Microsoft on Monday announced that it is bolstering its OneDrive storage plans for both free and paid users. OneDrive will now include 15 GB of free storage, more than double the previous 7 GB limit, and all versions of Office 365 will come with 1 TB of storage. Microsoft previously rolled out 1 TB of cloud storage for business customers in April.
The Redmond-based company also announced that it is taking over 70% off the cost of its monthly subscription storage options, dropping its 100 GB tier to $1.99 per month (previously $7.49) and 200 GB tier to $3.99 (previously $11.49). The aggressive new pricing tiers makes OneDrive a much more competitive offering alongside iCloud, Google Drive and Dropbox…
The breakdown for the Office 365 storage plans, per the blog announcement:
“For Office 365 Home ($9.99/mo) you’ll get 1 TB per person (up to 5 people), and with Office 365 Personal ($6.99/mo) and University ($79.99/4yr) you will get 1 TB per subscription. This is a great follow on to our April announcement that all OneDrive for Business customers will get 1 TB of cloud storage per person too.”
Microsoft is setting the bar in terms of free cloud storage, set to triple the 5 GB of complimentary storage that Apple provides iCloud users. Its monthly storage plans will also be dramatically cheaper, with 100 GB for $1.99 per month a much more attractive deal than the 50 GB of extra iCloud storage that can be purchased for $100 per year, or about $8.33 per month.
Apple did announce new iCloud storage plans at its WWDC keynote earlier this month, although the tiers have yet to go into effect. The complimentary 5 GB will remain, but additional storage will be available for cheaper prices. 20 GB will cost 99 cents per month, while 200 GB will cost $3.99 per month. There will be higher tiers available up to 1 TB as well.
OneDrive is now on par with Google Drive, which also offers 15 GB of free storage and an extra 100 GB for $1.99 per month. Meanwhile, Dropbox offers a free 2 GB plan with the option to earn additional storage for referring friends and other tasks. Its pro plan costs $9.99 per month for 100 GB of storage, which is also considerably more expensive than SkyDrive’s new storage pricing.
Will you consider switching to OneDrive?