The Cinch Self Storage alternative that does the storing for you
Cinch Self Storage rents units you fill and manage yourself, at sites across the UK. YouStock is built the other way round: your belongings are collected, stored and returned by a team, and you are charged for the space they actually take up rather than a unit size. Here is an honest look at where each one wins.
Both keep your belongings secure and monitored
Handing your things over, or locking them away, only works if the place is properly protected. Cinch monitors its sites with CCTV around the clock, alarms individual units and gives each customer their own PIN, with fire and smoke detection throughout. YouStock keeps belongings in covered, secure warehouses with controlled access and continuous monitoring.
Two different setups, the same underlying commitment: your belongings are watched over while they are stored. The real difference between the services is not how safe they are, but how your things get there in the first place.
YouStock collects and returns your belongings as standard, no van required
With Cinch, storage begins with you organising the transport. You load a van, drive to the site, carry everything into your unit, and repeat the whole thing in reverse when you want your things back. Cinch can help you arrange a pick-up separately, but moving your belongings is not part of the service you are buying.
With YouStock, it is the service. A team comes to your address, carries your belongings out, takes them into storage, and brings them back to your door whenever you ask. No van hire, no motorway, no wrestling a mattress down a stairwell. It is the difference between renting a space and handing over the whole job.
Both serve households, businesses and students alike
Neither service is fussy about what you store or who you are. Whether it is a move where the dates do not line up, a renovation, a spell abroad, business stock and documents, or a student’s belongings over the summer, both take it in their stride. Sofas, wardrobes, appliances and boxes are all routine.
Cinch covers furniture, students, retail overflow, documents and warehousing across its sites. YouStock stores the same, and runs dedicated services for students and businesses, from a few pallets to full commercial logistics with inventory tracking. The difference is not what they will take, but how it gets there and what you pay for.
YouStock charges for the space your things fill, and shows you every item
Self storage is sold in fixed sizes. Cinch units run from 15 sq ft up to 200 sq ft, and you pick whichever comes closest to your load. If your belongings only fill three quarters of the unit, you still pay for all of it.
YouStock measures the space your things actually occupy and charges by the square foot, so nothing is rounded up to the next size. And because every item is photographed at collection and listed in your online account, you can see exactly what is in storage and ask for a single piece back without going anywhere. Storage you can look at, and pay for precisely.
| YouStock | Cinch | |
|---|---|---|
| Instant online quote and booking | ✅ | ✅ |
| Collection and delivery included as standard | ✅ | ❌ |
| Online photo inventory of your items | ✅ | ❌ |
| Walk-in access to your own unit | ❌ | ✅ |
| Charged by the square foot you fill, not a unit size | ✅ | ❌ |
| Secure, monitored storage | ✅ | ✅ |
YouStock or Cinch Self Storage: which suits you better?
The two are genuinely different propositions. This is where each one comes out ahead.
If you are outside London or you want to visit your own unit, Cinch has the network for it. If you are in London and would rather not touch a van, YouStock is built for that.
YouStock is rated Excellent by the people who use it
Storage is a trust exercise. These are the reviews from customers who have handed YouStock their belongings.
If you are London-based and the idea of collection, storage and delivery without lifting a finger appeals, your price is a minute away. Get an instant quote from your inventory, or book a call and we will walk you through how it works.
Weighing up other storage companies?
If Cinch is one of several names on your list, these comparisons cover the rest:
YouStock vs Cinch Self Storage FAQs
Cinch is a self-storage company, so you take your belongings to your unit yourself, and it can help arrange a pick-up separately if you need one. With YouStock, collection and delivery are part of the service by default: a team comes to your address, stores your things and brings them back on request.
Cinch rents you a unit in a fixed size, from around 15 sq ft to 200 sq ft, which you fill and access yourself at one of its UK sites. YouStock collects your belongings, stores them for you, photographs each item in an online inventory, and charges by the square foot they actually occupy. One sells you space, the other takes the whole job off your hands.
YouStock’s UK service is centred on London, and it also runs storage facilities in France, Belgium and Monaco. Cinch has the wider UK network, with sites in places such as Brighton, Exeter, Newcastle, Swindon and Bedford, so if you are storing well outside London, Cinch covers more ground.
Not in person, and that is the trade-off worth understanding. Cinch gives you your own unit with a PIN and walk-in access. With YouStock, you view your belongings through an online photo inventory and request delivery of anything you want back, but you do not visit a unit. If regularly popping into your storage matters, self storage like Cinch suits you better.
The models differ. Cinch sells units in set sizes and runs promotional offers, so you pay for the unit whether or not it is full. YouStock charges by the square foot your belongings actually fill and includes collection and delivery, which takes van hire out of the equation. The only reliable comparison is a quote for your own items from each, transport included.
No. Both are flexible: Cinch lets you stay as long as you like and pay for the days you use, and YouStock has no minimum term either. Whichever you choose, you are not locked into a long contract.
With YouStock, yes, item by item. Everything is photographed at collection and listed in your account, so you can browse your belongings and request any single item back. With a Cinch unit, what is inside is whatever you remember packing, and finding one thing means going to the site and looking.