What’s the best cloud storage to safely back up all my photos?

Mac
1

I’m running out of space on my phone and laptop, and I’ve got years of family photos scattered across different devices and old hard drives. I’m worried about losing them and want a reliable, easy-to-use cloud storage option that keeps image quality, works well on mobile and desktop, and won’t get crazy expensive over time. What services are you using and why do you trust them with your photo backups?

2

I’ve gone through way too many photo storage setups over the years because I shoot a lot on my phone and also carry a mirrorless camera when I travel. At some point you realize photos pile up fast and losing them would be painful, so where you store them starts to matter more than people expect.

Here’s what I learned trying different options.

What actually matters when storing photos in the cloud

Photos aren’t like documents. You usually have thousands of them, they take up a lot of space, and you probably want automatic backup from your phone so you don’t have to think about it.

Things I learned to check:

  • Does it back up automatically from your phone?

  • Does it keep original quality or shrink files?

  • How easy is it to browse by date or albums?

  • How expensive does it get once you fill the free space?

Some services quietly reduce file size unless you pay for full quality. Most casual users won’t notice, but if you care about originals or shoot RAW it matters.

Google Photos

Google Photos where I ended up with my everyday phone photos for a long time.

Automatic backup works well and the search is honestly the thing that keeps me there. You can type stuff like mountains, birthday, car, or a year and it usually finds what you mean. That’s something most other services still don’t match.

The downside is storage. Since 2021 everything counts toward the 15 GB Google limit (shared with Gmail and Drive). Mine filled faster than expected because of videos.

After that you’re paying for Google One. Not crazy expensive, but something to be aware of.

Also it does reduce file size if you pick the space-saving option. Looks fine to my eyes, but for camera originals I still keep separate backups.

iCloud Photos

If you use an iPhone, iCloud Photos is the easiest path. You turn it on and it just keeps everything backed up. My partner uses this and never thinks about storage beyond upgrading the plan.

Good parts:

  • Full quality originals

  • Works perfectly across iPhone, iPad, Mac

  • No setup drama

Bad parts:

  • 5 GB free is basically nothing

  • Windows support exists but feels awkward

  • Android basically not part of the picture

If you’re fully in the Apple world it makes sense. If you’re mixed devices it gets annoying fast.

Amazon Photos

Amazon Photos surprised me when I found out about it.

If you already pay for Prime you get unlimited full-resolution photo storage. A lot of people don’t realize they already have this.

Videos are limited (5 GB unless you pay more), but for photos it’s a great deal if you’re already paying for Prime anyway.

Things I noticed:

  • Keeps originals, no shrinking

  • Phone backup works fine

  • Interface is decent

The weak side is the search and organization isn’t as clever as Google Photos. But as a backup location it’s hard to complain when it’s basically included already.

Dropbox

Not really built for photos, but I used Dropbox for a while because I already had an account.

Camera Upload works fine and keeps originals. The problem is space. The free 2 GB disappears instantly with photos.

Paid plans are fine but cost more compared to other storage options if photos are your main use.

I’d only pick Dropbox for photos if you’re already using it for everything else and want everything together.

OneDrive

Similar story to Dropbox.

If you already pay for Microsoft 365 you probably have 1 TB sitting there, which is a lot of photo space. I know a few people who just use it because it’s already included.

Phone backup works fine. The weak part is browsing. It feels more like browsing folders than browsing a photo library.

Good if you already have it. Probably not my first choice if starting from zero.

The problem with photos ending up in multiple places

Realistically what happened to me (and most people I know) is that photos ended up scattered everywhere.

  • Some in Google Photos from Android days.
  • Some in iCloud from an old iPhone.
  • Some in Dropbox from old projects.
  • Some backups on OneDrive.

Getting everything into one place is a pain. And once you’re using multiple services, opening different apps just to check where something is gets old.

What helped me manage the mess was CloudMounter. I didn’t start using it for photos specifically, more because I was tired of juggling different storage accounts.

It basically mounts cloud storage like drives on your computer. So Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, pCloud and others just show up like folders in Finder or File Explorer.

What helped me with photos:

  • I can browse different photo storage accounts in one place

  • I can drag photos between services if I want to reorganize

  • I don’t have to open five different apps

  • It doesn’t pull entire libraries onto my laptop just to browse them

That last part matters because photo libraries get huge. I just connect, look around, and only download something if I open it.

For me it removed a lot of the annoyance of having photos spread across different accounts.

And if your photos end up across multiple services (which happens to most of us eventually), something like CloudMounter makes it much easier to keep track of everything from one place.

2 Likes
3

I’d look at this in two parts:

  1. what to use going forward
  2. how to clean up the mess you already have

I agree with @mikeappsreviewer on most of the big players, but I’d pick slightly differently for your use case.

  1. Best primary cloud for family photos

If you want one main place that is simple and safe:

• All Apple devices: iCloud Photos

  • Works straight in the Photos app.
  • Turn on “Optimize iPhone Storage” so your phone frees space.
  • Pay for at least 200 GB or 2 TB. The 5 GB free is useless for years of photos.

