iCloud+ vs Dropbox Plus: price and which to choose
Quick verdict
iCloud+ comes in five sizes from 50 GB to 12 TB, shares with five family members and adds privacy features, billed monthly. Dropbox Plus is one 2 TB plan for one person, with 30-day file recovery, 50 GB transfers, PDF editing and signatures, billed monthly or yearly.
Option A
Option B
We compare plans with a similar purpose, whose features may differ; prices before sales tax; prices for other plans and periods are in the reviews.
Feature comparison
| Criterion | iCloud+ | Dropbox Plus |
|---|---|---|
| People | You plus five | 1 |
| Sizes | 50 GB – 12 TB | 2 TB |
| Free | 5 GB | 2 GB |
| File recovery | Not listed | 30 days |
| Billing | Monthly | Monthly or yearly |
iCloud+ is built into Apple devices; Dropbox is a cross-platform file sync service with tools for working on documents.
If you don’t want to read further
Family sharing or iPhone backups — iCloud+. Working with files across any device, sending large files or editing PDFs — Dropbox Plus.
What really sets them apart
In each row, the last sentence matters most — what the difference means for you.
Who can use it?
iCloud+
You plus five family members, on every plan.
Dropbox Plus
One person — family sharing isn’t part of Plus.
For a family, iCloud+.
Sizes?
iCloud+
50 GB, 200 GB, 2 TB, 6 TB, 12 TB.
Dropbox Plus
2 TB (free Basic: 2 GB).
iCloud+ lets you pay for less — or much more.
File tools?
iCloud+
Privacy features: iCloud Private Relay and HomeKit Secure Video.
Dropbox Plus
30-day file recovery, transfers up to 50 GB, PDF editing and signatures, AI tools.
Dropbox is built for working with files.
Billing?
iCloud+
Monthly.
Dropbox Plus
Monthly or yearly — yearly saves 15% or more.
Only Dropbox offers a yearly discount.
Where they don’t differ, even though it seems they should
This part is often more useful than the list of differences — it saves money for anyone who was about to pay for an imaginary advantage.
A free tier
5 GB on iCloud, 2 GB on Dropbox Basic.
2 TB option
Both have a 2 TB plan.
Cancel any time
Neither monthly plan has a commitment.
Which one fits whom
| Your situation | What to choose | On what condition |
|---|---|---|
| A family on iPhones | iCloud+ | Share with five. |
| You send large files | Dropbox Plus | Transfers up to 50 GB. |
| You need less than 2 TB | iCloud+ 50 GB or 200 GB | Smaller steps. |
| You use Windows and Android too | Dropbox Plus | Synced across all devices. |
- Dropbox Plus is for one person.
- Longer Dropbox file recovery is on business plans.
- iCloud+ is billed monthly; tax is added in some US states.
- Apple Store gift cards can’t pay for iCloud+.
Where the facts come from
Sources: Apple’s US iCloud+ pages and Dropbox’s US plans page. Prices are in the price blocks on each service’s page.
Facts in the text checked: .
FAQ: iCloud+ or Dropbox Plus
Other comparisons
The same products against other competitors, and other comparisons in the “Cloud storage” category.
Where their scores differ
Only criteria we’ve checked for both services and where the scores differ. Equal criteria and criteria without data aren’t shown here, because they add nothing to the decision.
If what matters most is — encryption: iCloud+ 2 TB
iCloud+ 2 TB: available, but you have to turn it on yourself (4,0/5) · Dropbox Plus: the provider manages the keys (2,0/5)
If what matters most is — number of people: iCloud+ 2 TB
iCloud+ 2 TB: 6 people (5,0/5) · Dropbox Plus: 1 person (3,0/5)
The scores and their weights are the same as in the reviews of both services. How we calculate
Comparison text updated: