Upgrading your online storage is simple, but choosing the right plan is essential.
Most Apple devices these days come with 256GB of storage, but iCloud is a different story. Apple’s online platform has been around since 2011 and the company has never increased the 5GB of free space it offers. It wasn’t much ten years ago.
Now that everything seems to be moving to the cloud, it’s even easier to fill up all that space quickly. We store backups, messages, passwords, notes and even emails remotely. If you need that bit of extra storage, Apple offers plenty of iCloud upgrade options. However, choosing the right one can raise some questions.
Choose the iCloud+ plan that’s right for you
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The truth is that the free 5GB tier is almost like a trial version of iCloud. You can get a glimpse of how it works, but you won’t really be able to take full advantage of it. Chances are your photo library alone takes up more than 5 GB, unless you don’t take a lot of photos and videos. Apple mainly offers two iCloud+ plans: one with 50 GB of storage and another with 200 GB.
Maybe you’re still not sure you want to pay for iCloud or you’re not a heavy user. If so, start with 50 GB, which only costs $0.99 per month. This is a solid plan for syncing your contacts, app settings, messages, and documents across all your devices. Over time, this might not be enough, especially if you’re syncing thousands of photos and videos to the cloud. This is when you will opt for the 200 GB plan. This is the plan that most people sign up for and it costs $2.99 per month.
There are many benefits to using the smaller iCloud tiers, especially if you’re tied to the Apple ecosystem. Your apps, settings, and media are easily synced across devices, so you don’t have to worry when it’s time to transfer your data to a new iPhone.
More iCloud plans and additional features
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If you’re shooting RAW photos, 4K videos, or backing up large Mac files to the cloud, 200GB can run out quickly. Apple has taken this into consideration and also offers 2TB, 6TB, and 12TB iCloud+ plans. These are all options aimed at heavy users, but it’s worth knowing that they exist. Having this extra amount of storage is usually a good idea when switching between three or more Apple devices.
Subscribing to iCloud+ also gives you additional benefits. You can get additional protection with Private Relay, which ensures websites can’t track your browsing, and Hide My Email, which generates random email addresses to keep your existing address safe. This is also a basic requirement for using HomeKit Secure Video. The more storage you pay for, the more security cameras you can sync with your account. It’s worth the extra cost if you have HomeKit cameras.
If you like streaming movies and music, there are a number of Apple One plans. They combine Apple Music, Apple TV, Apple Arcade, iCloud+ storage, and other subscriptions into one monthly plan. Whether iCloud+ or Apple One is worth choosing will depend on how many Apple services you use daily and how much you’re willing to spend.