• Mixed devices or Android in the mix: Google Photos

  • Strong search. Helpful for “kid birthday 2017” type stuff.
  • Turn on backup in the app on every phone and tablet.
  • Pick “Original quality” if you care about prints or cropping.
  • Expect to pay for a Google One plan once you pass 15 GB.

• If you already pay for Amazon Prime and shoot more photos than videos: Amazon Photos

  • Unlimited full resolution photos is nice.
  • Weak side is videos, only 5 GB before you pay more.
  • I would not pick it as the only place if you shoot lots of clips of the kids.

I personally would not pick Dropbox or OneDrive as the main photo home for a non technical user. They work, but they feel like file tools, not photo tools.

  1. Protecting yourself from loss

No cloud provider is perfect. I would use a simple 3‑2‑1 style setup:

• 1 main cloud library
• 1 local copy on an external drive
• Optionally 1 extra cloud or external

Concrete steps:

  1. Buy a 2 TB external drive.
  2. On your laptop, gather all old hard drives and devices. Copy photos into year folders. Example: “Photos/2010”, “Photos/2011”, etc. Do the same on the external drive.
  3. Point your main cloud to that folder structure.
    • For Google Photos, use the web upload in chunks by year.
    • For iCloud Photos on Mac, import those folders into the Photos app, let it sync.
  1. Dealing with photos scattered in different clouds

This is where I disagree a bit with @mikeappsreviewer. Downloading everything by hand is slow, but for a lot of people it is simpler to understand than wiring up lots of services.

If you do want to avoid manual downloads though, CloudMounter helps a lot. It mounts Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, pCloud and others as normal drives in Finder or Explorer. That lets you:

• See all cloud folders in one file view.
• Drag old photo folders between services without big local downloads.
• Keep your small laptop SSD free, since files load on demand.

Example workflow with CloudMounter:

  1. Connect all your existing clouds.
  2. Create one clean “Photo Archive” folder in the cloud you decided as your main.
  3. Drag old folders like “Camera Uploads” from Dropbox, “Pictures” from OneDrive, into that archive folder.
  4. Keep your structure simple. Year and event. Example: “2016/Trip_Italy”, “2020/Birthday_Mom”.
  1. Practical defaults I’d suggest for you

If you do not care about tech details and want something that works:

• If you use iPhone and maybe a Mac:

  • Turn on iCloud Photos on every Apple device.
  • Pay for iCloud+ 200 GB or 2 TB.
  • Once a month, plug in an external drive to your Mac and export “All Photos” to it as another copy.

• If you mix Android and Windows:

  • Turn on Google Photos backup on every phone.
  • Pay for at least 200 GB Google One.
  • Once or twice a year, use CloudMounter or Google Takeout to pull a full copy to an external drive.

• If you already pay for Amazon Prime:

  • Turn on Amazon Photos upload too.
  • Use it as a second backup for still photos.
  • Keep Google Photos or iCloud as the main library where you organize and search.

The key is to pick one “home” and stick with it. Turn on automatic upload on every device, pay for enough space, and keep at least one extra full copy on an external drive. After that you stop worrying about losing years of family photos every time a phone fills up or dies.

4

I’m going to disagree slightly with @mikeappsreviewer and @reveurdenuit on one thing: I don’t think “pick ONE main cloud and shove everything there” is always the best first move for someone already overwhelmed. With years of scattered family photos, the real priority is: centralize visibility first, centralize storage second.

Quick breakdown of what I’d actually do in your shoes:

  1. Stop the bleeding

    • Turn on auto‑backup on your current phone to whatever fits your ecosystem right now:
      • iPhone only: iCloud Photos.
      • Android / mixed: Google Photos.
    • That way, at least new photos are safe while you deal with the historical chaos.

  2. Centralize access before migrating
    This is where I think CloudMounter is more useful than both of them described. Instead of downloading terabytes by hand:

    • Install CloudMounter on your main computer.
    • Connect everything you already use: Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, pCloud, etc.
    • Your clouds show up like extra drives in Finder / File Explorer.
      Now you can:
    • Browse all old “Camera Uploads” / “Photos” folders in one place.
    • See what’s where without filling your laptop SSD.
    • Decide what actually deserves to be moved, and what can die in the archives.

  3. Pick your “forever home” for family photos
    High‑level, no fluff:

    • All‑Apple household: iCloud Photos.
    • Android / Windows / mixed: Google Photos.
    • Already paying for Prime & more still photos than video: use Amazon Photos as a secondary backup, not your main organizer.

    I agree with both of them that Dropbox and OneDrive feel like file tools, not family‑photo tools. I’d keep them for docs, not your primary photo library.

  4. Migrate in chunks, not in one heroic weekend
    This is where people burn out. Instead:

    • With CloudMounter, create a clean folder structure in the cloud you chose, like:
      • Photos/2008
      • Photos/2009/Christmas
    • Once or twice a week, move one old source:
      • Old Dropbox “Camera Uploads” to Photos/2013–2015
      • Old OneDrive “Pictures” to Photos/2016
        The trick: do it gradually, but consistently. You don’t need “Project Perfect Archive” done in a day to be safe.

