iCloud+ vs Google One: price, plans, and which to keep
Current US prices, price history, trial terms, and cancellation friction side by side, built from our service guides. Last reviewed September 8, 2026.
The short answer
At 2 TB it is a tie month to month, $9.99 on both, but Google One sells that plan for $99.99 a year, about $8.33 a month, and iCloud+ has no annual plan at all. At the bottom the picture flips: iCloud+'s 50 GB for $0.99 is the cheapest paid cloud storage anywhere, and its 200 GB for $2.99 beats Google's 100 GB for $1.99 on price per gigabyte. Both share with up to five other people, Apple from 200 GB up through Family Sharing and Google on every paid plan. The real decider is the phone in your pocket: iCloud+ is the only thing that backs up an iPhone natively, while Google One backs up Android and keeps Photos in sync across platforms. Neither has a trial on storage, and neither deletes files if you fall back to the free 5 GB or 15 GB, but Apple pauses backups and syncing and Google blocks uploads and Gmail until you are under the limit.
iCloud+ is cheaper by $8.11 a year on its entry plan.
At a glance
| iCloud+ | Google One | |
|---|---|---|
| Cheapest standard plan | 50 GB: $0.99/mo | Basic (100 GB, annual): $19.99/yr |
| Cheapest plan per year | $11.88 | $19.99 |
| Most expensive plan | 12 TB: $59.99/mo | Google AI Ultra (30 TB): $199.99/mo |
| Price changes since 2023 | 1 | 5 |
| Latest price change | September 2023 | June 2026 |
| Free trial | No free trial; every Apple Account gets 5 GB of iCloud storage free. | Storage-only plans have no free trial (everyone starts with 15 GB free); Google periodically offers first-time subscribers a free month or discounted first months on the AI Plus and AI Pro tiers. |
| Cancellation | 4 steps · app-store or partner billing caveat | 4 steps · app-store or partner billing caveat |
Cheapest and most expensive plans exclude add-ons, student, bundle, and per-seat plans. Price changes are counted from January 2023. US list prices, last reviewed September 8, 2026.
Which one should you pick?
Choose iCloud+ if…
Pick iCloud+ if you own an iPhone: it is the only service that backs up the device itself, and 50 GB for $0.99 or 200 GB for $2.99 shared with the family covers most households. Downgrades only take effect at the end of the billing period with no proration, and you cancel from Settings, your name, Subscriptions, iCloud+, Cancel Subscription. If you already pay for two Apple services, 2 TB also arrives inside Apple One Premier at $39.95.
Choose Google One if…
Pick Google One if you are on Android, use Google Photos on any phone, or need 2 TB for a family across platforms: $99.99 a year is shared with up to five people and includes Gemini features, and 100 GB for $1.99 covers one phone's photos. Storage pools across Drive, Gmail and Photos, and incoming mail bounces once you are over quota, so watch the total. There is no trial on the storage plans; you cancel from Settings at one.google.com.
Every current plan
iCloud+ plans
| Plan | Current price |
|---|---|
| 50 GB | $0.99/mo |
| 200 GBShareable with Family Sharing | $2.99/mo |
| 2 TBShareable with Family Sharing | $9.99/mo |
| 6 TB | $29.99/mo |
| 12 TB | $59.99/mo |
Google One plans
| Plan | Current price |
|---|---|
| Basic (100 GB)100 GB shared across Photos, Drive and Gmail | $1.99/mo |
| Basic (100 GB, annual) | $19.99/yr |
| Google AI Plus (400 GB)Entry AI tier, sold through Gemini; cut from $7.99 in June 2026 | $4.99/mo |
| Google AI Plus (2 TB)The former Premium 2 TB plan, relabelled in 2026 | $9.99/mo |
| Google AI Plus (2 TB, annual) | $99.99/yr |
| Google AI Pro (5 TB)Formerly AI Premium; includes YouTube Premium Lite and Google Home Premium | $19.99/mo |
| Google AI Pro (5 TB, annual) | $199.99/yr |
| Google AI Ultra (20 TB) | $99.99/mo |
| Google AI Ultra (30 TB)Cut from $249.99 in May 2026 | $199.99/mo |
US list prices; taxes, promotions, and app-store billing may differ. Last reviewed September 8, 2026.
