Google Drive

When I review services that are this popular I always feel a bit uncomfortable, since I’d expect everyone and their grandmother to already know about Google Drive. But, this review is about more than just spreading awareness. I’ll delve into the details of what Google has to offer and try to figure out whether Drive is the ultimate solution for you. I’ve seen Google Drive used on a personal level by countless individuals, but companies… Well, I’m sure they use it internally, especially if they’re on the Workplace. That’s what G Suite is called now. But, I haven’t seen companies use Drive to allow external downloads. I’m not quite sure why that is.

Either way, we all know that Google has access to the best server farms. Amazon’s AWS might beat them, but one way or another, they’re giants and they offer you a ton of high-quality storage. They’re pretty affordable, too. You’d normally be purchasing Drive storage through Workspace, as part of a business package, but I’m solely focusing on Google Drive for this review. I’ll go over all the free features and the shit you’d get if you were to upgrade. The Workspace business package remains the best option for … well, businesses, since that’s who it’s built for, but Drive on its own isn’t such a bad product. This is especially true if you’re a one-man operation and you’d like to keep it that way.

What Is Google One

It’s unavoidable; we have to talk about Google One. This company has such a tendency to name everything. It’s getting on my nerves. G Suite is now Workspace, Alphabet now owns Google, but Alphabet is actually the same company as Google. But, they needed a new name, atop their old name, to distinguish themselves from themselves. I love Google and everything they’ve done for porn over the years, but if they could stop naming and renaming things for five fucking seconds, that’d be great.

Google One is the one-stop solution to a singular storage subscription under the Google flag. It’s a multi-tiered premium subscription that, among other things, increases your drive storage. You also get many features that you didn’t ask for along the way, but they don’t bloat the price, so who the fuck cares? Let’s go over the free version first; then, we’ll dive into whether and how you should consider upgrading.

Free Google Drive

You get a free Google Drive account with every Gmail e-mail account that you register. Google can’t prevent you from making multiple accounts and getting several drives at a time, but … don’t do that. Hell, even if you do have an explicit need for multiple e-mail accounts, which is perfectly understandable, please don’t abuse their drive policy. Biting the hand that feeds you for free is poor business etiquette. Stick to the 15GB per person that they’ve allocated. It’s more than enough secure storage for one life.

You arguably should not be using your free Google Drive for business purposes, unless you’re literally just passing one important file off to someone on a one-off basis. Say someone needs you to pass them an important zip file full of pictures of some random chick’s tits. I get that. We’ve all been there. You want to use a secure file host and you’re not going to make that shit public. That’s where your personal drive comes in handy. Also, I can’t believe I have to say this, but don’t use your drive for illegal purposes. All right, we’re cool, moving on.

You get the free 15GB and it’s up to you to decide how you’re going to use them. It’s important to note that even though these 15GB are quoted as your drive storage space, they’re actually the entire allocated space for your Google account. That means that any software that stores data to your Google account is automatically eating up that storage space, so be on the lookout. Further, your Google Images subscription is linked to the drive. So, if you’re on your phone 24/7, taking pictures of birds or naked chicks, you might fill up your drive and not realize it. Be on the lookout.

Paying Premium Prices

The very first tier is the one that Google recommends you get. Companies usually try to push for larger packages, but the 100GB tier is more than enough for personal use. Plus, it’s super affordable. Keep in mind that these tiers are named by their actual storage space. They don’t have cute little nicknames like business or enterprise. So, we’ve got the 100GB tier first and it comes with, well, 100GB. Obviously.

You also get access to Google Experts with this tier, which may or may not be completely useless. Google Experts are not hired by Google, but there’s more merit to their name than there is to Apple geniuses, so there’s that. They’re a large bunch of people who know their Google products like the back of their hand and you’re free to pester them with your unexpected problems and hope they respond. You’re not entitled to a response. You’re just paying for the privilege of being allowed to ask your questions.

There’s also some family plan availability that you’re eligible for under this plan, but the numbers shift from time to time, so you should check out the details for yourself. They’re basically just discounts for family members and all that. You can also let them use your storage, since they’re family, but this is just a matter of convenience. They also get the original 15GB on top of your 100GB, but they’d have those 15GB regardless, since they have a Gmail. So… there’s not much to be said about Google One family sharing.

This plan will cost you $19.00 a year. Simple. Efficient. Cheap.

Paying The Big Bucks

There’s a 200GB tier and a 2TB tier and unlike with other services, you don’t get any additional benefits other than the actual listed storage. You’re straight up just paying for redundant, high-quality storage. No muss, no fuss. These two tiers cost $29.99 and $99.99 a year. That’s not so bad, all things considered. Yes, you can actually purchase a 2TB drive for $100 and be done with it, but that’s not redundant storage. Hell, even a 3-piece RAID isn’t redundant if your house goes up in flames. Google is secure. There’s no way in hell your files will ever get lost. That’s just a simple matter of fact. For files that you never want to lose and always want to have access to, this is the way to go. It also can’t be said enough – I trust Google to protect access to these files. I don’t think I’m ever going to have my personal files leaked.

Even Apple’s cloud services have been hacked in the past, granted, partly through social engineering, but still. If you’re running 2-factor authentication, with some added security features, there’s no way your Google Drive will ever be penetrated by outside baddies. You’ll sleep soundly knowing that your files are secure. And, with 2TB of redundant storage, you won’t feel bad about those 99 dollars, I’ll tell you that much. This is a great place to keep all of your sensitive business files that are only accessible to you.

Tons of Features

There are a lot of implied features with Google Drive that you don’t really have in mind the first time you sign up, but you get used to them after a while and pretty soon, you can’t imagine life without them. The entire set of Google office solutions like Sheets and Docs are available to you for free and they store the data to your drive automatically. Then, there’s your Android phone, if you’re not an Apple buff.

All of your files and personal information can be synced to the cloud at all times. You never have to worry about losing your phone. Hell, you should do what I do – move all of your shit to the cloud automatically and have your phone be empty at all times. That way, if it gets stolen, you haven’t lost anything. And, Google can help you locate your phone in case it has been stolen. It’s a perfect solution that covers all of your personal needs.

If you’re in the market for a more corporate solution, for your actual team, then you’ll need to check out my review of Google Workspace. But, for personal use, Google Drive is your go-to. Look no further; they have everything you need and no additional fluff to inflate the price.