Cloud storage · checked 2026-10-19Can I vibecode iCloud+?
NOT REALLY· don't bother
iCloud+ is storage that Apple's own software uses: device backups, iCloud Photos, Messages, Notes and Keychain all write to it through hooks no third-party code can take over on an iPhone. The extras are separate services, and the ones that matter are rentable or self-hostable elsewhere (email aliases, a private tunnel); HomeKit Secure Video is not. What an agent can build is the way out: a nightly mirror of your iCloud Photos originals to your own disk and an encrypted backup of it, so a full iCloud stops being an emergency.
$0.99/moprice
$12it costs you a year
weekendbuild time
—people replaced it
What you need on hand.
DifficultyIntermediate · Some system setup or keys.
TimeAn evening for the mirror; the first download takes as long as your library is large
- Claude Code, Codex or CursorAny of them can run the prompt.
- Python 3.12 and uvThe build installs icloudpd into its own environment.
- resticInstalled from your package manager; it handles the encrypted backup.
- A backup targetAn S3-compatible bucket or an external disk, ideally away from your computer.
- Advanced Data Protection turned officloudpd's README says it must be disabled; check your Apple Account settings before starting.
Before you buildApple gives 5 GB free. Look at what is using your space in iCloud settings before paying; Photos and device backups both count.
- 1. Install one agent: Claude Code, Codex, Cursor.
- 2. Make an empty folder and open it in the agent.
- 3. Paste the prompt below, press enter, and answer its questions as it builds.
The prompt
Build me a nightly iCloud Photos mirror to replace the storage part of iCloud+. Requirements: - Python 3.12 managed with uv: a CLI named `mirror` with the commands login, sync, verify and report. Run `icloudpd` (icloud-photos-downloader) as a subprocess; do not reimplement Apple's protocol. - `mirror login` starts the session once: APPLE_ID in .env, the password typed at the prompt and never stored, the 2FA code entered in the terminal, cookies kept in ./data/cookies with file mode 600. - `mirror sync` downloads new originals into ./photos/YYYY/MM/ with EXIF dates set, keeps Live Photo videos and never deletes a local file when something disappears from iCloud. Every file is logged in SQLite at ./data/mirror.db (path, size, SHA-256, first seen). - `mirror backup` runs `restic backup ./photos` to RESTIC_REPOSITORY (a bucket or an external disk) with RESTIC_PASSWORD in .env; `mirror verify` runs `restic check --read-data-subset=2%` and re-hashes 20 random files against the log. - `mirror report` prints counts and sizes per year, what is new since the last run and any failed downloads, in plain text. - Scheduling: a launchd plist for macOS and a systemd timer for Linux that run sync and backup at 03:00, and a notification (macOS or an ntfy topic) when the session has expired. - No telemetry, local-first: the only outbound calls go to iCloud and the restic repository. - Out of scope: uploading to iCloud, device backups, Messages, Keychain, iCloud Drive, shared albums, a web interface. - README: icloudpd needs Advanced Data Protection turned off, the session expires now and then so expect to run `mirror login` again, and how to restore one photo from restic.
Opens your agent with the prompt filled in, you press enter. Or copy it and paste it into an empty folder.
Then keep going
Next prompts, same folder.
The first prompt builds the core. Run these one at a time in the same folder to grow it into your own iCloud+.
Add health alerts to the iCloud mirror in this folder. Requirements: - After every scheduled run, write a status line to ./data/status.json: time, new files, failed files and whether the session was valid. - If no sync succeeded for 3 days, or the session expired, send one ntfy message to NTFY_TOPIC in .env, then stay quiet until it recovers; send a recovery message when it does. - A command `mirror status` that prints the same facts. - Update the README.
Add a local gallery to the iCloud mirror in this folder. Requirements: - A Fastify page on http://127.0.0.1:4965 listing ./photos by year and month with 400 px thumbnails made by `sharp` and cached in ./data/thumbs. - Click a thumbnail for the original; videos play in the browser; a date-range filter. - Read-only: the page must never write inside ./photos. Bind to 127.0.0.1 only. - Update the README.
Add contacts and calendar export to the iCloud mirror in this folder. Requirements: - A command `mirror dav` that reads CardDAV and CalDAV from iCloud with an app-specific password (APPLE_APP_PASSWORD in .env) using `vdirsyncer` or `tsdav`. - Save .vcf files per contact and .ics files per calendar under ./dav/, with a dated snapshot kept for 30 days. - Include ./dav in the restic backup; report counts in `mirror report`. - Update the README with how to create the app-specific password.
What you lose
- iPhone and iPad backups, and Photos, Messages, Notes and Keychain syncing through iCloud itself
- Private Relay, which hides your IP address and browsing location in Safari
- Hide My Email aliases built into Safari and Sign in with Apple, and a custom email domain with iCloud Mail
- HomeKit Secure Video recording for your cameras
- Sharing the storage with up to five family members
Why people still pay
The phone asks the moment the free 5 GB runs out: backups and Photos stop, and a dollar or three a month makes the warning go away. Moving instead means shifting every photo and habit off the one service Apple's own apps assume.
iCloud+ or your own copy?
Over
Your usage
12h ×$/h
iCloud+, 1 yr$12
Your own copy, 1 yr$35running + build session
Paying is cheaper by$23never pays for itself
Estimate · A disk you own costs nothing to run; a bucket holding a few hundred GB costs a few dollars a month. The build is token usage on your agent plan.
