Google Drive Review 2025: Only for Google Fans?

If you have an Android phone or use Gmail, you're already using Google Drive. But Google's cloud storage isn't just great for your photos and emails - you can organize all types of documents, share files with coworkers, or manage entire projects in the cloud. So how does Google Drive compare to other cloud storage options?

We thoroughly tested Google Drive and will show you why Google remains the king of convenience - even if it comes at the cost of privacy.

For more information about how it works and a guide to Google Drive, check here:

Google is known for its simple, user-friendly apps - and Google Drive follows this pattern. The interface is clean, fast, and well-organized in typical Google style.

You can access your cloud storage in three ways: through the web interface, desktop app, or smartphone app:

The web interface is your browser gateway to your cloud storage. Here you can directly access and edit your files on the cloud server or create new Docs, Sheets, Slides and other files. All you need is an internet connection and access to your Google account.

The web interface has a user-friendly layout with several sections:

The interface is simple and clutter-free by design. Even beginners should find it easy to get started and organize their cloud files.

You can access your Google Drive files not just in your browser, but also directly through your computer's file manager. You'll need the Google Drive desktop app for this. It keeps your cloud files in sync across all your devices.

Your Google Drive shows up in Windows Explorer just like a regular hard drive. You can open it and work with the files and folders using all the file manager's tools.

There isn't a proper desktop app, and the settings are somewhat limited. Google Drive Desktop is more like a sync tool that runs in the background.

You can take your Google Drive with you everywhere in your pocket or purse. The smartphone app, available for Android and iOS devices, is just as simple and straightforward as the web interface.

The scan feature is especially handy: Just tap the camera icon to take pictures of documents and save the scans directly to the right folder in your Google Drive.

Here's an overview of all platforms where Google Drive is available:

Let's start with Google Drive's basic sync approach: The service uses a "master folder" system. This means all files are organized within one main folder, your "Google Drive" folder. Any changes you make to files in this folder sync automatically and in real-time with the cloud.

When you work in the web app, you're editing files directly in the cloud. This means changes sync right away and are shared across all your devices.

On desktop, you can choose between two sync methods in the settings:

Speaking of offline access: It's not just available through the "mirror files" method. Even when you choose streaming sync, you can make selected files and folders available offline. Just right-click them and select "Make available offline" under "Offline access."

Offline access options are also available on smartphones and even in the web app. However, web access only works with Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge browsers.

You can sync more than just files in your Google Drive folder. You can also back up your PC's system folders to cloud storage.

You can select folders in the desktop app settings or simply right-click them in the file manager and choose "Sync or back up this folder."

Google has included all the basic sync features and made them easy to use. However, some advanced features that would give you more control over syncing are missing.

You can't selectively sync files anymore - meaning you can't choose specific files or folders to exclude from syncing. You also can't transfer files over LAN between two devices on the same network.

Google doesn't let you set upload and download speed limits either. This would be helpful when you have slow internet and want to better manage your network usage.

Here's a comparison of Google Drive's sync features:

When it comes to cloud storage performance, two things matter most:

To compare the performance of the cloud storage services in our review, we tested them all under the same conditions. We created a test folder with 10,000 files, 10,000 folders, 100 photos (about 500 MB), and one large video file (about 500 MB), then synced it using a PC with a 400 Mbps connection (upload and download).

Here are the results:

Google Drive did fairly well in our comparison. While MEGA and pCloud were much faster, its upload and download speeds were solid compared to most other providers. Overall, Google Drive ranks 4th out of 11:

Backing up and syncing your data is just the basic feature of cloud storage - and most services offer pretty much the same thing here (apart from performance). The bigger differences between platforms show up when you look at what you can actually do with your cloud files.

Google has a clear advantage here with its seamless integration of collaboration tools. You can easily share your cloud files with others and work on them together in real-time.

Sharing folders and files is straightforward across all user interfaces. There are two main ways to share resources with others:

Unfortunately, the share settings lack some features that are standard in other cloud storage services. For example, you can't protect share links with an extra password. You also can't set an expiration date. These options would be especially helpful when sharing sensitive data with others temporarily or securely.

Google also doesn't provide any statistics for your links - like the number of times they've been accessed or when they were last opened.

Another downside: Google Drive doesn't currently have a built-in way to request files from other users. Many other cloud storage solutions offer upload portals where other people can upload files directly to the cloud storage.

