The short answer: if you want your photos backed up somewhere that cannot look at them, and you would rather pay once than every month, ShieldFive's Founding Lifetime is 5 TB for €199 paid once, with every photo, video and file name encrypted on your device before upload. This release closes 31 October 2026. There is a 10 GB free plan to try it first. The limits matter for a photo library, so they come first below: it runs in the browser today, the Android app is coming to Google Play, and there is no iOS app, so an iPhone backs up from Safari, by hand, not automatically in the background.
Who holds the keys to your photos today
| Google Photos | iCloud Photos | ShieldFive | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Encrypted in transit and at rest | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Provider holds the keys by default | Yes | Yes, under Standard Data Protection | No: photos are encrypted on your device; we store ciphertext and never hold your keys |
| End-to-end encryption available | No | Yes, if you turn on Advanced Data Protection (not offered to new UK users) | Yes, by default on every plan, including free |
| Pay once | No, subscription | No, subscription | Yes: 5 TB for €199 |
| Automatic background backup from a phone | Yes, iPhone and Android | Yes, iPhone | Not yet: Android app coming to Google Play; no iOS app |
| Search by face, place or object | Yes | Yes, on device | No |
When the provider holds the keys, its servers can process your photos, which is how server-side search and suggestions work, and it can hand them over when legally compelled. The iCloud column is detailed in is iCloud encrypted?, and what AI features can do with readable files in does your cloud storage train AI on your files?.
If you only use Apple devices, try Advanced Data Protection first: on an iPhone, Settings, your name, iCloud, Advanced Data Protection. It makes iCloud Photos end-to-end encrypted with Apple's apps and automatic backup, which ShieldFive cannot match on an iPhone today. ShieldFive is the alternative when ADP is not available to you (new UK accounts), when you want a copy outside Apple or Google, or when you want to pay once.
What you give up with ShieldFive
Stated plainly, so you can decide before paying:
- No iOS app. On an iPhone you upload from Safari. Nothing runs in the background, and a large library takes several sessions.
- No automatic phone backup yet. The Android app, coming to Google Play, backs up the photos and videos you choose while the app is open; it is in closed testing today.
- No desktop sync client. Uploads from a computer go through the browser.
- No face, place or object search, no editing, no shared family library. The server cannot read your photos, so it cannot index them.
- No completed independent security audit. One is planned; the open-source crypto core, its spec and test vectors are public. The web app's code is delivered by ShieldFive, so the guarantee holds for the code you are served. See the security overview.
- A download allowance on the Lifetime plan: 200 GB every 30 days, for personal use. Fine for a backup you rarely restore all at once; reaching it pauses downloads until the next cycle and never deletes a file.
What you get: one payment, 5 TB, every file and file name encrypted on your device, a media view with albums in the web app, and the same encryption on the free plan.
How to back up an iPhone photo library from the web
- Open shieldfive.com in Safari and sign in (or create a free account).
- Tap Upload and choose Photo Library in the picker iOS shows, then select photos and videos. Selecting a few hundred at a time keeps each session short.
- Keep the tab open until the upload finishes. Safari can pause pages in the background, so locking the phone or switching apps may stop the upload; reopen the tab and upload the rest.
For a whole library, a computer is faster: download the originals from iCloud Photos (on a Mac, Photos, File, Export, Export Unmodified Original; elsewhere, icloud.com/photos and Download) and upload the folder from the browser. Moving from Google Photos works the same way: export with Google Takeout, unzip, and upload. Keep the original library until you have checked the copy.
What it costs
- Free: 10 GB, encrypted the same way, no card.
- Pay once: 5 TB for €199, with a 30-day full refund. This release closes 31 October 2026.
- Monthly or yearly: from 1 TB; see pricing.
For how the 5 TB one-time price compares with other providers' own prices, see cheapest 5 TB lifetime cloud storage and lifetime cloud storage compared.