Best Free Photo Storage 2026: 7 Options Compared

Free photo storage is a numbers game: most services offer between a couple of gigabytes and fifteen, and a phone camera produces several gigabytes a year. The choice is therefore less about features and more about which allowance you already hold. If you use Android or Gmail, the 15 GB inside a Google account is shared with mail and files. If you carry an iPhone, iCloud gives only 5 GB. Dropbox starts at 2 GB, Box at 10 GB with a 250 MB file-size cap, and Proton at up to 5 GB of encrypted Drive space. None of these will hold a decade of pictures, so decide early whether you will pay once the allowance fills or move originals to a drive at home. Another point is whether the tool understands photos, with albums and face grouping, or only stores files in folders. General file lockers such as Dropbox and Box keep the original quality but give you little browsing help. Compare the limits below, then pick the one that matches the phone and desktop you use every day.

Google Photos

15 GB per Google account, shared with Drive and Gmail. It has the strongest photo browsing here, with search and albums, but the space fills quickly.

Price: Free (15 GB per Google account, shared with Drive and Gmail); paid from $1.99 per month (Basic, 100 GB, billed monthly; 2 TB is $9.99) (Google Photos pricing, checked 2026-10-23).

Platforms and license: Web, Android, iOS. Proprietary.

Best for: Android users and Gmail owners.

Compare: Google Photos alternatives

iCloud

5 GB free, built into iPhone and Mac photo sync. Paid storage starts at $0.99 a month, which is the usual next step.

Price: Free (5 GB free); paid from $0.99 per per month, iCloud+ 50 GB plan (200 GB $2.99, 2 TB $9.99) (iCloud pricing, checked 2026-10-23).

Platforms and license: iOS, macOS, Windows, Web. Proprietary.

Best for: iPhone and Mac owners.

Compare: iCloud alternatives

Google Drive

Also 15 GB shared across the Google account; it keeps files as plain folders without photo-specific tools. Useful for RAW files and exports.

Price: Free (15 GB of storage per Google account, shared with Gmail and Photos); paid from $1.99 per month (Google One Basic, 100 GB) (Google Photos pricing, checked 2026-10-22).

Platforms and license: Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android. Proprietary.

Best for: Storing originals and edited exports.

Compare: Google Drive alternatives

Dropbox

Basic plan has 2 GB, the smallest allowance here, but folder sync is dependable. Paid plans start at $9.99 a month.

Price: Free (Basic plan with 2 GB of storage); paid from $9.99 per month for 1 person, 2 TB (Plus, billed monthly) (Dropbox pricing, checked 2026-10-22).

Platforms and license: Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android. Proprietary.

Best for: Sharing a few folders of photos.

Compare: Dropbox alternatives

Box

Free single user gets 10 GB, a 250 MB maximum file size and one file version, which rules out long videos. Paid plans start at $5.

Price: Free (Free single user: 10 GB storage, 250 MB maximum file size, 1 file version, 5 Box Sign requests a month); paid from $5 per user/month (Business Starter, minimum 3 users; page headline 'From $5 Per User/Month'; exact billing term not stated in the extracted text) (Box pricing, checked 2026-10-23).

Platforms and license: Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android. Proprietary.

Best for: Documents plus a modest photo set.

Compare: Box alternatives

Proton

Free plan has up to 5 GB of encrypted Drive storage plus 1 GB mail, with 3.99 as the first paid price. The smallest here for the privacy it adds.

Price: Free (Free plan with 1 GB of Mail, up to 5 GB of Drive, 1 encrypted email address and 3 personal calendars); paid from $3.99 per month, billed annually (Mail Plus) (Proton pricing, checked 2026-10-22).

Platforms and license: Web, iOS, Android. Proprietary hosted service.

Best for: Sensitive or private pictures.

OneDrive

A free tier exists but the amount was not confirmed on Microsoft's own page, so check before moving a library there.

Price: Free (OneDrive pricing, checked 2026-10-23).

Platforms and license: Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android. Proprietary.

Best for: Windows 11 users with Office.

Compare: OneDrive alternatives

Which one to pick

• You want search and albums for a phone library: Google Photos
• You have an iPhone and a Mac: iCloud
• You need encrypted storage: Proton
• You want the largest listed free file limit besides Google: Box