Here's a comparison of Google Drive's main sharing features:

As expected, Google shows its biggest strength in collaboration features. This is mainly due to how well Google apps like Docs, Sheets, and Calendar work together.

You can edit Google files - as well as compatible documents like Word or PowerPoint files - directly in your Drive and work on them with other users in real time.

The options are extensive: You can leave comments, make suggestions, assign tasks to other users, and much more. Documents are versioned, so you can always see who changed what and when. You can even start a video meeting or chat with your collaborators directly within a document

If you often work with regular teams, you can create "shared drives" where content is available to all members. In the member management, you can add new groups and individual members and manage their permissions. There are 5 roles:

If a document or folder isn't in a shared drive, you can manually set access roles (viewer, commenter, or editor).

Here's a comparison of Google Drive's main team features:

How safe your data is with Google depends on who you want to protect it from. Google Drive is quite secure when it comes to blocking unauthorized outside access. However, if you're looking for cloud storage that protects your content from the provider itself, Google isn't your best choice.

Google Drive offers solid protection against attacks and unauthorized access. Google's data centers meet high security standards, are spread across different locations, and have all important security certifications.

According to Google, data you upload to Google Drive is "encrypted during transfer and storage using AES256-bit encryption."

To protect yourself against password theft, you should turn on two-factor authentication. You have several options for the second factor, like passkeys or authentication through an authenticator app.

Google's security setup is just as good as its main competitor Microsoft. However, unlike Microsoft's OneDrive, Google Drive doesn't offer a password-protected vault for storing sensitive files - which would add an extra layer of security in case someone gains unauthorized access.

While Google Drive protects your data well against external attackers, it's less secure from Google itself. Unlike providers like MEGA or Proton Drive, which offer end-to-end encryption (E2E), Google can technically access your data.

Though the content is stored in encrypted form, Google holds the encryption keys. This means Google can access your data (within legal limits), for example, when requested by government agencies. Google explains the reasons and legal basis for these accesses in more detail in its Privacy Policy.

Google stresses that content stored in Google Drive is secure and encrypted during transfer and storage. However, Google reserves the right to analyze data to improve its services.

This can include using data to train AI models. Google's terms of service and privacy policies mention that they collect and process information to offer personalized services and optimize features.

At least Google provides a detailed Transparency Report, which shows how many data disclosure requests they receive from authorities.

Still, if data privacy is important to you, Google Drive - like its competitor Microsoft OneDrive - isn't your best choice. If you want cloud storage that keeps your data private even from the provider, pick a service with E2E encryption instead.

Here's how Google Drive's privacy features compare:

Google is generally quite cheap and generous with free storage.

For individual users, there are three plans you can subscribe to either monthly or annually with a discount:

If you want to use Google Drive for your team, you'll need to sign up for a Google Workspace plan, which is billed per user per month. All plans include custom email addresses for your domain and many other Google tools.

There are three regular plans:

For businesses with special needs, there's an Enterprise plan. But you'll need to contact Google's sales team to get a quote.

Here's an overview of the plans:

How does Google compare to other providers in terms of pricing? Pretty well, as our price comparison table shows. For free storage, only MEGA offers more space, and the Basic plan is among the cheapest on the market. If 100 GB is enough for you, Google is a budget-friendly choice.

The 2 TB price is also relatively cheap - but there's no "medium-sized" plan in between. If you only need 500 GB or 1 TB of storage space, you can find better deals elsewhere.

Here's a comparison of costs from different providers for various storage sizes and number of users:

Google solutions rarely stand alone - and Google Drive really shines when used with other Google tools. You can not only store your data in the cloud and access it across devices, but also work on it in real-time with others thanks to smooth integration with Docs, Sheets, Calendar, Meet, and more.

Even as a "pure" storage solution, Google Drive is well-positioned, especially since its storage is relatively affordable and comes with a generous free plan.

However, if you're serious about data privacy, Google isn't your best choice: Without end-to-end encryption, Google has the key to your data – just like Microsoft does. If you're looking for cloud storage that protects your data not only from others but also from the provider itself, you should choose a solution with E2E encryption.

For everyone else who needs a simple and budget-friendly solution for everyday work, Google Drive remains one of the best options – especially if you're already using other Google products.

What do Google Drive users think about the service? We've looked through review sites and gathered common feedback:

Looking for something different than Google Drive? Check out these alternatives:

Here are the best Google Drive alternatives: