Cloud computing technology is growing popular by the hours. There were not many cloud services providers back in the day and the times have changed drastically. It’s been more than a decade that the technology was introduced. Now, over time many companies have leveraged it to phenomenal capabilities for making a niche in the cloud computing market.
Now, when we talk about that, no one can miss the names of Amazon Web Services and Google Cloud Services. Both AWS and Google Cloud have been the first companies to leverage cloud computing.
They offer various services over online cloud-based server environments to make workflows, processes, and operations easier, more efficient, and more accessible for all.
The most excellent of all these can be considered their file and data storage and management solutions in the form of Amazon Drive and Google Drive.
Both Google Drive and Amazon Drive are excellent cloud storage. They are used to keep your files and database in a more accessible yet secure environment.
However, which one should you go for? Which one is a better choice? Well, it all depends on your personal needs and preferences. However, since they are both great, a comparison must be in consideration to ensure that you are making the right choice.
We have taken the baton for that. Now, we present you with a detailed comparison, pitting Google Drive vs Amazon Drive to see which one would really be a better option for keeping your files and databases safe, secure, and accessible.
Google Drive vs Amazon Drive – A Detailed Comparison
When it comes to cloud storage platforms, there can be no better names than Google Drive and Amazon Drive. However, while they are extremely popular, the same popularity also confuses the users when it comes to making a choice between the two.
Now, when it comes to making choices, the only resort left is to compare the options before you. So, let’s do that! Here is a detailed comparison of Google Drive Vs. Amazon Drive on all the essential parameters that one may ever consider when looking for a cloud storage solution.
Read Google Drive vs Mega
Google Drive vs Amazon Drive- Storage Space
One of the most important and crucial aspects to look for in a cloud drive is the storage space it offers. Now, both Google Drive and Amazon Drive are very promising about the same.
Google Drive offers free storage of up to 15GB of data. It includes data uploaded on your Google Photos and Gmail account as well. This much storage is more than enough to cover your basic needs.
And if you manage your Google Photos and Gmail accounts well, you may probably not run out of storage ever.
Plan | Free | Basic | Standard | Premium |
Pricing/month | Free | $1.99 | $2.99 | $9.99 |
Storage | 15GB | 100GB | 200GB | 2TB |
However, if you have higher needs and requirements for data storage, you can move on to Google Drive paid plans that start at just $1.99 a month and offer up to 100GB of storage.
Moving on to Amazon Drive, it is not very generous for the free storage limits. It offers a maximum of 5GB of data storage for free. If you have needs higher than that, which you shall definitely have, you need to upgrade to the paid plans. However, the good part is that Amazon Drive is quite generous with its paid plans.
As of now, only yearly plans are available on Amazon Drive, but they are a catch, in fact, a bang for your buck. At the cost of just $11.99 a year, you get up to 100GB of storage on Amazon Drive. Additionally, if you just bear a cost of approximately $60 a year, you get 1TB of storage space on the Drive.
Now, if you look at that in the longer run, this costs much less than Google Drive paid plans, which makes Amazon Drive a better option for storage if you have vast data storage needs and requirements.
Read How to Check Who Downloaded Files in Google Drive
Google Drive vs Amazon Drive- Security and Privacy of Data and Files
When you are using cloud drives for data storage, all your files are in an online server-based environment. Now, that comes with huge privacy and security risks.
The hackers and attackers always have their eyes on public cloud servers. They shall misuse any information they can get their hands on.
So, you need to constantly ensure that efficient and effective security measures and protocols are put in place to keep hackers’ and attackers’ hands off your private and confidential business as well as personal data and information. Both Google Drive and Amazon Drive ensure the same.
In fact, both these services are known and popular for their phenomenal security features and protocols.
Google Drive supports end-to-end encryption for all your files and data over it. Additionally, you can enable two-factor authentication. Also, verification on the files as well to ensure that only authorized personnel is accessing your files.
The security is further enhanced with file sharing, upload, and download restrictions. As such, you can choose how much access you want to grant to others. This keeps you in complete control of your files.
Amazon Drive is similar in these areas. It offers multi-factor authentication for the files and data over it to make sure that no one unauthorized person is entering your file systems and databases.
So, as far as the security of the drives is concerned, both Google Drive and Amazon Drive are on an equal standing.
Read How to Free Up Google Drive Space
Google Drive vs Amazon Drive- Ease of Use
When you are using a cloud storage service, you don’t want to fall into any hassles or mambo-jumbo of technicalities and navigation. You want a simple interface that is easy to use.
Moreover, it needs to be easy to understand and will help you manage and organize all your data and files in a seamless manner. Well, you get this with both Google Drive and Amazon Drive.
Both Google Drive and Amazon Drive have kept their user interfaces extremely simple and easily navigable. You can very quickly and easily upload your files. Then even find them within the drive using the search boxes.
