Google Drive (Opens in a new tab) is built into your DNA for living on the web, but it also offers some very useful mobile apps. Plus, it offers desktop backup tools (opens in a new tab) for Windows and macOS platforms to quickly transfer your files to the cloud. Although it doesn't have the latest bell and whistle, it makes up for it in terms of speed and efficiency.
Google Drive has grown nicely from its shaky beginnings to become a true competitor to Box and Dropbox as a cloud storage (opens in a new tab) and file sync (opens in a new tab) solution. Looking at how advanced their web apps are right now, it's hard to find fault with the Google Drive package.
- Google Drive on Udemy for €19.99 (Opens in a new tab)
Features of Google Drive
Google Drive easily impresses when it comes to the key areas you're looking for a cloud storage solution to offer. The web interface and mobile apps allow you to access (and edit) your files from anywhere. Also, the sharing options strike an excellent balance, distinguishing between functionality and ease of use.
Sharing permissions can be set at the admin level, of course, allowing different contacts to access different files, and you can also share files and folders as needed with regular links or email invites. We like the commenter permissions, which sit between read-only rights and edit rights, which is great for collaborating on an important document.
The Team Drives component is very well done, though it's only available on the Business and Enterprise plans, with custom spaces where groups of colleagues can work together on files and folders collaboratively. Managing access to Team Drives is simple, with the ability to see who can (and can't) access and edit files. There are also some thoughtful touches, like the way each Team Drive can have a different topic or the feature to email everyone in a Team Drive at once.
There's built-in access to Docs, Sheets, and Slides, each of which is a sleek, mature, polished web app, and can now really compete with the dominant player, Microsoft Office (they do an admirable job of turning Office files into Google Drive equivalents too). If you don't want to convert Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files, you can simply store them in Google Drive and sync between computers and devices as needed.
With file versioning, advanced search, offline access, and a variety of preview and layout options, Google Drive is an impressive offering. Desktop sync isn't as simple as it is with Dropbox, but you can sync any folder you want to the cloud from Windows and macOS, as well as keep certain files and folders exclusively on the web (no need for local copies to take up space). on your hard drive). The nifty notification feature for file changes and collaborations also works very well.
Google Drive interface
Every Google app has a familiar interface with lots of white space, a splash of color, and eye-catching graphics. What Google Drive's interface lacks in sophistication, it more than makes up for in intuitiveness and speed, as finding files is quick and simple, whether you're searching for keywords and file types in the top search bar, or browsing folders and shares. from the left navigation bar. Google Drive automatically applies its optical character recognition (OCR) to PDF files and images, allowing you to search through the text they contain like any other document.
Files can be easily copied, moved, tracked, and organized as desired. You can use a thumbnail view or a more conventional list view in the main web interface, and files can be dragged and dropped as if you were using a regular desktop app. We found it very simple, once you get over the fact that everything works in a browser instead of a more conventional file system.
In that sense, there aren't many downsides to the Google Suite as a whole, but those who want dedicated offline access will be disappointed. On the go, there are smartphone and tablet apps for Docs, Sheets, and Slides, plus offline access tools in the Google Drive app. Users who work on a computer or laptop will be disappointed when they discover that an Internet connection is required to access all of their information.
Google says that Drive has AI processing that puts the documents and shares you're likely to want at the top of the file list, but we found this to be a bit hit-and-miss overall, but it's easy enough to sort the folders you want. created or search for more. specifically. The view we like best is "Recent" which is basically a list of files in reverse chronological order and works quite well in most cases.
On mobile apps for Android and iOS, files can be instantly accessed with an interface design that closely resembles the web, without the need to switch between different mindsets when switching between devices. For Windows and macOS, in addition to accessing Google Drive through a browser and uploading files to it, you can also download the Backup and Sync tool that allows you to sync your Google Drive locally, analogous to Dropbox, as well as upload files on the web from other commonly used folders.
Since online applications such as Docs, Sheets, and Slides can be accessed, it makes sense to use the browser version of Google Drive, but some users may like to sync files with their computer's file management system to keep track of data. things under control. Previous versions of the desktop client were clunky and lacking in features, but the latest version is just as easy to navigate as the browser version.
Hidden in the Google Drive client settings is the option to back up your computer files. For those with reasonable storage space, it can be reassuring to know that if something goes wrong with your computer's hard drive, the copies are saved in the cloud. There are better cloud backup tools out there, but for a basic consumer tool, Google does pretty well.
We like the extra granularity when it comes to control. The Google Drive desktop client offers bandwidth throttling, which is especially useful for homes with poor connections. Although this is quite common for other cloud backup services, iCloud Drive (one of Google's main competitors) does not allow this level of control.
In our tests, upload and download speeds were as expected across the board, including desktop and smartphone apps and browser access. Your own broadband connection is likely to be the biggest limiting factor here.
Google Drive security
Drive stores files and transfers them using encryption, but keep in mind that it's not end-to-end encryption, which means Google can see your files, if it wants to. Overall, Google has a decent track record when it comes to security, offering different levels of Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) (opens in a new tab), with plenty of controls to detect unauthorized account access, if corresponds. Basically, if someone wants to access your files, they will have to work really hard to get it.
File and folder sharing tools are quite specific and hard to confuse because you can see who has access to what at any time. For those on a Business or Enterprise plan, you get the ability to analyze Google Drive usage through comprehensive audit trails so you know every 1's and 0's are being counted, along with alerts. Custom management for specific events that occur in files in Google Drive.
Google Drive pricing
The free tier of Google Drive includes 15 GB of free cloud storage, which is distributed across all your Google apps, including Gmail - opens in a new tab and Google Photos - opens in a new tab. A supplementary space is four via the Google One name (s'ouvre in a new link), with a price starting at €1,99 (€1,59) per month for 100 Go d'espace sur le plan essential. The Standard plan, with 200GB, costs €2,99 ($2,49) per month, with top-tier 2TB Premium subscriptions costing €9,99 ($7,99) per month.
Google One works similarly to Apple's subscription plans, but while Apple One offers more of the company's subscription services, like games, newsstands, and streaming music, Google One adds more limited functionality. All paid plans can be shared with up to five other users, while the Standard and Premium versions get 3% and 10% cash back on the Google Store, respectively. Premium subscribers also have access to a VPN on mobile devices: Android and iOS.
For long-term subscribers, which will likely be most scenarios, savings can be made by paying annually. These cost €19,99 (€15,99), €29,99 (€24,99), and €99,99 (€79,99) respectively, which is a 16-17% discount.
For businesses, there's Google Workspace (opens in a new tab), which is basically all of the Google apps and includes Drive and Gmail with additional infrastructure and functionality for managing teams of people. 30 GB, 2 TB or 5 TB of storage is available to each user at a cost of €6 (€4,60), €12 (€9,20) or €18 (€13,80) per user per month, plus some extra features, and an Enterprise level lets you customize your plan to meet your business needs. Each plan has access to the Google suite of applications.
final verdict
Google lives and breathes the web (unlike some of its competitors), which is a natural choice for solid and reliable cloud storage. Add the simple yet powerful apps for Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS, and it's a complete package for consumers and businesses. Of course, this also ties in with other great Google apps like Google Calendar or Gmail.
Google Drive certainly doesn't have everything (particularly missing full backups and end-to-end encryption), so it won't be the best cloud backup storage solution (opens in a new tab) for all. However, what it has offers a lot: through online applications and sharing...