With time, the dependence of people on cell phones and other in-hand gadgets keeps on growing. Everyone is moving towards portable devices at a fast forward rate.
With the usage of a device, comes the necessity of storing data. And nothing is better than Cloud storage method in this case! It is cost-effective as well as a user-friendly storage method. Many people find cloud storage very comfortable and therefore, prefer the same over other conventional storage methods.
Cloud storage is a method of data storage that allows the data to be stored in logical pools, i.e., the Cloud. The data is stored digitally and can be accessed through cell phones, desktop, laptop or any other used gadgets. People and companies also have a facility to buy or rent additional storage capacity in cloud storage, if needed. This makes the whole process of data storing more convenient and user-friendly.
Google Drive and iCloud are two such services of Cloud storage. These are believed to be two of the most used and biggest cloud storage services. Both provide a way to access data or files from various devices and, come to the user’s rescue in case of any data storage failures.
Google Drive vs iCloud
The main difference between Google Drive and iCloud is that Google Drive is the Cloud storage service of Google, whereas, iCloud is the Cloud storage service of Apple.
Comparison Table Between Google Drive and iCloud
| Parameter of Comparison | Google Drive | iCloud |
| Launch | Google Drive was launched in the year 2012. | iCloud was launched in the year 2011. |
| Ownership | Owned and managed by Google LLC. | Owned and managed by Apple Incorporation. |
| Free storage | The free storage space offered by Google Drive is 15GB. | Whereas, the free storage space offered here is only 5GB. |
| Availability | Google Drive has app support in Android along with Windows, iOS and Mac OS. | While iCloud is only available for iOS and Mac OS. It has no app support for Android. |
| Pricing | Additional storage of 50GB can be bought at once and it is costlier. | Additional storage of 100GB can be bought at once. The cost is comparatively lower. |
| Paid storage | Paid storage space is limited to 30TB. | While it can provide paid storage space of only 2TB at maximum. |
| File size | The file size can go up to a maximum of 5TB. | Here, it is only 50GB. |
| Bandwidth limitation | There is no bandwidth limitation set on Google Drive. | Whereas, iCloud has bandwidth limitation, i.e., 200, 400 or 600 per month. |
What is Google Drive?
Google Drive is a Cloud storage service owned and introduced by Google in the year 2012. It allows users to store documents and media files on Google servers, and access them from any device, they want.
Google Drive syncs photos, music, documents etc. and stores them so that these can be accessed at the time of need. It even provides a free storage space of 15GB and an additional paid storage option is available which can be extended up to 30TB. In addition to this, it provides the user with the convenience of creating documents, sharing files and editing the documents. It is by far one of the most widely used cloud storage services as it comes with such a huge variety of features.
On Android devices, Google Drive is pretty much optimized and pre-installed or, can be installed easily via the Play store. Moreover, it is also available on iOS, Windows and Mac OS as well. It can also be managed easily through the Files app available.
Furthermore, Google Drive has yet another feature introduced, i.e., Quick Access. It is a machine-learned program that helps predict the file which a user wants to open and provide recommendations based on that.
What is iCloud?
iCloud is a Cloud storage service owned and introduced by Apple in 2011. It works as a locker that automatically synchronizes the user’s personal data across all the devices where iCloud is used.
More accurately, iCloud is a collection of tools that helps in managing mobile devices and others. Just like Google Drive, it allows taking a backup of the photos, music, documents etc. It provides a free storage space of 5GB and an additional paid storage option is available which can be extended up to 2TB. An iCloud account can be created on any Apple devices.
iCloud is available by default on all the iOS and Mac OS devices. Even Windows users can download iCloud and can use it on PC. Sadly, there is no native iCloud app support for Android devices. Still, it has a web app where the android users can sign in and can manage their contents within that. But it somehow fails to function accurately on mobile browsers.
As Apple keeps on expanding the capabilities and features of iCloud, it becomes difficult to dictate an effective means for forensic accession of data and its effect on the original file data.
Main Differences Between Google Drive and iCloud
- Google Drive is owned by Google, whereas, iCloud is owned by Apple.
- Free storage space offered on Google Drive is more as compared to the iCloud.
- Google drive is available on every type of device, whereas, iCloud does not have app support for Android devices.
- Cooperatively, iCloud is less costly than Google Drive, when buying additional storage.
- Maximum file size in Google Drive is 5TB, while that of the iCloud is only 50GB.
- Google Drive has an additional paid storage option up to 30TB but in the case of the iCloud, it is only 2TB.
- iCloud has a bandwidth limitation set, whereas, Google Drive does not have any such limitations.
Conclusion
Both Google Drive and iCloud are two major cloud storage services available today. With a list of variable features which can be used on various devices, both continue to provide the users with a beneficial way of storing data, managing it and have access to it, whenever needed.
To summarize, both services have an equal share of advantages and disadvantages. It depends completely upon the user if he wants to use Google Drive or iCloud.
References
- https://dl.acm.org/doi/abs/10.1145/3394486.3403341
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1742287614000498