iCloud Storage Planner
Apple gives you 5GB of free iCloud storage — barely enough for a single device backup. This planner calculates your actual iCloud usage across devices, photos, backups, and iCloud Drive to recommend the right iCloud+ plan. Stop paying for storage you do not need, or struggling with constant "iCloud Storage Full" alerts.
Understanding iCloud Storage Plans
Apple offers iCloud+ subscriptions in six tiers: 5GB free, 50GB for $0.99 per month, 200GB for $2.99 per month, 2TB for $9.99 per month, 6TB for $29.99 per month, and 12TB for $59.99 per month. Each paid tier includes iCloud+ features like Private Relay, Hide My Email, and custom email domain support. The 200GB and higher plans can be shared with up to five family members through Family Sharing, making the per-person cost significantly lower for families.
iCloud storage is consumed by several services simultaneously. iCloud Photos stores your entire photo and video library in the cloud, with optimized versions kept on your devices. iCloud Backup automatically backs up your iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch data including app data, device settings, messages, and health data. iCloud Drive provides general file storage accessible across all your Apple devices and on the web. iCloud Mail uses a small amount of storage for your email, typically around 1-2GB for most users.
The biggest storage consumers for most users are iCloud Photos and device backups. A single iPhone backup averages between 3GB and 8GB depending on how many apps you have and their cached data. If you have multiple Apple devices — an iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch — your backup storage needs can easily reach 15-20GB. Photo libraries grow steadily over time, and with modern iPhones capturing 48MP photos and 4K video, a few years of photography can easily fill 50GB or more.
Family Sharing divides the storage pool among all family members, but usage is not split equally. One family member with a large photo library might consume most of the shared storage. The planner calculates per-person costs to help you evaluate whether a family plan makes financial sense compared to individual plans. For families with two or more Apple users, the 200GB plan at $2.99 split across members is almost always more cost-effective than individual 50GB plans.
Tips to Reduce iCloud Usage
Review what is actually being backed up by going to Settings, your name, iCloud, Manage Storage, Backups. Disable backup for apps that store data elsewhere, like streaming services. Delete old device backups that are no longer needed. Remove duplicate photos using the Duplicates album in the Photos app. Clear large Message attachments by going to Settings, General, iPhone Storage, Messages. Consider using Google Photos or another service for photo backup if you want to avoid paying for iCloud.