Cloud storage is an essential tool for backing up and securing our files, but not all services are equal in terms of price. How to pay less without sacrificing quality?
In this article, we have selected the most cost-effective cloud storage solutions on the market, with precise comparisons between low-cost subscriptions and the most profitable lifetime offers. Whether you are looking for the lowest price, storage without a subscription, or the best security for your data, find out which option will allow you to save the most without compromising on quality and reliability of service.
Quick recommendation for the cheapest cloud storage
🏆 1. Internxt
The cheapest lifetime offer (a single payment for unlimited use), with perfect privacy and a return on investment in just 2 years, making it by far the most economical long-term offer.
✅ Best long-term value (investment recouped in just 2 years)
✅ 30 days money-back guarantee
✅ 100% private storage (even Internxt cannot read your files)
✅ From 1 to 5 TB of storage
✅ Very comprehensive service included (VPN, email, etc.)
No commitment.
14 days money-back guarantee, no conditions.
Satisfaction guaranteed or your money back, no conditions.
Detailed review of Internxt
🥈 2. pCloud
An excellent cloud storage option with an interesting lifetime offer, but more expensive than Internxt.
✅ Economical lifetime offer for the long term
✅ 10 days money-back guarantee
✅ From 500 GB to 10 TB of storage
✅ Comprehensive and proven cloud service
10 days money-back guarantee, no conditions.
No card required, free lifetime storage.
No risk, satisfaction guaranteed or your money back.
Detailed review of pCloud
🥉 3. kDrive
The cheapest cloud storage for those who prefer a classic subscription (monthly or yearly), with up to -20% discount depending on the commitment duration.
✅ The cheapest monthly or yearly subscription (but no lifetime offers)
✅ 30 days free trial
✅ Up to -20% with a 3-year commitment
✅ 3 TB of storage
✅ Reliable and very comprehensive European service
4. Icedrive
An alternative to pCloud, more expensive than Internxt and less comprehensive.
✅ 14 days money-back guarantee
✅ From 500 GB to 10 TB of storage
✅ Modern and intuitive interface
Summary of prices (subscriptions and lifetime offers)
| 🏆 | Service | Storage & Price | Trial / Offer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Internxt
|
💾 1 To for life → 180€ 💾 3 To for life → 380€ 💾 5 To for life → 580€ |
🎁 Free trial 1 Go 🔐 Secure my storage for life |
| 2 |
pCloud
|
💾 2 To for life → 399€ 💾 10 To for life → 1190€ 💾 500 Go for life → 199€ |
🎁 10 Go free 🔎 View lifetime offers |
| 3 |
kDrive
|
💾 3 To → 59.88€/year |
🎁 30 days free trial 💰 Discover subscriptions |
| 4 |
Icedrive
|
💾 2 To for life → 479€ 💾 10 To for life → 1199€ 💾 500 Go for life → 299€ |
🎁 10 Go free ❄️ Discover Icedrive |
1st. Internxt: A privacy-focused online storage solution for those looking to invest for the long term
Interxt is a player in online storage that has recently entered the market. Founded in 2019 in Spain, it establishes itself thanks to its commitment to security and privacy, as well as its very competitive pricing.
ADVANTAGES
DISADVANTAGES
🚀 Promotion of the moment: -80% off Internxt!
Lifetime cloud storage for the price of an annual subscription elsewhere
✅ Recommended by LeCloud.info: TOP cloud services 🏆
✅ No one but you can access your files (not even Internxt) thanks to private encryption
✅ VPN & Antivirus included for maximum protection
✅ Limited offer on 1TB, 3TB and 5TBplans
Internxt’s lifetime offers are the most economical on the market
Internxt offers lifetime online storage plans. You pay once and get a cloud storage space that you can use for as long as the company exists. No subscriptions or recurring payments to manage.
These offers are very interesting for their potential long-term savings (especially with the current promotion). Internxt offers three lifetime plans: 2 TB for €180, 5 TB for €380, and 10 TB for €580. These prices may seem high, but when compared to their value in the medium and long term, they are actually very competitive.
To illustrate, the 2 TB offer at €180 is cheaper than two years of an annual subscription at over €100 per year! In other words, after just two years, you will start saving more than €100 per year.
