Most people assume Google One is just extra storage space. I did too—until I started using it. Now, it’s one of those rare subscriptions that feels worth every cent.
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It’s Appropriately Priced
No one likes adding yet another subscription to their expenses. Thankfully, Google One won’t strain you, especially if you get the base tier Basic plan, coming in at $1.99 per month (or $19.99 per year) for 100 GB of storage for Photos, Drive, and Gmail.
The next tier in line costs $9.99 per month for 2 TB of storage, which is going to be overkill for most. In most cases, the cheaper plan will give you everything you need to get rid of those annoying storage issues.
If you’re not in the US, Google also offers regional pricing and plans. For example, India has a Lite Google One plan that costs ₹59 or $0.68 for 30 GB storage. You can share this plan with your family members, but it’s more than enough for me to comfortably let my Pixel take backups, store photos, and keep my Google Drive running.
Microsoft’s OneDrive does have a comparable Microsoft 365 Basic plan at $1.99 a month that also offers 100 GB of cloud storage. Another option is a Dropbox subscription, which gives you 2 TB of storage at $11.99 per month, but you can share it with anyone.
If you’re using an Android phone and are otherwise a part of the Google ecosystem, getting a Google One subscription pays off. It’s also the only way you can continue using your Gmail address once you burn through the free 15 GB of cloud space that comes with free Google accounts.
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Google Drive Storage Woes Go Away
Your Google account’s storage is shared across Google Drive, Gmail, and Google Photos. Once that free 15 GB storage limit is exhausted, your email and cloud storage will stop working.
While you can use a local storage drive, NAS, or another cloud subscription to back up your data, you will have to effectively abandon your Google Drive and Gmail. The only way to get them working again is to spend time deleting emails and Google Drive data to get some storage back.
For most people, Google’s cheapest plans will suffice. It’s not exactly a customer-friendly experience, having to buy a subscription to continue using basic functionality. You can avoid paying by cleaning out your Google Drive, but if deleting files isn’t an option, Google One is your only option.
Apart from more storage, your Google One subscription comes with a few more features to justify its price tag. Some of the more useful features you’ll see are Pixel exclusive features found in Google Photos, bundled with the subscription.
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Magic Eraser |
Removes objects and distractions from your photos by tapping them or circling with a brush. Also includes a camouflage tool that can color-match surrounding pixels. |
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HDR Video Effect |
Balances bright skies and dark foregrounds in video. |
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Exclusive Collage Styles |
Pixel exclusive, limited edition collage designs. |
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Advanced Filters and AI-Powered Effects |
Features like Portrait Blur, Portrait Light, Color Pop, and dynamic filter adjustments to fix contrast and color in one tap. |
These features make a Google One subscription one of the easiest ways of porting Pixel exclusive features to any device, Android and iOS alike. Magic Eraser alone can be an extremely useful tool to have and gives you more value out of the subscription.
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Family Sharing Capabilities
One of the best things about Google One plans is that you can share them with up to five family members. However, if your family isn’t willing, you can always get a subscription and split the cost with your friends. The storage automatically gets divided between connected accounts, and you still get access to the benefits mentioned above.
This is best paired with the $9.99 Premium plan. When divided between five people, the cost comes down to only about $2 per person per month. For that, you get 2 TB of space (roughly 400 GB per person), unlimited Magic Editor saves in Google Photos, a 10% discount on purchases from the Google Store, and Google Workspace premium. You may also see other benefits based on your region.
There are Google’s AI Pro and AI Ultra plans as well if you want access to Gemini Pro and its integrations in Google Workspace, plus a bunch of other AI apps like Flow Pro, Whisk Pro, and NotebookLM Pro. However, the AI Pro and AI Ultra plans cost $20 and $250 per month, respectively, and aren’t worth the money unless you’re really interested in the AI features.
If you’re an Android user and use Google apps, Google One is the only subscription that makes sense. It isn’t wildly expensive, especially when split between multiple people, and carries a bunch of extra features you wouldn’t see otherwise. Compared to the competition, that makes a Google One subscription a pretty sweet deal, one that you’ll not find anywhere else.