Google accounts have become popular due to the various benefits one can receive from it. All android devices and the files of the device, including apps, photos, videos, etc., can be synchronized and backed up with a Google account.
Google Drive and Google One are both storage spaces provided by Google. But many are unaware of Google One or the difference between the two. It is necessary to know the difference if we need to know which is the best for us.
Google Drive vs Google One
The main difference between Google Drive and Google One is that Google Drive is free and one does not need to pay to access Google Drive whereas Google One is paid and depending on the subscription deal, the cost varies.
Google Drive is the storage space provided by Google. It is free of cost and gives up to 15 GB of storage space for one account across all devices. So this storage can be accessed by any device that has an activated Google account.
Google One is a storage space subscription, also provided by Google. It provides storage space within a range of 100GB to 4TB and this depends on the plan chosen. The plan is chosen such that it fits the necessities for the storage.
Comparison Table Between Google Drive and Google One
| Parameters of Comparison | Google Drive | Google One |
| Meaning | It is the free storage space that is given by Google for account holders. | It is a subscription for storage spaces by Google. |
| Storage space | It provides up to 15 GB of free storage space for Google accounts across all devices. | According to the plan chosen, the storage space provided can vary from 100GB to 4TB. |
| Cost | Since the storage space provided is free, there is no cost. | According to the required storage space and plan, the cost can vary per month. |
| Necessities | An activated Google or Gmail account is the only requirement to access this feature. | An activated Google account and Google Drive along with recognized payment methods. |
| Features | They have document sharing and syncing options that allows one to have groups sharing the same file. This enables one to add to the shared file across any device with any account. | One can share the Google One subscription with family and this allows an addition of up to 5 members. But the storage is not equally divided. |
What is Google Drive?
Google Drive is the 15GB free storage that is provided by Google for all account holders. It allows storage and synchronization of files that are existing in the device. Google Drive can be accessed across any device having an activated Google account.
The Google Drive of one particular account can also be accessed by many devices if the account is opened and synchronized in that device. It also encompasses Google Docs, Google Sheets and Google Slides.
Google Drive also allows back-up of the files in the device. So even if are changing the device, all the files in the previous system/ device will be backed up and synchronized in the new device.
It was first introduced in April 2007 in the form of an app for iOS and Android system. There are about 1 B active users for Google Drive. This is also available in the form of a website.
What is Google One?
Google One is a subscription plan for the increase of storage for a Google account. The 15 GB provided by Google Drive is also a part of Google One. Depending on the storage required, the cost also changes.
The plan starts at 100 MB. The maximum available storage space is 4 TB. One can upgrade their Google Drive storage to Google One storage without having to erase their existing files.
Google also enables family sharing. Through this, one subscription plan can be shared by 5 other members of a family. But the storage is not equally divided among all. So one member may use more storage than the rest.
Google One is recommended to be used by business individuals since they would need more storage. If the storage space is not enough, one may stop receiving important emails.
Main Difference Between Google Drive and Google One
- Google Drive is the free storage provided by Google for account holders. Whereas Google One is the subscriptions deals provided by Google for increasing the existing storage space for an account. The extension of storage often depends on the purpose.
- The storage space provided by the two is different. Google Drive only provides up to 15 GB of free storage space. But in Google One, according to the plan that the individual has subscribed to, the accessible storage space changes. The storage space provided ranges from 100 GB to 4 TB.
- Google Drive storage is cost-free as they are providing free storage space. One does not need to pay for accessing the 15 GB provided by Google Drive. On the other hand, Google One storage costs. But the cost can be cut depending on the storage and the subscription plan that is required. The cost ranges differ for different storage spaces.
- Though the basic requirements for both, Google Drive and Google One, is a Google account, Google One has a few more necessities. With an activated Google account, one would already be able to access the storage and other features provided by Google Drive. But in the case of Google One, you would need a Google account, activated Google Drive and a recognized payment method.
- Features provided by Google Drive and Google One are almost similar. But Google Drive also enables one for file sharing. Google One also has various features along with this like family sharing plan. The subscribed Google One account can be shared between family and the addition of up to 5 members is allowed. But the storage is not equally divided among all.
Conclusion
Google Drive and Google One are storage spaces provided by Google. while Google Drive is the 15 GB free space provided by Google One, Google One is the subscription plans for increasing the existing storage space.
Reference
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1084804513002051
- https://dl.acm.org/doi/abs/10.1145/3097983.3098048