Last updated: 21 August 2026.
In today’s world, we create a lot of data: images, videos, documents… This data needs to be stored somewhere if you want to access it from all your devices (laptops, phones, tablets…). To this end, cloud storage is a safer and more convenient alternative to physical storage options like hard drives or USB devices. It allows you to store your data in the cloud, and you can access it from anywhere in just a few clicks.
However, the annual or monthly subscription models offered by cloud storage providers discourage some users, as they are not always convenient and can become expensive in the long run. Fortunately, a few rare providers still offer a lifetime deal: a one-time payment to use your cloud storage space for as long as the service exists. It’s a bit like buying a hard drive, with all the benefits of cloud storage.
Currently, only two providers still offer lifetime plans: pCloud and Internxt. Icedrive, which also offered them, has withdrawn these plans. They are excellent online storage services, and their lifetime offers remain a rare opportunity to acquire cloud storage without recurring payments, as long as they are available.
You can easily sign up to test pCloud with 10 GB free, or subscribe with 14 days money-back guarantee without conditions (also useful before a Lifetime).
Summary of all lifetime cloud storage plans
Here are the current lifetime offers (one-time payment, prices observed in euros in August 2026):
| Plan | Space | Price (one-time payment) | Price per GB | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| pCloud Premium | 500 GB | €199 | €0.40/GB | |
| Internxt Essential (−80 %) | 1 TB | €380 | €0.38/GB | |
| pCloud Premium Plus | 2 TB | €399 | €0.20/GB | |
| Internxt Premium (−80 %) | 3 TB | €580 | €0.19/GB | |
| Internxt Ultimate (−80 %) | 5 TB | €780 | €0.16/GB | |
| pCloud Custom | 10 TB | €1190 | €0.12/GB | |
| pCloud Family (shared among 5 users) | 2 TB | see current offer | Not specified |
The pCloud Crypto private encryption option remains a paid add-on: check the pCloud pricing for the current amount. For a broader overview of the offers (including subscriptions), also see our comparison of online storage and our guide to the cheapest storage options between 1 TB and 5 TB.
The advantages of lifetime cloud storage
- Very cost-effective in the long run (about 4 years is often enough for it to be cheaper than an annual subscription)
- No need to manage the subscription with the risk of losing data by forgetting to pay or changing the payment method.
- It’s like buying a hard drive or an SSD with the advantages of cloud storage (access from any device, file sharing, reduced risk of loss, theft or failure…).
Disadvantages of lifetime cloud storage
- Much fewer choices than subscription payments: all providers offer subscriptions. Only pCloud and Internxt still offer lifetime deals.
- You only save money if you use it for several years (around 4 years according to current offers).
What is lifetime cloud storage and why is it the best solution?
Most cloud storage service providers charge based on the amount of storage you need and also the duration. For example, Google Drive, MEGA, and Dropbox offer a subscription plan that you must pay for every month or every year. While these options are convenient, you will have to pay continuously to keep your data on these services.
To avoid a subscription
It is a situation that many cloud storage users find themselves in. But there are still a few providers that offer a lifetime deal: a one-time payment, after which you continue to use the space for as long as the service exists (we will revisit this point further down). This saves you from having to pay every month or every year.
To save money
But above all, lifetime cloud storage is much less expensive in the long run. It should be seen as an investment, much closer to purchasing physical storage (hard drive, SSD), but with all the benefits of online storage.
After the first years of use, you will have “amortised” the one-time payment: your online storage is fully paid for, whereas as an annual or monthly subscriber, payments would continue to accumulate.
The best advantage of lifetime online storage is its long-term price: the offers presented here cost about the equivalent of a few years of the same plan on an annual subscription.
