Lifetime cloud storage break-even calculator
Quick answer: a lifetime cloud storage plan usually breaks even against an equivalent annual subscription within three to five years, and against monthly billing even sooner. The exact year depends on the provider, storage tier, and currency, which is what this calculator computes from checked, sourced prices below.
| Plan | 3 years | 5 years | 10 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| pCloud 2 TB LifetimeShown in EUR to a German connection: "Premium Plus 2 TB LIFETIME 709 EUR 499 EUR ONE-TIME PAYMENT". A separate limited-time pop-up offer was not recorded. pCloud's terms: "All fees are exclusive of all taxes, levies, or duties imposed by taxing authorities, including VAT, and you shall be responsible for payment of all such taxes, levies, duties or VAT, excluding only United States (federal or state) taxes." | €499before VAT | €499before VAT | €499before VAT |
| pCloud 2 TB annualThe struck-through figure next to the yearly price is 12 x the monthly price, and pCloud's help centre presents yearly billing as a standing discount ("Annual Subscription - Save 20% with yearly billing"), so it is recorded as a list price. pCloud's terms: "All fees are exclusive of all taxes, levies, or duties imposed by taxing authorities, including VAT, and you shall be responsible for payment of all such taxes, levies, duties or VAT, excluding only United States (federal or state) taxes." | €299.97before VAT | €499.95before VAT | €999.90before VAT |
| Tresorit 4 TB annualDefault "Yearly" tab (labelled 20% OFF): "€23.99 / month", with no annual total or crossed-out list price. Annual total computed as 23.99 x 12. Shown to a German connection on 7 Oct 2026. | €863.64 | €1439.40 | €2878.80 |
| Internxt 2 TB LifetimeSite-wide 80 percent off promotion active at capture time. | €580 | €580 | €580 |
| Internxt 2 TB annualPremium is 2 TB ("2TB encrypted storage"). Annual plan charged monthly over a one-year commitment: "Annual plan, billed at €3.99 for the first month, then renews at €19.99/mo". Price recorded here is 12 x the full 19.99 EUR rate; the first-year total including the discounted month is 223.88 EUR. | €719.64 | €1199.40 | €2398.80 |
| Infomaniak kDrive 3 TB annualPage shows only the 1-year discounted per-month-equivalent rate (4.99 EUR/mo, 10 percent off the monthly-billing rate), not a total. Annual total computed as 4.99 x 12. Infomaniak states "Prices do not include VAT" (prices page, read 7 Oct 2026), so these prices are before VAT. | €179.64before VAT | €299.40before VAT | €598.80before VAT |
| Filen 2 TB annualVendor shows storage in TiB, not TB. | €269.97 | €449.95 | €899.90 |
| Koofr 2.5 TB annualVendor bills yearly only; annual total computed as the monthly-equivalent rate (20 EUR/mo) x 12. | €720 | €1200 | €2400 |
| Google One (Google Drive) 2 TB annualSigned out, German connection, 7 Oct 2026. The plan's storage can be shared: "Share storage with up to 5 others". | €299.97 | €499.95 | €999.90 |
| Dropbox 2 TB annualDefault "Billed yearly" view: "Plus €9.99/month ... For 1 person 2 TB of storage". No yearly total is printed; annual total computed as 9.99 x 12. Shown to a German connection on 7 Oct 2026. | €359.64 | €599.40 | €1198.80 |
| iCloud+ 2 TB monthly | €359.64 | €599.40 | €1198.80 |
| Proton (suite) 2 TB annual (covers 2 users; shared 2 TB)Billed at 179.88 EUR every 12 months (14.99 EUR/month equivalent). | €539.64 | €899.40 | €1798.80 |
| Proton Drive: Proton Drive has no EUR single-user plan covering 2000 GB. | |||
| Microsoft 365 / OneDrive: Microsoft 365 / OneDrive has no EUR single-user plan covering 2000 GB. | |||
Prices checked between 16 Sep 2026 and 7 Oct 2026, in EUR; sources linked per row.
Rows marked before VAT are published before VAT, so not ranked against prices that include VAT: green marks the lowest total among the other rows, and VAT is added to the marked prices at checkout.
- pCloud 2 TB Lifetime costs less than pCloud 2 TB annual from year 5. Both prices are before VAT.
- pCloud 2 TB Lifetime costs less than Infomaniak kDrive 3 TB annual from year 9. Both prices are before VAT.
- Internxt 2 TB Lifetime costs less than Tresorit 4 TB annual from year 3.
- Internxt 2 TB Lifetime costs less than Internxt 2 TB annual from year 3.
- Internxt 2 TB Lifetime costs less than Filen 2 TB annual from year 7.
- Internxt 2 TB Lifetime costs less than Koofr 2.5 TB annual from year 3.
- Internxt 2 TB Lifetime costs less than Google One (Google Drive) 2 TB annual from year 6.
- Internxt 2 TB Lifetime costs less than Dropbox 2 TB annual from year 5.
- Internxt 2 TB Lifetime costs less than iCloud+ 2 TB monthly from year 5.
- Internxt 2 TB Lifetime costs less than Proton (suite) 2 TB annual (covers 2 users; shared 2 TB) from year 4.
Published before VAT, so not compared
pCloud 2 TB Lifetime, pCloud 2 TB annual and Infomaniak kDrive 3 TB annual are published before VAT, which is added at checkout, so no break-even year is given against plans whose prices are not marked before VAT.
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How the maths works
For each provider, the calculator finds the cheapest plan in your chosen currency that covers your storage amount for one user. Monthly plans are multiplied by 12 and then by the number of years; annual plans are multiplied by the number of years; lifetime plans are a flat one-time cost that never increases. A break-even crossover is the first year in which a lifetime plan's cumulative cost drops to or below a recurring plan's cumulative cost for that year.
Prices are not converted between currencies. If a provider has no plan in the currency you selected, it is shown as unavailable rather than guessed at. Every price links to the page it was checked against, with the capture date shown in the caption under the table.