The useful comparison is therefore bigger than a leaderboard of terabytes. How many people need storage? Does that allowance also cover email and phone photos? Is private encryption included? And can you still open your important files when the laptop has no internet connection?
Here is how the five alternatives stack up, what Microsoft actually changed, and how to approach a move without turning a subscription dispute into a data-recovery project.
First, understand the OneDrive change
Microsoft’s storage FAQ establishes two important dates:
- October 8, 2026: New Microsoft 365 Family and Premium subscriptions, including purchases after a subscription has expired, receive 2 TB of shared OneDrive storage.
- May 2, 2027: Existing Family and Premium subscribers begin moving to that arrangement when their subscriptions renew on or after this date.
Under the previous arrangement described in BGR’s comparison, up to six people could each receive 1 TB. The replacement is a common 2 TB pool, not 2 TB per person. Microsoft confirms that existing subscribers can transition earlier through an eligible subscription upgrade, so changing plans deserves a careful look before clicking through.
There is a legitimate distinction between capacity and flexibility. A pool lets one heavy user consume storage that would otherwise sit unused in someone else’s allocation. But that flexibility does not restore the former maximum household capacity.
Shared storage also does not mean shared visibility. Microsoft says members’ files remain private unless explicitly shared. After transition, the subscription owner can see members’ total usage, not browse their individual files. Basic retains 100 GB for its account holder, while Personal retains 1 TB.
The immediate action is to establish your renewal date, household usage, and actual storage requirements. A family comfortably below 2 TB has a different problem from one already storing several terabytes.
1. Google One: a natural fit for Google-heavy households
Google One is worth considering when your storage needs already revolve around Gmail, Google Photos, and Google Drive. Google’s current U.S. plan page lists:
| Plan | Total storage | Listed monthly price |
|---|---|---|
| Free Google Account | 15 GB | Free |
| Google One Basic | 100 GB | $1.99 |
| Google AI Plus | 2 TB | $9.99 |
| Google AI Pro | 5 TB | $19.99 |
The paid plans shown support sharing with up to five other people. Crucially, their capacity covers Photos, Drive, and Gmail together. A 2 TB subscription is not a separate 2 TB allocation for each service or family member.
Google also bundles AI benefits into its larger listed plans, including Gemini features. Treat those as useful extras only if you intend to use them; otherwise, compare the storage allowance and bill rather than assigning value to every item in the marketing checklist.
For Windows users, Google documents access through File Explorer using Drive for desktop, with streaming and mirroring options. That makes it a practical candidate for a PC workflow rather than merely a website for uploading files.
Who should shortlist it? Households already committed to Google’s services. Before committing, add your existing Google usage to the OneDrive data you want to move. Buying enough room for the migration while forgetting the photo library already occupying the destination is an avoidable mistake.
Test your everyday documents before replacing your editing workflow, too. Moving storage and replacing productivity software should be two separate decisions.
2. Dropbox: consider it for file-centered collaboration
Dropbox offers a straightforward starting point: Basic begins with 2 GB free, while Plus provides 2 TB. Its free tier is better viewed as a small-scale workflow trial than as a destination for a substantial OneDrive library.
One useful detail in Dropbox’s official documentation is that Plus users can purchase additional storage in 1 TB increments. There are purchasing restrictions: add-ons are bought through Dropbox’s website, and subscriptions purchased through Google Play or Apple’s App Store cannot buy those add-ons without changing their billing arrangement. Reseller purchases have separate conditions.
That matters if your requirements fall awkwardly between standard tiers. A service’s expansion path can be more important than its entry-level offer.
Dropbox also distinguishes individual subscriptions from team plans, which its help documentation says start with 3 TB. Do not mistake a team offering for a directly comparable household subscription simply because the headline capacity looks attractive.
Who should shortlist it? People whose main requirement is exchanging and organizing files, particularly when their collaborators already use Dropbox.
The practical test is not whether its name is familiar. Try a shared project folder, invite the people who actually need access, and check whether the account arrangement suits them. Also test recovery and offline access before transferring your main library. Those exercises will tell you more about suitability than a glossy list of collaboration features.
3. pCloud: distinctive payment options, important qualifications
pCloud stands apart because it offers lifetime-payment plans alongside subscriptions. Its documented individual capacities include 500 GB, 2 TB, and 10 TB. The free account starts at 2 GB, with steps such as completing its beginner tutorial and inviting friends allowing users to unlock up to 10 GB. “Up to” is doing real work here.
Its pricing page describes desktop synchronization, offline access, and access to cloud files without keeping everything in local storage. It also advertises pCloud Docs editors and recovery of data from up to 30 days earlier. Those are relevant capabilities, although they are not evidence that every Office document or workflow will behave identically.
Two qualifications deserve particular attention:
- Encryption is a separate purchasing consideration. The listed individual lifetime tiers explicitly exclude pCloud Encryption. Do not confuse their standard security features with purchasing that additional product.
- Shared-link traffic has limits. pCloud documents monthly allowances of 1 TB for its 500 GB plan, 4 TB for its 2 TB plan, and 20 TB for its 10 TB plan.
The Family offering also differs from six-person competitors: it supports the owner plus four other accounts, with private spaces and owner-managed quotas.
Who should shortlist it? Buyers attracted to an upfront payment and users who want flexible file access.
Treat lifetime pricing as a financial trade-off, not a guarantee of permanence. My recommendation is to compare the complete upfront cost—including any encryption purchase—with several years of the subscription you would otherwise buy. Test first, and retain an independent copy of irreplaceable data regardless of the payment model.
4. Proton Drive: privacy is the central proposition
Proton Drive’s clearest differentiator is its stated encryption model. Proton says its end-to-end and zero-access encryption prevent the company from viewing or editing stored files, and that free customers receive the same encryption level as paid customers. Its free storage allowance is 5 GB.
The published plan options include:
- Drive Plus: 200 GB, with a listed monthly rate of $4.99.
- Proton Unlimited: 500 GB at $12.99 monthly, bundled with other Proton services.
- Proton Duo: 2 TB for up to two users at $19.99 monthly.
- Proton Family: 3 TB for up to six users at $29.99 monthly.
Proton also displays annual and introductory offers, so distinguish the monthly subscription rate from an annual commitment expressed as a monthly equivalent.
Its plan page includes online document and spreadsheet editors. That broadens its usefulness, but it does not establish complete compatibility with a complex Microsoft Office workflow.
Who should shortlist it? Readers who prioritize the provider’s inability to read stored content, particularly if they also want Proton’s other services.
Avoid buying a larger bundle merely because it appears to offer more products. Price only the services you would genuinely use. For work involving complicated spreadsheets or carefully formatted documents, trial representative files before treating any alternative editor as a replacement.
Privacy is a meaningful buying criterion; it is not a substitute for testing.
5. Apple iCloud+: especially relevant to iPhone-and-PC users
iCloud+ belongs on a Windows shortlist when the household also uses Apple devices. Apple explicitly supports iCloud Drive access through File Explorer, and its iCloud for Windows application provides access to stored photos and files.
Apple’s U.S. monthly storage tiers are:
| Storage | Monthly price |
|---|---|
| 50 GB | $0.99 |
| 200 GB | $2.99 |
| 2 TB | $9.99 |
| 6 TB | $29.99 |
| 12 TB | $59.99 |
Plans can be shared with up to five other family members. Apple also provides iPhone and iPad backup functionality, which gives the subscription a different role from simply storing PC documents.
There is a significant privacy option: Advanced Data Protection. Apple says enabling it requires an alternative recovery method, such as a recovery contact or recovery key. When it is enabled, Apple does not hold the keys needed to recover your end-to-end encrypted data. That is both a privacy benefit and a responsibility. Availability and device requirements must be checked for your account and region.
Who should shortlist it? Households trying to consolidate Apple-device storage and PC file access.
For a Windows-only user, I would give the Apple-specific benefits little weight. For someone already paying to protect an iPhone’s data, however, consolidating subscriptions may be more sensible than maintaining separate pools without a clear reason.
Before committing, test the Windows experience directly: your commonly used folders, offline requirements, photo access, and sharing workflow.
How to move without losing track of your files
The safest migration is deliberate, reversible, and initially rather boring. That is a compliment.
1. Inventory before purchasing
Record each person’s usage, the folders they depend on, and which files must remain available offline. Before Microsoft moves your subscription to pooled storage, its guidance says you need to ask other members about their usage; afterward, the owner can see their totals.
Build your comparison around that inventory, with room for growth. Also write down which software subscriptions you would retain after moving storage. Otherwise, a supposedly cheaper replacement can become an additional bill.
2. Download files that exist only in the cloud
For OneDrive on Windows, a filename in File Explorer does not necessarily mean the file’s contents are stored locally. Microsoft documents Always keep on this device as the option for keeping selected files downloaded. Its Download all files setting applies the equivalent choice to the entire OneDrive folder.
Ensure the PC has sufficient free space before attempting a full download. If it does not, plan a staged transfer rather than trying to squeeze a cloud archive onto an undersized SSD.
3. Copy a representative test set
My recommended trial includes documents, photos, a large file, and a folder you normally share. Copy rather than move the originals during this stage.
Confirm that uploads finish, open the destination copies, and test access from another device. Check offline behavior explicitly. A successful upload notification is useful; successfully reopening the files is better.
4. Keep recovery separate from synchronization
Microsoft documents that deletions in synchronized folders propagate, with personal OneDrive deleted files normally retained in its recycle bin for up to 30 days. That is why a synchronized folder should not be your only recovery copy.
Before cleaning out OneDrive, retain an independent copy and verify the replacement library. Recreate and test necessary sharing arrangements rather than assuming your migration has preserved them.
5. Cancel last, not first
Microsoft warns that ending a Basic or Personal subscription reduces the cloud allowance to 5 GB; ending a shared subscription also reduces members’ allowances. Exceeding the resulting limit can stop OneDrive uploads and synchronization and prevent Outlook.com from sending or receiving mail.
Do not cancel until the move is verified and you understand the remaining Microsoft storage usage.
The right alternative depends on what you are replacing
My shortlist would begin with Google for a Google-centered household, Dropbox for an existing file-sharing workflow, pCloud for its payment model, Proton for its privacy proposition, and iCloud+ for a mixed Apple-and-Windows home.
But “worth switching to” is not the same as “everyone should switch.” Measure your usage, establish your actual transition date, test the destination, and compare the complete ongoing cost. The best cloud storage is the service that fits your work—and still lets you recover your files when something goes wrong.