Who hasn’t heard of Google Drive? It’s a well-known option for online storage and remains one of my favorites, as well as something I use daily for work.
Why we like it: Google Drive used to be just storage before Google combined its online office suite, Google Docs, into Google One. If you’re a little confused because Google Workplace is also available, you’re in good company.
To clarify, Google Workspace Individual is meant for small business owners. At the same time, Google One is a consumer subscription plan that gives you more storage across Google Drive, Gmail, and Google Photos.
A Google account alone gives you 15GB of free storage and an excellent office suite. It’s good enough that many businesses and Chromebook owners now use it as their complete cloud-based office.
If you buy a Chromebook and are a new Google One customer, it often comes with 100GB of free cloud storage for a year. With both kinds of free storage, it’s shared across Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Photos.
Google Drive comes with clients for most operating systems, except Linux. Google promised long ago that there would be a Linux client, but it’s yet to arrive. There is, however, an excellent third-party Linux commercial client, Insync.
Who it’s for: Individuals and many businesses will want to subscribe to this service.
Need more storage? No problem. Under the name Google One, Google Drive storage offers 100GB for $2 per month or $20 annually, or 200GB for $3 per month or $30 per year. For 2TB, you pay $10 per month or $100 annually. Using any of these plans, you can share your storage with up to five other people.
You could also opt for premium plans, which include storage all the way up to 30TB storage and access to the AI model Gemini Advanced.
You can also use the Google One app on Android and iOS devices to automatically back up your smartphones. This includes your device data, multimedia messages, as well as photos and videos in their original quality.
One of Google Drive’s best features is its integration with Google Search. So, for example, if you’ve lost track of a file but remember a couple of words in it, it’s easy to find. I use this feature almost every day.
Who should look elsewhere: Linux users remain frustrated that there is no dedicated client available, and so this might sway your decision.
Google Drive features: Free storage: Google Drive starts its offers with 15GB for free | Variety of storage plans including individual & business | Secure sharing | Multi-platform | AI tools including Gemini Advanced