Which is best and most secure?

Comparing iCloud vs Google Drive can be difficult, as they each have their own perks—whether it’s iCloud’s improved security and seamless integration for Apple users, or Drive’s flexibility and better cross-platform support.

Naturally, there are some deal breakers that could influence your decision as well, such as the lack of end-to-end encryption on Google Drive, or iCloud’s limited storage and its strong preference for Apple hardware.

Below, we compare iCloud and Google Drive, examining setup, storage and backup, file sharing and collaboration, plus first- and third-party integrations. We also cover pricing and data protection to help you choose the right option for your needs.

Overview of iCloud

Apple’s convenient cloud storage and file-sharing solution is mostly geared toward Mac and iOS users, though it also has a Windows app. A significant downside of iCloud vs. Google Drive is that it’s not supported on Android unless you use the severely limited browser version.

Otherwise, it’s neatly integrated with Apple apps and services, whether you want to backup your photos, music, documents, notes, or others. While it’s not the best cloud backup service due to the meager 5 GB free data allowance, it allows you to easily collaborate on projects and share files securely with end-to-end encryption.

Overall, it’s a decent option if you want security and simplicity and don’t want to install another app on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac. For Windows, Linux, and Android users, there are more suitable alternatives, such as Backblaze or Acronis True Image.

A quick look at iCloud’s free features:

• 5 GB free storage space (1 GB for the web-only version)
• Automatic syncing
• iCloud Backup and restoration
• Easy collaboration and file-sharing within Apple’s ecosystem
• Apps for macOS, iOS, and Windows, with a limited web version
• Standard data protection: in transit and at rest encryption, with decryption keys stored in Apple data centers. End-to-end encryption applied to 15 data categories (such as Keychain passwords and Health)
• Advanced Data Protection (ADP) enables end-to-end encryption for secure storage (excluding emails, contacts, and calendar events)

Features exclusive to iCloud+ plans

• 50 GB, 200 GB, 2 TB, 6 TB, or 12 TB storage space
• Family sharing for up to five family members (10 devices per account)
• iCloud Private Relay for private browsing
• Hide My Email for email forwarding from random, unique emails
• Custom iCloud email domain
• HomeKit Secure Video to manage security camera video
• Apple Invites to create invitations and organize events

While there’s no standalone iCloud+ free trial, iPhone/iPad/Mac users can get up to 2 TB of iCloud storage as part of a one-month Apple One trial. This makes it easier to compare iCloud vs Google Drive, as both services allow you to test premium features risk-free.

Overview of Google Drive

Google Drive is one of the best ways to send large files at no cost, thanks to its generous 15 GB of free storage. It also has easy-to-use apps for most major platforms, excluding Linux—though its sleek web version isn’t intentionally limited like iCloud, thankfully.

That said, iCloud has the edge over Google Drive in terms of security. For one, Google Drive has no end-to-end encryption, meaning the company can access your files if requested to do so.

Google does offer client-side encryption as an alternative, but only for organizations with premium Enterprise and Education plans. You’d also need to manage your own encryption keys, adding unnecessary complexity—an important factor when comparing iCloud vs. Google Drive.

Still, if you’re not planning on uploading any private photos, important work files, or other sensitive data without the premium client-side encryption, then Google Drive is a solid pick (if only for that extra 15 GB of free space).

A quick glance at Google Drive’s free plan

• 15 GB free storage space shared across Drive, Gmail, and Google Photos
• Automatic syncing with the Google Drive app
• Backup apps, app data, call history, device settings, SMS/MMS/RCS messages, along with photos and videos (requires Google Photos)
• Real-time collaboration on documents, spreadsheets, and presentations with Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides
• Apps for Android, iOS, macOS, Windows, and fully featured web version
• Desktop app users can save files and folders for offline use
• Real-time collaboration on Microsoft Office documents
• File transfers using Microsoft Outlook (work and school accounts)
• Standard data protection: In transit and at rest encryption using AES-128 and higher keys managed by Google’s centralized Key Management Service. Forward secrecy and rigorous key rotation safeguard data transmissions

Features available with the Google One plan

• 100 GB of storage on the Basic plan, 2 TB on Premium and AI Premium
• Shared storage with five extra people, private for each person
• Longer video calls, noise cancellation, and call recording in Google Meet
• Google Calendar enhancements for appointments, reminders, syncing, and more
• Unlimited saves in Magic Editor (Android/iOS)
• Google Gemini and NotebookLM AI capabilities are available across most Google products. Gemini Advanced features incur no extra charge up until June 30, 2025.

