Proton Drive vs iCloud+: price and which to choose
Quick verdict
iCloud+ is built into Apple devices — backups, photos and files — with five sizes up to 12 TB, Family Sharing on every plan and privacy features like Private Relay; billing is monthly. Proton Drive is end-to-end encrypted on every plan by default and adds a VPN, Mail, Calendar and Pass from Unlimited. On an iPhone, iCloud is the path of least resistance; for end-to-end encryption without changing settings, Proton.
Option A
$4.99/moDrive Plus
Official price before tax: $4.99
Price checked
Also has a free plan: Proton Free
Proton Drive price and plans
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 | Proton Drive | iCloud+ |
|---|---|---|
| Encryption | End-to-end, every plan | Advanced Data Protection available |
| Sizes | 200 GB – 3 TB | 50 GB – 12 TB |
| Sharing | Duo (2), Family (6) | You plus five, every plan |
| Privacy extras | VPN, Mail, Pass (Unlimited) | Private Relay, Hide My Email |
| Billing | Monthly or yearly | Monthly |
Both put privacy forward. iCloud+ is Apple’s storage with privacy add-ons; Proton Drive is part of a privacy suite.
If you don’t want to read further
iPhone backups, Photos and a family on Apple devices — iCloud+. End-to-end encrypted files by default, plus a VPN — Proton Drive.
What really sets them apart
In each row, the last sentence matters most — what the difference means for you.
Encryption?
Proton Drive
End-to-end on every plan — Proton says it can’t access your files.
iCloud+
Encryption on every plan, with Advanced Data Protection available.
Proton encrypts end to end by default; on iCloud, turn on Advanced Data Protection.
Sizes?
Proton Drive
200 GB (Drive Plus), 500 GB (Unlimited), 2 TB (Duo), 3 TB (Family).
iCloud+
50 GB, 200 GB, 2 TB, 6 TB or 12 TB.
For more than 3 TB, iCloud+.
Sharing?
Proton Drive
Duo for 2 users, Family for up to 6.
iCloud+
Every plan can be shared with up to five other family members.
iCloud shares even its smallest plan.
Privacy extras?
Proton Drive
Proton VPN, Mail, Calendar and Pass from Unlimited.
iCloud+
iCloud Private Relay for Safari, Hide My Email and HomeKit Secure Video.
A full VPN — Proton; Safari-only relay — iCloud+.
Billing?
Proton Drive
Lowest monthly prices with yearly billing; 30-day money-back guarantee.
iCloud+
Monthly.
To prepay a year, Proton.
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.
5 GB free
Both start with 5 GB at no cost.
Family plans for six
Proton Family and iCloud+ Family Sharing both reach six people.
Privacy features
Both sell privacy tools alongside storage.
Which one fits whom
| Your situation | What to choose | On what condition |
|---|---|---|
| You use an iPhone and a Mac | iCloud+ | Backups and Photos built in. |
| You want encryption without changing settings | Proton Drive | End-to-end on every plan by default. |
| You need more than 3 TB | iCloud+ 6 TB or 12 TB | Shared with family. |
| You want a VPN as well | Proton Unlimited | VPN, Mail, Calendar and Pass. |
- Private Relay can make some websites ask for extra sign-in steps.
- In some US states, tax is added to the iCloud+ payment.
- Proton Drive Plus is storage only — the VPN starts with Unlimited.
- Proton’s lowest monthly prices are for yearly billing.
Where the facts come from
Sources: proton.me, and apple.com and Apple Support for the US. Prices are in the price blocks on each service’s page.
Facts in the text checked: .
FAQ: Proton Drive or iCloud+
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 — number of people: iCloud+ 200 GB
Proton Drive Drive Plus: 1 person (3,0/5) · iCloud+ 200 GB: 6 people (5,0/5)
If what matters most is — encryption: Proton Drive Drive Plus
Proton Drive Drive Plus: zero-knowledge — the provider has no keys (5,0/5) · iCloud+ 200 GB: available, but you have to turn it on yourself (4,0/5)
The scores and their weights are the same as in the reviews of both services. How we calculate
Comparison text updated: