Icedrive vs IDrive
We give Icedrive a 2.2 GPA and IDrive a 3.2, out of 4.0. IDrive grades higher on value for money, features and platforms. They get the same grade on the free plan and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Icedrive
Cloud storage with a mountable drive and client-side encryption
IDrive
Cloud backup for many devices in one account, with a sync folder
How we grade them
| 2.2GPAIcedriveFair | 3.2GPAIDriveVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | DThe only subscription on offer is $9.99 a month, which is where the dearest tenth of this category begins, against a $5 middle. There's no smaller plan, so 200 GB costs the same as 2 TB. The lifetime route is dearer still: $199 once for 100 GB, when $1.99 a month rents the same space elsewhere. | AGraded as backup. Mini is $0.25 a month for 100 GB billed yearly, far under the cheap end of this category, and 500 GB is $0.83. Personal is $9.99 a month for 5 TB once the first-year discount ends. Go over your storage, though, and it's $0.25 per GB a month. |
| Free plan and trial | C10 GB free with the virtual drive, the web and phone apps and public links, but the walls come fast: no desktop sync, no file versions, no client-side encryption and no password on a link. Leave the account idle a year and it may be removed. | CIDrive Basic is free with 10 GB and no credit card. That holds your documents, but a computer's worth of photos will go straight past it, so it's a cap most people will hit. |
| Features | CThe storage basics with one good trick, the mounted drive, and Twofish encryption, sync and 30 to 90 days of versions on paid plans. The listing's own gaps keep it here: files in the encrypted area can't be shared at all, and WebDAV was switched off for new users and is being phased out. | BGraded as backup, it does the whole job: many devices in one account, continuous backup, 30 versions of each file, snapshots, a private encryption key and drives sent by post for big restores. Cloud Drive adds sync, sharing and editing in the browser. |
| Ease of use | BNo store rating on record, but nothing to set up either: install the desktop app and your storage turns up as a drive in Explorer or Finder, where files open in your usual apps without syncing first. | BNo store rating on record. Install the app, pick what to back up, and it carries on by itself as files change. The one catch is that Cloud Drive sync is a separate service you have to switch on. |
| Platforms and integrations | BEvery device is covered, web, Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone and Android, with an AppImage and a command-line client for Linux. What's missing is everything else: no integrations, no API, and WebDAV on the way out. | AWeb, Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone and Android, plus Synology and QNAP NAS apps, and add-ons that back up Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Salesforce, Dropbox and Box. Every device and then some. |
| Best for | cloud storage that shows up as an extra drive | backing up lots of devices cheaply |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Icedrive and IDrive. How we grade
Price against what you get
Icedrive starts at $8.25 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. IDrive starts at $0.25 a month and scores 3.3.
IDrive scores higher and starts $8 a month lower. Of the other file storage and sync services on the chart, 10 score higher than Icedrive for less, and none scores higher than IDrive for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Icedrive starts at $9.99 per month, or $99 billed yearly. IDrive starts at $0.25 per month for 100 GB, billed annually (Mini).
- Icedrive is end-to-end encrypted, according to its own site.
- Icedrive can be bought with a one-time purchase.
At a glance
| Icedrive | IDrive | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $9.99 per month, or $99 billed yearly | $0.25 per month for 100 GB, billed annually (Mini) |
| Free plan | 10 GB of storage with the virtual drive, web and mobile apps and public links. No desktop sync, file versioning or client-side encryption. | IDrive Basic: 10 GB of backup storage, no credit card required. Add-ons such as cloud app backup can be bought on top of it. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Ice Privacy LTD | IDrive Inc. |
| Price read from | icedrive.net | idrive.com |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Icedrive
- People who want cloud storage mounted as a drive rather than synced to disk
- Buyers who prefer a one-time lifetime payment to a subscription
- Individuals who need 2 TB to 6 TB with client-side encryption included
- Linux users: the desktop app ships as an AppImage and a command-line client
IDrive
- Households backing up several computers and phones to one account
- Small businesses that need server, NAS and computer backup together
- People who want large amounts of backup storage at a low yearly price
Worth knowing
Icedrive
- Client-side, zero-knowledge encryption is limited to paid plans, and files stored in the encrypted area cannot be shared.
- The Free plan has 10 GB and no desktop sync, file versions, link passwords or user-to-user sharing. Free accounts inactive for 12 months may be removed.
- WebDAV was disabled for new users on 15 April 2026 and is being phased out for existing users.
- Lifetime plans allow 2 sync devices and 14 days of file versions, fewer than any subscription plan.
IDrive
- Advertised prices are 30% off the first year only, and the discount is not available when signing up from the mobile apps.
- Cloud Drive sync is a separate service that has to be activated; it is distinct from cloud backup.
- Going over the storage limit costs $0.25 per GB a month on Personal and $0.50 per GB on Team and Business.
- Server backup is a $5 per server a month add-on on Mini, Personal and Team, and is part of Business.
