Apple introduced iCloud back in June 2011, and since then, the free tier of iCloud has remained at 5GB. However, I’m not here to talk about that today. While 5GB of free iCloud is definitely too little for our needs nearly a decade and a half later, I think Apple has a bigger issue to address with iCloud: its paid tiers.
iCloud storage history
For a decent while, Apple has offered 50GB of iCloud for $0.99/month, 200GB for $2.99/month, and 2TB for $9.99/month. This pricing was introduced in 2017, and has remained that way since.
Between 2015 and 2017 though, $9.99/month got you just 1TB, and 2TB would be $19.99/month. It’s certainly neat that Apple brought 2TB down in price since 2015, but eliminating 1TB certainly left a gap in the storage lineup – and that’s where my gripe is. I’ll get to that later, though.
Apple has done a few other things with iCloud since they set this pricing in 2017. iCloud now includes Private Relay, Custom Email Domains, Hide My Email, and HomeKit Secure Video (for users with 2TB or higher). Apple also rebranded its paid iCloud tiers in 2021, now referring to them as iCloud+.
In 2023, Apple decided that a lot of people actually want more iCloud+ storage. After all, after the launch of Apple One in 2020, users discovered that you could purchase Apple One Premier for $34.95/month (which includes 2TB of iCloud), and also stack a separate 2TB iCloud subscription for $9.99/month, unlocking 4TB total.
I’m not sure how many people actually purchased Apple One Premier for the sake of unlocking 2TB of iCloud storage, but I’m sure it wasn’t zero. Regardless, Apple introduced new 6TB and 12TB iCloud+ tiers in 2023, after the launch of iPhone 15 Pro. These tiers came in at $29.99/month and $59.99/month, respectively.
And, that was it. Apple made no changes to any other tier of iCloud+ when they made that upgrade. The tiers originally introduced in 2017 stuck around, just with some new higher-end tiers for heavy users.
Apple likely benefits a ton from the three tier setup (excluding the extreme tiers) that it offers today. I’ve long requested that Apple make a simple 1TB plan in between 2TB and 2TB, but there’s probably some well-thought-through business reason for not wanting to do that. So, instead, I have an easier proposal.
My proposal
Instead of introducing a new fourth lower end tier, why not just adjust how much storage everyone gets? After nearly ten years of the lower end 50GB and 200GB plans remaining at the prices they are today, I think it’s about time to change things up. After all, file sizes are only getting larger. 50GB is probably barely enough for most peoples iPhone backup at this point.
This is what I suggest:
- Free: 5GB (I know, this sucks, but this isn’t the focus here)
- $1.99/month: 100GB
- $3.99/month: 400GB
- $9.99/month: 2TB
I took inspiration for the 100GB plan from Google, who currently offers 100GB for $1.99/month. Seeing as Google and Apple share the same $9.99/month price tag for 2TB, I think it’s a fair reference point for pricing.
Above that, there’s the 400GB plan for $3.99/month. I think that’s a nice balance between offering more storage for an okay price and not completely cannibalizing the customer base for the 2TB tier.
Many would likely argue that Apple intentionally keeps a large gap between 200GB and 2TB to push people to pay for storage they don’t need, but I don’t necessarily agree. I think in most cases, once running into the 200GB iCloud limit, customers just end up using iCloud storage less, whether that be by storing photos/videos locally, or straight up finding things to delete.
Wrap up
In a lot of people’s minds, it’ll be a long time before they can utilize 2TB, so why pay for it now? My proposed pricing tier bridges that gap a fair bit, and provides an ample amount of storage for todays world.
When Apple introduced the storage tiers it offers today, iPhones were just transitioning from 32GB to 64GB of base storage. Nowadays we have 128GB and 256GB depending on which iPhone you buy, so I think it’s fair for the iCloud tiers to reflect that.
Do you agree with these proposed tiers, or would you like to see something else? I’m sure many people would suggest more than 5GB for free, which would also be a welcome change. Share your thoughts in the comments.
My favorite iPhone accessories on Amazon:
- ESR MagSafe Wallet with Kickstand, Grip, and Find My support
- Anker MagSafe 2-in-1 Wireless Charging Stand with Qi2
- UGREEN 6.6ft braided USB-C charging cables, 2-pack
- AirPods Pro 2 (USB-C)
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