Anyone working with cloud storage on a regular basis will most likely be aware of the limits placed upon their account and how much cloud storage remains on the account to work with. Managing even a relatively large cloud storage account (say, 2TB) can still become challenging if you don’t keep on top of deleting unwanted and unnecessary files which can build up over time, meaning a service offering unlimited cloud storage will naturally become very appealing to many.
In this guide I am going to be delving into the world of unlimited cloud storage plans and assessing how they can be useful for a select group of cloud users and in what circumstances such unlimited plans might prove beneficial. Whilst this guide will be focused mainly on regular cloud storage providers (or “cloud drive” style services) which offer their customers the chance (on certain plans) to take advantage of an unlimited amount of cloud storage, I will also be addressing some other potentially beneficial methods for managing large amounts of data in the cloud as well.
With all of the above said, it’s time to look at some of the key features and commonly sought requirements of unlimited cloud storage services before listing several of my favourite choices a little further down in this guide – vamos!
NB – Please do not confuse unlimited cloud storage services with unlimited cloud backup services! In many cases concerning these unlimited cloud backup services, whilst they do offer an unlimited allocation of cloud storage, they do so only for the purposes of backing up a device using said providers backup software as opposed to allowing the use of the storage as a “cloud drive” as is the focus in this guide.
- Unlimited cloud storage
- Cloud backup & sync
- Secure file sharing
- From just €99 / year
Understanding Unlimited Coud Storage
An unlimited could storage service is, as the name suggests, a cloud storage service which provides an unlimited allocation of cloud storage space to anyone using said service. Such unlimited plans are, for all intents and purposes, often identical to the non-unlimited plans they sit alongside in terms of the cloud features and functionalities they provide to users of the service with the unlimited cloud storage allocation itself often being the differentiating factor.
Top 4 unlimited cloud choices:
Below is a quick look at the top 4 choices mentioned in this guide, scroll down further for the full and detailed list of unlimited cloud storage services.
| Provider | Free Storage | Unlimited Storage | Website | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
 |
5GB | From €9.90 / month (or €99 / year) | |
| 2 |
 |
5GB | From $15 / month (min 2x users) | |
| 3 |
 |
10GB | From $15 / month (min 3x users) | |
| 4 |
 |
2GB | From $24 / month (min 3x users) |
By offering an unlimited allocation of cloud storage, this specific type of cloud storage plan can be very well suited to both business and team users with a high degree of reliance on the cloud (e.g., such companies embracing remote working practices) as well as for individual users with a lot of large data files (e.g., photos and videos) to keep safe and accessible at all times.
NB – If you do fall into either of these usage categories, or require a high allocation of cloud storage for any other reason, be sure to also check the section on unlimited cloud storage plan alternatives a little further down!
Another important aspect to understand about unlimited cloud storage, compared to cloud storage plans with a limited allocation of cloud storage, is that unlimited plans are almost exclusively offered on monthly or annual subscriptions with no mainstream provider offering a lifetime plan (to my own knowledge at least). This pricing approach differs to regular cloud storage plans with fixed allocations of storage which, as well as usually being a lot more cost effective when paid for monthly or annually, do via several mainstream providers also offer lifetime plans which sees a fixed allocation of cloud storage provided long-term for a single one-off cost.
Alternatives to Unlimited Coud Storage Plans
So far in this guide, I have summarised that whilst cloud providers offering an unlimited allocation of cloud storage can be very useful to a certain type of cloud user, they might also be less cost effective than many of the mainstream cloud storage offerings (especially so if you are only using a small proportion of the unlimited cloud storage account). Furthermore, if you do require large quotas of cloud storage, especially so on an infrequent or ad-hoc basis, then a great alternative might be to look at AWS S3 or an S3 compatible cloud storage service instead.
For anyone reading this guide who is unfamiliar with S3 compatible storage, this is basically a special type of cloud storage which, despite often being favoured by business and more technical uses, offers any cloud user a practically unlimited allocation of cloud storage space for a simple cost per GB used.
