A safe place for all your files

4.5
170 reviews
Made for

Gmail users looking for sharing and collaboration tools

Not for

Enterprise clients seeking a sophisticated storage platform and those who do not use Gmail

 
Free: 15 GB
 
Paid: 100 GB $2/mo
Pricing details
Example customers

Kaplan
HP
Jaguar

Features

Features

File Tools:
  •  Syncing
  •  Sharing
  •  Collaboration
Backup:
  •  Scheduled Backup
  •  External Hard Drive Backup
  •  Incremental Backup
  •  Mobile Device Backup
Storage:
  •  Unlimited Storage
  • File versioning: 100 versions/30 days
  • File Size Limit: 5 TB

Security

Encryption:
  • In-Transit: SSL
  • At Rest: AES-128
File Management:
  •  Role Based Access
  • Retention Time: 30 days
Compliance:
  •  HIPAA
  •  PCI
  •  ISO

Performance

Access:
  •  Multi-User
  •  Mobile Access
  • Windows, Mac, Linux
Usage:
  •  SLA
  • Guaranteed Uptime: 99.9%
  • Ease of Use: 5/5
Support:
  •  Phone
  •  Chat
  •  Forums and Guides

Pricing

Basic info

 
Free: 15 GB
 
Paid: 100 GB $2/mo
 

1 Month minimum contract

 
Monthly subscription
Annual subscription
Storage SizePrice
15 GBFree
100 GB$1.99/mo.
1 TB$9.99/mo.
10 TB$99.99/mo.
20 TB$199.99/mo.
30 TB$299.99/mo.

Google Apps for Business

  • Apps with 30 GB - $5/user/month
  • Apps with Unlimited Storage - $10/user/month
Vendor Pricing

Reviews

4.5
170 reviews
Sort by
 
Client Interview
Nov 06 2015

Cloud Storage for Mobile Developers

4.0

Features: 
4.0
Ease of use: 
4.0
Support: 
5.0
Willing to refer: 
5.0
See More
the reviewer
 
$250 - $1,000/yr. spend
 
Information Technology
 
51-200 employees
 
Poland
Head of Technology at netguru
Adam Nowak
1
 
Verified
The Review
Recommendations

The client selected Google Apps because it is convenient to use and makes it easy to share files with other people. They recommend Google Drive for its unlimited storage space and its syncing, as well as the ability to download entire folders easily.

BACKGROUND

Can you please provide a brief description of your company and the role that you play there?

I work for NetGuru, a team of over 100 people including Ruby on Rails and mobile developers. Since our founding in 2008, we’ve worked with a broad range of clients and partners across North America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

CHALLENGE

What was the business challenge your company was facing that incited the need for this platform?

We needed to use Google Drive for cloud storage.

SOLUTION

How does your company implement this platform or software?

We use Drive mostly for our documents. We have all of our project-related documents, checklists, and procedures described there. We do not have our financials on Google Drive, but we have some statistics related to our office department and various other departments, depending on the type of documents. We use Google Drive mostly because of the Google platform and the variety of documents they provide.

We also use Google Drive to store various media files, like team photos from our retreats and events. It works very well for that, because we can upload hundreds of photos and put them into a folder, and then allow users to download the entire folder as a zip file. That is very useful.

We also use Google Drive because of the fact that it has great sharing capabilities. For instance, we can share with all of our departments, and it is also easy to share files with a client outside our company. Sharing is one of the key features for us when using Google Drive.

On an annual or monthly basis, how much does your company spend to utilize the platform?

I don't really know, but assuming that Google Apps is $5/month/user, it would be less than $1,000/month; but this is for the entire Google Apps suite. It is definitely much more than just a storage platform for this price.

FEATURES

Were there any software features/tools that you were really impressed by?

Google Apps is something we use very often, but I don't know how it compares to other storage options. I would say it is very convenient to use and it is easy to share stuff with a bunch of people.

Looking back, are there any areas of the software that you feel could be added or improved upon?

Editing documents could be better, but that's more of a downside of Google Apps. In terms of the storage, Google Drive offers you a folder structure, but actually it is not as you would expect it to be, because it can get messy.

For example, I am the owner of the company and I would like to have four directories, each for a given department. I would like to build my entire permission structure based on that. It is hard to manage that in Google Drive, so I would say that the structure is something that they could improve, in terms of user experience, because it's hard to know what is shared with whom, and who has access to what, etc. I know that because I can click to each element, but it is not really convenient.

