Versus iCloud
Apple geeks will still find Google Drive useful. iCloud only syncs files that exist within their applications like iTunes and iPhoto. There is now “Sync-Folder” for general purpose uses. For 50GB’s iCloud costs $100/Year ($9/month). For $10/Month you can get 200GB’s with Google Drive iCloud is perfect for people have an iPhone, iPad and other Apple products.
The Google Drive and iCloud can could be used on all the same devices and you could find reasons to use both. iCloud does a good job keeping up with your contacts, iPhone apps, and music all synced. There could be overlap in the future, but for now, iCloud and Google Drive are pretty different.
Versus DropBox
This is probably Google Drives most similar competitor. DropBox offers very similar features. Easy sharing, great webapps, seamless device and PC integration are just some of it’s strengths. You can pretty much use Google Drive the same way you use Dropbox which is as a sync folder, but with one catch.
Google Drive has their whole Google Docs interface and editors at their disposal. Meaning users with Google Drive can edit documents and download apps to their Google Drive to edit images and much more. Dropbox extends file sharing and allows for easy syncing. Thats about it. Dropbox costs $10/month for 50GB’s of space and Google Drive costs $10/month for 200GB’s of space. Dropbox costs more and has less features.
Versus SugarSync
These guys handle syncing a little different. They give you desktop software that allows you to select files and folders to sync to your account. There is no “Sync Folder” where you have to drag and drop files into, you edit files on your computer where they are and they stay synced up. The web application is easy to use. Retrieving files and sharing are all pretty easy to do.
The one advantage SugarSync has, is that you do not have to move files into a sync folder in order for them to sync. However, like Dropbox, they do not have a suite of editing apps available online like Google Docs. SugarSync is just a syncing utility, nothing more. SugarSync costs $15/month for 100GB’s and Google Drive costs $5/Month for 100GB’s.
Versus ZipCloud
ZipCloud is a new type of company. They combine the principles of traditional online backup with the new methods of cloud storage syncing. Like Google Drive, ZipCloud also comes with a Sync Folder and allows you to share files with your friends, family and co-workers. It’s a good alternative to Google Drive because of it’s online backup capabilities. You can backup unlimited files for $5/Month Google Drive costs $5/month for 100GBs.
Versus Box
Box is designed with business in mind. It doesn’t really work as well with individual users. It’s price point and features are driven towards businesses with multiple users. Price per 50GB’s for Box is $20/Month and Google Drive is $5/Month for 100GBs. The advantage to using Box right now is that it has managing and monitoring tools. Google Drive has not been released for business customers yet, but when it is, there will likely be additional features.
Versus Mozy Stash
Mozy is primarily an online backup service provider. Stash is their latest integration that makes it easier to to share files and link accounts. Before Stach, Mozy only did backup and the mobile apps were pretty bad. They have been tweeked and updated so that they work more seamlessly. There is no clear advantage to using Mozy unless you strickly want backup and syncing is just an added bonus. With Mozy you will pay $12/Month for 100GBs and with Google Drive you will pay $5/Month for 100GBs
Closing Thoughts:
We use Google Apps for business and like using it. We are excited that we will be able to use Google Drive without any hassle. If you’re going to pay for Cloud Storage, Googld Drive is great. We do think there are advantages to using backup companies to keep your documents safe and secure as well as synced. Companies like ZipCloud offer both a ‘Sync Folder’ and traditional online backup.
Steven is a web developer and online technology expert. He has built global networks and websites for fortune 500 companies. A graduate of Georgia Tech in Chemical Engineering, he now happily spends his time building Joomla and WordPress websites as well as reviewing online backup services, web hosting and anything else that needs reviewing.