Is Google One worth it in 2026?

Reviewed 2026-05-23

Google One and its closest alternatives

Cheapest 2TB

Google One

United States
1.8(38 reviews)
Save up to €15.89 on annual plan

Starting from €1.67/month

100 GB · billed annually
15 GB free2 TB: €9.99/mo
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Best lifetime
2.5(1,191 reviews)
80% discount

Starting from €1.99/month

1 TB · billed annually
1 GB freeLifetime available
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Icedrive

United Kingdom
3.8(870 reviews)
Save €20 with annual subscription

Starting from €3.75/month

200 GB · billed annually
10 GB free2 TB: €9.99/mo
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Proton Drive

Switzerland
2.7(266 reviews)
Save 20% with yearly billing

Starting from €3.99/month

200 GB · billed annually
5 GB free2 TB: €19.99/mo
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pCloud

Switzerland
3.1(1,538 reviews)
33% discount limited-time offer + Save €750.00

Starting from €4.17/month

500 GB · billed annually
2 GB freeLifetime available2 TB: €9.99/mo
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Google One is one storage pool shared across Gmail, Drive, and Photos, with a VPN and family sharing added on. For most people the 2 TB plan is the only one worth paying for. The 100 GB and 200 GB tiers fill up too fast to hold a phone's photo library for long.

Its real selling point is convenience. If your photos already back up to Google Photos and your mail is on Gmail, paying Google to host the storage too means nothing new to set up. The cost is privacy. Your files are encrypted on Google's servers, but Google holds the keys and indexes your content for search.

If you want the storage without the data mining, the providers below match Google One on price and do better on privacy.

Frequently asked

Does Google One include Google Photos storage?
Yes. The Google One quota is shared across Gmail, Drive, and Google Photos. Original-quality photo backups count against it.
Is Google One end-to-end encrypted?
No. Files are encrypted in transit and on Google's servers, but Google holds the keys and can scan your content. For zero-knowledge encryption, look at pCloud Crypto, Proton Drive, or Internxt.

Provider details

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