Starting June 1, 2021, all your photos or videos will be counted toward the free 15GB of storage that comes with every Google account.
You will soon be required to pay for Google Photos if you hit more than 15GB cap. In case you are unaware, Google is allowing you to upload high-quality unlimited photos until June 1, 2021. So, if the free storage space is full, and you are uploading images after June 1, then Google will ask you to pay for the extra storage. Don’t worry as you have a lot of time to decide whether to use Google Photos or switch to any other cloud storage service. It is important to note that the 15GB space includes data of your Gmail, Photos, and other Google services.
Should you buy Google One subscription or switch to another cloud storage service?
In our opinion, one should buy the Google One subscription if they exceed the free 15GB limit. The reason is Google offers better services at a lower price, compared to the competition. The search giant offers search function (by keyword, location, or name), automatic photos backup option and other features. Also, no service is free and you will eventually have to pay for it. So, buying the subscription now would be a better option.
Note that Google has also introduced a new policy, which says accounts that have been inactive for two years will be deleted and your data will be lost. Now, let’s take a look at the best Google Photos alternatives that you can consider trying before June 1.
Best Google Photos alternatives
MEGA
MEGA is a cloud storage service, which you can use to store your photos or videos. It offers 50GB of free storage space, but only for 30 days. After 1 month, you will get 15GB of cloud storage. You can create a free account here without entering your bank card details. Also, the files and chats on this site are also encrypted with keys controlled by you. Users will get free additional storage for a year if you recommend the service to your friend and she/she signs up. The platform even allows you to have audio/video calls.
The site says that it will offer two months of free usage if you purchase a one-year PRO plan. The base plan from the site starts from Rs 437 per month (around EUR 4.99). This plan will give you 400GB space and you can upload a maximum of 1GB of data. Comparatively, Google asks you to pay Rs 650 per month for 1TB of storage.
Amazon Photos
Amazon Photos is a good alternative if you are an Amazon Prime member. The e-commerce giant offers Prime members free, unlimited, full-resolution photo storage, as well as 5GB video storage, which is just great. The non-Amazon Prime members get 5GB photo and video storage, which is quite low. It offers services similar to Google Photos, and you have the option to share photos and view them as a virtual photo album Fire TV, Echo Show, and Fire tablets. The service automatically syncs all your data, so that you can access them anywhere. There is also a Family Vault option to share photos with family. For 100GB storage, you will have to pay $1.99 per month, which is around Rs 148. This is much cheaper than Google One subscription.
Degoo
Degoo is one of the best alternatives to Google Photos as you are getting 100GB of free cloud storage, which is huge compared to all the services mentioned. The company claims that all the files are end-to-end encrypted. The best part is you can earn up to 500GB more storage space if your friends sign up for this cloud storage service. The service also includes an automatic backup option. There is a 500GB plan, which is priced at $2.99/month and $9.99/month for the 10TB plan. All this is great. The only downside is you will witness ads on this service. Additionally, only three devices can upload files with the free plan.
Dropbox
Dropbox is one of the decent cloud storage services. Although you will be required to pay $9.99 (approximately Rs 740) per month for 2TB storage. This means that you will be spending $119.88 (around Rs 8,870) for one year. Google charges Rs 650 per month and Rs 6,500 annually for 2TB storage space. The free one only gives you 2GB cloud storage, which is very less than what Google offers you. The service allows you to send up to 100 MB per transfer, and 30 days extra days to recover files from the dustbin.
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