I have had Google Drive since it’s inception, but until recently it was lacking in features compared to several other cloud storage options. The first cloud Storage I used on a regular basis was DropBox because it was easy to upload, download and share to anyone via email or link. It has been the most popular backup solution for a great many people world wide.
When I purchased my htc One X back in May of 2012 I was given 25 GB of storge with DropBox for two years. At the time it was the best available option for backup as I didn’t even own a computer at the time. Google Drive was not very robust at all and I had not even heard of other options yet. Now it’s gaining rapidly on the 2 year mark and I have just over 8 GB of files that I need to move to another cloud. I have decided that All of it will go to OneDrive and here’s why. I will be moving all my files to Google Drive and here’s why.
Even for someone on a small budget the 100GB option is easily affordable. Many of the photos and videos I have backed up to DropBox are still on my phone so all I have to do is turn on auto backup and then I can simply drag and drop the remaining files from the desktop DropBox to the desktop Google drive. From there I can just go about my business and all of my content will be backed up. Drive has matured very nicely over the last year to the point it is as good or better than other services in my opinion. While I must admit that the layout and design are not as good as I would like, it is easy to find anything anywhere on your Drive because it is after all a Google product and search is what they do. Read more on Google Drive picing change here.
For all of you iDevice users out there the iCloud option is likely your main cloud storage option but how does it compare and what is the cost beyond the meager 5GB free?
| Country | Currency | 10 GB upgrade | 20 GB upgrade | 50 GB upgrade |
 Australia |
AUD | $21.00 | $42.00 | $105.00 |
 Canada |
CAD | $20.00 | $40.00 | $100.00 |
 China |
CNY | ¥128.00 | ¥256.00 | ¥640.00 |
 Denmark |
DKK | 120,00 kr | 240,00 kr | 600,00 kr |
 Euro1 |
Euro | 16,00 € | 32,00 € | 80,00 € |
 Hong Kong |
HKD | HK$ 150.00 | HK$ 300.00 | HK$ 750.00 |
 Iceland2 |
USD | $25.10 | $50.20 | $125.50 |
 India |
INR | Rs 1100 | Rs 2200 | Rs 5500 |
 Indonesia |
IDR | Rp 190ribu | Rp 380ribu | Rp 950ribu |
 Israel |
ILS | NIS 80.00 | NIS 160.00 | NIS 400.00 |
 Japan |
JPY | ¥2,000 | ¥4,000 | ¥10,000 |
 Mexico |
MXN | $240.00 | $480.00 | $1,200.00 |
 New Zealand |
NZD | $25.00 | $50.00 | $125.00 |
 Norway |
NOK | 140,00 kr | 280,00 kr | 700,00 kr |
 Russia |
RUB | 650 p. | 1 300 p. | 3 250 p. |
 Saudi Arabia |
SAR | SR 75.00 | SR 150.00 | SR 375.00 |
 Singapore |
SGD | S$ 25.00 | S$ 50.00 | S$ 125.00 |
 South Africa |
ZAR | R160.00 | R320.00 | R800.00 |
 Sweden |
SEK | 150,00 kr | 300,00 kr | 750,00 kr |
 Switzerland |
CHF | CHF 20.00 | CHF 40.00 | CHF 100.00 |
 Taiwan |
TWD | NT$ 600 | NT$ 1,200 | NT$ 3,000 |
 Turkey |
TRY | 35,00 TL | 70,00 TL | 175,00 TL |
 United Arab Emirates |
AED | AED 75.00 | AED 150.00 | AED 375.00 |
 United Kingdom |
GBP | £14.00 | £28.00 | £70.00 |
 United States |
USD | $20.00 | $40.00 | $100.00 |
Source: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5879
Looks to be about four times more for half the storage. I don’t currently have any Apple devices but due to the fact that Google Music is not yet available in Canada I do purchase all of my music through iTunes on my Window 7 desktop. Every song purchased is automatically backed up to iCloud which allows me to download it at anytime if I were to lose the file. It will also stream directly from the cloud giving me the option of not hosting any music on my computer and saving space. After buying music I can sideload to my phone and delete from the computer if I choose.
The reason I decided to purchase the 100GB upgrade to my Google Drive is the Nikon D3100 which will be my very first DSLR I will be purchasing in about two weeks. I plan to shoot lots of full 1080p videos with it as well as taking a great many pictures. (I will be reviewing this camera once I get it and use it for a few days) At only $1.99 (Slightly more in Canadian funds but not much) per month it is a good investment. I use Google Plus exclusively for social networking so sharing my pictures will be extremely easy from my computer or phone. Having said that, it should be noted that anyone can upload thier videos to YouTube without limits for free. Just make any that you don’t want it to be seen publicly you list as unlisted or private. This alone could save you a whole wack of storage on any cloud service. Let us know what solution you prefer and why.
Last Updated on January 27, 2015.
