Photo Backup Compare

Don't lose 30 years of memories.

iCloud Photos (Apple)

$1/mo 50GB / $3/mo 200GB / $10/mo 2TB

Built into iPhone/iPad/Mac. Best if you're all-Apple. Family sharing.

Best for iPhone-only.

Google Photos

15GB free / $2/mo 100GB / $3/mo 200GB / $10/mo 2TB

Best AI search ("dog at beach"). Works on iPhone AND Android. Free 15GB.

Best free tier.

Amazon Photos (Prime)

FREE unlimited photos with Prime

Unlimited PHOTOS (not videos). Already paid for if you have Prime. Underused.

Best if you have Prime.

Microsoft OneDrive

5GB free / $7/mo 1TB (with M365)

Comes with Microsoft 365 subscription. Decent app.

Best if you use Office.

Dropbox

2GB free / $12/mo 2TB

Most reliable across many devices. Pricey for just photos.

Best for files + photos.

Quick decision

All-Apple family → iCloud Photos $3/mo 200GB.
Mixed devices, want best search → Google Photos.
Already have Amazon Prime → Amazon Photos (free unlimited photos).
Smart play — use TWO services. Photos in iCloud + Amazon = double backup, virtually free.

Why backup matters

Phone lost or stolen = photos gone forever (without backup).
Phone in pool/toilet/dropped = same.
Old computer hard drive failure = same.
House fire = physical photo albums gone.
Cloud backup means photos exist in 3 places: phone, your account, the cloud.

Setup — once and forget

Pick a service. Sign up.
Install app on phone.
Toggle "Backup" ON.
First backup over wifi (could take 2-12 hours for thousands of photos).
After that, every new photo backs up automatically.
Verify by opening on a different device — photos appear.

Storage strategy

"Optimize storage" — keeps phone copies small, full versions in cloud. Get back 50GB on phone.
Once a year, download FULL library to a cheap external drive ($60 for 2TB at Costco).
Print top 50 photos every year — printed photos survive cloud company shutdowns.

Family sharing

Apple Family Sharing splits 200GB iCloud across 6 family members ($3/mo total). Google One Family does same. One subscription covers everyone's phones. Great deal.