Google Drive Review: Why Google rules cloud storage

Macworld

At a glanceExpert's Rating

Pros

Easy to use on all platforms.

Affordable storage tiers.

Lightning fast.

Cons

Plans can get confusing with the amount of extra features.

Our Verdict
Google Drive is a fantastic service that, if you’re anything like me, it’s hard to imagine being without.

Price When Reviewed
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Best Pricing Today

Price When ReviewedFree (15GB), $1.99 (100GB), $2.99 (200GB), $9.99 (2TB) a month. If you don't see the 200GB deal select 100GB and upgrade from that.

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When it comes to picking the best cloud-based storage services for your Mac, it really is difficult to look past Google Drive.

While the idea of using Google’s tools on Apple hardware will make some squirm, it’s such a powerful platform, with deep integration with things like Google Docs, Sheets, and more that it makes it hard to not appreciate it.

That’s before you realize it comes with a whopping 15GB of free storage, triple what Apple offers for free on iCloud Drive, and some surprisingly powerful backup and sync features.

First Impressions

Before we start, it’s worth noting that you can use Google Drive on Mac through a dedicated app, or via the web interface. Whichever you pick, you’ll undoubtedly appreciate just how quick the system is.

A handy setup wizard lets you pick and choose how much of your Mac you open up to Google’s syncing features. Once it’s set up, you can check sync status in your menu bar, as well as get a glanceable look at how much data you’re using. It becomes second nature to create a Google Doc, shift files around, or keep a backup of your photos within Google Photos.

Speaking of data, 15GB is plenty generous, but you can enjoy 100GB for just $1.99/£1.59 a month, 200GB for $2.99/£2.49, and move up the tiers until you get to 2TB for $9.99/£7.99 per month. That’s what Google offers as standard, but there are even more options up to 30TB for an eye-watering $150 a month.

Google Drive features




Google Drive can replicate file changes across devices.
Google

Google’s system, alongside Dropbox and OneDrive, is arguably one of the most common file-sharing options. That means it’s much more prevalent than, say, iCloud Drive, making it much more useful across multiple platforms.

I use it regularly to write articles, just like this one in Google Drive, store the screenshots I capture, and send them to editors, and if your workflows and job require any degree of rapid sharing of files back and forth, it’s a perfect fit.

The deep integration with Docs, Sheets, and other Google tools means it’s never been easier to share a document with a colleague, collect feedback, and make amendments.




It’s easy to see which files are taking up the most room in your Drive.
Google

On the subject of amendments, the Backup and Sync feature is great. You can set Google Drive to monitor certain files and folders on your local machine, and any changes made will be updated across the cloud – ideal for anyone using multiple machines.

Google Drive annoyances

Google Photos is a nice backup option to have, but it’ll start to eat into your storage pretty quickly.

While Google’s One plans are pretty affordable, I do wish it would be a little easier to discern which plans offer which features.

It’s a small gripe, but while the 200GB plan comes with storage sharing and 3% back in Google Store credits, the next tier up adds Magic Editor for Google Photos, Google Workspace features, and even Fitbit Premium.

It’s perhaps to be expected given the wide net cast by Google’s ecosystem, but the sheer number of additional features, and the way they’re strewn across the plans, is a little tough to parse.

Should you use Google Drive?

Whether you’re on Mac, iPhone, iPad, or just about any other platform, Google Drive remains the best option around.

A generous free tier, a dizzying array of extra features, and a fast, simple interface take all the hassle out of cloud sharing.