Another improvement they could make stems from an issue we had previously. Someone tried to sync their files on their laptop, but this person thought that one particular folder was too big so they removed it from their computer; however, the folder was removed from the entire company!

This was the only time we had to contact the software team, and they helped us write a script which would take an activity log and then restore the files. It was pretty messy. I thought it would be easy, like just click and restore the file and that would be it, but that wasn't the case. It was very complicated. So, in terms of managing and restoring or recovery of files, they could improve it, because it is not as clear as it could be.

As far as recommendations that you would make, based on your experience with Google Drive storage, what recommendations would you make to another business that was considering it?

First of all, with Google Apps, one good thing is the way you can share documents with anyone, and the ability to process a document simultaneously with an entire team is very efficient.

We have unlimited storage with Google Drive, which is very convenient. We don't need too much storage, but if someone needs a lot, Google Drive has it.

They have apps on every platform. You can sync your folders from Google Drive on your Mac, your PC, your mobile phones, etc., which is very convenient as well. Plus, it works all the time.

Also the feature I mentioned before that allows you to download entire folders as zip files is convenient. I really like it.

How many people at Net Guru are currently using Google Drive?

More than 150.

Have you had to interact with the platform’s support team or reference their support resources?

The time regarding the deleted file was the only time we had to contact the software team, and they helped us write a script which would take an activity log and then restore the files. So, in terms of support, they helped us. I'm not sure if it was strictly a Google person who helped us or if it was someone before Google; nevertheless, they were able to fix it for us.

OVERVIEW

To sum up: We havea few quick questions, and for each question we ask you to rate the software on a scale of 1-5 with 5 being the best.

What would you give the software for functionality of the features available?

Four.

What would you give the software for ease of use or ease of implementation into your business?

Four.

For support, as in responsiveness of the team or helpfulness of the resources available?

Five.

Overall, satisfaction with the platform?

Four. Because there is still room to be better.

How likely are you to recommend the software to a colleague or similar business?

I would absolutely love for other people to use Google Drive, because overall it is great.

4.0
Overall Score
  • 4.0 Features
  • 4.0 Ease of Use
  • 5.0 Support
  • 5.0 Willing to Refer
 
Client Interview
Nov 06 2015

Google Apps Integrated with Storage

4.5

Features: 
4.5
Ease of use: 
4.0
Support: 
n/a
Willing to refer: 
5.0
See More
the reviewer
 
Less than $250/yr. spend
 
Information Technology and Services
 
51-200 employees
 
Warsaw, Poland
CEO at 10Clouds
Maciej Cielecki
1
 
Verified
The Review
Recommendations

The client, 10 Clouds, speaks highly of the Google App integration and of the ability to send large files without emailing an attachment. According to the client, it makes the most sense for companies using Gmail to also use Google Drive. 10 Clouds highly recommends Google Drive, particularly to those organizations already use Google Apps, such as Gmail.

BACKGROUND

Can you please provide a brief description of your company and the role that you play there?

I’m Chief Executive Officer [CEO] of 10Clouds. We are a development house. We do custom software development for our clients - iOS apps, web applications, UX and all kinds of design.

CHALLENGE

What was your reason for moving to Cloud storage and was there a reason you chose Google Drive?

We started with DropBox and moved to Google Drive after Google released the initial version of Drive. The move was motivated by wanting to have proper user management because we use Google apps. That’s why we were moving to Google Drive from DropBox, which at the time didn’t have interesting options for the features that we needed in terms of managing users and needing access. In Google Drive, we manage users and emails and everything else we do anyway. Google Drive is the same login system for that so that’s useful.

SOLUTION

How does your organization implement this platform?

We are using it as a desktop and web app because it’s integrated with Google Docs and Google Spreadsheets, which we use a lot.

Is there a reason you would recommend somebody using Google Drive over other platforms?

If you use Google apps to manage the email and organization, then Google Drive is the easiest and it makes the most sense to use Google Drive with it.

FEATURES

Are you using the free version or do you pay for extra storage?

We pay premium for extra storage. 

What do you think is the best part about the platform?

To give an example of what we use it for, our design team works with very large files, so sending that through email is difficult. We use Google Drive to manage all the design assets.

Are there any tools that really impress you?

When we switched, I believe the desktop application for DropBox was a bit better and probably still is. Because the Google ecosystem is complex, and is integrated with spreadsheets and email, it’s really good for us.

OVERVIEW

To sum up: We havea few quick questions, and for each question we ask you to rate the platform on a scale of 1-5 with 5 being the best.

What would you give the platform for functionality of the features available?

Four and a half.

What would you give it for ease of use or ease of implementation into your business?