One of the key advantages that S3 compatible cloud storage has over an unlimited cloud storage subscription is that it is only charged for based upon what amount of storage is actually being used (and this is usually priced at a set amount per GB used, per month). This approach gives the best of both worlds in that a (virtually) unlimited amount of cloud storage is always available, as required, when using S3 or an S3 compatible service yet as a customer of such a service you will only ever pay for the allocation of storage which is actually being used at the time.
NB – Such a “per GB” pricing model means that if your cloud storage requirements do vary from month to month, then big saving could be made versus using a regular unlimited cloud storage plan during such low usage periods.
One of the few downsides to AWS S3 and S3 compatible cloud storage is that many providers offering such a service (typically, but not always) tend to offer less cloud features and fewer means for accessing such cloud storage as well. For example, whilst almost all S3 compatible cloud storage providers do offer some means of web-based access, additional features including desktop folder synchronisation software, device backup software and virtual drive mounting software are usually only provided by specialist 3rd party companies as opposed to the S3 compatible cloud providers themselves (versus many “cloud drive” services which often provide their own featureful desktop software to users for no additional cost).
NB – For more information on S3 compatible cloud storage service, how to make use of and get the best out of it, plus an idea of some of the means and methods for best accessing such storage, be sure to read my guide to The best AWS S3 Alternatives right here on BestBackupReviews.com!
Unlimited Cloud Storage FAQs
Yes, there are currently several mainstream cloud providers offering subscriptions to their services with unlimited cloud storage included. Also available is AWS S3 and S3 compatible cloud storage which (whilst technically not unlimited) provides a virtually unlimited allocation of cloud storage which is usually billed for on a fixed cost per GB used (per month).
Some well-known and commonly used cloud providers offering unlimited cloud storage plans currently include Dropbox, Box.com, Jottacloud and Sync.com.
As of time of writing I am unaware of any provider offering unlimited cloud storage for free. Furthermore, in my opinion at least, such a business model would not work well in reality and any business attempting to offer such a service might not be around for long either.
With all of this in mind, the best approach to finding cost effective cloud storage would firstly mean been realistic about what you actually need to store in the cloud and then look at signing up for several cloud storage providers with generous free storage allowances to minimise your total cloud storage costs (check out my guide to the Best Free Cloud Storage for more advice on using free cloud storage).
This is highly debatable, but ultimately, in my own opinion at least, the answer has to be no here!
Nothing in business is truly unlimited and IT equipment including servers, hard drives and SSD drives (which ultimately make up what we refer to as “cloud storage”) will only be available in limited quantities amongst other limiting factors such as datacentre space to store them. When cloud storage providers offer “unlimited cloud storage” they are, in many cases, simply saying that they intend, all things being well, to provide an unlimited service to the best of their abilities (amongst many other mitigating factors which might come into play here).
Having said this, to my own knowledge at least, it is so far unheard of for a major cloud storage provider to have to have limited an otherwise unlimited cloud storage account in relation to such factors as those just mentioned. This means that this is, therefore, only a theoretical issue and anyone seeking such unlimited cloud storage plans should not worry too much about issues with capacity for the most part.
As of time of writing, the cheapest unlimited cloud storage plan on offer is from Jottacloud and is priced from just €9.99 per month (or €99 per year on an annual plan). As well as providing an unlimited allocation of cloud storage, this plan also provides some great cloud related features such as device backup, file sharing and folder synchronisation and is available for just a single individual user (versus most other unlimited cloud offerings which only provide unlimited cloud storage on business accounts with a minimum of 2+ users added to the account).
No, as of time of writing in August 2023, pCloud no longer appear to be offering unlimited cloud storage on their business plans. Updated plans instead now offer between 1TB and 10TB per users and are priced from just $7.99 per user, per month.
The Best Unlimited Cloud Storage of 2023
Below is a list of my current top four favourite unlimited cloud storage services as are tested and reviewed right here on BestBackupReviews.com.