The best lifetime cloud storage providers
There are not many options left for lifetime cloud storage, and they do not all offer the same features. Here are the two providers that still offer a one-time payment, plus a note on Icedrive (subscription only today).
pCloud: the best online storage overall
ADVANTAGES
- Uncompromising security
- Service and data hosted in Europe (Switzerland) or the United States of your choice
- Configurable encryption
- Satisfied or refunded within 14 days
- 10 GB of free space
- Very economical lifetime offers (one-time payment)
- Fast with a built-in media player
DISADVANTAGES
- Optional paid pCloud Crypto private encryption
- Collaboration tools to improve
pCloud is one of the pioneers of lifetime offers. It is among the best cloud storage providers (see also our pCloud review). pCloud offers several plans, including 500 GB, 2 TB, and 10 TB for a one-time payment. The free plan is limited to 10 GB, useful for testing the service. Lifetime offers remain an excellent value for money in the long term.
pCloud remains, in our view, the best online storage service overall: security, file sharing, device synchronization, backup of photos and videos with online access, privacy options… All for a reasonable price, and even more advantageous with the lifetime offer.
Security and Privacy
About data security and privacy, a few important points:
- pCloud takes security seriously (strong encryption, data replicated across multiple servers…).
- It is located in Switzerland, a country whose privacy protection laws are much better than those of the United States.
- To protect the privacy of your data, pCloud also offers private encryption (also known as zero-knowledge encryption): you alone hold the key, like a digital safe. This is the paid option pCloud Crypto; check the current rates rather than fixed amounts.
Below you will find more details about the prices and savings offered by pCloud’s lifetime deals.
Price and savings
pCloud offers in particular:
- A free offer limited to 10 GB, to test the service.
- 500 GB lifetime offer for €199 (one-time payment).
- 2 To lifetime offer for €399.
- The family offer pCloud Family (2 TB shared between up to 5 users): see the details and current price.
- 10 To lifetime offer for €1190.
Here are the details of the possible savings with the lifetime offers, compared to the reference annual subscriptions (approximately €49.99/year for 500 GB and €99.99/year for 2 TB).
The essential column is the blue column: the time it takes for an annual subscription to cost as much as a one-time payment. Beyond that, you are in profit. The following columns show the approximate savings after 5 and 10 years.
The pCloud Family plan is only available as a lifetime offer: it cannot be directly compared to an individual annual subscription.
| Plan | Space | Price (one-time payment) | Equivalent duration (annual subscription) | Savings after 5 years | Savings after 10 years | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| pCloud Premium | 500 GB | €199 | ~4 years (≈ €49.99/year) | ~€51 | ~€301 | |
| pCloud Premium Plus | 2 TB | €399 | ~4 years (≈ €99.99/year) | ~€101 | ~€601 |
pCloud Family
The lifetime family plan deserves a little more attention: the 2 TB space is shared with a maximum of 4 other users (5 in total). Each user can have a portion of the space as private space; the main user manages the allocation.
This solution is well-suited for a family, as well as for other contexts (friends, students, small team…).
Free plan and money-back guarantee
If you pay for the lifetime offer and it is not what you want, pCloud offers a 14-day money-back guarantee. You can request a refund within 14 days of your payment.
If you want to test pCloud without paying, please note that there is also a free 10 GB plan.
Internxt: the 2nd lifetime offer, privacy-focused
After pCloud, Internxt is now the second provider to still offer lifetime cloud storage (one-time payment). It is a European player focused on privacy: private encryption is included by default. Also, see our Internxt review.
Current Lifetime offers (promotion −80 %, prices observed in August 2026) :
- Essential: 1 To pay €380 (one-time payment).
- Premium: 3 To for €580.
- Ultimate: 5 To for €780.
See the Internxt Lifetime Offers
Internxt is particularly suitable if privacy is your priority and if you are looking for a one-time payment without a separate Crypto option. In return, the overall features remain simpler than those of pCloud (version history, built-in media player, etc.).
Note: Internxt has significantly increased its Lifetime prices over time. The current -80% rates remain attractive, but illustrate that these promotions do not stay fixed indefinitely.
Icedrive: no more lifetime offer, but a subscription alternative
Icedrive no longer sells Lifetime plans. The old Lite, Pro or Pro+ one-time payment plans are no longer offered. However, the service remains a serious subscription option, with private encryption included (no separate Crypto option to pay for).
This disappearance of lifetime offers is a good reminder: these very advantageous promotions for the user are not guaranteed forever. Subscription promotions may still exist. Check the Icedrive offers and our Icedrive review for the current details.
