5 iCloud Alternatives For Backing Up iOS Devices


icloud alternatives

Most iOS users cannot imagine life without iCloud. We know we can’t. Unfortunately, as is the case with essentially every product in the world, not everyone is satisfied with iCloud. Some (most?) say the free storage is too limited, some have cited security issues, and others dislike the slow speeds associated with backing up or restoring an iOS device. It is also impossible to preview the data within an iCloud backup, and individual pieces of data from the backups can’t be restored on their own.

There are, however, iCloud alternatives if you need more than what the default service has to offer.

With so many alternatives to iCloud out there, how can you know which is the best service? The list below includes five of the best iCloud alternatives.

1. Dropbox

icloud alternativeThis highly intuitive iCloud alternative can be downloaded onto a desktop computer and synced with any iOS mobile device in order to allow the user to access their files from anywhere at any time. The service starts off with 2GB of free storage space, but it is possible to earn more free storage by successfully referring others to the service.

Dropbox can be used with a number of different common filetypes, including txt, html, pps, pptx, ppt, doc, docx, psd, jpeg, gif, png, jpg, wmv, mp4, 3gp, avi, flv, and mov. Those who choose to upgrade to a larger amount of storage can purchase 100GB for $99 per year, 200GB for $199 per year, or 500GB for $499 per year. Dropbox also offers business digital storage solutions as well.

2. Google Drive

icloud alternativeGoogle offers one of the most affordable and functional iCloud alternatives with Google Drive. The Google Drive app can easily be installed on any iOS device, and it quickly and conveniently backs up videos, photos, documents, and just about any other files on your iOS mobile device. The service supports Google documents and file types, Microsoft Office documents from PowerPoint, Word, or Excel, movie and photo files, and PDFs.

It comes with a whopping 15GB of free storage, but additional storage can be purchased. For just $1.99 per month, you can access up to 100GB. Users who pay $9.99 per month will unlock 1TB of storage, and those who pay $99.99 per month will have a full 10TB of storage. Google Drive also has 20TB and 30TB options for $199.99 and $299.99 per month, respectively.

3. OneDrive

one-driveThis iCloud alternative comes from Microsoft, and they are working hard to compete with Google Drive. Like Google Drive, OneDrive is an app that can be downloaded onto any iOS device, and like Google Drive, OneDrive comes with 15GB of free storage. OneDrive is able to safely and securely backup and restore documents, photos, videos, and more all from the convenience of the iOS device.

However, OneDrive has a more affordable pricing structure for their upgraded storage options. The first tier of the paid storage options is the same as for Google Drive: $1.99 per month to unlock 100GB of storage. The next tier for OneDrive is 200GB for only $3.99 per month, and their last tier is a full 1TB for only $6.99 per month. Compared to the price of $9.99 for 1TB from Google Drive, OneDrive is the obvious choice.

4. Amazon Cloud Drive

amazon-cloud-drive-logoUnlike the other iCloud alternatives in this list, Amazon Cloud Drive doesn’t offer a free basic storage option, but they do have a 3-month free trial offer for new users. Once the trial is over, users can select one of two pricing options. The first is $11.99 annually, which pays for 5GB of non-photo files and unlimited photos. The second is $59.99 annually, which pays for unlimited storage for all file types.

For those with a lot of storage needs, this could easily be the most affordable option. Amazon Cloud Drive can be used with documents, music, videos, photos, and basically any other primary file type. The service is great for web hosting since it easily holds and disseminates all your most valuable files from a single location.

5. MediaFire

mediafireYou’ll get 10GB of free storage when you take advantage of MediaFire. The service automatically creates backups of all your most important files, including photos and videos, documents, and other shareable content. Sharing is built into the service as well, making it a breeze to upload files from the cloud to Facebook, Twitter, or other social media platforms. Files can also easily be emailed directly from the cloud.

Like other world-class digital storage services, MediaFire has several paid storage tiers for those who need a bit more space. For just $4.49 per month, you can access up to 1TB of storage. For only $49.99 per month, that number gets bumped up to 100TB. In terms of cost per storage, this is perhaps the best value on this list. Google Drive offers a 30TB option at a cost of $299.99 per month, which is less than a third of the storage space at more than roughly six times the cost.

Keeping a backup of all the files on your iOS device is vital if you want to keep that content protected and safeguarded for years to come. The storage space on most iOS devices gets taken quite quickly, and iCloud does have its limitations compared to some of these third-party options.

Each of the services in this list is suited for a slightly different consumer. While you should be sure to give yourself ample storage space for your data, there is no need to go for 100TB of storage if you only have a fraction of data required to fill it up. It’s best for each consumer to gauge their average usage in order to determine which storage plan and which storage tier is right for them.

Related: How to Upgrade iCloud Storage, New Pricing Plans on Your Mac


Kokou Adzo

Kokou Adzo is a stalwart in the tech journalism community, has been chronicling the ever-evolving world of Apple products and innovations for over a decade. As a Senior Author at Apple Gazette, Kokou combines a deep passion for technology with an innate ability to translate complex tech jargon into relatable insights for everyday users.

3 Comments

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  1. The title is a little misleading since none of those alternatives appear to be able to backup anything more than photos and documents. The problem is most people want their apps, app data, text messages, voicemails and settings backed up which none of these alternatives will do.

  2. I’d go so far as to say both misleading and sort of stupid!

    You reasons to look for an alternative to iCloud Drive don’t even make sense, or am I missing your point?

    1) Some (most?) say the free storage is too limited
    2) Some have cited security issues
    3) Others dislike the slow speeds associated with backing up or restoring an iOS device.
    4) It is also impossible to preview the data within an iCloud backup

    So 3 and 4 are specific to backup/restore which none of your “alternatives offer” so Lets focus on 1 and 2.

    Of the 5 offerings, 2 offered less free storage. 1 offered 10GB (with a caveat) and 2 offered 15GB. Now I doubt the nay sayers of iCloud would change their toon if apple up’d it’s free tier to 15GB and most offer virtually identical cost structures for going beyond 15. Apple is actually about the cheapest at $.99/month for 50GB and 200GB for $3/month.

    So that leaves Security which to date iCloud has never been hacked! So those people are just misinformed.

    iCloud is better integrated, allows for full encrypted backups, offers a file browser, provides password keychain support and much more.

    All of that said, I see no reason not to use the free tier of these other services if for no other reason to better share with users of the other platforms.

  3. I believe you are incorrect re the Dropbox upgrade price. Dropbox is $9.99 (U.S.)/ month for 1 TB of storage (or $99.99 for 1 year, if you pay it up front).