I’m going to come right out and say it…
Unfortunately, (as of writing this) there’s no way to get 1 TB of free cloud storage. I’ve been looking for days and have not found one provider that offered this service 😔.
However, not all hope is lost!
Upon doing my research, I did come across some great free and insanely cheap providers that offer up 500GB of cloud storage for only 13 cents/day (which is still pretty good!).
So if you can settle for a little less, there are some great providers with ample amounts of storage to choose from which I will cover in this guide.
I’ll also show you how you can get an unlimited amount of free video storage too. More on that below!
1TB Free Cloud Storage 2024: (Is It Possible? + Top 5 Picks)
1. pCloud (500GB Cloud Storage)
Ok, so I will come out straight away and say that this provider is not free. However… For the price of only 13 cents a day and a whopping 500GB of cloud storage, it may as well be!
Also, if 500GB is not enough time for you, heaver users can opt for the HUGE 2TB option which will only setback users back 26 cents per day.
Unlike the other cloud storage providers on this list that work more as static backups of files, pCloud offers live sync, access to all devices, ability to transfer large files, encrypted storage, restore deleted files, and more.
So while there are no free options for 1TB of cloud storage, this is the next best thing as it offers all the benefits for only a few cents a day. You may just have to look between the couch cushions!
2. Degoo (100GB Free Cloud Storage)
While I found it impossible to find 1TB of free cloud storage, I did however find Degoo which does offer up 100GB of free storage.
As for the nitty-gritty of this free plan, it includes an unlimited amount of mobile devices, end-to-end encryption, and 1 desktop device.
All in all, not bad for free!
While Degoo is a cloud storage provider, it is more of a backup system rather than a synchronous provider like DropBox or Google Drive.
This means there is no live sync for files/ folder on your desktop.
But for simply backing up photos, videos and documents from say a hard drive. This is a great fit.
Just keep note that if there are 90 days of inactivity on your account, they may delete your databases. So be sure to keep logging in!
3. YouTube (Free Unlimited Video Storage)
Have you lost the plot you might be thinking… YouTube is a video streaming service, not a cloud video platform.
Well, just bear with me for a moment.
Did you know that YouTube users can host an unlimited amount of videos with YouTube without making their videos public?
Yup, you read that right. An unlimited amount of storage. This means if you are a film student or want to back up some home videos. You can simply upload them to YouTube and selected the “Private” or “Unlisted” option so others can view it.
While this is a bit of a loophole, there seem to be no terms that prevent users from doing this. Just keep in mind that YouTube doesn’t give any guarantees that your videos will be backed up forever.
4. SmartFile (1TB 14 Day Free Trial)
Next up on my list is a provider who is currently giving a 14-day free trial for their 1TB cloud hosting service.
While this is by no means free, this is a viable option if you quickly need to back something up online.
As for the pricing after the free trial rollovers, it’s actually a surprisingly cheap £4.80/mo which is one of the cheapest that I could find.
When it comes to the features, there’s unlimited file sizes, FTP access, SSL encryption, Outlook plugin, mobile access plus tons more!
5. Mega.nz (50GB Free Cloud Storage)
Do you remember the headlines from 2015 when Kim Dotcom was getting raided in his NZ mansion? Most likely not.
While Kim Dotcom does have un unbelievable backstory, he was also the founder of the very popular cloud platform Mega.nz.
Since founded in 2013, it has now become one of the most popular cloud hosting platforms for those on a budget.
Take their free plan for example. It gives new users a free 50GB of cloud storage that is end-to-end encrypted, has iOS and Android devices, operates their own servers, automatic backups, secure internal messaging system, and TONS more!
6. FileShadow (100GB Free Cloud/ Backup Storage)
Lastly on my list is another provider who provides a free 100GB plan for their users which is simply insane!
While FileShadow is a lessor known in the cloud storage landscape, they still offer up some great benefits for their free and paid services.
Take their free service for example. New users get 100GB free storage, advanced searching, secure encryption, virus scanning, file sharing, desktop/ mobile support, and revision tracking.
If you do run out of storage, users can then easily upgrade to the essential package which includes the same above benefits with 1TB of storage.
As for the price, this will set users back £11/mo. Overall, can’t go wrong with 100GB of free storage!
Why Aren’t There Any Providers That Offer 1TB Free Storage?
Upon doing research for this guide, I keep on coming across forums that were asking why no cloud providers offer this service for free.
But if one is to look into the expenses for cloud providers, it’s even surprising they give 10GB for free, let alone 1TB!
This is simply due to the fact that hosting files on servers is an expensive business. There are such factors as cooling, hardware maintenance, development, security, and redundancies which all cost money.
So it simply wouldn’t make business sense for a cloud provider to essentially give away their product for free.
Ok, but what about Google Drive, Dropbox, and Box that give away 15-30GB of free storage? Well, this business model is hoping that users will eventually run out of storage and have to upgrade to the paid plans which is quite smart.
Who has the largest free cloud storage?
After scouring the web, it seems that Degoo and FileShadow offer up the most amount of free cloud storage. 100GB free from both.
But in saying that, these providers are more of a file backup system rather than a true cloud platform that is in sync across multiple devices and teams.
So for a true cloud platform, Mega.nz seems to provide the most amount of storage (50GB) that is synchronous across. This means you can do live backups of your files from your desktop and then access them from your iPhone.
If you are after an email host for your data or website, you can see my guide in the top UK email hosting providers. I also have a comprehensive guide on the best web hosting providers with unlimited storage and bandwidth that is worth checking out.
Final Thoughts
While it currently isn’t possible to get 1TB of free cloud storage, there are many other providers other there that still have a good offering. And remember, you are restricted to just one provider as you can distribute your data across multiple platforms that could give you hundreds of GB of storage.
Hopefully, this guide has helped you to be storage your files online with ease. If there is something you’d like me to cover or think I have missed something. Please let me know down in the comments. Thanks for reading!