Which lifetime cloud storage should you choose?
Today, pCloud and Internxt are the two providers that still offer a lifetime deal. Icedrive remains relevant with a subscription (private encryption included), but no longer with a one-time payment.
If you purchase lifetime online storage, it all depends on your priorities:
- Privacy : Internxt includes private encryption for all files. At pCloud, private encryption (Crypto) is a paid option, limited to a dedicated folder.
- One-time payment price : pCloud remains very competitive at 500 GB (€199) and 2 TB (€399). Internxt stands out especially for larger volumes (3 TB at €580, 5 TB at €780 on promotion −80 %).
- Features and interfaces : pCloud is more comprehensive (version history, media streaming, more advanced applications). Internxt remains simpler, while covering the essentials (synchronisation, desktop/mobile apps, sharing).
In summary: for versatile use and a richer interface, turn to pCloud. For default privacy and large volumes with a one-time payment, Internxt is a very good option.
pCloud vs Internxt: security and privacy
Both offer end-to-end private encryption. With Internxt, it is applied by default to your files. With pCloud, it’s the Crypto option: a folder where everything you place in it is encrypted before leaving your devices.
In both cases, no one other than you can read these protected files, not even the provider. This is useful in the face of data leaks, and to limit access for the cloud provider itself.
The practical difference: at Internxt, private encryption is included; at pCloud, Crypto is paid. Check the current amount on the pCloud pricing if you need it.
pCloud is based in Switzerland; Internxt in Europe. In both cases, it is an advantage over American giants (Google Drive, Dropbox, iCloud…). For more details, see our dedicated article.
pCloud vs Internxt: other needs
Other differences may guide your choice:
- pCloud has a more comprehensive set of features. For advanced use (file versions, multimedia…), it is often the safest choice.
- The interface and the pCloud site are available in several languages, including French.
- pCloud integrates block level sync: only the modified parts of a large file are sent, which speeds up daily syncing.
- Internxt focuses on simplicity and built-in privacy, with interesting Lifetime volumes (1 TB, 3 TB, 5 TB).
How to save money with lifetime cloud storage?
The price of a lifetime offer may seem high at first glance. However, some calculations show that it is not, once compared to monthly or annual subscriptions.
Let’s take the example of the 2 TB plan from pCloud. It is currently offered at €399. However, €399 represents about 4 years of the annual subscription for the same storage (about €99.99 per year).
With a subscription, you continue to pay year after year. After 5 years of using the pCloud 2 TB lifetime offer, you will have already saved about €100 compared to five annual subscriptions. Each additional year then results in a saving of about €100.
For 500 GB (€199 compared to ~£49.99/year), the break-even point is of the same order: about 4 years.
As you can see, lifetime online storage is an investment that doesn’t take decades to pay off.
The following table summarises, for the current pCloud lifetime offers, the approximate time to “break even” and the savings after a few years:
| Plan | Space | Price | Equivalent time (annual subscription) | Savings after 5 years | Savings after 10 years | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| pCloud Premium | 500 GB | €199 | ~4 years | ~€51 | ~€301 | |
| pCloud Premium Plus | 2 TB | €399 | ~4 years | ~€101 | ~€601 | |
| Internxt Essential (−80 %) | 1 TB | €380 | based on current annual subscription | Not calculated | Not calculated | |
| Internxt Premium (−80 %) | 3 TB | €580 | based on current annual subscription | Not calculated | Not calculated | |
| Internxt Ultimate (−80 %) | 5 TB | €780 | based on current annual subscription | Not calculated | Not calculated |
Why are lifetime plans so cheap?
It’s a legitimate question. Why do pCloud or Internxt offer such low prices for lifetime deals? What do they gain?
The answer is simple: these ultra-advantageous offers are primarily profitable for the customer, much less so for the provider in the long term. They mainly serve as a loss leader for customer acquisition in a highly competitive market (Google, Apple, Dropbox, Amazon…). Even with a better service, it is difficult to get new users to try a product.
