Google Photos, iCloud, OneDrive: how do European alternatives compare?
By the Archibou Team
15 GB free here, 5 GB there, 2 TB at $9.99… Hard to compare without verified numbers. Here are 2026 prices, the legal framework, and what European alternatives offer.
The US giants: verified 2026 prices
- Google Photos / Google One: 15 GB shared free (Gmail + Drive + Photos), 100 GB at $1.99/month, 2 TB at $9.99/month. Unchanged since 2021.
- iCloud+: 5 GB free, 50 GB at $0.99/month, 200 GB at $2.99/month, 2 TB at $9.99/month. Deeply tied to iPhone.
- OneDrive: 5 GB free, Basic 100 GB at $1.99/month, Microsoft 365 Personal with 1 TB at about $9.99/month including Office. No 2 TB consumer storage-only plan.
Common thread: three US companies, all subject to the CLOUD Act. Your photos stored in Europe can legally be claimed by US authorities.
European alternatives
- kDrive (Infomaniak, Switzerland): 15 GB free, Solo 3 TB at about €4.99/month yearly. Data in Switzerland, outside the CLOUD Act.
- Proton Drive (Switzerland): 5 GB free, Drive Plus 200 GB at about $3.99/month yearly, Unlimited 500 GB at about $9.99/month with the full suite. End-to-end encryption.
- Ente: open source, end-to-end encrypted, about 50 GB at $2.49/month, 200 GB at $4.99/month, 1 TB at $9.99/month. A direct Google Photos alternative.
- Immich (self-hosted): free if you host it yourself, great for tech-savvy users.
How to choose?
Stay with a giant if your use is casual with no sensitive data: it is simple and well integrated.
Leave if your family photos and important documents deserve European jurisdiction, with no ad-based exploitation.
Either way, apply 3-2-1: 3 copies, 2 media, 1 offline. Switching clouds without a backup is still risky.
At Archibou, your data is hosted with Clever Cloud, French host based in Nantes since 2010, in datacenters in France and the EU, under French and European law. Clever Cloud is known for its advocacy and commitment to French and European sovereignty. No data resale.
Why Archibou offers no free plan?
Because a service rendered should be billed at a fair price that reflects its real cost: hosting in France, backups, human support. Free is always paid elsewhere — through ads, data resale or compression of your photos. As we already explained, free cloud does not really exist: we prefer a clear price over a free plan that turns you into the product.