  5. Don’t overtrust “unlimited” anything
    Where I push back a bit on the Amazon Photos enthusiasm:

    • Unlimited photos is great… until a policy change, region limitation, or account issue bites you.
    • Treat any single cloud as convenient storage, not your only lifeboat.

  6. Bare‑minimum safety net
    Even if you ignore every other tip, try this:

    • One main cloud library (iCloud or Google Photos).
    • One cheap 2 TB external drive with a simple folder system: YYYY/MM_Event.
    • Once or twice a year, export everything from your main cloud to that drive and shove it in a drawer.

So, best cloud for you specifically:

  • If you’re mixed devices: Google Photos as the main “brain”.
  • If you’re Apple‑only: iCloud Photos as your main.
  • Use CloudMounter to wrangle the chaos from all your old accounts without nuking your laptop space.
  • Then add one boring external drive as your “if everything else explodes” backup.

Not pretty, not fancy, but it actually survives dead phones, lost laptops, and your future self cursing your current self for not organizing anything.

5

Short version: pick one photo-centric cloud (iCloud or Google Photos for most people), keep a boring external drive as a second copy, and use CloudMounter only as a management tool, not as “backup.”

Where I see things a bit differently from @reveurdenuit, @cacadordeestrelas and @mikeappsreviewer:

They all focus on where to put your photos. I’d focus on how you will live with that choice in 5 years. Two things matter long term:

  1. Will you actually keep paying for it when the price or your situation changes?
  2. Can you get your photos out without a week-long download marathon?

1. Picking the main home: think “exportability”

iCloud and Google Photos are still the best “brains” for family photos, but for different reasons:

iCloud Photos
Pros:

  • Deeply integrated on iPhone and Mac
  • Great for “I never want to think about settings again”
  • Handles Live Photos nicely

Cons:

  • Exporting everything later is not pleasant
  • Feels awkward on Windows, nonexistent for Android
  • Tiny free tier forces you to upgrade quickly

Google Photos
Pros:

  • Very strong search, great for finding random kid events by date or object
  • Works on nearly any device
  • Google Takeout gives a reasonably sane way to get everything out

Cons:

  • Shared quota with Gmail and Google Drive fills quicker than you expect
  • Pricing creep over time is a real possibility

So I would pick:

  • Mostly Apple and you plan to stay that way for many years: iCloud Photos.
  • Any mix of platforms or you might switch phones later: Google Photos.

I actually agree with all three others that Dropbox and OneDrive are not ideal as the primary photo home. They are fine for raw storage, but terrible as a “family memory” interface.

2. Where CloudMounter helps and where it does not

CloudMounter already got mentioned positively, and I use something similar myself, but I would be a bit more cautious about what you expect from it.

CloudMounter pros

  • Lets you mount multiple clouds as drives on your computer
  • Very useful to see what is in old Google Drive / Dropbox / OneDrive accounts
  • Lets you drag folders between clouds without filling your laptop SSD
  • Great for merging scattered “Camera Uploads” and “Pictures” folders into one archive structure
  • Helps you avoid a lot of repeated manual download + reupload cycles

CloudMounter cons

  • It is not a backup in itself, just a bridge between clouds
  • If you accidentally delete or overwrite something through it, that syncs to the remote cloud too
  • Performance depends heavily on your internet connection
  • Interface is still file centric, so you are not “browsing a photo library,” you are managing folders

So I would use CloudMounter only for:

  • Auditing what is spread across old accounts
  • Moving big chunks of old photos into the one cloud you choose as home
  • Occasionally pulling a subset to an external drive

Then once that is done, turn it off and forget it for a while. Constantly poking your library through CloudMounter just increases the chance of human error.

Competitors in this space that people sometimes reach for instead are the direct-cloud approaches suggested by @reveurdenuit, or the more “just pick one cloud and download everything manually” pattern from @cacadordeestrelas and @mikeappsreviewer. Their approaches are fine, but they cost more time or more local disk compared to using a tool like CloudMounter briefly during cleanup.

3. One extra thing: keep RAW or originals separate

Nobody mentioned this clearly: if you have camera RAW files or very high resolution photos, do not rely solely on a photo service that might transcode or reorganize them.

  • Main library: iCloud or Google Photos for everyday browsing and sharing
  • Archive layer: plain folders on an external drive, ideally in a simple YYYY / Event structure, storing the original files

If the photo service ever hard-limits you or changes its policy, you at least still have a neutral, portable archive that any future service can import.

4. How I would set this up in practice

Very compressed, without repeating all their step lists:

  1. Pick iCloud or Google Photos and turn on auto backup for your current phone.
  2. Buy a 2 TB external drive, build Photos / 2008, Photos / 2009 etc.
  3. Use CloudMounter for a couple of weekends to:
    • Mount old clouds
    • Locate photo folders
    • Drag them into that year-based structure in the cloud you picked
  4. Once per year, export the entire current library to the external drive and keep it offline.

That gives you:

  • One “living” cloud you actually enjoy using
  • One boring external drive that will still be readable when your cloud provider changes the rules
  • A clear boundary where CloudMounter is a powerful organizer, not an invisible layer that hides what is really going on with your files