Google Drive and Microsoft OneDrive rival each other rigorously. While one pulls ahead in one area, the other leapfrog in a different department. Therefore, I compared Google Drive and OneDrive in this article based on my personal experience.
That includes what I enjoyed, what annoyed me, which one offers more convenience, pricing, and so much more!
So, without further ado, let’s get cracking.
Let’s Compare: Google Drive & OneDrive
Before you swallow the comparison pill between the two of the most widespread cloud storage solutions, here’s a quick note.
Being a long-time user of Google Drive & OneDrive, I’ve evaluated both of them with points on some specific parameters. I’ll discuss each one of them as this article progresses further.
User Interface & Experience
The soul of an application is captured in the UI and UX, whether it’s a desktop version or a PWA (Progressive Web App). It’s fair you expect Google Drive and OneDrive to deliver on that front.
On the landing page of either app, you’ll be presented with a clean and intuitive UI. Both of them have everything laid in front of you.
With a search bar at the top, showing recently opened or modified files for fast access in the middle, all the folders in the left pane, and drive storage and profile settings in the right half of the screen, put Google Drive & OneDrive in the same plate. However, file filtration, icons, labels, and fonts feel more synergistic in Google Drive.
In the real world, I found people are more than often drawn to Google’s straightforward approach, including me. That doesn’t mean OneDrive’s interface is trash or unusable. It feels a bit convoluted at first. But once you spend some time and get familiar with the UI, it gets better.
Bringing the light to user experience, both cover basic functionalities right as rain. Yet some small details set one stand out from the other.
While usual operations such as creating a doc, slide, or uploading a file are simpler on Google Drive, OneDrive offers more additional features for advanced users.
For instance, when you upload a video to OneDrive, use Transcripts and captions to generate a written script thanks to AI. Create and edit a thumbnail or upload one. Make sections in the playback with tools like Chapter. Stuff like this makes OneDrive a better cloud storage option. Even though it requires a learning curve.
So, both get the point in UI & UX department.
As a Collaboration Platform
Teamwork, cooperation, or partnership, whatever you call it, Google One and OneDrive do it beautifully. Create, share, or work on the same document in real-time on both platforms. Besides, control the access level for files and folders.
Whether on a phone, laptop, or tablet, it’s possible to access these storage services from anywhere in the world, regardless of the operating system.
OneDrive walks some extra miles with storing files, however. Which is — files transferred in Microsoft Teams channels are saved in OneDrive automatically. But it’s restricted to the OneDrive business account. It makes collaboration even easier than you can think of.
Let’s say you missed a meeting in Teams and need the files shared there. No worries, go to OneDrive and navigate to the channel from Quick access. Each channel under a team will inherit a folder with the same name that is in Microsoft Teams. Simply fetch the files from there. Such convenience puts OneDrive one step ahead.
Hence, I reward OneDrive with an additional point as a collaboration platform.
| Features | Google Drive | OneDrive | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Performance | Super responsive UI and data uploading | UI response time feels sluggish | OneDrive = 0 Google Drive = +1 |
| Security | Two-factor Authentication with RSA encryption to protect data in transit | SSL/TLS encryption helps to keep up with modern security threats | OneDrive = +1 Google Drive = +1 |
| Privacy | Exploits user data history to show ads | No data exploitation | OneDrive = +1 Google Drive = 0 |
| File Sync in the Cloud | Syncs file automatically but requires more bandwidth | Block level copying saves time and sync data faster | OneDrive = +1 Google Drive = 0 |
| Integration | Wide range of third party app integration just like native adaptation paves the way for Google Drive being an unprecedented all in one solution. | Catered towards Microsoft ecosystem. Limited third party application support | One Drive = 0 Google Drive = +1 |
| Subscription | Google Drive Offers 15GB free storage with plans at every price point | One Drive Comes with 5GB free storage and fewer plans. But the plans are equivalent to what Google Drive offers. | One Drive = +1 Google Drive = +1 |
Performance
Performance depends on how quickly data is stored on either cloud and how smooth the operations are inside each app.
Honestly speaking, in my testing, I’ve found Microsoft OneDrive and Google Drive upload speed neck and neck on the same network.