Remember, any ratings given below reflect my own personal opinions and that the unlimited cloud storage services with the highest ratings might not necessarily be the best for your own personal needs. With this in mind, please refer to my detailed reviews of each entry on the list for more information on the service itself and how it might help with your own individual cloud storage requirements.
1) Jottacloud
Jottacloud is a multipurpose cloud storage service which, amongst a good set of highly usable cloud features including device backup, folder synchronisation and file sharing, also offers a personal subscription plan featuring an unlimited quota of cloud storage from an amazingly low price of just €99 per year.
As well as the highly competitive unlimited cloud storage plan (which it should be noted is limited to just a single user per account), also on offer form Jottacloud are family plans which see between 1TB and 10TB of cloud storage plus the full set of Jottacloud features shared between up to 5 individual users for as little as just €5.75 per month.
Pricing aside and Jottacloud impresses with a solid set of cloud related features plus an easy-to-use desktop application and web-based interface which makes accessing the service and configuring the account really simple. Also available via the Jottacloud desktop software is the ability to make device backups directly to the cloud alongside the ability to configure automatic folder synchronisations between multiple devices with the minimal of fuss.
Other features of Jottacloud include good options for the viewing and sharing of both photos and videos online, automatic application of automatic historic file versioning with up to five versions of any files kept for additional data protection, multifactor authentication for advanced account protection plus command line (CMD) access form Windows, mac OS and Linux devices also in place for more advanced users.
Jottacloud is priced form just €9.90 per month (or €99 / year) for the personal cloud plan featuring an unlimited allocation of cloud storage. Other available plans see between 1TB and 10TB shared between up to 5 individual users for as little as just €6.90 per month (or €69 / year) alongside the 5GB free to use account option as well, more information on both of which can be found via the official Jottacloud website.
- Unlimited cloud storage
- Desktop sync software
- Secure file sharing
- Device backup tools
- From just €99 / year!
2) Sync.com
Sync.com is an impressive cloud storage service which is highly security and privacy focused and one which, amongst various other plans, also offers unlimited cloud storage via the Teams+ Unlimited plan which starts from just $15 per user.
Even with unlimited storage put aside, Sync.com remains an impressive cloud offering with many great features expected of such a leading service included by default. This includes a great set of file sharing and document collaboration features, an easy-to-use web-based interface, desktop software for both Windows and mac OS devices which can be used for configure automatic device synchronisation plus the ability to connect and use up to 5x personal devices per account.
Security wise and it is here that Sync.com really stands out form many other cloud storage options thanks, in part, to its key feature of automatically applying strong zero-knowledge AES 256-bit encryption to all data uploaded and stored upon the cloud by default. This security is further enhanced via the option to use multifactor authentication for enhanced protection of the account, up to 365 days of historic file versioning being automatically applied (for enhanced malware protection), the ability to set granular file permissions when sharing documents plus the option to use lost device lockout functionality (for devices with the Sync.com desktop software installed).
Other notable features of Sync.com include the use of automatic file upload resumption and automatic deduplication technology for ensuring uploads to and downloads from the service run as smoothly as possible as well as all Sync.com accounts featuring unlimited data transfer as well.
Sync.com is priced form just $8 per month for the 2TB premium plan with the unlimited plan (Teams+ Unlimited) priced from $15 per user, per month (with a minimum of 2 users required on the account). Also available form Sync.com is the 5GB free to use account which remains a great way of testing out the service, more information on which can be found via the official Sync.com website.
- Unlimited plans available
- Zero-knowledge security
- AES 256-bit encryption
- Desktop sync software
- From $8 per month
3) Box.com
Box.com is a highly business focused cloud storage service which provides many great secure sharing and collaboration features helping enable teams of any size to effectively work together via the cloud.
As per the other cloud storage accounts mentioned in this guide, Box.com offer several plans featuring an unlimited allocation of cloud storage. This begins with the Business plan at just $15 / month (per user) and extends to the Business Plus and Enterprise plans which (unlimited storage aside) also bring additional cloud related features into the mix as well.
