iCloud Drive
Five free gigabytes and excellent Apple plumbing; everyone else gets a side door.
Technical Profile & Specs
verified 2026-08-11
- Cost
- $0 / forever (Free tier / Free tool)
- License
- proprietary, free
- Hosting Model
- Hosted (their cloud)
- Platforms
- desktopmobilewebthey host it
- Installation
- Enable iCloud Drive in Apple-device settings; install iCloud for Windows from the Microsoft Store
- Operational Setup
- An Apple Account is required, free storage is shared with all iCloud data, and Android/Linux have no native iCloud Drive sync client
- Where Your Data Lives
- Ordinary vault Markdown files and attachments in Apple's iCloud storage, mirrored or downloaded into Finder, Files, or File Explorer on signed-in devices
- The Catch / Trade-off
- It is Apple-centric and lacks Obsidian Sync's vault-aware version history, deleted-file recovery, selective vault syncing and end-to-end-encrypted service across all supported platforms.
Replaces 1 paid app
up to $5/mo ($60/yr) in subscriptions
iCloud Drive FAQ
Common questions
Is iCloud Drive free and open source?+
iCloud Drive is a free tool that runs on hosted. Five free gigabytes and excellent Apple plumbing; everyone else gets a side door.
What paid software does iCloud Drive replace?+
iCloud Drive serves as a free replacement for 1 paid SaaS application: Obsidian Sync, saving up to $5/month ($60/year) in subscription bills.
How do you install and set up iCloud Drive?+
Installation: Enable iCloud Drive in Apple-device settings; install iCloud for Windows from the Microsoft Store. Setup notes: An Apple Account is required, free storage is shared with all iCloud data, and Android/Linux have no native iCloud Drive sync client
What is the catch or trade-off with iCloud Drive?+
It is Apple-centric and lacks Obsidian Sync's vault-aware version history, deleted-file recovery, selective vault syncing and end-to-end-encrypted service across all supported platforms.