The offers of 5 To and 10 To are even more advantageous and they pay off even more quickly.
Keep in mind that these particularly attractive lifetime offers are provided to acquire new customers. They may disappear and be replaced by standard subscriptions in the future. Indeed, subscriptions remain the most profitable offers for cloud storage providers.
Is Internxt a good online storage?
Internxt, although a newcomer in the world of cloud storage (established in 2019), already has plenty to entice. Admittedly, it does not yet have all the advanced features of some of its more established competitors, like pCloud, including file versioning.
However, Internxt stands out for its commitment to security and privacy. Its Zero-Knowledge encryption system ensures that the user is the only one who can access the content of their files. Furthermore, as a European service storing all its data within the European Union, Internxt provides additional peace of mind as it complies with European regulations (GDPR).
Although it does not have all the features of a more established competitor like pCloud, Internxt offers all the basic options expected from online storage today: Android and iOS mobile apps, file synchronization between your devices, file sharing, photo backup, etc.
When to choose Internxt?
If you are looking for a cloud storage solution that combines security, privacy, generous storage space, and long-term savings, Internxt is an excellent option.
See Internxt's lifetime offers
2nd. pCloud: the best of online storage
pCloud is generally the best cloud for storage. With a very attractive pricing policy, it ranks high in this list of the cheapest cloud storage options. Its offer in this category provides 2 TB for €9.99 per month, or €99.99 per year (17% savings for annual payment). But like Internxt and Icedrive, what allows for real savings with pCloud is the lifetime online storage offer.
ADVANTAGES
DISADVANTAGES
🌍 Save over 50% for Data Backup Day!
A special offer on pCloud’s lifetime cloud storage deals.
✅ The best cloud storage according to LeCloud.info 🏆
✅ Lifetime storage : Pay once, enjoy forever
✅ 10-day money-back guarantee : Try risk-free
✅ Compatible with all devices : Access your files everywhere, all the time
✅ Limited offer : -50% on 100 GB, 1 TB and 5 TB plans!
LIFETIME ONLINE STORAGE: long-term savings
This plan allows you to pay once to enjoy a lifetime online storage space. It involves a one-time payment of €399 to use 2 TB in the cloud, unlimited over time.
Let’s do the same calculation as for Icedrive. At its current price, the offer pays for itself quite quickly. A quick calculation shows that the lifetime payment is recouped:
It is therefore an easy plan to make profitable if you plan to use such a cloud storage service for a few years at least. However, it is a little more expensive than what Icedrive offers (price per TB of storage).
It is necessary to specify, however, that the pCloud site has communicated this price as a temporary promotion of 33%, the actual price being €599 for 2 TB. It is not very clear whether this promotion is set to last or not.
For those who want more: 10 TB of online storage for life!
For those who are looking for an even larger online storage space, pCloud has recently offered a lifetime cloud storage space of 10 TB! This is offered at a price of €1190 (i.e. €119 / TB). This price of €1190 is displayed as a 37% promotion compared to the actual price of €1890.
See the features of the 10 TB lifetime cloud storage
Monthly and annual payments
pCloud is also among the best prices for monthly and annual payments. Although in this category the competitors are very close to each other, apart from kDrive (1st in this ranking), which is still much cheaper.
In the form of monthly payments with no commitment, the offer of 2 TB costs €9.99 per month.
This amounts to 200 GB per euro invested, which is twice as good as the best prices for lightweight online storage from 200 to 500 GB.
For annual payments (one payment to use pCloud services for 12 months), the price is €99.99 per year. That’s 17% lower than the monthly price.
Conclusion on pCloud
pCloud is already first in the overall ranking of the best online storage.
For those looking for rock-solid cloud storage, the savings offered by a one-time payment to purchase 2 TB or 10 TB of storage for life will be a key selling point.
Moreover, pCloud has a “satisfaction or money back” policy for 10 days following payment. This reassures us that it is a very low-cost online storage and the best overall (see our review of pCloud).
3rd. kDrive by Infomaniak: An excellent service at least two times cheaper than its competitors!
kDrive is a cloud storage created by the Swiss cloud service provider Infomaniak (hosting, servers, online tools, etc.). As online storage, kDrive is perfectly suited for both individuals and businesses.
