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Cloud Storage with Lifetime Plan: Why it’s the better choice often

  • April 26, 2025
  • 3 min read
Cloud Storage with Lifetime Plan: Why it’s the better choice often

Anyone who uses cloud storage knows the game: every month, the post is debited from the account. Practical, but in the long run, it goes into money. Especially if you want to secure data such as photos, videos, projects, or backups online in the long term, the question arises at some point: Isn’t that otherwise?

Yes, it does – with a so-called lifetime plan. Instead of paying monthly, you make a one-time investment and then use the storage without any unlimited costs. Sounds tempting? It is also. But only under certain conditions.

Pay once, save permanently: When a lifetime plan is worthwhile

The concept sounds almost too good to be true: instead of paying monthly, you invest once and use the booked cloud storage permanently, without any consequential cost. Providers such as pCloud or Internxt make this possible. Whether 500 GB or 2 TB – you choose the right size and then have peace for many years.

But is it worth it financially? Anyone who has a pointed pencil here will quickly determine that the single payment can pay off after just a few years.

A calculation example:

The 2TB lifetime plan of pCloud costs a one-time 399 euros. By comparison, the regular monthly subscription with the same capacity amounts to 9.99 euros per month.

After about 40 months, i.e. about 3.3 years – you have the cost of the lifetime plan back in it. Each additional month is mathematically free.

This pays off, especially for users who permanently store a lot of data – whether private or professionally. And those who share the memory with the family or a team benefit twice.

Lifetime does not mean “forever.”

As attractive as the model sounds, there are a few things you should consider before buying:

  • “Lifetime” means the life of the provider, not your own. When the supplier closes, your storage is also gone. Pay attention to companies with stable market presence, a serious business model, and a positive history.
  • The company headquarters should ideally be in the EU to ensure data protection according to the GDPR. This is a clear advantage, especially with sensitive data.
  • Security is happy: two-factor authentication, end-to-end encryption, and stable server infrastructure should be a matter of course.
  • Check multi-user options: Some providers offer family plans or allow sharing of the storage. So if you want to access the cloud with several people, you should get information here.

A lifetime plan for cloud storage is not a spontaneous bargain purchase, but a decision with vision. If you regularly save larger amounts of data, reduce monthly fixed costs, and rely on a reliable provider, you can save money in the long term with a single purchase.

About Author

Amanda Shelton

Amanda Shelton is an experienced tech journalist who has been exploring the tech landscape for over a decade. Her work, featured in Wired, TechCrunch, and The Verge, covers the latest in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and consumer electronics. With a background in computer science and a knack for making complex topics accessible, Amanda is a trusted voice in the tech community.