Four.

Overall, satisfaction with the platform?

Four and a half.

How likely are you to recommend the software to a colleague or similar business?

Five.

4.5
Overall Score
  • 4.5 Features
  • 4.0 Ease of Use
  • N/A Support
  • 5.0 Willing to Refer
 
Client Interview
Oct 28 2015

Storage Integrated with Google Apps

4.5

Features: 
4.0
Ease of use: 
4.5
Support: 
4.0
Willing to refer: 
5.0
See More
the reviewer
 
Less than $250/yr. spend
 
Information Technology and Services
 
11-50 employees
 
Ukraine
Founder and CEO at Eastern Peak Software
Alexey Chalimov
1
 
Verified
The Review
Recommendations

The largest benefit the client notes is Google Drive's convenience and it's accessible from Gmail, the mobile application, and desktop application. Google Drive didn't require any staff training during implementation. The client would highly recommend Google Drive to other, especially if they're using Gmail.

BACKGROUND

Can you provide a brief description of your company and the role that you play there?

We are Eastern Peak Software, an innovative software consulting and outsourcing company specializing in software development for variety of platforms and clients in wide range of industries. I am the CEO.

OPPORTUNITY/CHALLENGE

What was the business challenge your company was facing that initiated the need for this platform?

We use Google Drive in several of my companies, and the simple reason for that is convenience. We use Gmail for our corporate email, so obviously Google Drive would be the most convenient way because it works well with Gmail. For now, it pretty much answers many of the needs we have.

SOLUTION

How does your company implement this platform or software?

We use the desktop application for backups mostly, especially for our design studio. We have four designers, and you can imagine how much data they generate every day. For that data, we need a backup solution, so all the data is automatically stored on Google Drive. That's for the desktop piece of it. On top of that, there's browser-based and mobile apps that we use a lot, which enable us to work on the go.

Was your company considering other platforms? Why this platform?

The primary reason we selected Google Drive was its integration with Gmail and other Google apps. I believe we did a review of all of the various solutions, and Google Drive just works for us.

On an annual or monthly basis, how much does your company spend to utilize the platform?

I think we did upgrades for some of the accounts, but I'm not sure how much.

FEATURES

Were there any software features or tools that really impressed you?  

I think it's the convenience. It's readily accessible from Gmail, from the application, mobile, and desktop. The convenience is why we used it in the first place. You really don't want to start a long-term learning process for your employees to use this solution. Something that's readily available and does not require additional learning time is a good thing.

Looking back, are there any areas of the software upon which you feel could be added or improved?

We use Goggle Documents a lot for sharing and collaborating on documents and spreadsheets. In many cases with small stuff, it doesn't work as well as Microsoft Office. That's probably the only issue. I don't remember any other ones we've faced.

Have you had to interact with the platform's support team or reference their support resources?

We had some billing issues and questions regarding credit cards. We also had some security issues when we had access from a strange location, so we wanted to double-check that. In both instances, they got resolved. Sometimes, it took longer than expected, but the issues were resolved at the end of the day.

OVERVIEW

We have a few quick questions and, for each question, we ask you to rate the software on a scale of one to five, with five being the best. What would you give the software for functionality of the features available?

Four.

What would you give the software for ease of use or ease of implementation into your business?

Four and a half.

For support, as in responsiveness of the team or helpfulness of the resources available?

Four.

For overall satisfaction with the platform?

Four and a half.

How likely are you to recommend the software to a colleague or similar business?

Five.

4.5
Overall Score
  • 4.0 Features
  • 4.5 Ease of Use
  • 4.0 Support
  • 5.0 Willing to Refer
 
Client Interview
Oct 12 2015

Cloud Storage for Video Production Company

4.0

Features: 
4.0
Ease of use: 
5.0
Support: 
n/a
Willing to refer: 
4.5
See More
the reviewer
 
Motion Pictures and Film
 
2-10 employees
 
New Orleans, LA
Co-Founder and Cinematographer at inDEPTH Media
Greg Tilton
1
 
Verified
The Review
Recommendations

The client likes the simplicity in sharing files, along with the ease of access for others without the platform. The client states that they're able to share anything with others, including oversized links, even if they don’t use Google. The client is very likely to recommend Google Drive to others due to its ease of use and simplicity.

BACKGROUND

Can you please provide a brief description of your company and the role that you play there?

We’re a film production company in New Orleans, and I’m a co founder and cinematographer.

CHALLENGE

What was the business challenge your company was facing that incited the need for this platform?

