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BackupShortlist.
Find the cloud that keeps your files safe.
Independent comparisons of the best cloud storage and backup services. Clear about the difference between sync and backup, honest about lifetime deals, and serious about encryption.
Sync is not backup
Cloud drives replicate your mistakes; real backup lets you go back in time. We are precise about which product does which.
Encryption checked
We tell you which providers hold your keys and which genuinely cannot read your files (zero-knowledge).
Lifetime deals examined
Pay once, store forever sounds magical. We do the math on when lifetime plans beat subscriptions, and when they are a trap.
No sponsored rankings
Affiliate links fund the site, but they never decide the order. Big tech options that pay us nothing are in the lineup too.
Where do you want to start?
Pick a category and jump straight to the best options.
pCloud
pCloud AG
pCloud (Swiss) is the provider people mean when they say "lifetime cloud storage": around $199 buys 500 GB forever, $399 buys 2 TB, and the deal beats a subscription within three to four years.
How to choose cloud storage or backup
Run through these steps and you will know which service fits you within five minutes.
Our verdicts
Editorial reviews, dated and sourced.
pCloud AG
“The lifetime-deal king and a genuinely good cloud drive: fast sync, built-in media players, and Swiss-based infrastructure. The famous pay-once plans transform the economics if you keep them for years. Zero-knowledge encryption costs extra, which we wish were standard.”Editorial team, via BackupShortlist
IDrive Inc.
“The value champion of true backup: 5 TB for under $70 in year one, covering unlimited devices, with disk-image backup and even physical data shipment. The interface shows its age, but no one else does this much backup per dollar.”Editorial team, via BackupShortlist
Backblaze
“The simplest honest backup on the market: one computer, everything on it, unlimited data, set and forget. No storage math, no file picking. If decision fatigue is why you still have no backup, install Backblaze today and be done.”Editorial team, via BackupShortlist
Latest news
More newsWhat a terabyte costs in 2026: IDrive cheapest per TB, MEGA most generous free tier
A running price comparison across providers puts IDrive around $1.65 per TB per month and MEGA on top for free storage at 20 GB. Promotions shift these numbers weekly.
Cloudwards 2026 review: Proton Drive’s feature gap with big tech keeps shrinking
The independent testing outlet finds the Swiss privacy ecosystem maturing fast: better desktop apps and sharing, with end-to-end encryption still on by default.
World Backup Day 2026: one in five people still has no backup at all
The annual March 31 reminder did its rounds again. The pledge is thirty seconds; the 3-2-1 setup it asks for takes one evening and survives fires, theft, and ransomware.
Lifetime cloud storage compared: pCloud, Internxt, and Icedrive head-to-head
The pay-once segment keeps growing in 2026. A vendor’s own comparison, read it as such, but the price benchmarks per provider are usefully concrete.
Guides & sources
Our practical guides plus the sources we trust ourselves.
Sync is not backup: the difference that costs people their files
A cloud drive mirrors your mistakes in seconds. Real backup lets you go back in time. Why you probably want one of each.
Read the guideThe 3-2-1 rule: the one backup strategy worth memorizing
Three copies, two media, one off-site. The full setup costs one drive plus a tenner a month, and survives everything.
Read the guideLifetime deals: bargain or bait?
pCloud and Internxt sell storage you pay for once. The break-even math, the longevity risk, and our buying rules.
Read the guideEncrypted and private: the zero-knowledge providers compared
Sync.com, Proton Drive, Tresorit, MEGA, and friends: storage where nobody but you holds the keys.
Read the guideTrue backup services: your files, with an undo button
Backblaze, IDrive, Carbonite, and Acronis compared on versions kept, restore quality, and price per terabyte.
Read the guideBacking up the photos you would actually cry about
Google Photos and iCloud are layer one. The second, independent copy is what separates an annoyance from a loss.
Read the guideCISA StopRansomware: the official US ransomware guidance
The government one-stop for ransomware defense, with versioned and offline backups at the center of the playbook.
Read moreCISA & FBI: the joint ransomware guide (backup best practices)
The detailed how-to behind the headlines: retention windows, offline copies, and tested restores.
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