Key features
Icedrive
- Virtual drive
- The desktop app mounts cloud storage as a drive on Windows, macOS and Linux, so files open in native applications without being synced to disk first. It is included on every plan, Free among them.
- Client-side Twofish encryption
- On paid plans, files and their names are encrypted on the device with the Twofish algorithm before upload. The key is generated from a passphrase and is never sent to Icedrive's servers.
- Desktop sync and file versions
- Paid plans sync folder pairs on 3, 5 or 10 devices and keep earlier versions of files for 30, 60 or 90 days, depending on the plan.
- Public links and sharing controls
- Every plan can create public links. Paid plans add expiry dates, download caps, preview-only mode, password protection, file requests and sharing between Icedrive users.
- Mobile apps with camera upload
- The iOS and Android apps upload camera photos and videos automatically, keep chosen files available offline and stream audio and video from the cloud.
- Lifetime plans
- 100 GB, 500 GB and 2 TB plans are sold for a single payment and include client-side encryption. Further lifetime plans can be stacked on an account to add storage.
IDrive
- Many devices in one account
- Back up PCs, Macs, Linux machines, iPhones, iPads, Android devices and external or NAS drives into one account, with continuous backup of changed files.
- Cloud Drive sync and sharing
- Sync folders across linked devices in real time, share files with view or edit permissions, and edit Office files and PDFs in the browser.
- Snapshots and versioning
- Keeps up to 30 previous versions of every backed-up file, with snapshots for point-in-time recovery and a 30-day trash for deleted files.
- Private-key encryption
- Files are encrypted with 256-bit AES, optionally with a key you define that IDrive says is not stored on its servers.
- IDrive Express shipping
- Back up or restore bulk data by mail on a physical drive: free once a year on Personal, three times a year on Team and Business, then $59.95 a request.
- Cloud app backup add-ons
- Back up Microsoft 365, Entra ID, Google Workspace, Salesforce, Dropbox and Box accounts for $20 per seat a year, with a 7-day free trial.
Plans
Icedrive
Free$0
10 GB with the virtual drive, web and mobile apps and public links. No desktop sync, file versions or client-side encryption.
Pro$9.99
per month, or $99 billed yearly
2 TB with client-side encryption, desktop sync on 3 devices, 30 days of file versions and priority support.
Pro Plus$15.99
per month, or $159 billed yearly
4 TB with client-side encryption, desktop sync on 5 devices and 60 days of file versions.
Pro Max$26.99
per month, or $269 billed yearly
6 TB with client-side encryption, desktop sync on 10 devices and 90 days of file versions.
IDrive
Basic$0
10 GB of storage with no credit card required.
IDrive Mini$0.25
per month for 100 GB, billed annually
One user. 500 GB is $0.83 a month. Sold on yearly billing only, to new sign-ups, and the pricing page marks it "Limited time only".
IDrive Personal$9.99
per month for 5 TB, billed annually ($11.99 billed monthly)
One user, multiple computers. Advertised at $6.99 a month for the first year. 10 TB is $14.99 a month and 100 TB $99.99, billed annually.
IDrive Team$9.99
per month for up to 5 users, billed annually ($11.99 monthly)
5 computers, 5 users and 5 TB, managed from a web console. Advertised at $6.99 a month for the first year; 10 users and 10 TB is $19.99 a month.
IDrive Business$19.99
per month for 500 GB, billed annually
Unlimited users, computers, servers and NAS devices. Advertised at $13.99 a month the first year; 1.25 TB is $49.99 a month, or $59.99 billed monthly.
Ways to pay less
Icedrive
- Lifetime license
Lifetime plans for a one-time payment
Basic (100 GB), Personal (500 GB) and Personal + (2 TB) were shown at $199, $399 and $699 as one-time payments, against crossed-out prices of $299, $599 and $1,049.
- Annual discount
About 17% lower with yearly billing
Regular yearly prices of $99, $159 and $269 compare with $119.88, $191.88 and $323.88 for twelve monthly payments on Pro, Pro Plus and Pro Max.
- Other savings
Up to 40% off the first year of annual plans
When checked, the pricing page showed first-year prices of $59, $89 and $149 for Pro, Pro Plus and Pro Max on annual billing, described as a limited-time offer with no end date given.
IDrive
- Other savings
30% off the first year
New sign-ups on yearly Personal, Team and Business plans pay 30% less for the first year, such as $6.99 instead of $9.99 a month for Personal 5 TB. Standard pricing applies from the second year.
- Other savings
50% off the first year of a 2-year plan
Two-year plans take 50% off the first year: Personal 5 TB is $179.82 for 2 years instead of $239.76.
- Annual discount
Lower price with yearly billing
Personal and Team 5 TB cost $9.99 a month billed yearly against $11.99 billed monthly, a saving of about 17%.
- Education
50% off for students and schools
Students, educational institutions and anyone with a valid education email address can get Personal or Business at half price, as a limited-period offer.