We mainly use Google Drive for moving footage around so that people can access it from wherever they are. We’re mostly moving big video files and some sound files, whether its final cuts or frames for a different shoot to edit. We back it up or consolidate everything into a file, and people can pull files from it. 

SOLUTION

How does your company implement this platform or software?

I usually just use the browser. Sometimes I use it on my mobile if we need to upload things to social media. For example, if we make a 15 second cut from a video for Instagram, I use Google Drive, save it to my phone, and then upload to Instagram from there.

Was your company considering other platforms? Why this platform?

I used Dropbox originally, but I was finding little issues with it that I didn’t like. At the time, Google Drive was the cheapest; it was two or three bucks for a hundred gigs, and I was fine with that. I was honestly just looking for a solution quickly, and I was already familiar with Google’s platform and products.

FEATURES

Were there any software features/tools that you were really impressed by?   

The sharing is very simple, and if people don’t have Google Drive, it’s easy for them to use it. Some people get confused because they’ve never used it before, and some people are just intimidated with the whole idea of cloud stuff. In general, I can share anything with people, oversized links and such, even if they don’t use Google, and they can download a link from it. I don’t get a lot of questions from people going, ‘How do I open this?’. Even if I’m sending it to Yahoo! or AOL, whatever they’re on, no matter how outdated their email is, they can usually figure it out.

Looking back, are there any areas of the software that you feel could be added or improved upon?  

The only thing that’s a little frustrating is that it doesn’t let you upload folders. You can’t upload a folder into it. It’s drag and drop, and it’s very intuitive, but if I have a folder with 20 sound files, I have to create a folder in Google Drive and drag all of the files into it. It’s a small thing that doesn’t seem like a big deal, but it seems silly to me.

Sometimes when you’re doing a big upload, if it gets interrupted, you have to start over. That seems less of a Google Drive issue and more about connectivity and internet speeds. Uploading eight gigs is not an everyday occurrence for most people.

Have you had to interact with the platform’s support team or reference their support resources?

I know there are resources online, but I haven’t had to go to the support team much. I have no idea if they’re good, but I’ve never had any issues. I’m generally able to figure things out on my own.

OVERVIEW

To sum up: We have a few quick questions, and for each question we ask you to rate the software on a scale of 1-5 with 5 being the best.

What would you give the software for functionality of the features available?

Four.

 What would you give the software for ease of use or ease of implementation into your business?

Five.

Overall, satisfaction with the platform?

Four. The mobile app is pretty solid.

How likely are you to recommend the software to a colleague or similar business?

Four and a half.

4.0
Overall Score
  • 4.0 Features
  • 5.0 Ease of Use
  • N/A Support
  • 4.5 Willing to Refer
 
Survey Response
Sep 27 2016

Reliable Access to Files with Ease

4.5

Features: 
4.0
Ease of use: 
5.0
Support: 
4.0
Willing to refer: 
5.0
See More
the reviewer
 
Non-profit
 
11 - 50 employees
 
Granby, CO
Manager, Sales
1
The Review

Recommendations:

I would highly recommend use of google drive

Experience:

We decided to use google drive because our email server is already connected through google. This allowed everyone who needed access to have easy, reliable access to all files. The problems that needed to be solved were ease of use, quick communications, and easy data transfer. We use the excel spreadsheet function, along with google calendar. Google drive has performed excellently. We have not had any loss of data or storage problems. Everyone in the company has access to files both on computers and mobile devices.

Pros:

Google drive is extremely easy to use and operate. It has a straight forward platform that is easy to navigate and the learning curve is very quick.

Cons:

So far, we have not run into any real issues with google drive. Possible optimized security functions or at least some sort of security confirmation function to allow users to know that the security systems are working

 
Survey Response
Sep 18 2016

Saved Space for Multiple Jobs

5.0

Features: 
4.0
Ease of use: 
5.0
Support: 
4.0
Willing to refer: 
5.0
See More
the reviewer
 
Business Services
 
11 - 50 employees
 
Clinton, IN
Manager, Business Development
1
The Review

Recommendations:

We would love some more added space

Experience:

Honestly, it came preloaded with our new systems that we bought in January of 2015. Space issues were no longer a problem and we could easily find what we needed by simply searching that item or person. We use it to save attachments and use the word docs and excel, plus we can easily scan documents into the necessary profiles for ease of access. It has improved impressively. Like I mentioned earlier, using Google Drive means that we have saved space and, with using a backup, we have a way to guarantee their existence for as long as we need them.

Pros:

Definitely the added space; You can use for multiple jobs, not just space which is a time saver in itself.

