Google Drive is perhaps one of the most popular cloud storage services on the market. However, people still look for Google Drive alternatives due to some important shortcomings that have to do with overall privacy and performance.
While it is among the best online storage providers in 2024, we still prefer other options for reasons we’re going to discuss. For now, the main thing is that you probably aren’t satisfied with Google Drive and you’re looking to replace it – or you simply don’t see it as an attractive option.
If that is the case, don’t worry. We have prepared three great Google Drive alternatives that are miles ahead of this service.
The best alternatives to Google Drive in 2024
Don’t have time to read the whole article? No problem! To give you a quick answer, here’s a rundown of the best alternatives to Google Drive :
- pCloud – Best alternative to Google Drive in 2024
- NordLocker – Most secure alternative to Google Drive
- Dropbox – Best option to share files
- Sync.com – Affordable Google Drive alternative
- Microsoft OneDrive – Reliable cloud storage service
If you’d like to find out more about any of these services, please read on.
Why Do People Look for an Alternative to Google Drive?
Despite millions of users, Google Drive offers a fairly flawed experience. As in our article presenting alternatives to Dropbox, we will start by talking about all its limitations and flaws that make people look for an alternative to Google Drive.
Questionable Privacy & Security
Even if you aren’t a cybersecurity expert, you know that Google isn’t very privacy-friendly. You’ve also heard that many people avoid using Gmail and instead, switch to ProtonMail, Yandex, or any other provider.
While Google provides excellent and useful services, one of which is Google Drive, it lacks privacy. Namely, if you read Google’s privacy policy, everything will be transparent and visible from the get-go.
For example, Google is known for analyzing and scanning your data. This applies to Drive as well, where the company will scan through your documents and be able to see everything you upload to your cloud space.
Another reason to look for Google Drive alternatives is that its security isn’t top-notch. Sure, you get 256-bit encryption applied to your uploaded files but they’re not concealed from Google’s prying eyes.
Also, sharing files with G Drive isn’t as safe as you think. Namely, if you share a link to your document with someone, he or she can share the link with someone as well, but you won’t get notified of that. Not to mention that you can’t password-protect your link, which is a major security flaw.
Finally, we should mention that Google Drive doesn’t have end-to-end encryption. This means that you can’t fully encrypt your files and make them visible only to you. Unfortunately, Google’s privacy policy doesn’t allow for such a level of privacy, and for me, that’s a BIG deal.
Average Performance
Upload and download performance aren’t great here, which is why you should look for Google Drive alternatives. In our tests, pCloud and NordLocker managed to beat it significantly and upload our files almost twice as fast.
If you often upload very large files, you’ll most likely have to take an afternoon rest before they end up on your cloud storage. Bear in mind that upload/download speeds depend on your internet speed, but in most cases, G Drive won’t be able to utilize it fully.
Google’s Ability to Edit and Delete Your Documents
Did you notice that your documents on Google Drive are different? Or perhaps, that some of them just vanished into thin air? Well, if that’s the case, this is because Google has the right to fully manipulate your documents. Not kidding.
Essentially, this means that your documents on Google Drive aren’t only yours. In the privacy policy, Google Drive states that it can modify, create, use, host, and even distribute each document on your Drive.
If that sounds disturbing to you, that’s because it is. It’s surely one of the worst cases of privacy violation we’ve seen so far.
Expensive Prices
One more thing about Google Drive alternatives is that they’re, in most cases, cheaper. That is if we don’t talk about Dropbox that’s a bit more expensive.
Namely, Google Drive will charge you $9.99 a month for its 2 TB plan, which isn’t very cheap compared to NordLocker or pCloud. Besides, it also offers a small 100 GB plan at $1.99 a month, which, let’s be honest, isn’t very useful in terms of storage size.
Customer Support
Lastly, we want to mention Google’s customer support in case you’ve never had experience with it. If you have any issues with Google Drive or any of Google products, getting in touch with customer support is virtually impossible.
For one, it doesn’t offer live chat support, so you’ll have to fill out a support ticket. That, as you can expect won’t go as planned because Google hardly answers anything. Therefore, if you have an issue that you can’t solve on your own, good luck getting in touch with Google.
However, if you disable automatic payments in your PayPal, they’ll surely remind you to enable it so that they can charge you again. How convenient, huh?
The Best Alternatives to Google Drive in 2024
If you’re looking for a Google Drive alternative, know that this is not a bad provider, but there are a few better options for way less money. Instead of one, we’ll give you the three best Google Drive alternatives – pCloud, NordLocker, and Dropbox.
pCloud: The BEST Google Drive Alternative
pCloud is the best alternative to Google Drive in pretty much every department. For the start, it offers rock-solid security thanks to 256-bit encryption and data centers in the EU and US. Moreover, it copies your uploaded files to 3 different servers across the globe.
This means that, if one stops working, your files remain on the 2 remaining servers, making it impossible to lose them. What’s more, pCloud is the fastest cloud service we used, offering exceptional upload and download speeds across all platforms.
