Stop Paying for iCloud: Keep All Your Videos Without Monthly Fees
iCloud+ is fantastic—until your $0.99 plan becomes $9.99 every month because your videos won’t stop growing. Here’s how to break up with recurring iCloud upgrades without losing a single memory.
Understand What iCloud Is Actually Doing
- iCloud Photos: Keeps originals in the cloud, thumbnails locally.
- iCloud Backups: Full device snapshots (apps + settings) stored remotely.
- Messages in iCloud: Syncs texts + attachments.
- iCloud Drive: General-purpose file syncing.
To stop paying, we reduce the amount of data iCloud must store while preserving convenience.
Strategy Overview
- Compress or archive videos before they enter iCloud.
- Move seldom-watched content to external SSD/NAS.
- Keep iCloud for lightweight data (contacts, calendars) but not for bulk video.
Keep in iCloud
- • Contacts, calendars, reminders
- • Notes, passwords, Safari tabs
- • Recent photos from last 30 days
- • Scans and PDFs under 500 MB
Move Elsewhere
- • 4K videos older than 30 days
- • Long screen recordings
- • Finished video projects
- • Duplicate Live Photos
Step 1: Compression Before Syncing
- Create an album "Needs Compression".
- Add all 4K or long videos to the album.
- Run HEVCut: 15 Mbps preset for 4K, 8 Mbps for 1080p.
- Replace originals with compressed exports.
- Let iCloud re-sync the smaller files (it will automatically replace the originals in the cloud).
Typical savings: 70% per video. Compress 50 GB of video → iCloud usage drops by 35 GB.
Step 2: External Archive
| Storage Option | Cost | Capacity | Pros |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 TB USB-C SSD | $90 | 1 TB | Fast, portable |
| 4 TB portable HDD | $110 | 4 TB | Cheap bulk storage |
| NAS (Synology) | $400 | 8–16 TB | Automatic backups, remote access |
Monthly Archive Routine
Connect SSD to Mac/iPad
Open Photos → Albums → 'To Archive'
Export originals (File > Export > Unmodified Original)
Move to SSD, organized by year/month
Compress before exporting if not already compressed
Delete archived copies from iPhone/iCloud (after verifying backup)
Update spreadsheet/log so you know what lives off-device
Step 3: Smart iCloud Settings
- Settings → Apple ID → iCloud → Photos
- Enable Optimize iPhone Storage
- Disable Shared Albums if you rarely use them (huge hidden cost)
- Settings → Apple ID → iCloud → Manage Account Storage
- Backups: Delete old device backups (keep the latest)
- Messages: Review Large Attachments
- iCloud Drive: Remove old downloads/transfers
Messages Tip
Set Messages to auto-delete attachments older than 1 year (Settings → Messages → Keep Messages → 1 Year). This alone can save 5–10 GB over time.
Step 4: Use Free/One-Time Alternatives
- Google Photos: Free 15 GB account for additional cloud copy.
- Amazon Photos: Unlimited full-res photo storage for Prime members.
- External SSD: One-time purchase, no recurring fees.
- NAS: Acts as private cloud you control (Synology Moments, Plex, etc.).
iCloud 2TB
- •Recurring forever
- •Automatic
- •Expensive for video
SSD + Compression
- •One-time cost
- •Works offline
- •Unlimited control
Step 5: Keep iCloud Under the Free Tier
- Free tier: 5 GB. Enough for contacts, calendars, messages, and recent photos if you archive regularly.
- Upgrade path: If you need more temporarily, subscribe for one month (e.g., during vacation), upload everything, then downgrade after archiving.
Downgrade Checklist
- Compress last 60 days of videos
- Archive to SSD/NAS
- Delete old iCloud backups
- Clear iMessage attachments (over 200 MB)
- Wait 24 hours for iCloud storage to update
- Downgrade plan: Settings → Apple ID → iCloud → Manage Storage → Change Plan
- Set reminder 1 week later to confirm everything still fits
Final Thoughts
- You’re not canceling iCloud; you’re using it strategically for sync, not storage.
- Compression + external archive = control over your own data.
- The $9.99/month plan costs $600 over five years. A 4 TB drive + HEVC workflow costs ~$150 and stores more.
Stop paying for iCloud out of habit. Once your workflow automatically compresses and archives your videos, the free 5 GB tier is more than enough for everything else.