As with iCloud, Google Drive doesn’t have a standalone free trial. Instead, you can get the Google One AI Premium plan free for one month, including 2 TB of storage.

iCloud vs Google Drive: How they compare

Here’s how iCloud stacks up against Google Drive:

Installation and setup

One clear advantage of iCloud vs Google Drive is that the former is already built into your Apple devices. Just create your account and activate iCloud, and you’re good to go. On Windows, you’ll have to install the app through the Microsoft Store, which requires a Microsoft account.

Of course, most recent reviews there complain about inability to log in or getting the app to work, which isn’t a great look. We did run into the PUR-AuthenticationFailure error on two separate Windows 11 machines, which is more of an issue on Microsoft’s end. Still, we got it to work on Windows 10. Your mileage may vary.

Thankfully, installing Google Drive for desktop was a smooth process. It takes a few seconds to download from the link above and then you can sign in to sync your files, back up things to Google Photos, or start accessing Drive through File Explorer.

Mac users will need to download the GoogleDrive.pkg file from the same link, open it, and then follow the instructions on the screen. You’ll be asked to enter your system password to finish up. Afterward, you can access Drive through the menu bar and sign in to mirror or stream your Google Drive files on your Mac.

Once again, you can use a web version for each of them if you don’t want to bother with the extra setup. However, iCloud.com only provides access to iCloud Drive, Pages, Numbers, Keynote, Contacts, Notes, and Shared Albums, plus a limited 1 GB of free storage.

It’s not difficult to pinpoint a winner between Google Drive vs iCloud here. On one hand, we like iCloud’s seamless integration with Apple’s products, but the Windows hiccups and stripped-down web version bring it down a notch. Meanwhile, Google Drive has none of the limitations and can be installed on iOS too—while Apple continues to ignore Android users.

Cloud storage and backup

Let’s recount the details of iCloud and Google Drive’s storage capabilities:

• iCloud: 5 GB free storage (1 GB on web version), up to 12 TB with iCloud+
• Google Drive: 15 GB free storage anywhere, up to 2 TB with Google One

It’s also worth noting that Google Drive has a daily 750 GB upload limit (a whole five minutes of uncompressed 4K 60FPS video). Apple hasn’t specified theirs, but you can only upload files up to 50 GB in size. That said, some users have reported successfully uploading larger files, so you never know.

For free users, Drive is the clear winner here. However, if you have a lot of files to store, iCloud offers more flexibility with its multiple storage plans, where first-time Drive subscribers are stuck with either 100 GB or 2 TB.

An in-betweener or a couple of more beefy storage plans would have been nice. It also seems that Google is hiding a 200 GB plan in favor of their AI-focused one. More details will follow in the pricing section.

Fortunately, both iCloud and Google Drive have their own backup systems in place. iCloud automatically backs up essential data from your iPhone, iPad, or Apple Vision Pro devices, including:

• Device settings, the layout of your Home Screen, app grouping
• Photos, videos, and messages
• App data (including third-party games, social media and messaging apps, and others)
• Purchased ringtones, your Visual Voicemail password
• Apple Watch backups

Meanwhile, this is what you can backup with Google Drive:

• Apps and any associated data
• Your call history and SMS/MMS/RCS messages
• Device settings
• Photos and videos (requires the separate Google Photos app)

Neither provider has block-level syncing for faster updates, which is a shame. At least both platforms offer selective sync, with iCloud Drive letting you choose specific folders to sync on Mac/Windows, and Google Drive having two separate sync modes:

• Stream files: All files are visible but stored online-only by default, conserving local storage. Users can make specific files available offline as needed.
• Mirror files: All files are stored both in the cloud and on the local device, ensuring offline access but using more local storage.

