Apple's Shared Albums Limits

no - albums on iCloud Photo library are not Shared alums - again two totally different things - Photos albums on iCloud Photo Library and share albums have nothing at all to do with each other (except one word in the name - in face shared albums are not even albums, they are really a shared photo stream renamed for some reason) -- you can not have more than 200 shared albums, you can have any number of iCloud Photo Library albums - you keep confusing several totally different things - each is separate and has it own rules and limits or lack of rules and limits

There are three iCloud photo services

iCloud Photo Library - it uses iCloud storage and has no usage Limits and you pay for what you need and use it with no restrictions - it syncs all changes (additions, deletions or edits) made in any connected library to all other connected libraries.

MyPhotoStreeam - a free service that has limits and restrictions and streams photos between connected devices.

iCloud Photo Sharing - another free service that has limits and restriction and streams photos between subscribers

and there also is feature names iCloud Family Sharing which is another totally different and separate service which allows a family group to share an iCloud Storage plan and certain purchases and other features

The restriction you link to apply to the middle two and have nothing at all to do with your paid iCloud storage or iCloud Photo Library or iCloud Family sharing

And none of these services have anything to do with iCloud Family sharing -

As originally answered

Shared albums have nothing to do with iCloud storage or family shared storage - they are a free service and have limits and their usage does not count against iCloud storage - the limits on shared albums have no effect on family sharing or your personal, paid iCloud usage - two totally separate and unrelated topics with no cross over and totally different answers

LN

You are confused

Shared albums have nothing to do with iCloud storage or family shared storage - they are a free service and have limits and their usage does not count against iCloud storage - the limits on shared albums have no effect on family sharing or your personal, paid iCloud usage - two totally separate and unrelated topics with no cross over and totally different answers

LN

if I'm paying then there should be no restrictions, caps or limits to any of the services.

and there are no limits on anything you are paying for - as stated several times the only limits are on the free services not for the paid service

As to sharing with friends iCloud Photo Sharing is the only service Apple offers and it is free and has limits - 200 albums for one - and it have nothing to do with any paid Apple services

would you just stay with Google (and the privacy issues)

I would never stay with Google for anything because I would never use them because of their extreme invasion of my privacy - I use Duck Duck Go for browsing because of that and Apple Maps etc - you use what ever you want, i choose not to use Google myself

LN

You might want to reconsider using Chrome as your browser after reading these, particularly #5:

1. Google Chrome Listening In To Your Room Shows The Importance Of Privacy Defense In Depth.
2. Unseen Burdens in Chrome That Can Lead a Mac to Lag
3. How to Manage the Secret Software That Google Chrome Installs on Your Mac\
4. Google Chrome's Sham 'Do Not Track' Feature
5. Google is known to "phone home" with users data as was found out with this new Google Photos service: Google Photos may be free — but there's still a cost.

Just some food for thought.

no - to do that you have to both log into iCloud with the same Apple ID

iCloud Family sharing (which do not use) has a way to share photos which I can not common on since I do not use it - iCloud - Family Sharing - Apple

Your family can also share a photo album and a family calendar, and even help locate each others’ missing devices.

LN

I understand now. Thank you. I guess how I saw it is, if I'm paying then there should be no restrictions, caps or limits to any of the services.

Apple's primary design for iCloud services is to access "your" content across "your" subscribed devices.

It is not the optimal tool for sharing large amounts of content.

You want to share a great deal of photo content among many users who are not you. This is not iCloud's strength.

iCloud's primary photo sharing mechanism, iCloud Photo Sharing, can't be hosted on your paid space. Therefore you won't get the level of control or limitless sharing you want.

I suggest checking http://Smugmug.com as an alternative to Google Photos.