The best cloud storage for a content creator is the service whose content rules allow what you store, whose sharing controls fit how you send files, and whose price fits your library, so there is no single winner. Check the content rule first: Google, Dropbox, Apple and Microsoft each restrict sexually explicit or “objectionable” material in differently worded ways, while Proton Drive encrypts every plan end to end. Then compare price: on 2 October 2026, iCloud+ and Google One both charged A$14.99 a month for 2 TB in Australia.
This page is about choosing a provider. The routine for keeping restorable copies is in our content backup workflow, which deliberately recommends no vendor. Prices below are Australian dollars per month as each provider showed them to an Australian visitor on 2 October 2026.
Provider matrix
| Provider | Rule on sexually explicit material | End-to-end encryption | Largest single file | Sharing controls | Monthly price shown | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google Drive with Google One | Do not distribute sexually explicit material, including nudity and pornographic material, unless the nudity is educational, documentary, scientific or artistic | Client-side encryption only in certain Workspace business and education editions | Up to 5 TB | Viewers can be blocked from downloading; access expiry is listed only for work or school accounts | A$2.99 for 100 GB, A$14.99 for 2 TB, A$32.99 for 5 TB | Program policies, encryption, file sizes, sharing, plans |
| Dropbox | Do not publish, share or store unlawful pornography or material that is otherwise indecent | Encrypted team folders on Business Plus, Advanced and Enterprise only | 2 TB, though browser uploads above 375 GB may fail | Link passwords and expiry dates start at Essentials and Professional, so Plus lacks them | Plus, 2 TB: AU$18.69 billed monthly, or AU$184.67 a year | Acceptable use, encryption, file size, links, plans |
| iCloud Drive with iCloud+ | Do not upload, store or share content that is obscene or otherwise objectionable; Apple may screen, move or remove content | Only with Advanced Data Protection switched on, and never for anyone-with-the-link shares | 50 GB per file or folder | Invite named people or share with anyone who has the link | A$4.49 for 200 GB, A$14.99 for 2 TB, A$44.99 for 6 TB, A$89.99 for 12 TB | iCloud terms, encryption, file limit, pricing |
| OneDrive with Microsoft 365 | Do not publicly display or share inappropriate content, with nudity and pornography given as examples | Not described on the pages we read; Personal Vault adds a second verification step and locks itself | 250 GB | Expiry dates, passwords and download blocking need a Microsoft 365 subscription | AU$3.00 for 100 GB, AU$16.00 for 1 TB, AU$18.00 for Family at 1 TB per person | Services Agreement, Personal Vault, limits, sharing, plans |
| Proton Drive | Prohibits illegal content such as child sexual abuse material; the list does not mention legal adult material | On every plan for file contents and names; file sizes stay unencrypted | Limited only by your free storage space | Passwords and expiry dates on shared links | A$7.99 for 200 GB, A$20.79 for 500 GB, A$31.99 for 2 TB shared by two users | Terms, Drive support, links, pricing |
Google's 2 TB tier is sold as Google AI Plus, so the storage price now bundles AI features. Dropbox quotes Plus for one person; Proton's 2 TB Duo plan is shared between two users, and its Family plan offers 3 TB across six users for A$48.99.
How the content rules differ
Read the verb in each rule, because that is where they part ways. Google's Drive policy targets distributing sexually explicit material, which makes sharing links the obvious risk. Dropbox's acceptable use policy covers storing as well as sharing, but limits itself to unlawful pornography and material that is “otherwise indecent”, a phrase it does not define. Apple's iCloud terms, last revised on 14 September 2026, cover storing anything obscene or “otherwise objectionable” and reserve Apple's right to decide. Microsoft's Services Agreement, effective 30 September 2026, aims at publicly displaying or sharing nudity and pornography. Proton's terms, modified on 23 June 2026, list illegal content without naming legal adult work.
