If you have Amazon Prime, you get free unlimited online photo storage. My iPhone updates to that storage regularly. I can make and share albums there, or upload into Google photos and share that way.
Photo Storage : Amazon Prime members get free, unlimited, full-resolution photo storage, plus 5 GB video storage
I do have the $.99 plan for iCloud because sometimes I take a lot of pictures and videos that don’t get reviews and deleted as preferred for a while. But I am nowhere close to my 50gb storage at present.