The Ultimate Guide to Google Drive Storage: What You Need to Know
Google Drive comes with 15GB of free storage for your documents, photos and other files. That’s not much space, but there are ways to increase your available storage on Google Drive. If you don’t want to share your personal documents with the whole world, or if you just don’t trust a cloud service with all your private data, Google Drive might not be the right answer for you. But if you’re like most people and willing to trust Google with your files, read on and find out how much storage space you get in Google Drive, how to increase the amount of storage you have there, and which alternative services are worth checking out if you need more than what Google offers.
Google Drive Storage Capacity: How Much Does It Cost?
Google Drive starts off with 15GB of cloud storage for your files. But this is only the base amount, and you can increase the actual storage capacity with a paid subscription. The paid subscriptions for Google Drive storage go up to 30TB (for large business customers who need more than that). If you want to know how much extra storage you’ll get with each plan, check out this table: Subscription Plan Google Drive Storage Cost Additional Storage G Suite Basic 1 TB $4/user/month + $10 per Terabyte G Suite Business Unlimited $10/user/month + $10 per Terabyte G Suite for Education Unlimited Free.
Free Vs Paid Storage in Google Drive
Free storage comes with a few caveats: - You can’t share your files with the world. To prevent malware and viruses from spreading, Google requires you to enable 2-step verification when signing into your account. - You can’t download your files unless you’re connected to the internet. This includes photos that you upload to the cloud, which are only stored temporarily on your computer. - You can’t use natural language to search for your files. Instead, you have to use Google’s search syntax. Paid storage grants you more freedom with your files, and you’ll also get unlimited storage space. That said, you can still get more free storage out of Google Drive, as we’ll discuss next.
How to get more free storage space in Google Drive?
Google offers a few ways to increase the free storage space on your account. Keep in mind that these are only good until the end of 2020, when Google may decide to discontinue the programs. - Install the Google Drive apk on your mobile and tablet. Additional devices where you install the app are also added to your account’s storage capacity. - Upload a lot of photos to Google Drive. You’ll earn an extra 5GB of storage for every 10,000 photos you upload to Google Drive. - Create or sign up for a Google account for your child. Your child’s Google account comes with 100GB of free storage for 10 years. - Refer your friends to Google Drive. You’ll earn an extra 5GB for each person you refer who creates an account and stays active for at least three months.
Here are a few other ways to increase your storage capacity, but they don’t involve Google Drive: - Buy a cloud storage device. A device like a hard drive connected to the internet will offer more storage capacity than a free account. - Sign up for a Dropbox or Amazon Cloud Drive account. These services are similar to Google Drive, but they offer less free storage space. - Invest in a cloud storage subscription. This is probably the most expensive option on our list, but it also gives you the most control over your files.
3 Solid Alternatives to Google Drive with Unlimited Storage
We’ve discussed how to increase your free storage space with Google Drive. But what if you need more than 100GB of space? Or what if you don’t want to trust Google with all your files? Here are three options worth considering: - Amazon Cloud Drive: With 100GB of free storage, Amazon’s service is one of the best alternatives to Google Drive.
If you don’t need that much space, you can downgrade to a “free” option with just 5GB of storage. - OneDrive: Microsoft’s cloud service comes with 15GB of free storage for everyone. However, you have to commit to a yearly subscription to get an extra 10GB of space. - Dropbox: Dropbox’s free account gives you just 2GB of space, but you can also earn an extra terabyte by inviting friends to sign up.
Conclusion
Google Drive is one of the most popular online storage programs out there. It comes with free 15GB of storage and you can increase your storage by installing the app on other devices, uploading photos, and inviting friends to join. If you need more than 100GB of space, though, you’ll have to pay for a subscription. There are a few great alternatives to Google Drive with unlimited storage, like Amazon Cloud Drive, OneDrive, and Dropbox.