Price history, both services
June 2026 · Google One
The entry Google AI Plus tier dropped from $7.99 to $4.99 and its storage doubled from 200 GB to 400 GB; the $9.99 2 TB plan was officially relabelled Google AI Plus.
May 2026 · Google One
Google AI Ultra was cut from $249.99 to $199.99 a month and a new $99.99 AI Ultra tier with 20 TB was added at I/O 2026.
January 2026 · Google One
Google AI Plus launched in the US at $7.99 a month with 200 GB; Premium 2 TB subscribers received the AI Plus benefits at no extra cost.
May 2025 · Google One
Google One AI Premium ($19.99) was renamed Google AI Pro at the same price, and Google AI Ultra launched at $249.99 a month with 30 TB.
February 2024 · Google One
The AI Premium plan launched at $19.99 a month (2 TB plus Gemini Advanced); the $2.99 200 GB plan was hidden from new subscribers.
September 2023 · iCloud+
The 6 TB ($29.99) and 12 TB ($59.99) tiers launched; the 50 GB, 200 GB and 2 TB prices did not change.
June 2017 · iCloud+
The 2 TB plan was cut from $19.99 to $9.99 and the 1 TB plan was retired; 50 GB and 200 GB stayed at $0.99 and $2.99.
How to run both without paying for both
Pay only for the cloud your phone backs up to: iCloud+ on an iPhone, Google One on Android. The common waste is $0.99 of iCloud+ and $1.99 of Google One running side by side for years, or a 2 TB plan on both because the photos live in Google and the device backup lives in Apple. If you are that iPhone owner, keep iCloud+ at the size the backup needs and put the big plan on Google One's $99.99 annual, shared with the family, never 2 TB on each.
Frequently asked questions
Which is cheaper, iCloud+ or Google One?
iCloud+. Its cheapest standard plan works out to $0.99 a month ($11.88 a year) versus $1.67 a month ($19.99 a year) for Google One, a difference of $8.11 a year. Bundles, promotions, and app-store billing can change the final price.
Is iCloud+ or Google One cheaper for 2 TB?
Month to month they are identical at $9.99. Over a year Google One wins because its 2 TB plan costs $99.99 annually, about $8.33 a month, and iCloud+ has no annual option. Both share with up to five other people and Google's includes Gemini. One catch: Google's 2 TB plan is now labelled Google AI Plus, the same name as its $4.99 tier with 400 GB, so check the storage amount on the invoice.
Can I use Google One to back up my iPhone instead of iCloud+?
Only partly. Google Photos and Google Drive will back up the photos, videos and files on an iPhone, and 100 GB for $1.99 is enough for many people. What they cannot do is a full device backup, the one that restores settings, messages and app data onto a new iPhone; that exists only in iCloud. If the free 5 GB is not enough for it, the $0.99 50 GB iCloud+ plan is the cheapest way to keep that backup alive.
Full guides
iCloud+ price & cancellation guide
Apple still charges $0.99 for 50 GB and $9.99 for 2 TB, unchanged since 2017, with 6 TB and 12 TB tiers added in September 2023 at $29.99 and $59.99.
View guideGoogle One price & cancellation guide
Storage still starts at $1.99 for 100 GB, but the 2026 lineup now runs through Google AI Plus, AI Pro and AI Ultra tiers up to $199.99 a month.
View guideMore comparisons
All comparisonsFree tools that can help
Keep one, track it.
SubBuddy keeps every renewal and price change visible, with reminders before you are charged and no bank linking required.
Track subscriptions free