Winner
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Includes ecosystem fit and downgrade risk.
1. Your situation
Include photos, device backup, and shared family files.
Family plans usually cap at 5–6 members and share one pool.
Photos, 4K video, and device backups typically grow 15–30%/year.
Annual saves ~16% on Google One and Microsoft 365.
Affects backup convenience but not raw price.
If yes, OneDrive's bundled value changes the math.
Quick presets:
2. Your cheapest plan, with downgrade risk
5-year total
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— / month effective
Gap vs runner-up
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over 5 years, same household
Need: 350 GB
Effective per person: 175 GB
Need in 5 yrs (growth applied): —
Cheapest sufficient tier: —
Annual vs monthly save: —
5-year cumulative cost — winner highlighted
Pick a plan above to see when each one crosses the next price step.
3. Side-by-side at your tier
| Plan | Tier picked | Monthly | Annual | 5-yr total | Shared pool | Device backup | Downgrade risk |
|---|
Prices are typical 2026 consumer list prices in USD. Local tax, regional promotions, and student/education discounts not included. Annual cycles assume you stay subscribed for the full year.
4. How to read your result
5. Read next — the 10 companion guides
Each article explains one input, one persona, or one risk in the calculator above.
6. What we assume — and what we don't claim
- Prices reflect publicly listed consumer tiers for iCloud+, Google One, Microsoft 365 / OneDrive standalone, and Dropbox Plus/Family. We do not include legacy grandfathered prices.
- "Shared pool" means the storage is one bucket all family members draw from. iCloud+, Google One, and Microsoft 365 Family share. Dropbox Family shares 2 TB across up to 6 people.
- Downgrade risk reflects what happens when you exceed your tier: most providers stop new uploads and freeze device backups, but keep your existing files readable for a grace period.
- We don't model business plans, NAS, or self-hosted alternatives — those are separate decisions covered in our companion articles.
- This is a planning aid, not financial advice. Always confirm current pricing on the provider's site before subscribing.