ADVANTAGES
DISADVANTAGES
The offer that interests us here is the kDrive Solo offer, which provides access to 2 TB of data. In terms of features, kDrive is very comprehensive and has almost nothing to envy from other options on the market.
The only major flaw that can be found is the absence of digital vault features (a place where your files will be encrypted privately, so that even kDrive could not read the content). Icedrive and pCloud offer this feature, unlike kDrive (for pCloud, it is a paid option). However, kDrive promises to work on this feature to make it available soon. As for Sync.com,
Unlike Icedrive and pCloud, kDrive does not have “lifetime” plans, but only more traditional subscriptions to offer. However, the price of these subscriptions is so low compared to the qualities that kDrive possesses, that it certainly deserves its place in this ranking.
kDrive subscriptions are half the price of competitors
Let’s now talk about the prices of kDrive. It’s simple: overall kDrive offers subscriptions that are at least two times cheaper than its competitors for equivalent storage space!
Let’s detail the prices of the Solo offer of 2 To:
In comparison, pCloud or Icedrive subscriptions are twice as expensive, around €9.99 per month for 2 TB. It’s simple: kDrive has subscriptions that are at least twice cheaper than all competitors (Google Drive, Mega, Dropbox, iCloud, …) ! To convince you, check out our comparison of cloud storage.
Another thing to note is that kDrive offers a lot of flexibility with its subscriptions, with monthly subscriptions, or commitment periods of 1, 2 or 3 years for annual subscriptions. This option allows you to obtain even lower rates (up to -20%) if you are willing to commit for the medium term.
A 30-day free trial to convince us
To finally convince those who are hesitant about kDrive, Infomaniak had the excellent initiative to offer a 30-day free trial (a payment card is required to sign up, but no charge will be made).
It’s a very good idea, and even more reassuring than the periods with a full refund guarantee from Sync.com (30 days), pCloud (10 days), and Icedrive (14 days) since there is no need to pay to test the service under good conditions.
kDrive as an alternative to the Web Giants
In this period where the web giants Google, Amazon, Facebook, Apple, and Microsoft seem to have more and more control, many are looking for effective alternatives.
kDrive and Infomaniak are rightly positioned in this niche. Indeed, it is a European (Swiss) service, which remains sovereign over the data it stores only in its own data centres. Its entire policy is centred on this aspect and on the respect for privacy, which is so problematic with the American giants.
Also, kDrive and Infomaniak have good support in many languages, both by email, chat, or phone.
Reviews of Infomaniak’s kDrive
In summary, kDrive is an excellent service, although still slightly behind in terms of features compared to pCloud for example. In particular, the lack of a digital vault is regrettable.
If you’re not thrilled about the idea of paying for lifetime cloud storage but prefer a more traditional approach with a monthly or annual subscription, then kDrive is undoubtedly the most interesting option for its very attractive price, as well as its other qualities detailed above.
Try kDrive for free for 30 days
4th. Icedrive: Online storage
Icedrive is a recent entrant in the field of cloud storage. Established in 2019 in the United Kingdom (Wales), it is making a strong entry into the market with the aim of being a modern and inexpensive player. Like Internxt and pCloud, its very economical lifetime offers over a long duration make it an interesting alternative (although Internxt is cheaper, and pCloud is more feature-rich).
ADVANTAGES
DISADVANTAGES
Icedrive provides its users with three storage spaces of 150 GB, 1 TB and 5 TB. In this article, the offers we are interested in are those of 1 TB and 5 TB.
What allows Icedrive to become the cheapest cloud storage is its “lifetime” offers at the prices of €479 for 2 TB and €1199 for 10 TB.
If you are not familiar with the concept of lifetime online storage, this price may seem excessive. However, to assess it, one must consider its value in the medium or long term. In this case, it is an unbeatable offer.
Is Icedrive a good online storage?
Apart from its price, are there other qualities that would encourage the use of Icedrive rather than another cloud storage service?
Overall, Icedrive has a very good service, which holds a good position in our ranking of the best cloud storages. Still young, however (created in 2019), it unfortunately does not yet excel in the area of real-time file collaboration, as detailed in our review of Icedrive. However, it has a very good interface, and the still too rare quality of offering private encryption, which is very important for the confidentiality and security of your data.