So, you really need not get into any hassles, and you will find it extremely easy to operate these drives.
Read How to Stop Google Drive Notifications
Google Drive vs Amazon Drive- File Sharing and Access
One of the greatest advantages of having your data on cloud storage platforms is that it becomes easier to work in a team. It works only as you can easily share files, grant access, and collaborate with your team members for work.
However, this comes at a risk, too, especially when you cannot control the access that you can grant to the people with whom you are sharing your files.
Amazon Drive- File Sharing
Now, this comes as a problem on Amazon Drive. While you can share the files on Amazon Drive, it offers no features or functionalities to control or restrict access the users get.
Once a file is shared, the users can download files. They can also make edits, add comments, and do about everything in your files. As such, you offer free reign on your files to any person you share them with.
Google Drive- File Sharing
Google Drive keeps it a lot different and a lot more secure in this matter. There is great control in the file sharing and access features on Google Drive. You can easily share your files with anyone. Also, make sure that they only get the access permissions that you want to grant.
You can choose to grant access to anyone having the link to your files and documents. Or restrict the same to only some specific people who you especially add to the documents or files.
Furthermore, you can choose how the people with access can use the files. To know whether they can only view the files, suggest edits through comment, or have free reign on your files as an editor, just like you.
Moreover, you can change the access that you grant at a later period of time as well and can even remove a person from the sharing list.
So, you have complete control over how your files are shared and how you grant access to the people on Google Drive, and this makes it a much more secure platform than Amazon Drive.
Read How to reduce file size in Google drive
Google Drive vs Amazon Drive- ThirdParty Application Usage and Integration
Google Drive is great in supporting third-party applications and integrates well with all of them. As such, you get a lot of added features and functionalities with Google Drive.
You can easily create documents, sheets, and presentations using other Google apps. Furthermore, these don’t even count towards your Google Drive storage limits.
Additionally, with all the third-party integration capabilities on Google Drive, you can more easily work in real-time with your teams.
Amazon Drive, however, lacks these features and functionalities. While the entire AWS is very compatible with third-party tools and applications, Amazon Drive is not supportive of them.
As such, you cannot use Amazon Drive for document or file creation. It’s only a space to upload, save, and share your files.
In that, Amazon Drive does lack a very important feature, and Google Drive gains a lot on it in this matter.
Read How to move files from one google drive to another?
Google Drive vs Amazon Drive- Where Can You Use These Drives?
One of the best things about cloud drives is the unlimited accessibility that they provide. As such, both Amazon Drive and Google Drive are usable on the web as well as mobile interfaces. Moreover, there are no limitations or constraints as to operating system compatibility.
Be it the Android operating system, iOS, macOS, or Windows; you can use both the drives on any of them with the same feature-rich and functional experiences.
Related Google Drive tutorials:
- How to get Google Drive icon on Taskbar
- Why is Google Drive So Slow?
- 7 Best Chrome Extensions for Google Drive
Final Words
You need to look into the nitty-gritty of every cloud platform available out there in the cloud computing marketplace and industry and then make a decision that would suit you the best.
Now, it can be really painful, hectic, and time-consuming to compare so many of such platforms. But you can surely compare the best ones, just like we did here in this article.
Amazon Drive and Google Drive are two of the best cloud storage platforms and applications available at your disposal. Both the companies are among the first to leverage cloud computing technology, and they pose a strong competition to each other.
As we compared Google Drive and Amazon Drive, we could see that Amazon Drive is phenomenal in terms of storage, and if you have really high and vast storage needs and requirements, Amazon Drive would be the choice you must make.
But that’s it with Amazon Drive. For all other features and functionalities, Google Drive takes a much upper hand and gains by a lot of points.
Be it free storage limits, ease of use, security, file sharing, and access control, or compatibility and integration with other third-party tools and applications; Google Drive proves to be much more feature-rich, efficient, and better than Amazon Drive.
As such, if you want a cloud storage platform that would meet all your data storage and file management needs and requirements at minimal costs, then Google Drive will be the way to go.
However, if huge data storage is all you care about and can deal with a lack of other functionalities, then Amazon Drive shall not be a bad choice either.
It all depends on your specific needs and requirements as regards the usage of your cloud storage platform. We hope that this article has answered most of your doubts, if not all, and you are in a better position to decide the right cloud storage platform for your purposes between Amazon Drive and Google Drive.
I am Carissa Gudinoa, a technology buff, and Office online and Apple expert with over 9 years of experience. I am passionate about helping others get the most out of their Apple devices. I have written extensively about Apple products and technologies. I am committed to providing my clients with the best possible service and am always up-to-date on the latest Apple products and features. I also write extensively on other software available for use at minimal cost or free. This includes Word Online, Outlook Online, Excel Online, and other Office online programs… Check out more.