The one-time Lifetime payment is therefore a powerful marketing lever: attracting users who want to save in the long term, or who refuse recurring subscriptions. pCloud, created in the 2010s, has thus built a large user base and established itself as a strong player in the market.
Because these prices are not designed to last indefinitely at this level, the market is evolving:
- Icedrive has purely and simply removed its Lifetime offers: they are no longer for sale (but the lifetime cloud storages that were purchased before are still active).
- Internxt has significantly increased its Lifetime prices over time (even though a -80% promo is still displayed).
In other words, the remaining lifetime offers at pCloud and Internxt (−80 %) are opportunities to seize while they exist, without dramatizing, but also without considering them as eternal. Providers often indicate that the displayed prices are promotional compared to a higher “list price”.
For example, the current pCloud lifetime offers (August 2026):
- 500 GB: €199 in a one-time payment.
- 2 To : 399 € in a single payment.
- 10 To : €1190 in a single payment.
Will the provider disappear with my data in a few years?
That’s another legitimate question. Can you be sure that the “lifetime” service you purchased will still exist in a few years?
It is impossible to respond with 100% certainty, but some clues help to position oneself.
pCloud and Internxt are serious companies
pCloud and Internxt aim to remain in the cloud storage market. pCloud has been around for over ten years and has built a large base of over 22 million users, thanks in part to its lifetime offers. Internxt focuses on privacy and still offers Lifetime promotions. Icedrive, on the other hand, still exists on a subscription basis, even though it has removed the Lifetime option, which mainly shows that the lifetime model can disappear without the entire service shutting down. However, there is no need to panic: customers who purchased Lifetime offers before the discontinuation still have access to them.
How long should cloud storage last to be worth it?
Consider your online storage as an investment that starts saving you money after a few years. For most current pCloud offers, the threshold is around 4 years; beyond that, each year of avoided subscription is a net saving.
Even if the service does not last for decades, a few years of use are often enough to make the one-time payment worthwhile; and it is this realistic outlook that should be kept in mind.
What if you still prefer a subscription cloud storage?
If the one-time payment does not convince you, you can use pCloud (or Internxt, Icedrive, etc.) on a subscription basis. pCloud remains an excellent overall choice, regardless of the payment method.
For alternatives, read our comparison of the best cloud storage.
If you are looking for the cheapest subscription provider, also check out kDrive (see our review): very good monthly or annual prices for equivalent space.
What is cloud storage and why should you use it?
In simple terms, online storage involves sending your data to the cloud (Internet servers) so that you can access it from anywhere. No need to carry hard drives or USB sticks: an Internet connection and an account are all you need.
You will no longer have to worry as much about obsolete hardware, and access from anywhere is simplified.
Online storage also offers better resilience: providers often replicate your data across multiple servers. If one fails, your files remain available elsewhere.
Other major advantages: synchronisation between your devices and document sharing, regardless of the size or number of files.
For all these reasons, online storage remains a very practical solution in daily life.
Conclusion
If you are looking for online storage, a lifetime offer (one-time payment) is worth considering: the same cloud benefits, no recurring payments, and clear savings after a few years.
pCloud and Internxt are currently the two players still offering this model. pCloud remains the most recommended overall due to its features; Internxt appeals for its included privacy and its promotional Lifetime volumes. Icedrive, on the other hand, no longer offers Lifetime.
Here is the summary of the current lifetime offers (August 2026), sorted by space:
| Plan | Space | Price (one-time payment) | Price per GB | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| pCloud Premium | 500 GB | €199 | €0.40/GB | |
| Internxt Essential (−80 %) | 1 TB | €380 | €0.38/GB | |
| pCloud Premium Plus | 2 TB | €399 | €0.20/GB | |
| Internxt Premium (−80 %) | 3 TB | €580 | €0.19/GB | |
| Internxt Ultimate (−80 %) | 5 TB | €780 | €0.16/GB | |
| pCloud Custom | 10 TB | €1190 | €0.12/GB | |
| pCloud Family (up to 5 users) | 2 TB | see current offer | Not specified |
Compare the current pCloud offers
To test risk-free before a Lifetime: free registration (10 GB), or paid offer with 14 days satisfaction or money back.
