Is Google One, iCloud+ or Microsoft 365 Basic cheaper?
iCloud+ 50 GB is cheapest at EUR 0.99 a month, but offers half the storage. For 100 GB, Google One costs EUR 1.99 and Microsoft 365 Basic EUR 2.00: the best choice depends on the ecosystem you already use.
| Options compared | Average cost | Price range | Strength | Weakness | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| iCloud+ 50 GB in ItalyLowest cost in this comparison | €0.99 | €0.99 – €2.99 | Lowest price in the comparison and immediate integration with iPhone backups, Photos and Apple devices. | Only 50 GB: cheap, but easier to outgrow with photos, videos and family backups. | Confidence: High |
| Google One 100 GB in Italy | €1.99 | €1.99 – €9.99 | 100 GB for EUR 1.99 a month, well suited to people using Gmail, Drive and Google Photos as their main archive. | The economic advantage fades if you barely use the Google ecosystem or already pay for cloud storage elsewhere. | Confidence: High |
| Microsoft 365 Basic in Italy | €2 | €2 | 100 GB for EUR 2.00 a month with OneDrive, ad-free Outlook and ransomware protection included. | Does not include the full desktop Office apps, so it should not be mistaken for Microsoft 365 Personal. | Confidence: High |
Google One, iCloud+ or Microsoft 365 Basic
Small cloud plans look interchangeable because they cost one or two euros a month, but they do not buy the same thing. iCloud+ starts at EUR 0.99 a month for 50 GB and is the cheapest plan, but that tier can feel tight once it carries iPhone backups, photos and videos. Google One gives 100 GB at EUR 1.99 a month and is natural for someone living in Gmail, Google Drive and Google Photos. Microsoft 365 Basic costs EUR 2.00 a month for 100 GB and adds ad-free Outlook and ransomware protection in OneDrive, but not the full desktop Office apps. This comparison is therefore not a race over one cent: at these prices, paying for the wrong cloud costs more than the nominal saving. The useful question is where the files you want to protect already live, and which service will avoid a second subscription running in parallel.
Our verdict
If you only need to unblock an iPhone or keep small Apple backups, iCloud+ 50 GB is the cheapest minimum: EUR 11.88 a year. If you want 100 GB, Google One and Microsoft 365 Basic are effectively tied: EUR 1.99 versus EUR 2.00 a month. Choose Google One if the problem starts in Gmail, Drive or Google Photos; choose Microsoft 365 Basic if you already use OneDrive and personal Outlook. Do not pay for two small plans out of habit: over a year, iCloud+ plus Google One plus Microsoft 365 Basic totals EUR 59.76, often more than a single tidy archive needs.
Who each option suits
- Choose iCloud+ if the bottleneck is iPhone backups, Photos and Apple devices, and 50 GB is genuinely enough.
- Choose Google One if your main archive is in Google Photos, Gmail or Drive.
- Choose Microsoft 365 Basic if you use OneDrive and personal Outlook and do not need the full desktop Office apps.
- Before stacking small plans, pick a primary cloud and move recurring archives there.
Frequently asked questions
Which cloud plan is cheapest?
The lowest price is iCloud+ 50 GB at EUR 0.99 a month, or EUR 11.88 a year. It is also the smallest storage tier in the comparison. If you need 100 GB, Google One costs EUR 1.99 a month and Microsoft 365 Basic costs EUR 2.00 a month: the one-cent difference is negligible, so the ecosystem should decide.
Are Google One and Microsoft 365 Basic really comparable?
Yes for monthly spend and the 100 GB storage tier, no for context. Google One mainly protects the Google ecosystem: Gmail, Drive and Photos. Microsoft 365 Basic centres on OneDrive and personal Outlook, with ransomware protection. If you already use one of those environments every day, it will usually be the more sensible plan.
Does it make sense to pay for several small cloud plans?
Only if you truly separate the archives. In many cases small plans pile up by inertia: iCloud+ for backups, Google One for photos, Microsoft for attachments. Individually they are cheap, but together they approach EUR 60 a year. Before paying all of them, decide which cloud should remain primary.
How we worked it out
The comparison uses the guides published in the catalogue and verified against official provider price lists. The common unit is the month, but the storage tiers are not identical: iCloud+ is the 50 GB plan, while Google One and Microsoft 365 Basic are 100 GB plans. That is why the verdict separates the lowest price from the closest like-for-like functional comparison. Larger plans, temporary promotions, family bundles, business storage and device costs are excluded.
First comparison published on 23 July 2026 after adding the Microsoft 365 Basic guide and linking it with the existing cloud guides.