Google One subscriptions offer great value for all your storage needs. Not only do you get the cloud space you paid for, Google also bundles in some useful Google Photo editing features and safety tools to keep an eye on your personal information on the dark web. Google One is a feature-packed service with many benefits that rival Apple iCloud+. However, it is not without its problems. The real problem isn’t the feature list, it’s the storage options themselves.
Last week, rumors spread that Google may be discontinuing its popular 200GB plan in order to raise its price tier, leaving many Google One subscribers worried. Google quickly refuted the news, but it highlights the current lack of storage tiering options, especially at the lower end. If you need more than 200 GB of space, your only option is the 2 TB plan, which can be overkill in terms of storage and price.
Why is the bay so wide?
There is nothing between 200GB and 2TB
Source: Google One
If you bought one of Android’s top flagships and use that camera to take lots of photos and 4K videos, you’ll quickly fill up that 200 GB space. Keep it to no more than a few months, especially if you share the space with family. When you reach the limit, a red marker will always appear in Google Drive and Photos, and Google will constantly remind you to offload your content or buy more storage.
Google One: An AP guide to Google’s premium cloud storage service
Google Drive is running out of storage. Google One offers tons of storage and other great perks
However, if you upgrade to a higher tier, your only option is to increase your storage capacity by 10x to 2 TB.For home needs, you likely don’t need 10x more storage. immediately For example, you can easily choose the more affordable 500 GB plan. This also gives you the flexibility to upgrade your plan as the months and years go by. But no, you will still have to pay for the 2 TB plan even if most of it will not be used for a long time.
Google knows how hierarchies work
Professionals already have far more choice
Google Drive isn’t just used by home users to store photos and videos. It’s popular not only for storing large files and taking advantage of Google’s great sharing features, but also among professionals, freelancers, and small teams. Google’s business services are often much more robust and specific, and Google One is exactly that.
Beyond 2TB, there are several tiers from 5TB to 30TB. This is a much better system for content creators who can jump to higher tiers in stages as their needs grow. Unfortunately, Google doesn’t really care about low-end users who use Google Drive and Photos for basic purposes. There’s a huge gap between 200 GB and 2 TB, and Google could easily close that gap and provide the kind of value that people actually want.
Many people can ditch the 200GB plan if they use Storage Saver mode for backing up photos and videos, but some users may benefit from a higher tier. The 1TB is an absolute must for those who don’t need 2TB of space, but I think there should also be a 500GB plan for those who need something to jump to after the 200GB of storage is full.
How to free up storage space on Google Drive
Reclaim valuable Google Drive space instantly
The 200GB plan costs $3 per month, while the 2TB plan costs $10. This gives Google plenty of room to price the 500 GB and 1 TB plans at a much more reasonable $5 and $8 per month, respectively, with even more savings on the annual plan.
Google One competitors
What are Microsoft and Apple doing?
Microsoft 365 offers a flat 1TB of OneDrive storage with its personal and family plans, but it’s a much better value considering the company also bundles the Office suite with its plans. Even Apple iCloud+ caters well to those with low storage needs, with a 50 GB starter plan for just $1 per month. However, iCloud also jumps from 200 GB to 2 TB.
All things considered, Google has little incentive to offer more tiers from 200GB to 2TB if it could encourage users to pay for more expensive plans. But if the company wants to become a bigger brand, it could lead the way and introduce more detailed plans that other companies don’t tend to offer right now.