Google Drive, on the other hand, takes the crown by a hair per se when it comes to response time, such as opening a doc or PDF inside the client. It’s almost negligible, to be honest. It’s just my nitpick.
On a different note, block-level copying gives OneDrive a slight edge in speed while working with Microsoft native apps. Basically, it breaks down a file into small chunks and copies only the section that is modified, eliminating the traditional way of re-uploading a new file entirely.
All things considered, both are equally performant.
Security
Security feature-wise, Google Drive and OneDrive both do an exceptional job. While Google Drive utilizes RSA encryption with 2048 bits key length, OneDrive exploits SSL/TLS encryption to preserve data in transition. Both of them also use 256-bit AES encryption.
As per sign-in or profile security breach measures, Google Drive and OneDrive make use of Two-Step Verification. As a result, the possibility of unauthorized access is almost null.
Plus one for both platforms.
Privacy
Straight up, Google exploits user history to show ads and caters to web and Android experience. Which is annoying for users in many instances. Microsoft, on the other hand, scans your data in OneDrive but does not exercise practices like Google.
So a big plus for OneDrive in terms of privacy.
Cloud Synchronization
One of the major factors to consider while choosing cloud storage such as Google Drive or OneDrive is how well it can synchronize data from your local machine to the cloud servers.
Both solutions from Microsoft and Google in this regard do an excellent job in this regard. Google Drive and OneDrive offer the ability to use them on your computer just like a regular partition. Drop your files, and automatically it’ll sync to the cloud. For the best experience, however, you require a stable connection.
You’ll find both cloud storage performing almost identically under the exact network. So, the point goes to both.
Integration
OneDrive works strikingly well with Microsoft-built apps such as Microsoft 365. These applications are tightly integrated with OneDrive, to say the least. Makes the cloud storage a tiny warehouse of Microsoft.
But with third-party developed apps, the benefits run out much faster. Only a smattering of platforms, such as Zoom, Trello, etc., goes hand-in-hand. It’s basically tailored for B2B users.
Google Drive is the king when it comes to app integration. It perfectly integrates Google Workspace apps as well as a vast library from third-party developers. Almost every major popular program can be integrated using the Google Workspace Marketplace, such as Swift, Lucidchart, and more. Such seamless association powers Google Drive to do more. Thus, Google Drive stays in an advantageous spot.
Storage & Pricing
When it comes to pricing and storage plans, Google Drive and OneDrive take different approaches. By default, Google Drive has 15GB of free usable space across Google services such as Gmail, Google Photos, and others.
OneDrive, in the meantime, welcomes a user with 5GB of free storage. But there’s a catch. Unlike Google, a consumer gets stand-alone 15GB space just for Microsoft Outlook mail service.
Now, there’s always the option to expand storage on OneDrive and Google Drive with subscription plans. For any Google service, you must purchase a subscription through Google One or Google Workspace. On the flip side, buy Microsoft 365 plans to secure more OneDrive storage.
| Google Drive | One Drive | |
|---|---|---|
| Personal | Google One Basic $2/month 100GB | Microsoft 365 Basic $2/month 100GB |
| Google One Standard $3/month 200GB | Microsoft 365 Personal $7/month 1TB | |
| Google One Premium $10/month 2TB | Microsoft 365 Basic $10/month 6TB (1TB per person) | |
| Business | Starter $6/user/month 30GB | Plan 1 $5/user/month 1TB |
| Standard $12/user/month 2TB | Plan 2 $10/user/month Unlimited Cloud Storage | |
| Plus $18/user/month 5TB | ||
| Enterprise (contact Google for price) |
Verdict: Google Drive Vs Microsoft OneDrive
As per my years of user experience, you won’t be at a great loss by choosing either Google Drive or OneDrive. It rather depends on which ecosystem you are in. If you are already into Microsoft Suite, go for OneDrive and vice versa for Google Drive.
That said, if you are someone wishing to latch on to one of the cloud storage solutions; Google Drive will feel more user-friendly, intuitive, and easy-to-operate platform. From personal use to small business, it will serve your purpose with flying colors. Especially with cost-effective storage plans.
OneDrive, as an alternative, offers more at the enterprise level. preserved privacy and close integration with Microsoft apps metamorphose it into a high-level cloud companion for companies and educational organizations.
