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Cloud storage in the US: what users like, what they complain about, and what happens when you stop paying (2026)

Updated October 15, 2026 · Published October 15, 2026

Contents

Cloud storage reviews split into two groups. One is people who have used the same service for ten or twenty years and never lost a file. The other is people who did lose files — after a plan ended, after an app update or after the free space filled up without them noticing — and those reviews are long and angry.

This page sums up what users wrote about five cloud storage apps in App Store reviews from April to October 2026, next to what each service’s US pages say, including what happens to your files when you stop paying. Prices are on each service’s page on this site and in the cloud storage category.

The short version

  • Reliability over many years is what Dropbox users praise most; OneDrive users like reaching their files from anywhere.
  • Privacy is why people choose Proton Drive and MEGA, and MEGA’s large free plan is part of its appeal.
  • Automatic backups that fill your space are the top OneDrive complaint.
  • Files missing after a plan ended or an account sat idle come up for MEGA and OneDrive. What the services officially do is below.
  • App changes hurt: Proton Drive users lost the iPhone Files app integration they relied on, and OneDrive users lost features after an update.

Service by service

[Dropbox](/prenumeratos/dropbox-plus)

For you if you share large files for work or want your files the same on every device: many reviewers have used Dropbox for over a decade, and photographers, lawyers and freelancers praise sharing big files. Plus gives one person 2 TB, 30 days to restore deleted files and transfers up to 50 GB; yearly billing saves 15% or more.

Not for you if you plan to stay on the free plan: Dropbox Basic has 2 GB, and a few reviewers describe sudden pressure to pay after years of free use.

Most Dropbox reviews come from free users; only about a quarter talk about paying.

What reviewers complain about: the free limit and what happens over it (a few, but the sharpest reviews), price (a few), the Photos tab (a few).

[OneDrive](/prenumeratos/onedrive)

For you if you already use Microsoft 365: reviewers like reaching laptop files from their phone and sharing documents at work in real time. Personal gives one person 1 TB with the Office desktop apps; Family covers up to six people; every Microsoft account gets 5 GB free.

Not for you if you want backups only of what you choose: one of the most common complaints is OneDrive starting to back up all photos or the whole computer and filling the free space.

Recent written reviews are far more negative than OneDrive’s 4.7-star overall rating, so read these as the common complaints.

What reviewers complain about: files missing or not syncing (many), automatic photo and PC backup filling the space (many), Personal Vault sign-in loops (several), search after an update (several), the new scanner that replaced Microsoft Lens (several), support that only answers with AI (several).

[MEGA](/prenumeratos/mega)

For you if you want a large free plan — 20 GB — and encryption: reviewers praise the free space, the privacy and paid plans that include MEGA VPN and the MEGA Pass password manager. Every paid plan has a transfer quota on top of storage, from 2.4 TB to 240 TB.

Not for you if you’d leave files there and not open the app for long periods: several reviewers say their files were deleted after they stopped paying or stayed inactive. Several also hit transfer limits when downloading.

Many five-star MEGA reviews come from people downloading shared files, such as video editors’ scene packs, rather than from people storing their own.

What reviewers complain about: files deleted after a plan ended or inactivity (several), transfer quota limits (several), the interface after updates (several), sign-in and account errors (several), downloads that stop in the background (a few).

[Proton Drive](/prenumeratos/proton-drive)

For you if privacy comes first: Proton Drive is end-to-end encrypted, and reviewers who left Google for it praise that and the design. Free has 5 GB; Drive Plus has 200 GB and 10 years of file versions; Proton Unlimited adds Proton VPN, Mail, Calendar and Pass. Paid plans have a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Not for you if you move files between apps on iPhone: about a third of recent reviews are about the Files app integration disappearing, which broke attaching files to emails and uploading them elsewhere.

Proton Drive’s overall rating is 4.1, and recent reviews are few and lean negative.

What reviewers complain about: the missing Files app integration (many), choosing individual photos and backup speed (several), sync errors and lost changes (several), the document editor (several), missing features such as search and folder upload (several).

[Google One](/prenumeratos/google-one)

Google One has too few recent written reviews to show a pattern — 13 since April. Several of them are about cancelling or switching to a cheaper plan. Every Google Account has up to 15 GB free, shared across Gmail, Drive and Photos; Google One raises it to 100 GB, 2 TB or 5 TB, and every plan can be shared with up to five others.

[iCloud+](/prenumeratos/icloud-plus)

iCloud+ has no app of its own, so there are no App Store reviews to sum up. Every Apple Account gets 5 GB free; iCloud+ adds 50 GB to 12 TB, Private Relay and HomeKit Secure Video, shareable with up to five family members.

What happens when you stop paying

These are the services’ own rules, from their US pages:

  • Dropbox: the account becomes free Dropbox Basic with 2 GB at the end of the billing cycle. If you’re over it, you may not be able to sync, upload, share, move or preview files, and if the account stays over the limit, Dropbox may delete files you own.
  • Google One: you go back to the free 15 GB. Over it, Gmail can’t send or receive messages and Drive stops syncing and uploading. After two years over quota, content may be removed, with at least three months’ notice.
  • OneDrive: storage drops to 5 GB. Over it, you can’t upload or sync, and after six months Microsoft may delete your OneDrive and its files.
  • MEGA: keeps deleted data on its servers for at least 30 days but doesn’t guarantee recovery.

Before you subscribe

  • Download what matters before you cancel. Dropbox, Google and Microsoft say they may delete files that stay over the free limit.
  • Check backup settings on a new phone or computer. OneDrive reviewers describe it backing up everything by default.
  • Don’t leave a MEGA account untouched for long without checking its rules — several reviewers lost files after long inactivity.
  • Know the free size you’d fall back to: Dropbox 2 GB, OneDrive and iCloud 5 GB, Proton Drive 5 GB, Google 15 GB, MEGA 20 GB.

All of them side by side, with current prices, are in the cloud storage category.

FAQ

You fall back to the free plan. If your files are over its limit, uploading and syncing stop, and Dropbox, Google and Microsoft say they may delete content that stays over it — Google after two years over quota with at least three months’ notice, Microsoft after six months.

Of these, MEGA with 20 GB, then Google with 15 GB shared across Gmail, Drive and Photos. Proton Drive, OneDrive and iCloud give 5 GB and Dropbox 2 GB.

For the apps, mostly yes: they are the same everywhere. The plans, prices and terms here are US ones and differ from country to country, so each country’s version of this page describes its own.

Themes and how often they come up are from App Store reviews of each service’s US iPhone app written between April 14 and October 13, 2026. Plan details and what happens after cancelling are from each service’s US pages, checked October 12–13, 2026. Reviews describe users’ own experience.

This article is based on our own checks with the stated date. Prices and terms change — the final information is always on the provider’s official website.