, when we take into account its overall features. Professional photographers should certainly consider this option, as the platform keeps your work safe while also allowing you to have a more fluid workflow when managing files. Although it’s a little expensive, pCloud is a front-runner when it comes to security and privacy, a crucial element for anyone wanting to protect their photographs.
There really is something for everyone with the five options above. Whichever service you pick, we’re confident that you won’t be disappointed.
Which is your favorite cloud storage service for saving photos online? Are there photo storage sites you feel we should have mentioned? We would love to hear from you about your favorite photo storage site or where you save all your photos online. Let us know in the comments below. Thanks for reading.