Google Drive vs OneDrive

March 07, 2025 | Author: Michael Stromann
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Google Drive
Online file storage and syncing service working as a file system for other Google's services. Allows to sync files between all your computers and mobile devices or collaborate on files with your team and partners. Version control, OCR, powerful online viewer. Provides 5 GB free disk space.
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OneDrive
Tools for online file/docs storage and collaboration. Contains Web versions of Microsoft office editors (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote). Excel web version allows simultaneous document editing in real time.

Google Drive and OneDrive are both, in their own peculiar ways, vast digital attics where people store everything from holiday photos to spreadsheets they swear they’ll organize one day. They allow humans to share files with each other, as long as they can remember which folder they put them in. Both let people collaborate in real-time, which is a polite way of saying multiple people can argue over the same document simultaneously. They also feature the ability to retrieve old versions of files, presumably so that one can go back and see where everything went wrong.

Google Drive, a sprightly young thing launched in 2012 by Google (which, let’s face it, knows far too much about everyone already), is the favorite haunt of students, startups and anyone who enjoys clicking "Suggesting mode" to annoy their colleagues. It offers a generous 15GB of free space, which sounds like a lot until you realize Google is sneakily counting all your emails and photos in that total. It plays particularly well with Android and Chromebooks and has an impressive ability to integrate with all sorts of third-party apps, making it the slightly chaotic but incredibly useful Swiss Army knife of cloud storage.

OneDrive, on the other hand, first saw the light of day in 2007, courtesy of Microsoft, which is still very keen on ensuring the entire world runs on Windows. It’s designed with business folk in mind, particularly those who live and breathe Microsoft 365 and it comes with a stingy 5GB of free space unless you agree to pay for more. What it lacks in free storage, it makes up for in seamless Windows integration, allowing users to save files directly from their desktops without a second thought—perfect for people who prefer their cloud storage to be more of an invisible butler than an overenthusiastic assistant.

See also: Top 10 Cloud Storages
Author: Michael Stromann
Michael is an expert in IT Service Management, IT Security and software development. With his extensive experience as a software developer and active involvement in multiple ERP implementation projects, Michael brings a wealth of practical knowledge to his writings. Having previously worked at SAP, he has honed his expertise and gained a deep understanding of software development and implementation processes. Currently, as a freelance developer, Michael continues to contribute to the IT community by sharing his insights through guest articles published on several IT portals. You can contact Michael by email stromann@liventerprise.com