Free cloud storage plans compared
The most free space is not the best free space. Here is what eight services give you for nothing, which of them encrypt your files so the provider cannot read them, and what free costs you. We checked each figure against the provider's own page on 21 October 2026; free tiers change, so the source is named on every row.
We make Beebeeb, which has no free plan. We include it only at the end and say where free is the better choice.
Free tiers at a glance
| Service | Free storage | Encryption | Company based in | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google Drive Shared with Gmail and Google Photos. Google says the default can differ by country. | 15 GB | Not end-to-end encrypted by default | United States | Google One Help, "How your Google storage works" |
| Filen Granted at signup after an automated connection check; signups from VPN or proxy connections may not receive it. Referrals can add more. | 10 GiB | End-to-end encrypted (provider claim) | Germany | Filen |
| Proton Drive Free account on the Proton Drive pricing page. | 5 GB | End-to-end encrypted (provider claim) | Switzerland | Proton |
| Sync.com Does not expire. Shared files count against the quota of each person you share them with. | 5 GB | End-to-end encrypted (provider claim) | Canada | Sync help center |
| iCloud Covers backups, photos and iCloud Drive. When it is full, backups and syncing stop. | 5 GB | Most data is not end-to-end encrypted unless you turn on Advanced Data Protection (some categories, such as passwords, always are; availability varies by country) | United States | Apple Support, "Manage your iCloud storage on your Apple device" |
| OneDrive Shared across OneDrive, Outlook.com attachments and Microsoft 365 apps. | 5 GB | Not end-to-end encrypted by default | United States | Microsoft Support, "Microsoft storage FAQs" |
| Dropbox Basic Over the limit you can lose syncing and uploads; Dropbox may eventually delete files if the account stays over. | 2 GB | Not end-to-end encrypted by default | United States | Dropbox Help, "What is Dropbox Basic?" |
| Internxt Free for life, per Internxt. | 1 GB | End-to-end encrypted (provider claim) | Spain | Internxt |
"End-to-end encrypted (provider claim)" means the provider says files are encrypted on your device with keys it does not hold. We have not audited these services. MEGA is not listed because we could not verify its current figures.
Free is not the same as private
With most free tiers the provider holds the encryption keys, so it can in principle read what you store and can be compelled to hand it over. For holiday photos that may be fine. For contracts, medical records or client files it is not.
Google, Microsoft and Dropbox are not end-to-end encrypted by default, and Apple's is end-to-end encrypted only for some data unless you opt in to Advanced Data Protection. The smaller ones in the table (Filen, Proton Drive, Sync.com, Internxt) say they encrypt on your device first, at the cost of less free space. Neither choice is wrong. They are different trades.
Which free tier fits
- You want the most space and privacy is secondary: Google Drive's 15 GB is the largest here, but it is shared with Gmail and Photos.
- You want private and free: Of the encrypted services compared here, Filen's 10 GiB is the largest free tier on paper, but signups from VPN or proxy connections may not receive it, so check eligibility first. Proton Drive and Sync.com give 5 GB.
- You live in Apple or Microsoft apps: iCloud and OneDrive give 5 GB each and work best inside their own ecosystems.
- You only need to move a few files: Dropbox's 2 GB is enough for documents, not for photos.
Where Beebeeb fits
Beebeeb has no free plan. Every plan starts with a 14-day free trial; no card or iDEAL is needed to start it; the trial has less storage, to prevent misuse. After that, Starter is €1.99 per month for 100 GB, with the same end-to-end encryption on every plan. The clients are open source, the company is Dutch (Initlabs B.V.), and data is stored in the EU.
If you want a permanent free tier, one of the services above is the better fit, and Filen is the closest to what we do. If you have outgrown free and want your files unreadable to the provider, see how we compare in detail on the comparison pages, or our pricing.
Questions
- Which cloud storage gives the most free space?
- Of the services compared here, Google Drive gives the most at 15 GB, shared with Gmail and Google Photos. Among the end-to-end encrypted services compared here, Filen offers 10 GiB at signup on paper, but signups from VPN or proxy connections may not receive it. Figures checked 21 October 2026; free tiers change.
- Is free cloud storage private?
- It depends on the service, not on the price. Google Drive, OneDrive and Dropbox are not end-to-end encrypted by default, so the provider holds the keys and can in principle read what you store. Filen, Proton Drive, Sync.com and Internxt say they encrypt on your device with keys the provider does not hold. That is the provider's own claim, so check each project's documentation.
- Does Beebeeb have a free plan?
- No. Beebeeb has no free plan. Every plan starts with a 14-day free trial; no card or iDEAL is needed to start it; the trial has less storage, to prevent misuse. The entry plan, Starter, is €1.99 per month for 100 GB, with the same end-to-end encryption as every other plan.