The consequence can reach further than one folder. Google's program policies say enforcement can include limiting or ending a user's access to Google products, which for most people also means email and calendar. If your business files sit on the same account as your personal life, a storage decision becomes an account-wide risk, so it is worth keeping work storage on a separate business account with a provider whose written rules fit your material, rather than relying on never being reviewed.
What end-to-end encryption does and does not cover
End-to-end encryption means the provider cannot read your files because only your devices hold the keys. That protects unreleased work from a breach at the provider, but every service draws the line in a different place.
- Apple's data security overview says iCloud Drive and Photos move to end-to-end encryption only when Advanced Data Protection is on, that content shared with anyone who has the link is not end-to-end encrypted, and that Apple cannot help you recover the account if you lose your recovery contact or key.
- Proton's support pages say file contents and names are end-to-end encrypted, while fields such as file size stay readable so its servers can sort them.
- Dropbox says its encrypted team folders keep metadata visible in plain text, and that you cannot recover encrypted data without a recovery key.
- Google limits client-side encryption to certain Workspace editions, so a personal Google One account does not get it.
The trade is always recovery. Store recovery keys and contacts somewhere you will still reach after losing a phone; our password manager guide covers an owner-only vault for exactly this.
Sharing-permission audit
Most storage leaks start with an old link rather than a hack. Run this audit when you start with a provider, whenever a collaborator leaves, and on a regular date in your calendar.
- Open each service's shared view and list every file, folder and link you have shared, including old ones.
- Replace anyone-with-the-link sharing with named people for anything unreleased; Microsoft notes that its Anyone links work for whoever receives them, including people they were forwarded to.
- Add expiry dates and passwords wherever your plan supports them, and on plans without expiry, put a removal date in your calendar instead.
- Review who can edit. Google warns that a file set to stop editors from sharing can still reach new people if an editor shares the folder it sits in.
- Block downloads on review copies where the service allows it, remembering that nothing stops someone recording their screen.
- On Dropbox, remove people who were added directly, because link settings only apply to people opening the link.
- Check photo-library sharing. Apple's Shared Photo Library guide says the Camera can add photos automatically, including a Share When At Home option, every participant can edit or delete, and anyone in the library for more than seven days keeps a full copy if it is deleted.
- Turn off automatic camera-roll uploads to any family or shared account, and keep work media out of it entirely.
- Remove former helpers from every shared folder on the same day you revoke their other access.
- Write down the date of the audit and what you changed, so the next one starts from a known state.
Files you share should already be clean of location data and marked where needed; see how to remove metadata from photos and our watermarking guide for those steps.
Moving an existing library
Switching providers is mostly a copying job, and the risk is losing track of what moved. Work through it in this order.
- Find your largest file and compare it with the new provider's single-file limit in the matrix, so an oversized master does not fail halfway through.
- Upload large files with the provider's desktop app rather than a browser; Dropbox and Microsoft both recommend that for big uploads.
- Keep the old copy untouched until you have opened a sample of files from the new provider and confirmed they match.
- Recreate shares from scratch with named people and end dates, instead of sending collaborators to old links that may still work.
- Once the new copy is verified, remove the old shares, then decide whether to keep the old account as a second copy or close it.
Treat the move as a chance to apply the audit above, because every old link you do not recreate is one fewer way in.
Matching storage to the job
One provider rarely suits every job. Clean masters you never share suit encrypted storage you control. Working files for an editor need named-person sharing and a clear end date. Delivery to a brand or buyer suits a link with a password and expiry. And none of these is a backup on its own: Apple's iCloud terms tell users they are responsible for backing up important content to their own computer or device, which is a fair rule for every provider here.
Limitations of this comparison
This matrix compares documented features, written rules and prices shown to an Australian visitor on 2 October 2026; it does not rank providers or describe how any of them enforce their rules in practice. Policies, plan names and prices change, promotions and taxes vary, and some features differ between personal and business accounts. Reading a content rule is not legal advice: if you are unsure whether material is lawful where you or your provider operate, or a provider has restricted your account, get advice from a qualified lawyer and use the provider's formal appeal process.