Google Drive vs iCloud Drive 2024: review, features, pros and cons

More and more people are using cloud computing. This technology lets users access storage, files, software, and servers through their computers, smartphones, tablets, and wearables, as long as they are connected to the internet. To put it simply, it lets you store your data and back it up in the cloud. This means that if you lose your computer, the files are automatically saved on another one that you can access from anywhere.

This way, you can get to them no matter where you are in the world. Google Drive and iCloud are two of the most popular places to store files online and get to them from any computer or phone. The way access can be limited is one of the biggest differences between these two services. Google Drive and iCloud are both parts of larger online ecosystems that let you manage almost all of your digital life in one place.

However, they do have some differences that you’ll want to think about before choosing one over the other. It’s a service that lets people store files in iCloud, which they can then access from any computer or device. Users on the same network can share content between their devices and keep all of their data in one place, which is safer than having it spread out across multiple devices.

Pricing and Plans

Apple only gives users 5GB of free storage, while Google gives users 15GB. But if you want to store more than the bare necessities, you will need to switch to a plan with more space. The cheapest iCloud plan costs $0.99 per month and gives the user an extra 50GB of storage, for a total of 55GB. The cheapest plan for Google Drive costs $1.99 per month and gives you 100 GB of storage.

A plan with 200 GB of storage costs $2.99 per month on either platform. At the end of the spectrum with the most capacity, the situation is the same. For 2TB of storage, both Apple iCloud and Google Drive charge $9.99 per month. This means that there is not much of a price difference between the two platforms, and they are both affordable.

On the other hand, Google wins because of three things. If you pay once a year instead of every month, you’ll get a 16% discount. Apple doesn’t have a discount like that. Second, Google is a little cheaper per GB than iCloud because it comes with 15GB of storage space for free. Lastly, you can share any of Google’s plans with your family, but only the 2TB plan can be shared on iCloud.

Google Drive vs iCloud Drive Comparison Table

iCloudGoogle Drive
Available Free Storage5GB15GB
Encryption128-bit128-bit, 256-bit
Supported OSDesktop: Windows, Mac Mobile: iOSDesktop: Windows, Mac Mobile: Android, iOS
Paid Storage2TB30TB
Bandwidth LimitationNo bandwidth limitationBandwidth limitation, i.e., 200, 400, or 600 per month
IntegrationsHipChat, PagerDuty, iCalendar, Microsoft OfficeGoogle Suite, Microsoft Office, Slack, Adobe, Zoom, Autodesk, Canva, AWS
SupportPhone, email, training, ticketsPhone, training, tickets
Download iCloudDownload Google Drive

Google Drive vs iCloud Drive Ease of Use

Google Drive vs iCloud Drive

iCloud is built into the iOS Files app, so you can easily manage your files and documents through the Files app. If you have iCloud Photo Library turned on, you can use the Photos app on any of your Apple devices to quickly get to your photos and videos. Google Drive, on the other hand, comes in many different forms, such as a mobile app and a free desktop app for iOS devices that lets you access your files in the cloud. It also lets you use free web-based programmes to make documents, spreadsheets, and other things.

Google Drive vs iCloud Drive Features

Google Drive vs iCloud Drive

Both iCloud and Google Drive have many features in common. Some of these features are integration with productivity apps, device backup and synchronisation, family sharing, file versioning, and custom file and folder links. Both platforms can also work with creative suites like Adobe Creative Cloud and Affinity. We, however, find that these third-party suites work best with Google Drive.

In fact, when it comes to storage-related features, there’s not much difference between the two platforms. But we like that Google Drive makes it easy to sign in to multiple accounts and switch between them. This is great if you work as a freelancer or for more than one company or volunteer group.

Google Drive also has better ways to work with other people, like shared drives. This makes the platform better for creative people who are always collaborating with coworkers and pitching content to clients. Based on this, we give a slight win to Google Drive.

But before we move on, we need to look at the security features of each platform. Even though Google Drive has made some important steps forward recently, iCloud is the more secure platform. You can use multi-factor authentication on both platforms, which we highly recommend.

Google Drive vs iCloud Drive Support

If you use either of these cloud storage services and something goes wrong, you can be sure you’re in good hands. Apple and Google are both known for having great support sites and easy-to-reach customer service reps.

Both iCloud and Google Drive have how-to guides, community forums, expert articles, and video tutorials. There is not much else that makes them different. We give the win to Google, though, because it was easier to talk to a real person through Google. We got to Google in two minutes, but it took us more than 30 minutes to get to Apple.

Google Drive vs iCloud Drive Performance

Google Drive vs iCloud Drive

Overall, Google Drive is the one that works with more programmes and has more support. Apps are available for Android, iOS, macOS, iPad, and Windows. The Google Drive web app is also the best one we’ve seen. We use it often instead of desktop and mobile apps because it’s easy to use and works well even when the network is slow. In short, both Apple and Windows devices work well with Google Drive.

On the other hand, Apple iCloud works best with iOS, macOS, and iPadOS devices, which might not be a surprise. This is because the platform works almost entirely in the background and is fully built into these operating systems. It makes sure that all of your data is safe and easy to get to when you use an Apple device or one that works with iCloud.

iCloud only works with Apple products, which is a shame. The apps on the platform work well with other Apple users, but they don’t work as well when a PC is added. Also, iCloud clients for Windows and Android devices can be downloaded, but they are hard to use and can sometimes be frustrating.

If your main devices aren’t Apple products, iCloud is not as good of a choice. On the other hand, it’s safe to say that Google Drive is the more reliable provider across all platforms. It doesn’t crash very often and can handle heavy use even when the connection speed is slow and multiple apps are running at the same time.

Google Drive: Pros and Cons

Pros

  • Generous free storage space
  • Excellent productivity-suite collaboration
  • Includes desktop-to-desktop file syncing
  • Many third-party integrations

Cons

  • No password-protection for shared files
  • Some privacy concerns

iCloud Drive: Pros and Cons

Pros

  • Tightly integrated with Apple products
  • Capable Windows client and web access
  • Fast uploads

Cons

  • No Android or Linux clients
  • Can only share files with people who have an Apple ID

Which one should you consider?

Google Drive and iCloud are two of the most popular cloud storage services. But if you asked me to choose between iCloud and Google Drive, I’d say Google Drive because it can be used on any platform, like macOS and Windows.

FAQs

Is iCloud Drive safer than Google Drive?

In terms of security, Apple wins because its platform is much safer than Google One. Nearly all of the data stored on iCloud’s servers is encrypted to the 128-bit AES standard both when it is being sent and when it is being stored.

Which is better iCloud or Google Drive?

You could be happy with either one, but if you want security and good customer service, iCloud is the best choice. On the other hand, Google Drive is probably for you if you want more storage for less money and more business-oriented features.

Amy Hinckley
Amy Hinckley
The Dell Inspiron 15 that her father purchased from QVC sparked the beginning of her interest in technology. At Bollyinside, Amy Hinckley is in charge of content editing and reviewing products. Amy's interests outside of working include going for bike rides, playing video games, and watching football when she's not at her laptop.

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