Of Five Big Clouds, Google’s 2TB Is Cheapest Paid Yearly

Of the five cloud storage providers compared here, Google sells 2TB for the least: $99.99 a year for Google AI Plus, which is $4.17 per terabyte a month. Apple’s 2TB costs $119.88 over a year, and so does Dropbox Plus paid yearly; Microsoft 365 Family is $129.99 and Proton Duo $179.88, all at US list prices read on 10 October 2026.

Paid month by month the ranking flattens: Apple and Google both charge $9.99 for 2TB. Google’s lead comes from its yearly plan, which Apple does not offer.

2TB, provider by provider

2TB plan	Paid monthly	Paid yearly	Shared with
Google AI Plus	$9.99	$99.99	up to 5 others
iCloud+ 2TB	$9.99	no yearly plan	up to 5 others
Dropbox Plus	$11.99	$119.88	1 person
Microsoft 365 Family	$12.99	$129.99	up to 6 people
Proton Duo	$19.99	$179.88	up to 2 users

Each provider’s own US list price, read 10 October 2026, before tax. Dropbox shows its yearly price as $9.99 a month; $119.88 is our multiplication. Over twelve months, iCloud+ 2TB at $9.99 comes to $119.88.

What a terabyte costs, across every plan of 1TB or more

Plan	Storage	Per TB a month, billed monthly	Per TB a month, billed yearly
Google AI Pro	5TB	$4.00	$3.33
Google AI Plus	2TB	$5.00	$4.17
iCloud+ 2TB, 6TB or 12TB	2–12TB	$5.00	no yearly plan
Dropbox Plus	2TB	$6.00	$5.00
Microsoft 365 Family	2TB	$6.50	$5.42
Proton Duo	2TB	$10.00	$7.50
Proton Family	3TB	$10.00	$8.00
Microsoft 365 Personal	1TB	$9.99	$8.33
Microsoft 365 Premium	2TB	$10.00	$8.33

Our arithmetic on their list prices: the monthly price divided by the terabytes, or the yearly price divided by twelve and then by the terabytes, rounded to the cent. Terabytes are each provider’s own figure.

Apple’s ladder is flat. Its 2TB, 6TB and 12TB tiers all work out at $5.00 per TB a month, so a bigger iCloud+ plan buys capacity, not a discount. Apple also sells 2TB inside Apple One Premier, bundled with five other services. Google’s per-TB price falls as the plan grows; at 5TB, paid yearly, it is the lowest in this table at $3.33.

The small plans cost far more per terabyte

Below 1TB the arithmetic turns. Apple’s 200GB at $2.99 a month works out at $14.95 per TB, Google’s 100GB at $1.99 at $19.90, and Proton’s 200GB Drive Plus at $4.99 at $24.95. Google’s own pages disagree on one more tier: its Gemini subscriptions page still sells Google AI Plus at $4.99 a month with 400GB, $12.48 per TB, while its Google One plans page lists AI Plus only as 2TB at $9.99. Microsoft 365 Basic, the 100GB plan that replaced OneDrive’s standalone storage, is $1.99 a month or $19.99 a year. Paying for room you will not fill is the trade, so the cheaper plan per TB is cheaper only if you need the space.

Our comparison of Apple’s and Google’s free and paid ladders covers the 5GB and 15GB free allowances and why setup on a new phone is where this decision usually gets made.

Microsoft 365 Family now shares 2TB

Until this week, Microsoft 365 Family gave each of up to six people 1TB of their own. From 8 October 2026, new Family and Premium subscribers get 2TB shared by everyone on the plan, according to Microsoft’s US support pages. Existing subscribers keep their current allowance until they renew on or after 2 May 2027.

For a household of six, the most the plan can hold falls from 6TB to 2TB at the same $129.99. For a couple, 2TB shared is the same total as before, though one person can now use more than half of it. Microsoft’s own OneDrive plans page still described the Family plan as “Up to 6 TB of secure cloud storage (1 TB per person)” on 10 October, while the comparison table on the same page, and every support page we read, said 2TB.

Microsoft’s prices also buy the Office apps, which may be the reason a household pays them; our piece on Office 2021 losing security updates sets out Microsoft 365 against a one-time Office purchase.

What the price does not tell you

Most of these plans bundle more than storage. Google’s 2TB and 5TB tiers are sold as Google AI Plus and Google AI Pro, with Gemini allowances. Microsoft 365 includes Word, Excel, Outlook and Copilot. Proton Duo and Family include Proton’s VPN, mail and password manager. If you already pay for one of those, the storage may be close to free; if you do not want them, you are paying for them anyway.

Sharing changes the arithmetic. Apple and Google let up to five others share the plan, and Microsoft’s Family plan up to six people in total. Dropbox Plus is for one person; Dropbox Family shares 2TB among up to six, but its plans page shows no price for it. Proton Duo covers two users.

Proton’s pitch is privacy, not price. Its pricing page says files are “protected with end-to-end encryption” and that “not even Proton can access your data”. That is Proton’s claim; we have not tested it.

What to do

• Check what you actually store first. The used figure in your account settings decides the tier, and below 1TB the per-TB price climbs steeply.
• Pay yearly if the provider lets you. Google, Microsoft, Dropbox and Proton all charge less a year that way; Apple offers no yearly option.
• Count the bundle. If you would buy Microsoft 365 or Gemini anyway, compare against that, not against bare storage.
• Microsoft Family subscribers: check your usage before your first renewal after 2 May 2027.
• Add it to the list. Cloud storage renews like everything else a household subscribes to, and the yearly figure is the one to write down.

Questions people ask

What is the cheapest cloud storage per TB?

Of the plans we compared on 10 October 2026, at US list prices, Google AI Pro paid yearly: $199.99 for 5TB, which is $3.33 per TB a month. At 2TB, Google AI Plus paid yearly is lowest at $99.99, or $4.17 per TB a month.

How much is 2TB of iCloud storage?

$9.99 a month in the US, per Apple Support 108047, which is $119.88 over twelve months. Apple bills iCloud+ monthly and lists no yearly price. The plan can be shared with up to five other family members.

Is Google One 2TB cheaper than iCloud 2TB?

Monthly, no: both are $9.99. Yearly, yes: Google sells its 2TB tier, Google AI Plus, for $99.99 a year, while Apple has no yearly plan, so iCloud+ 2TB costs $119.88 over a year. Google’s tier also carries Gemini allowances.

How much storage does Microsoft 365 Family include now?

For new subscribers from 8 October 2026, 2TB shared by up to six people, per Microsoft’s support pages. It used to be 1TB each. Existing Family and Premium subscribers move to 2TB shared when they renew from 2 May 2027.

Is Dropbox more expensive than Google Drive?

At 2TB, paid yearly, yes: Dropbox Plus is $9.99 a month billed yearly, $119.88 a year in our arithmetic, against Google AI Plus at $99.99. Billed monthly, Dropbox Plus is $11.99 and Google’s 2TB is $9.99. Dropbox Plus is for one person.

How much does Proton Drive cost for 2TB?

Proton sells 2TB as Proton Duo: $19.99 billed monthly, or $179.88 billed yearly, for up to two users, with its VPN, mail and password manager included. Drive Plus, the plan sold for Drive alone, is 200GB at $4.99 a month.