The question of how much Xiaomi cloud costs is becoming more relevant for smartphone owners who have exhausted the base limit of 5 GB. 4K-Videos take up gigabytes of memory, and the built-in Mi Cloud looks like a convenient solution for synchronizing data, but there is a huge shortage of free space after the first trip or series of events.
The subscription cost is directly dependent on the amount of disk space you choose and the region in which your Mi Account is registered. The pricing policy of the company is flexible, offering both monthly and annual payment options, which allows you to optimize costs. It is important to understand that prices may vary slightly depending on the currency of your region and the current rates set by the platform.
In this article, we will take a closer look at all available plans, subscription renewal options, and alternative memory extension methods, and learn how to avoid overpayments and set up automatic data downloads to keep your contacts and gallery safe.
Basic storage and free options
Each user who creates a Mi Account automatically gets 5GB of cloud space, which has historically been enough to store contacts, notes, voice recorders and system settings, but that is no longer enough for media content, and the basic rate remains free indefinitely until you decide to expand it.
It's worth noting that Mi Cloud doesn't just copy files, it syncs them, which means that when you delete a photo on a device, it can also be removed from the cloud if you don't have special protection or backup in its original size. 5GB is more than enough for contacts and calendars, because text data takes up negligible space.
⚠️ Attention: 5GB is a total limit for all types of data tied to an account.If you store heavy WhatsApp backups or system backups, the free space can run out very quickly.
There are also temporary promotions where the company provides additional storage for the trial period, usually valid for 1 to 3 months and require a bank card to be linked. After the trial period, the subscription is automatically renewed at the full cost of the selected tariff.
How to temporarily increase the limit for free?
Mi Cloud Premium Plans
The main paid service is called Mi Cloud Premium, which offers three main subscription layers that allow you to store from 50 GB to 2 TB of data. The choice of tariff depends on your needs: just for a photo or for a full backup system and video archives.
Below is a table with indicative prices. Please note that the cost may vary depending on the country of registration of the account (Russia, Kazakhstan, Europe) and the selected settlement currency.
| Storage volume | Monthly payment (RF) | Monthly payment (Europe) | Optimal for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50GB | ~99 rubles. | ~0.99 € | Contacts, documents, photos |
| 200GB | ~199 rubles. | ~2.99 € | Active users, photo archive |
| 2 TB | ~499 rubles. | ~9.99 € | Family Access and 4K Video |
The most popular option is the 200GB tariff. It provides a reasonable balance between price and volume, allowing you to store thousands of photos in full resolution and hundreds of hours of video. The 2TB tariff is often chosen by families, as it supports the Family Sharing feature, allowing you to share storage with multiple accounts.
Payment is made through the built-in Google Play or App Store systems, or through the i.mi.com web interface. In some regions, direct payments are available from bank cards that support local payment systems.
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An annual subscription is often 15-20% cheaper than a monthly fee if the option is available in your area.
Comparison with Google Photos and other services
Many users are wondering why pay for Mi Cloud when you have Google Photos? Indeed, Google offers 15GB of free space, which is three times more than Xiaomi. However, Xiaomi's cloud has its unique advantages, especially for ecosystem owners.
The main difference is the depth of integration. Mi Cloud is able to synchronize not only the gallery, but also system settings, desktop layout, list of installed applications, notes and even call history (in some regions). Google Photos is primarily focused on media files.
- 📸 Speed: On Xiaomi devices, sync through the native cloud is often faster and staider in the background.
- 📱 Recovery: When you buy a new smartphone Xiaomi recovery from the Mi Cloud is at the stage of initial configuration of the system, returning the phone to its usual state out of the box".
- 🔒 Privacy: Data is stored on servers certified to security standards and only the account holder has access to it.
Using both services is the optimal strategy: Google Photos can be used as the primary storage for images, and Mi Cloud can be used to back up system data and contacts, creating a double layer of information security.
⚠️ Attention: When using both services, monitor traffic and battery consumption. Double synchronization of large amounts of data can significantly accelerate the discharge of the device.
How to Pay for a Subscription in Current Conditions
The payment process for the Mi Cloud Premium subscription may vary depending on your country and the payment methods available.
If you use an Android smartphone, the easiest way is to link the card to a Google Play account, in which case the payment will be debited in the currency of your region. ID.
☑️ Preparation for subscription payments
If you don't pay automatically, you can use the web version of the service. Go to i.mi.com, log in and select the storage management section. Sometimes the web interface offers alternative input methods or replenishment codes.
Also worth considering is the use of Google Play gift cards or Apple App Store, which can be purchased at electronics retailers, which allows you to pay for your subscription in cash or with cards that are not directly linked to the acca accounts in the app store.
What to do if the subscription is not activated?
Family access and group subscriptions
One of the most profitable options for a 2TB tariff is the possibility of creating a family group, which allows you to share the total storage volume among several users (up to 6 people), making the cost of a subscription for each participant symbolic.
The group organizer (the owner of the account that paid for the subscription) invites family members through their Mi Account, and it is important to understand that the files remain private, each user sees only their data, and the shared pool is used only to calculate the occupied space.
- 👨👩👧👦 Management: The Organizer may remove the member from the group or change the access conditions at any time.
- 📂 Independence: Deleting a family member’s account does not affect the data of the other members.
- 💰 Savings: The actual cost of data storage is reduced in the 5-6 compared to individual subscriptions of a smaller amount.
To set up family access, all participants must have devices with the current version of MIUI or HyperOS. The setup process takes a few minutes and is conducted through the Mi Account settings menu in the Family or Family Group section.
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When creating a family group, use the account of the most responsible adult, and if you change your card or password, this account will require attention first.
Alternatives and optimization of space
If you're not willing to pay for the cloud, there are ways to optimize your use of your 5GB. First of all, it's worth checking what exactly takes up space, often old voice recorder backups or unnecessary screenshots.
Set up sync only for important categories. Go to Settings → Mi Account → Mi Cloud and turn off sync for heavy apps you rarely use. Leave only Contacts, Messages and Gallery (with Wi-Fi restrictions) on.
Another effective method is to use third-party cloud services to archive old photos, so you can manually transfer archives from past years to Yandex.Disk, Cloud Mail.ru or OneDrive, leaving only current images in the Mi Cloud.
⚠️ Warning: Before clearing the gallery to vacate the space, make sure the photos are actually uploaded to the cloud or copied to a computer.Deleting the local copy without checking can result in data loss.
Regular cleaning of the Recycle Bin folder in the gallery also helps to free up space, deleted photos are stored there for 30 days and continue to occupy a place in the cloud quota until they are permanently deleted or the shelf life expires.
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The combination of a free Mi Cloud tariff for contacts and third-party cheap photo storage is often more profitable than buying the maximum Xiaomi tariff.