Privacy-wise, pCloud is based in Switzerland and that says a lot about it. For one, its privacy policy is much more privacy-friendly and implies that pCloud will NEVER access, edit, or distribute your files on cloud storage.
A bonus feature is its Crypto Folder. It’s a fancy name for zero-knowledge encryption that G Drive doesn’t have, and that lets you fully encrypt your files. That way, only you can access them, with pCloud having no clue about what those files are.
In our pCloud review, we also pointed out its excellent ease of use. It’s easy to upload and share files with pCloud safely. Speaking of sharing, it lets you add a password to shareable links, unlike Google which eliminates this option.
Its customer support is miles ahead of Google’s, too. With 24/7 email support, getting a response won’t take longer than 24 hours, as opposed to Google which responds once in a blue moon. And finally, we should talk about its pricing.
pCloud offers a 2 TB plan, similar to Google, but you can get it in a Lifetime plan! We’re talking about a one-time payment of a little under $400 for a plan that lasts 99 years. Now, compare it to Google Drive and you’ll see exactly why pCloud is a much better option.
NordLocker: An Encrypted Cloud Storage Better Than GDrive
Users who dislike Google Drive’s lack of encryption and security will be happier with NordLocker. NordLocker is our top choice of encrypted cloud storage, offering end-to-end encryption in all plans. Better yet, it’s more affordable than Google Drive.
We like NordLocker’s ease of use and support for all platforms. On Windows and Mac, you’ll enjoy the ability to encrypt any folder, even folders that aren’t on the cloud. Moreover, NordLocker supports drag-and-drop functions for improved ease of use.
This means transfers are quick and it’s easy to organize your files. As an alternative to Google Drive, NordLocker can back up your files and sync them across multiple devices. It supports macOS, Windows, iOS, and Android, but also offers a web app.
File sharing with NordLocker is another benefit. Even encrypted files can be shared with anyone using a code-secured link. The service works with the so-called Vaults, which can contain numerous files that you can share all at once.
Compared to Google Drive, NordLocker lacks file versioning, so in this regard, it’s no doubt inferior. However, there’s a neat function that lets you save space by offloading files. You can make them accessible only on the cloud or offline, for instance.
Price-wise, you’ll find NordLocker much more feasible. The roster starts at 500 GB and for the annual plan, you’ll pay just $2.99 a month. We recommend its 2 TB plan at $6.99 a month for the annual plan, as it offers much more storage space.
While NordLocker doesn’t offer unlimited storage like Sync, its Business plan is more than great. Users get access to 24/7 priority support, private sharing, and an Admin Panel for assigning permissions. Lastly, there’s a 30-day refund policy and a 3 GB free plan.
Dropbox: Cloud Storage With Office Tools
The third Google Drive alternative is Dropbox. It’s easily among the most reliable providers, offering a wealth of flexible plans for everyone. Granted, its free plan is lackluster with 2 GB of storage but at least, you’ll find full support for Microsoft and Google productivity tools.
Dropbox offers access to apps like Docs, Sheets, Slides, PowerPoint, Word, and Excel. This allows you to edit documents on the cloud without ever leaving this space. Moreover, Dropbox’s interface is intuitive, allowing for easy file transfers.
We like this provider because it offers multimedia features. Therefore, it allows you to reproduce videos, edit photos, and convert files. Like Google Drive, it’s not the safest in terms of logging, which is a result of lots of third-party integrations.
However, it uses AES-256 encryption for all files on the cloud. Dropbox offers file versioning of up to 365 days and there’s the option to back up all your files from any device. Block-level syncing is here and like pCloud, Dropbox’s performance is top-notch.
This tool offers bonus features like E-Signatures that can be used for business purposes. Not to mention nifty little additions like Dropbox Paper and Dropbox Transfer used for transferring large files to users with or without a Dropbox account.
In terms of price, it’s more expensive than NordLocker but it’s also more flexible. In our NordLocker evaluation, we didn’t like its 2 TB limit. Well, Dropbox’s Individual plans go up to 3 TB of storage per user, which is 50% more.
Granted, Dropbox is expensive, and at $18 a month, this plan won’t be the most cost-effective option. However, the Plus plan at $9.99 a month sounds much better. We dislike its security and privacy but storage and productivity-wise, it’s particularly good.
Summary
Google Drive is by no means a bad online cloud service. While it offers a valuable 15 GB free plan, an intuitive interface, and office tools, its shortcomings aren’t so negligible. Google Drive isn’t very privacy-oriented and its security, while solid on paper, isn’t the best on the market.
If we add expensive prices, non-responsive customer support, and average performance, it’s easy to see why you should seek Google Drive alternatives. Thankfully, we gave you them today in the form of pCloud, NordLocker, and Dropbox.
Both of these cloud services are significantly better and much cheaper, making Google Drive not a go-to option compared to the three excellent cloud storage giants.