A digital safe for sensitive data
This client-side private encryption is offered in the form of a digital vault: a folder where you can place your most confidential files to ensure that no one else but you (including Icedrive) can read its contents. This feature is included in Icedrive’s service, unlike pCloud for example (2nd in this ranking) which makes it a paid option.
As for the available applications, no problem, Icedrive has applications for all common systems (Windows, MacOS, Linux, Android, iOS) and is also usable via a simple web browser.
On the other hand, some will regret that the website as well as the application interface is only available in English, or that the collaborative work options are not as comprehensive as those of its main competitors.
Another drawback is that, although Icedrive has servers in Europe and the United States, it is not possible to choose where your data will be stored (unlike pCloud which allows you to choose, or kDrive whose data is all stored in Switzerland).
When to choose Icedrive?
Icedrive is a very good online storage, and its price makes it an excellent deal.
It will be very well suited to those looking for a large storage space at a very reasonable price with its one-time payment. The offer of 5 TB for €499 is indeed extremely interesting. If you are hesitating, remember that Icedrive promises a full refund of your offer within 14 days after purchase if you are not satisfied.
If you have more complex needs in terms of synchronization and sharing features that Icedrive does not have, and you are willing to pay a little more but still with a one-time payment, then take a look at pCloud, detailed below.
Subscriptions vs Lifetime Offers: What is the best strategy?
If you prefer a regular subscription payment, kDrive (kDrive review) is the cheapest cloud storage on the market. Its subscriptions are up to 2 times cheaper than its competitors, and you can save up to an additional 20% by choosing a long-term commitment (1, 2 or 3 years).
If you want to avoid a monthly or annual subscription and make significant savings in the long term, the lifetime offers are an ideal solution. Here are the available options:
Lifetime cloud storage : FAQ
A lifetime cloud storage offer works like a permanent purchase, rather than a monthly or annual rental. Instead of paying a recurring subscription fee, you pay just once for storage space that you can use for an unlimited period of time.
It’s like buying a virtual hard disk instead of renting temporary space. Once you’ve paid, you can store your files online for as long as the service is active, at no extra cost. It’s a great way to save money over the long term while keeping your data secure.
The main advantage is the savings you make over several years: after 2 to 4 years, a lifetime offer generally becomes more cost-effective than a subscription.
You also avoid price hikes and remain independent of monthly subscriptions. The downside is that a higher initial payment is required, and you need to choose a reliable service to guarantee long-term continuity.
Opting for cloud storage with a lifetime offer can be an excellent financial decision, but you still need to know whether it’s worth it compared with a subscription.
Here’s a simple method for calculating the profitability of a lifetime offer:
1.Know the price of the equivalent subscription: Look at the monthly or annual price of the service you’re considering.
2.Divide the lifetime offer price by the annual cost: This will give you the number of years required for the purchase to become profitable.
3.Compare with your expected period of use: If you expect to use the service for longer than the break-even period, the lifetime offer is a good deal.
Example:
If an annual subscription costs €100 and the lifetime offer is €300, the break-even period is:€300 ÷ €100 = 3 years
If you expect to use the service for more than 3 years, then the lifetime offer is a better deal.
Which services offer the best return?
Internxt: The most affordable lifetime offer, paying for itself in around 2 years.
pCloud: More expensive, paying for itself in around 3 to 4 years.
Icedrive: An alternative, but of more limited financial interest.
Conclusion: The longer you plan to use a service, the more profitable a lifetime offer becomes. If you use your cloud storage for long-term needs (backup of important files, photos, videos, etc.), then a lifetime offer is often the most economical choice.
The choice between a monthly, annual or lifetime subscription depends on your budget and your long-term vision.
– Monthly subscription: maximum flexibility, but more expensive over time. Prices may also increase in the future.
– Yearly subscription: Generally 10-20% cheaper than monthly, but more expensive if you use it for several years.
– Lifetime offer: Higher initial investment, but becomes profitable after only a few years. For example, Internxt’s current lifetime offer pays for itself in just 2 years. Another advantage is that a lifetime offer is not affected by future price increases.
If you’re using cloud storage on a long-term basis, a lifetime offer offers considerable savings. Internxt is the most affordable choice, pCloud is a premium choice.
