One-time-payment cloud storage still made a splash this week. FolderFort is selling a 2TB Pro plan for $99.97 and marketing itself as a pay-once alternative to the monthly Google Drive fees, or subscription clouds in general. For anyone managing large photo libraries, 4K video or multi-year archives, the math is immediately compelling.
Why a $99.97 price for 2TB of storage really matters
At $99.97 all-in, the break-even with your average 2TB subscription is quick. Google One’s 2TB level normally costs $9.99 per month to use, iCloud+ matches that, and Dropbox Plus 2TB is even more expensive when paid monthly. In other words, FolderFort is priced about the same as 10 months of Google One — and after that point you’re coming out ahead. Over three years, you’d spend about $360 on a traditional subscription compared with the one-time cost of $99.97, saving around 70 percent or more if your needs don’t change.
And to put that in perspective, 2TB is a huge amount of room for everyday use: several hundred thousand documents, low six figures worth of photos or a healthy library of videos. A 10-minute 4K clip at 100 Mbps is approximately 7.5GB; you’d be able to keep just over 260 of these on a single two-terabyte drive without affecting your other files.
What the FolderFort 2TB Pro plan includes at launch
FolderFort’s premise is elementary: browser-based access from any device, simple folder organization, and shareable links with permissions that allow you to dictate who sees what. Oh, and there’s no required app download to get started, while the service leans on easy invites for collaborators, with light free space as part of the deal for each person you add — ideal if you’ve got a small team that needs to swap larger assets without wrangling infinite accounts.
Security is a key selling point. The deal hints at Backblaze-backed encryption, relying on a vendor that stands out in an IT world for transparent reporting around reliability. Backblaze publishes drive stats along with durability claims of its infrastructure, and they proudly talk about high levels of strong at-rest and in-transit encryption. Although as always it’s up to prospective buyers to confirm the actual implementation, using a proven storage backbone is certainly nice since there are so many other “lifetime” deals out there with less-known vendors.
How it stacks up against the big cloud ecosystems
Price difference aside, the real comparison is about workflow. Google Drive and Microsoft OneDrive are so embedded with productivity suites; Docs, Sheets, and Microsoft 365 really make it seem as though you’re collaborating. Features like Smart Sync and granular team controls are added to Dropbox. Apple’s iCloud+ is deeply integrated with Photos and device backups. FolderFort’s value proposition is a more focused one, too: bare-bones space for as little money as possible, with minimal sharing capabilities but not an entire ecosystem behind it.
Not everyone considers that a downside. Storage-first services might be best if your primary concerns are reliable storage for media libraries, client deliverables, or an off-site backup. If your day-to-day work life relies on real-time coauthoring, automated workflows or deep third-party app integrations, you’ll want to verify that FolderFort’s web interface and APIs support such things — or consider using it in parallel with other tools.
The fine print to know about lifetime storage deals
“Pay once” storage deals can be great value, but they come with conditions. Lifetime generally refers to the service’s and not the buyer’s lifetime. The history of the industry does include instances when providers changed terms or left the market, causing users to migrate. To further minimize risk, verify data export options and familiarize yourself with any bandwidth or file-size limits; turn on strong account protections like two-factor authentication.
Backup experts commonly suggest the 3-2-1 strategy: three copies of data, on two different media, with one off-site, an approach seconded by the United States Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. Even at $99.97, FolderFort should be one layer in a multi-layered plan, not the only one that has your only copy of irreplaceable files.
Who should consider FolderFort’s one-time 2TB plan
Freelancers, photographers, and video creators who move around big files will have their ROI in a split second — especially if they’ve been shelling out monthly for 2TB elsewhere. Small businesses requiring a clean vault for archives and client transfers may also benefit from ease-of-use and cost regulation. Power users committed to Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 collaboration may want to keep core work in those suites and make FolderFort an affordable archive or delivery hub.
Bottom line: If you need to put the meter on your monthly fees, and you can live with a storage-focused service, FolderFort’s 2TB Pro plan at $99.97 is an excellent value.
Assess the security details, check out service limitations, and make it part of your robust, multi-layered backup strategy — and you could dramatically reduce your cloud bill without sacrificing any breathing room.