The day your phone goes in the toilet — and statistically, for most UK adults this is going to happen at least once — is too late to start thinking about cloud storage. The same applies, with more dignity but equal financial cost, to laptops failing, ransomware encrypting your photos, and the increasingly common scenario of leaving your bag on a train.
Cloud storage isn't optional for adults with anything important on a device. The right question isn't whether to pay for it. It's which one — and the answer depends on which existing ecosystem you live in, and whether you need backup, active file sync, or both.
The two kinds of cloud storage (and why they're not the same)
This is the bit most articles skip and it's the actual deciding factor.
Active sync is what iCloud, Google One, Dropbox, and OneDrive do — your files live in the cloud, mirrored on your devices, edited live, available everywhere. Right for daily working files, photos, documents you actually use.
Pure backup is what Backblaze does — every file on your computer copied to a separate vault, daily, regardless of whether you ever touch it. Right as a safety net for the laptop drive itself.
You usually want both. The mistake is paying for one and assuming it does the other.
The five worth knowing
iCloud+ at £0.99/mo (50GB), £2.99/mo (200GB), £8.99/mo (2TB). Apple's cloud service, integrated with iPhone, iPad, Mac. Includes Photos, iCloud Drive, password sharing, Hide My Email. Best for Apple-system users — phone photos and Mac iCloud Drive sync smoothly.
Google One at £1.59/mo (100GB), £2.49/mo (200GB), £7.99/mo (2TB). Google's cloud service. Covers Photos (now requires paid storage past free quota), Google Drive, Gmail. Best for Google-system users, Pixel phone photos, Drive files, Gmail.
Dropbox at £7.99/mo individual (2TB), £14.99/mo Plus, £15.99/mo Family. Independent cross-platform cloud storage. Stronger sync than iCloud or Google for files actively edited from multiple devices. Best for adults working across Apple plus Windows, or content creators with large files.
OneDrive. 1TB included with M365 Personal (£59.99/year) or Family (£79.99/year covering 6 users). Best for households using M365 — included in the subscription, little reason to pay separately.
Backblaze at $9/month per computer (~£7/month). Computer backup service. Backs up everything on your Mac or PC for $9/month per computer regardless of size. Different category from cloud sync. Best for adults wanting a safety-net backup of the full computer, not just specific files.
How to actually pick
Apple users: iCloud+ 200GB or 2TB matched to your photo / file needs.
Google users: Google One 200GB or 2TB.
Working across Apple + Windows: iCloud or Google for phone + Dropbox for cross-platform file work + Backblaze for computer backup.
UK households on M365: OneDrive is sufficient for most purposes; supplement with Backblaze for full computer backup.
Photographers or videographers with large files: Dropbox 3TB + Backblaze combination handles serious-sized backups.
What I'd swerve: storing critical data on free tiers (15GB Google free, 5GB iCloud free) — these run out fast and important data gets stranded silently.
The 3-2-1 rule that everyone in IT uses
Industry-standard backup principle for UK adults serious about data preservation:
- 3 copies of important data
- On 2 different media (e.g., laptop + cloud)
- With 1 offsite (cloud storage counts)
For most UK households: iCloud or Google for phone + Backblaze for computer = a decent backup posture.
For households with truly irreplaceable data (years of family photos, important documents): consider adding an external drive backup for redundancy. The £100 once for a 4TB drive is genuinely worth it if you'd be devastated by losing the photos.
Privacy, the bit that matters more than people realise
GDPR-conscious cloud storage choices look different from convenience-first choices:
- iCloud has UK / EU data residency for many features; full end-to-end encryption available with Advanced Data Protection (you have to enable it manually)
- Google One stores in Google's global infrastructure; UK / EU data residency varies by feature
- Dropbox stores in US infrastructure by default
- Proton Drive (Swiss-based, end-to-end encrypted) for UK adults specifically prioritising privacy, £4-£10/month
For UK adults handling sensitive personal data or client material: Proton Drive or iCloud Advanced Data Protection for genuine end-to-end encryption. The mainstream services are fine for family photos; for actual sensitive material, pick the encrypted-by-default option.
Affiliate disclosure: Morningfold has affiliate partnerships with Apple, Google, Dropbox, Microsoft, Backblaze, and Proton. See editorial standards.