Unlimited cloud storage aside and Box.com has many other great features on offer including desktop software for both Windows and mac OS devices. This desktop software has the ability to synchronise multiple local folders with the Box.com cloud and also share local files easily via the context menu as and when required. Smartphone apps for both iOS and Android devices also extend this ease of access to the cloud storage even further as well.
Security wise and Box.com offer secure encryption for all data as it is transferred to the cloud and also whilst stored at rest upon their cloud storage servers using secure AES 256-bit encryption. Other security features include use of the Box “KeySafe” for Business plans users wanting to manage their own file encryption keys within the Box.com service, multifactor authentication (2FA) plus between 25 and an unlimited number of historic versions of files being kept for additional data protection.
Box.com is priced from just $10 per month for the individual “Professional” plan which features 100GB of cloud storage or from just $15 per month (per user, min 3x users) for the business plans featuring an unlimited quota of cloud storage. Additional plans including business plans (with 100GB form just $5 / month) and the generous 10GB free to use plan are also available form Box.com – more information on all of which can be found via the official Box.com website.
- Unlimited cloud plans
- Secure sharing tools
- AES 256-bit encryption
- iOS & Android apps
- Plans from $5 / month
4) Dropbox
As well as being one of the most established and well-known cloud storage services as of today, Dropbox also provide business and team focused users with the option of unlimited cloud storage alongside a host of many other really useful cloud and collaboration features.
Looking at the many cloud storage related services on offer and it soon becomes clear that Dropbox has a lot to offer in this field. Aside from the core cloud drive storage they also provide device backup functionality, document e-signing, use of the Paper application (for collaborative note taking), the Dropbox Transfer app (for sending large files) plus use of the Dropbox “Passwords” password manager amongst many other additions.
Dropbox also provide a great piece of desktop software for Windows, mac OS and Linux devices which brings a lot of the core Dropbox cloud functionality directly onto local devices. This includes the ability to configure device backups, map cloud storage as a virtual drive, set up local folder synchronisations with the cloud, easily share documents and even integrate Dropbox directly with Microsoft Office apps for easily saving such documents directly to the cloud.
Other notable features of the Dropbox service include the application of secure AES 256-bit encryption to all documents stored upon the cloud, multifactor authentication, built-in PDF editing capabilities, password and expiry date protected file sharing plus up to 1 year of automatic historic file versioning applied automatically so as to provide additional malware protection amongst many other useful features.
Dropbox is priced form just $9.99 / month for individual plans featuring 2TB of cloud storage through several other options up to the “Large Teams” plans which offers “as much space as needed” from just $24 per month (per user, min 3 users). Also provided by Dropbox is a 2GB free account which is a great way to get started with the service, more information on this and the whole range of Dropbox plans can be found via the official Dropbox website.
- Unlimited cloud plan
- Secure file sharing
- Desktop sync software
- Useful web apps
- From $9.99 / month
Best Free Cloud Storage Summary
Despite unlimited cloud storage accounts currently being offered by only a relatively small number of providers overall, there are still some good options out there both for individual users simply not wanting to worry about cloud storage drives becoming full as well as business users working on large and growing projects.
Jottacloud stands out as a very viable unlimited cloud storage service for individual users, especially so given that this is the only account tested which allows unlimited cloud storage for a single, individual user (with all other options requiring at least 2+ users signed up). In addition to offering unlimited cloud storage, this service offers a good set of additional features including desktop synchronisation software, device backup and secure file sharing capabilities for as little as just €99 / year meaning it is also very good value for such service as well.
Jottacloud aside, and whilst several providers also offer unlimited cloud storage accounts, once factoring in the minimum number of users which must be singed-up to the account (and the relatively high cost per user on top of this), obtaining unlimited cloud storage remains a relatively expensive pursuit. In many cases it might be a better option to assess how much cloud storage you and your team really need and look at making use of AWS S3 cloud storage (or an S3 compatible alternative) should total cost or varying cloud storage requirements be an issue.