Three services currently stand out: Internxt, pCloud and Icedrive.
Internxt is the most affordable option, and the most secure thanks to its Zero-knowledge encryption. pCloud is an excellent general-purpose service with a robust infrastructure, but a little more expensive.
Icedrive also offers a lifetime deal, although its appeal is more limited compared with the other two.
Yes, in theory, a lifetime offer means unlimited access over time. However, it depends on the sustainability of the company offering it.
Established services such as pCloud or Internxt have a solid business model, guaranteeing greater reliability over the long term. It is always advisable to choose a reputable service to avoid unpleasant surprises.
As with any online service, there is a risk that a provider will go out of business. That’s why it’s important to choose a reliable company with a good reputation. Internxt, pCloud and Icedrive are well established and are investing in their development. For added security, it’s always advisable to have a local backup to complement the cloud.
That said, even if a service were to close down, it wouldn’t happen overnight. In the past, storage services that have gone out of business have given users time to recover their files before shutting down for good.
As long as you’ve used your storage long enough to make your purchase worthwhile (usually between 2 and 4 years), you’re still a winner economically, even if the service does shut down.
Yes, in the majority of cases, lifetime packages offer the same features as classic subscriptions.
However, some services may offer premium options as extras, such as advanced encryption (pCloud Crypto) or specific features. It is therefore advisable to check the details of each offer before buying in our article on the best lifetime cloud storage.
Internxt is the most affordable and secure option with Zero-knowledge encryption. pCloud is a more robust choice, with a proven infrastructure and more features, but a higher price tag. Icedrive is an interesting alternative, but its positioning is less attractive than the other two.
Yes, provided you choose a reliable service. Internxt is particularly secure thanks to its Zero-knowledge encryption, which ensures that no-one but you can access your files (not even Internxt).
pCloud and Icedrive also offer a good level of protection. To maximize your security, we always recommend activating two-factor authentication and making regular backups.
Cloud storage “hard drive”: from 1 TB
Utility of a “hard drive” cloud storage
With such a large amount of storage (starting from 1 TB or 1000 GB), many people can sync all of their important data. It’s truly the equivalent of a reasonably sized physical hard drive.
As you can imagine, this provides a real extra comfort compared to lightweight online storage (200 to 500 GB).
First of all, these offers present the advantages of online backup to secure your data in case of hardware failure. The large storage space allows you to consider synchronising all of your data, instead of an incomplete selection.
Moreover, the data synchronization and sharing features of online storage promise you a user-friendly experience that you didn’t have before: all your data is shared and accessible from all your devices (phones, tablets, work or laptop computers, …).
Also, the sharing features take on a completely different dimension. The ability to send a link to any of your files at any time (assuming all your data is synchronized) sometimes simplifies life.
Are you looking for cloud storage of less than 1 TB? All the services presented in this article also offer smaller storage options. We also have a dedicated article on the cheapest cloud storage from 200 to 500 GB.
Conclusion: The most cost-effective cloud storage
The lifetime offers allow for real savings by eliminating monthly subscriptions. In just a few years, the investment pays for itself and you avoid future price increases.
The recommended offer: Internxt, the most economical solution
Internxt offers the most affordable lifetime cloud storage, with Zero-Knowledge encryption ensuring total privacy. Its offer pays for itself in just 2 years, making it the ideal choice for those who want to pay once and enjoy long-term cloud storage.
- ✅ 100% private and secure storage
- ✅ One-time payment, no subscription
- ✅ Up to 5 TB of storage
🔐 Discover Internxt’s lifetime offers
The alternatives for lifetime offers: pCloud and Icedrive
If you want 10 TB of space, then pCloud is an excellent alternative, although more expensive than Internxt. Icedrive can also be considered, but its value for money is less appealing.
💾 View pCloud’s lifetime offers Try Icedrive with 10 GB free
Do you prefer a monthly or annual subscription?
If you are looking for affordable cloud storage with a subscription, then kDrive is the most advantageous option. It is up to twice as cheap as the competition and offers 30 days of free trial.
🚀 Try kDrive for free for 30 days
Need more information?
To go further, check out our comprehensive guide with all the essential criteria for choosing the best cloud storage.
