Last November, Google announced that its free unlimited photo backup was going to end and it would all fall under the free shared 15GB get you with Google’s other services, like Gmail and Google Drive. Now, it’s almost upon us, with the service set to shut down on June 1st. You can, of course, upgrade to Google One (although there’s no “Unlimited” package), but what are your alternatives?
Well, none of the alternatives are really free, either. Not for unlimited storage, anyway. But with Google shifting over to a paid-only option with minimal free storage, the advantage they once had is now gone. Here we take a look at a few of the competing services for you to check out and see which best fits your needs.
Google One
We might as well start with the paid options from Google’s Google One service so that you have an idea of what you can get from them and how much it’s going to cost you. This replaces the free unlimited photo backup that Google has offered up until now.
- Free Storage: 15GB (as part of your combined Google services free space)
- Paid Storage: $1.99/mo for 100GB, $2.99/mo for 200 and $9.99/mo for 2TB.
- Platforms: Windows, iOS, Android and Fire TV.
Amazon Photos (free for Prime members)
This is about as close to free as you’ll get these days. Ok, it’s not really free, because you need a Prime membership, but for people who already have a Prime membership anyway, it’s a free perk of your membership. There is a free option as well, although the space is quite limited.
- Free Storage: 5GB
- Paid Storage: $12.99/mo as part of Amazon Prime. Unlimited photo storage and 5GB of video storage. Additional video storage is available for the cost of $1.99/mo for 100GB, $6.99/mo for 1TB and $11.99/mo for 2TB.
- Platforms: Windows, iOS, Android and Fire TV.
SmugMug
SmugMug is one of the most popular online photo storage services for photographers. And it’s designed specifically for photographers. Especially working ones who need to provide a range of services to their clients. But they also offer packages for individuals, too, including unlimited storage for only $66/year.
- Free Storage: Free 14-day trial
- Paid Storage: $66/yr for unlimited storage
- Platforms: All via website, iOS, Android & Lightroom plugin
iCloud (Apple-only)
Apple offers 5GB of free storage with its iCloud services. It integrates all of your Apple devices including your iPhone, iPad and Mac. It then syncs photos between them seamlessly. There’s even a Windows app now, although – not surprisingly – there isn’t one for Android.
- Free Storage: 5GB
- Paid Storage: $0.99/mo for 50GB, $2.99/mo for 200GB, $9.99/mo for 2TB -You can also get a bundle deal with Apple One.
- Platforms: iOS, macOS, Windows
Dropbox
Dropbox is probably one of the most well known backup solutions out there now. They’re not dedicated to photos like a number of the other services mentioned here, but they’ve proven their worth to individuals and businesses around the world. Many 3rd party apps and services now also integrate directly into Dropbox as a cloud storage platform.
- Free storage: 2GB (+ up to 14GB extra free space from various activities)
- Paid storage: $9.99/mo for 2TB, $16.58/mo for 3TB
- Platforms: Windows, macOS, iOS, Android
Microsoft OneDrive
If Google and Apple are going to get in on the storage game, then you know Microsoft is. Their prices aren’t that bad, either. They’re a little more family oriented once you get up into the most expensive option, but depending on your needs, that might suit you better. And as Microsoft doesn’t really have a horse in the smartphone race anymore, apps are available for both Android and iOS.
- Free storage: 5GB
- Paid storage: $1.99/mo for 100GB, $6.99/mo (or $69.99/yr) for 1TB with Skype, Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint, $9.99/mo (or $99.99/yr) for 6TB for up to 6 family members (1TB per member) including Skype, Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
- Platforms: Windows, macOS, iOS, Android
Flickr Pro
Flickr is another service that’s changed its structure quite a bit since being bought out by Yahoo and then acquired by SmugMug three years ago. You get up to 1,000 photos with Flickr’s free account, and there doesn’t appear to be a limit on the size of those images, but once you hit that limit, that’s your lot unless you go with a paid account.
- Free storage: 1000 Images
- Paid storage: $6.99/mo for Unlimited, $5.00/mo if paid annually
- Platforms: All via website, macOS (Uploadr for Flickr Pro members), iOS, Android
Be your own Cloud
Running your own personal cloud service is a popular choice these days, and it’s one I’ve been doing for a few years now. I used to use Resilio Sync but have now switched over to Syncthing, a completely free and 100% open-source option. Resilio Sync offers a free option and also $59.90 for individuals, $99.90 for families or from $30/mo for businesses, with each offering different levels of service and features. Of course, the storage doesn’t change, because that’s down to you.
Syncthing offers everything for free, and it covers a wide range of platforms. I use it for syncing up data between my desktop, two Windows laptops, two Android devices and a couple of Raspberry Pis to each other and separate storage. You can even share your folders with people across the Internet easily for remote backups or project collaborations.
What’s your cloud backup solution?
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