Cons:

Nothing I can think of at the moment

 
Survey Response
Sep 18 2016

A Familiar Brand with Easy Access

4.5

Features: 
3.5
Ease of use: 
5.0
Support: 
4.0
Willing to refer: 
4.5
See More
the reviewer
 
Warehousing
 
51 - 200 employees
 
Memphis, TN
Senior Manager, Customer Service
1
The Review

Recommendations:

Stay away from the spam ware.

Experience:

it was the best cloud to use for the brand of computer my company uses (DELL). The problems we been having are that it takes too long for files to pop up and a lot of spam. There had been security issues because other locations were opening the spam files. We had some problems with lost files but IT. resolved that issue we were having with that. Our company homepage is set up on google drive. We also have access to our vendor’s website and other company tools. Google drive has been a good source of information. It's very easy to access and find what I’m looking for. Google drive also has a lot of free data storage that helps me keep up with my files that are important to me.

Pros:

It's the #1 search engine and a brand that I am familiar with.

Cons:

All the spam ware, I can do without of that.

 
Survey Response
Sep 16 2016

Mobile App for Anywhere Access

3.5

Features: 
3.5
Ease of use: 
3.0
Support: 
3.5
Willing to refer: 
4.0
See More
the reviewer
 
$0 - $50/mo. spend
 
Contractor
 
2 - 10 employees
 
California
General Contractor
1
The Review

Recommendations:

I really don't have many needs when it comes to cloud storage, the biggest thing is already integrated into the service. Basically, I just need my files to always be there (i.e. No data loss) and I need to be able to access my files on the go. Everything is perfect as of now.

Experience:

It was a well-known service and I’ve been a Google user for a long time. When I hear Google it always brings good things to mind so it seemed like the obvious choice. It's just really convenient when I need to pull up a photo or document because I can access everything from my smartphone. I haven't had any major problems but one that I've always had is when I upload a lot of files at once there always seems to be 2 or 3 that fail and I'll hit retry and they'll go through. I use the mobile app a lot to access files and another feature I really like is that it will open word files without an external application. I've been using it for a few years and I've never once lost data and it's really streamlined things. It just makes things convenient and I feel like I have to do less unnecessary work.

Pros:

I know I already mentioned this but this is really big for me, the mobile app. Everything is there when I need it, I don't ever have to go back to the office to look at a document or access my files.

Cons:

Again it's definitely the failed uploads, I would love to set up the uploads and just leave the office without having to worry if all the files went through or not.

 
Survey Response
Sep 16 2016

A Great Addition to the Google Package

4.5

Features: 
4.0
Ease of use: 
5.0
Support: 
5.0
Willing to refer: 
5.0
See More
the reviewer
 
Hospitality & leisure
 
11 - 50 employees
 
Honolulu, HI
Associate, Customer Service
1
The Review

Recommendations:

I would suggest to use it as it is user-friendly and the most convenient cloud I have ever used.

Experience:

Google drive was the right option for us as it was the most easily accessible and user-friendly. The main problem that needed to be solved was compatibility for all and user-friendly as some of my colleagues were not technologically inclined. Our organization uses google drive to backup files and to also share important documents between the head management team. Google drive has been excellent so far and has kept our company connected at all times. We are able to share documents on the fly whether it be from in the office or even at home as majority of times we do need to do work outside of the workplace.

Pros:

I personally love google drive as it is a great addition to the google package experience. It is a great tool as it is super user-friendly and makes sharing/accessing things so much easier. The teammates that usually have issues with technological updates such as these had very minimal issues with google drive.

Cons:

I honestly do not have any dislikes about google drive. It has worked flawlessly so far and I have yet to encounter any problems at the moment.

 
Survey Response
Sep 16 2016

World Class Technology to Secure Important Files

4.5

Features: 
4.5
Ease of use: 
3.5
Support: 
5.0
Willing to refer: 
4.5
See More
the reviewer
 
$51 - $250/mo. spend
 
Sports Entertainment
 
51 - 200 employees
 
Malden, MA
President, Operations
1
The Review

Recommendations:

While it's still "technology," couldn't imagine having a bad experience or it not being a huge value to you.

Experience:

We needed a world class technology to secure some of our most important files and documents. We use all aspects of the Google Drive on a regular basis. Has performed as good or better than expected - thus far. It has saved us space in a variety of ways throwing away physical copies of back-ups, clearing out email accounts, reducing the need for physical hard drives.

Pros:

It is the absolute best on the market

Cons:

Easier to use. A "how-to" use to information would have been great in the beginning.