Take your data, then cancel.
1 · Take your data out of iCloud+
- 1Photos on iCloud.com: sign in, open Photos, select items and click Download.
- 2Photos on an iPhone: Settings > your name > iCloud > Photos > Download and Keep Originals, then select photos, tap Share and choose Export Unmodified Original. On a Mac, select photos in Photos and choose File > Export.
- 3iCloud Drive: copy files in Finder or the Files app, or select them on iCloud.com and click Download.
- 4Contacts: export a vCard from the Mac Contacts app or iCloud.com. Calendar: File > Export on a Mac. Notes: File > Export as PDF or Markdown on a Mac.
2 · Cancel iCloud+
- 1iPhone on iOS 18.4 or later: Settings > your name > Subscriptions > iCloud+, then Cancel Subscription, or See All Plans to downgrade.
- 2Mac on macOS Tahoe 26: System Settings > Apple Account > iCloud > Manage Plan, then Cancel Subscription or See All Plans.
- 3Choosing the free 5 GB plan cancels iCloud+; the change takes effect after the current billing period ends.
- Clear space or copy things out before the plan ends: over the new limit, iCloud stops syncing and backups cannot finish, and Apple's page does not say whether anything is deleted afterwards.
- You lose Hide My Email, Private Relay, Apple Invites and HomeKit Secure Video support on the free plan.
- Apple gives partial refunds only where the law requires it; for a recent plan change, contact Apple within 14 days.
- If you pay for Apple One, you can drop the standalone iCloud+ plan and keep the storage inside Apple One.
- With Advanced Data Protection on, Apple cannot give you copies of end-to-end encrypted iCloud data through privacy.apple.com, and iCloud.com access turns off until you approve it again from a trusted device; use the device routes above.
The escape hatch
Don't feel like building it? These are already free.
ImmichOpen sourceAGPL-3.0 self-hosted photo library with an iPhone app that backs up in the background.★ 117k · active Oct 2026 · docker to self-host
Web, iOS, AndroidVisit ↗Ente (self-hosted)Open sourceAGPL-3.0 end-to-end encrypted photo apps and server; the hosted service is paid, the code can be run yourself.★ 29k · active Oct 2026 · docker to self-host
Web, iOS, Android, desktopVisit ↗NextcloudOpen sourceAGPL-3.0 self-hosted files, calendar, contacts and photos with phone sync clients.★ 37k · active Oct 2026 · docker to self-host
Web, iOS, Android, desktopVisit ↗
Web, iOS, AndroidVisit ↗Ente (self-hosted)Open sourceAGPL-3.0 end-to-end encrypted photo apps and server; the hosted service is paid, the code can be run yourself.★ 29k · active Oct 2026 · docker to self-host
Web, iOS, Android, desktopVisit ↗NextcloudOpen sourceAGPL-3.0 self-hosted files, calendar, contacts and photos with phone sync clients.★ 37k · active Oct 2026 · docker to self-host
Web, iOS, Android, desktopVisit ↗
The numbers
iCloud+ pricing
| Plan | Monthly | Annual, per month | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | $0 | 5 GB of iCloud storage; no iCloud+ features. |
| 50 GB | $0.99 | — | Private Relay, Hide My Email, custom email domain, Apple Invites, family sharing with up to 5 others, HomeKit Secure Video for 1 camera. |
| 200 GB | $2.99 | — | Private Relay, Hide My Email, custom email domain, Apple Invites, family sharing with up to 5 others, HomeKit Secure Video for up to 5 cameras. |
| 2 TB | $9.99 | — | Private Relay, Hide My Email, custom email domain, Apple Invites, family sharing with up to 5 others, HomeKit Secure Video for unlimited cameras. |
| 6 TB | $29.99 | — | Same iCloud+ features as 2 TB. |
| 12 TB | $59.99 | — | Same iCloud+ features as 2 TB. |
- Free tier
- 5 GB for the whole Apple Account, counting Photos, Drive, mail and device backups.
- Billing
- Monthly recurring through your Apple Account, paid by card or Apple Account balance but not Apple Store gift cards; some US states add sales tax. Prices are the US list.
- Hidden costs
- If you also pay for Apple One, the bundle already includes iCloud+ storage, so a separate plan on top is paying twice.
- Source
- support.apple.com
Also on the list
Related apps
Every Apple Account includes 5 GB of free iCloud storage.
Not really. The phone asks the moment the free 5 GB runs out: backups and Photos stop, and a dollar or three a month makes the warning go away. Moving instead means shifting every photo and habit off the one service Apple's own apps assume. The prompt on this page builds the closest honest substitute.
About $0.99 a month on the iCloud+ 50 GB plan, $11.88 a year (checked 2026-10-19).
iPhone and iPad backups, and Photos, Messages, Notes and Keychain syncing through iCloud itself; Private Relay, which hides your IP address and browsing location in Safari; Hide My Email aliases built into Safari and Sign in with Apple, and a custom email domain with iCloud Mail; HomeKit Secure Video recording for your cameras; Sharing the storage with up to five family members. If any of those matter to you, keep paying.
Yes: Immich (open source), Ente (self-hosted) (open source), Nextcloud (open source).