Glossary · iCloud+
What is iCloud+? Apple's paid storage tiers explained
Short answer
iCloud+ is Apple's paid upgrade to iCloud. It adds storage beyond the free 5 GB, in tiers of 50 GB, 200 GB, 2 TB, 6 TB and 12 TB, plus extras such as Private Relay and Hide My Email. In the US it starts at $0.99 a month. iCloud Photos is usually what pushes people onto a paid tier.
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How much does iCloud+ cost?
| Plan | US price per month |
|---|---|
| 5 GB | Free |
| 50 GB | $0.99 |
| 200 GB | $2.99 |
| 2 TB | $9.99 |
| 6 TB | $29.99 |
| 12 TB | $59.99 |
Every paid tier can be shared with up to five family members through Family Sharing, and every tier includes the same privacy extras. The only difference between plans is the amount of storage.
Plans renew monthly by default and are billed through the Apple ID used to buy them. An upgrade takes effect immediately, while a downgrade starts at the end of the current billing period, so a cancelled plan keeps its storage until then.
Prices differ by country and change from time to time, so Apple's own page is the reference before you buy or budget.
Why do iPhone users end up paying?
Device backups and iCloud Photos are the big consumers. With iCloud Photos on, every photo and video on the iPhone is also stored in iCloud, so the free 5 GB fills after a few hundred videos or a couple of thousand photos. Deleting a photo on the phone also deletes it from iCloud, because iCloud Photos is a sync service, not a separate archive; the backup vs sync page explains the difference.
Deleted photos stay in Recently Deleted for up to 30 days and still count during that time, so emptying that album is the fastest way to see the meter move.
Messages attachments are a quieter cost. With Messages in iCloud turned on, every photo and video sent in a chat is stored in iCloud too, and long-running group threads can reach several gigabytes.
Apple Music subscribers sometimes assume their songs count too; they don't, because streamed songs live on Apple's servers, outside your quota. Apple shows the split under Settings, your name, iCloud, Manage Account Storage. That list names each app and backup with its size, which points to the right thing to trim before buying a bigger plan.
What if you are moving from iPhone to Android?
- Download or transfer your iCloud Photos library first, using Apple's transfer to Google Photos option or a computer.
- Confirm the photos arrived in Google Photos or on the Android phone.
- Downgrade the iCloud+ plan in Settings on the iPhone, or on a Mac or PC.
- Delete iCloud photos only after you are sure the copies are complete.
The step-by-step version is in how to stop paying for iCloud storage. On Android, storage moves to Google's model, described on the Google One page.
Frequently asked questions
Is iCloud+ the same as iCloud?
iCloud is the free service with 5 GB. iCloud+ is the paid version with more storage and extra privacy features.
What happens if I downgrade below what I use?
Nothing is deleted at once, but photos and backups stop syncing until you are back under the limit.
Can Android phones use iCloud Photos?
Only through a web browser at icloud.com. There is no iCloud app for Android.
Sources
- Apple Support: iCloud+ plans and pricing (checked 31 October 2026)
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