ZiggSend vs iCloud · Head to head

ZiggSend vs iCloud

iCloud keeps your photos on all your Apple devices. It does not put the originals on the disk you back up — unless you wait, pay and set the right switch.

What it does well

  • Everything in sync across Apple devices
  • iCloud for Windows exists
  • Originals preserved

Where it stops

  • 5 GB free; a phone’s worth of video needs a paid plan
  • Upload then download — hours on a home connection
  • “Optimize iPhone Storage” leaves only previews on the device

Side by side

CriterioniCloudZiggSend
DevicesApple, plus iCloud for WindowsiPhone, Android, Mac, Windows
Original qualityYes, with “Download Originals”Always, verified byte for byte
Size limitYour iCloud spaceNone
Needs the cloudYesNo
VerificationNot advertisedSHA-256 on every file
Price5 GB free, then paidFree with 1 phone; Pro $39/year

When to use which

iCloud for having your photos on every Apple device. ZiggSend for getting the originals onto a specific computer, now, in a folder you control, without waiting for the cloud.

Measured, not promised. 22 GB in 184 files with 0 failures from an Android to a Mac over a USB 2 cable (about 28 MB/s); an 806 MB video over home Wi-Fi in 46 s; up to 49.7 MB/s over Wi-Fi from a Mac to an iPhone. Every file is checked against the original on arrival. How we measure.

Free forever with 1 phone. Pro when you need it.

The phone apps are free. So is the computer app, with one paired phone. Pro — several phones, full history, automatic folders, up to 3 computers — is $39 a year, or $19 once for the first 1,000 founders.

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Questions people actually ask

Does iCloud keep original quality?

Yes, in the cloud. Whether the original is on your Mac or PC depends on the “Download Originals” setting and on the sync finishing.

Can I use ZiggSend with iCloud on?

Yes. ZiggSend sends the original from the phone; if the iPhone only has a preview (“Optimize iPhone Storage”), ZiggSend downloads the original from iCloud first, which needs internet for that step.

Is ZiggSend a backup?

No. It is a transfer. Back up the folder where the files land, with the tool you already use.

Does it work wirelessly, over wifi, without a cable?

Yes: phone and computer on the same Wi-Fi, tap Connect to a computer, pick the computer (or scan its QR code), check the safety code on both screens and allow it on the computer. No internet, no account, nothing uploaded — the file goes straight from one device to the other, verified byte for byte. An 806 MB video took 46 s on home Wi-Fi in our measurement.

Related guides

Videos from iPhone to a PC or laptop without compressionVideos from iPhone to a Mac or MacBook without compressionVideos from a Windows PC to iPhone without compression

Compared with

ZiggSend vs AirDropZiggSend vs Phone LinkZiggSend vs LocalSendZiggSend vs Snapdrop and PairDrop