Not much else to say here; the services are on pretty equal footing. Free users will appreciate Google Drive’s 15 GB of storage, but those needing serious backup or storage options might want to consider alternatives like Backblaze, IDrive, or Acronis True Image.

File sharing and collaboration

iCloud requires an Apple ID for folder sharing, so recipients must sign in with Apple. You could work around that by zipping the folder to get a single file, but that just adds more tedium. In contrast, Google Drive lets you send both files and folders via links or email without extra sign-ins, making cross-platform sharing easier.

Google Drive works with Docs, Sheets, Slides, and more for real-time collaboration, letting several users edit at once. Meanwhile, iCloud supports collaboration on iWork apps like Pages, Notes, Numbers, and Keynote, but is less flexible outside Apple’s ecosystem.

Unfortunately, neither iCloud nor Google Drive offer the option of password-protected links, which isn’t great for those concerned about security. They do have some limited permission settings, though, which you can see below.

iCloud Drive sharing options

• Share files and folders via invitation or shareable link (requires account for folders)
• Set access levels to “Only invited people” or “Anyone with the link”
• Set permissions such as “Can make changes” or “View only”
• Allow or restrict others from inviting more participants
• Manage permissions for specific individuals or stop sharing

Google Drive sharing options

• Share files/folders via email or a shareable link
• Set access levels to Viewer, Commenter, or Editor
• Share with Chat spaces or meeting attendees
• Option to add an expiration date (only for work and school accounts)
• Prevent editors from changing permissions or sharing a file
• Disable viewers and commenters from copying, downloading, or printing files

Unless you and your collaborators are all on the Apple train, it’s hard to recommend iCloud vs Google Drive. The latter runs smoothly on Windows, Android, iOS, Mac, and in your browser, has slightly better sharing options, and—most importantly—doesn’t require an account to access shared folders.

Integration and extensions

As mentioned earlier, you can access iCloud services through the dedicated Windows app. Once you set up the passwords feature, you can use the Chrome, Edge, or Firefox iCloud Passwords extension to autofill passwords stored in Keychain. Firefox also supports Passkeys on macOS’s Keychain, which is pretty handy.

Otherwise, you can enable iCloud for specific apps through your iPhone, iPad, or Mac settings. iCloud allows third-party apps (e.g. Windows 11 photo app, HubSpot, etc.) to store and access data for easy syncing across devices. The Photos app also has multiple third-party integrations for better editing capabilities.

Despite Apple’s recent improvements, however, Google Drive remains the more flexible option for third-party integrations. Besides the better cross-platform support, Google Drive is compatible with a wide range of third-party services, including Microsoft Office, Slack, Trello, Zoom, and more. You can easily collaborate and share files without leaving said apps.

The Google Workspace Marketplace is a great resource for free add-ons that can enhance Drive’s functionality, automate workflows, or simplify tasks. This versatility is a great reason to choose Google Drive vs iCloud.

Which is more secure: iCloud or Google Drive?

Both services are pretty secure, as they encrypt data at rest and in transit, using industry-standard protocols to safeguard your files. Naturally, each of them offers two-factor authentication (2FA) and the classic Google ‘Is this you?’ alerts as an extra safety measure.

However, we have to hand the win to iCloud over Google Drive here. Read on for the details.

How iCloud keeps your data secure

iCloud storage uses AES-128 encryption, while AES-256 is used during transfers. Plus, iCloud has default end-to-end encryption (E2EE) for 15 sensitive data types, from Health to Keychain. Decryption keys are stored on Apple data centers for iCloud Drive/Backup, Photos, Notes, and others, though you can turn on Advanced Data Protection (ADP) to change that.

Activating ADP enables E2EE for everything outside emails, contacts, and calendar events (for compatibility reasons). Apple email clients also allow users to add S/MIME encryption for extra security. This means the company would not be able to access your data even if ordered to.

Related: How to encrypt email on any device

See the iCloud data security overview for a full list of protected data categories, encryption type, and key storage information for both standard and advanced systems.

IMPORTANT: As of February 2025, Apple has disabled ADP in the UK, as the company didn’t want to create an encryption backdoor at the government’s insistence. The backdoor would have allowed the UK to access everyone’s encrypted backups, not just UK residents.

How Google Drive secures your data

Google’s standard protection encrypts data at rest using AES-128 or stronger. Files are split into chunks, each with a unique key managed by a central Key Management Service that rotates keys every 90 days to limit exposure.

Meanwhile, data in transit is secured with TLS (including TLS 1.3 and TLS 1.2) with forward secrecy. Each session uses unique ephemeral keys, which prevents attackers from intercepting and decrypting your information.

Google strictly controls who can access encryption keys in its data centers and keeps records of all key usage. It regularly rotates keys and uses cryptographic authentication to prevent unauthorized access, maintaining strong security across its services.

Despite all this, Google doesn’t offer end-to-end encryption, which means they always know what you’re up to. At least organizations can opt for client-side encryption (among other security enhancements) as part of the Enterprise Plus; Education Standard and Education Plus plans.

Read the Google Workspace encryption whitepaper (PDF download) for an in-depth look at how Google encrypts your data on Drive and related services.

iCloud vs Google Drive pricing and refunds

iCloud and Google Drive are pretty evenly priced, at least storage-wise. That said, iCloud has the advantage of having more plans and beefier storage options to choose from. Plus, Google doesn’t offer refunds, unless it’s for an unauthorized or accidental purchase. Apple is more generous in that regard, and lets you request a refund within 14 days.

In any case, here’s a breakdown of iCloud vs Google Drive prices:

iCloud

Aside from the free 5 GB plan, you have five others to choose from with iCloud+. Here they are:

• 50 GB: $0.99/month
• 200 GB: $2.99/month
• 2 TB: $9.99/month
• 6 TB: $29.99/month
• 12 TB: $59.99/month

Interestingly, iCloud+ has no annual plans to speak of—so if you were hoping for a better deal that way, you’re out of luck. There’s also no free trial unless you get Apple One.

Google Drive

You’re acquainted with the 15 GB free plan by now, so here’s the pricing for Google One:

• Basic (100 GB): $1.99/month, $19.99 yearly
• Standard (200 GB)*: $2.99/month, $29.99 yearly
• Premium (2 TB): $9.99/month, $99.99 yearly
• AI Premium (2 TB): $19.99/month, no annual plan

Now, Google has made the 200 GB plan less visible, presumably to draw attention to its AI offering. To access it, go to one.google.com/changestorageplan. Scroll down and you’ll find it right next to the Basic one.

A free trial is only available through the monthly AI Premium subscription, most likely to encourage people to test out Google’s Gemini and NotebookLM AI features.

iCloud vs Google Drive: The bottom line

Here’s a quick rundown of how iCloud and Google Drive stack up, covering everything from setup and storage to security and collaboration:

• Seamless integration vs flexibility: iCloud is built into Apple devices, requiring no extra setup, while Google Drive works across all popular platforms (besides Linux) without major restrictions.
• Storage and pricing: Google Drive offers 15 GB of free storage, while iCloud only provides 5 GB. However, iCloud+ has more storage tiers, going up to 12 TB, and an actual refund policy if you change your mind.
• Security differences: iCloud supports end-to-end encryption (E2EE) for many data categories, with an optional Advanced Data Protection mode. Google Drive lacks E2EE but offers client-side encryption for enterprise users.
• File sharing and collaboration: Google Drive allows easy sharing through links and works with Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, and more. iCloud supports collaboration within Apple’s iWork apps but requires recipients to have an Apple ID for folder access.
• Backup capabilities: iCloud can only back up Apple gadgets, while Google Drive can handle both Android and iOS devices.
• Platform availability: iCloud works best with Apple products, though it has a limited Windows app and web version. Google Drive is accessible on iOS, Android, macOS, Windows, and via a fully featured web app.

Overall, we prefer Google Drive for its versatility, easy file-sharing, and that nice bit of extra space. However, if it’s secure storage you’re after and your gadget drawer is already full of Apple, iCloud is the better alternative.

Or, you could go for a more capable cloud backup solution, with better backup systems, unlimited storage, faster uploads with block-level sync, and many more useful features.

iCloud vs Google Drive FAQs

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