Cloud storage software includes features like document storage, security, file organization, and collaboration. In today’s digital world, small businesses without a technology-enabled approach to storing their documents online are falling behind.

This article will discuss the differences between two of the largest players in this space: OneDrive and Google Drive. These are the respective cloud storage tools in Google Workspace and Microsoft 365, two of the most popular document management systems. We’ll discuss the notable strengths and weaknesses of each tool, and provide recommendations for who each tool will suit best.

All of our recommendations are based on first-hand research, product demos with the software companies, and dozens of hours spent hand-testing document management tools. More details regarding our research process can be found on our document management category page.

OneDrive & Google Drive Comparison Summary

In terms of pricing, both OneDrive and Google Drive start with free plans. OneDrive’s paid plans are more affordable than those in Google Drive. More expensive plans in both solutions come with more storage.

Both solutions offer the standard features found across cloud storage tools. These include document storage, security, file organization, and collaboration. OneDrive’s strongest point is its additional security features. Google Drive’s advantages over OneDrive are its greater amount of free storage and larger file transfer size.

Here’s a quick breakdown of who will prefer each option:

Table of Contents

• OneDrive & Google Drive Comparison Summary
• OneDrive & Google Drive Price Comparison
  • OneDrive Pricing
  • Google Drive Pricing
• OneDrive & Google Drive Top Feature Comparison
  • Cloud Storage
  • Security
  • Collaboration
• OneDrive & Google Drive Integrations
• Bottom Line

OneDrive & Google Drive Price Comparison

Overall, OneDrive is more affordable than Google Drive. Google Drive comes with more free storage. Both solutions offer more storage with their more expensive plans.

OneDrive Pricing Details

OneDrive comes with 5 GB of storage with its free plan. Afterwards, pricing starts at $1.99 per month for 100 GB of storage and more. OneDrive offers fixed plans with up to 1 TB of storage per month. Afterwards, each additional TB of storage costs $9.99 per month.

Google Drive Pricing Details

Google Drive comes with 15 GB of storage with its free plan. Afterwards, pricing starts at $1.99 per month for 100 GB of storage and more.

OneDrive & Google Drive Feature Comparison

Overall, both solutions have a similar breadth of features. OneDrive features are more focused on document security. Google Drive, however, offers more collaboration capabilities.

For a full analysis of each solution’s features, read our Microsoft 365 review and Google Workspace review.

Cloud Storage

Cloud storage options in Google Drive are slightly more powerful than OneDrive. This is because its file version control is more detailed and you can enable offline access through its web app. However, OneDrive allows you to recover files up to 30 days after deletion while Drive supports up to 25 days.

If recovering files for up to 180 days after deletion or even with no limit at all is important to you, consider Dropbox Business or Box.

Google Drive has the best version control we’ve analyzed in any document management software. This is because you can see and sort through each change that was made in every version of your Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides files.

OneDrive’s version control is still strong, but not as detailed as Google Drive. This is because you cannot sort through edits nor can you name individual edits like in Drive. Both OneDrive and Google Drive have similar version control to Zoho WorkDrive.

Offline access in both applications is easy to set up and can be accessed on the following devices:

Security

Security in OneDrive is slightly stronger than Google Drive due to its advanced file protection capabilities. Both applications have adequate security for entry level users. Still, consider OneDrive if protecting specific files and folders is a priority for you.

Both OneDrive and Google Drive offer top-level security settings that can be adjusted in your respective Microsoft or Google accounts. These include alerts, password management, and two-step verification.

OneDrive’s premier security feature is the Personal Vault. The Personal Vault is essentially a folder only accessible with a strong authentication method such as a fingerprint, facial recognition, PIN, or a code sent to your email or phone.

OneDrive’s Personal Vault is meant to protect your highly sensitive information. Some documents that you can store in your Personal Vault include:

Collaboration

Collaboration in OneDrive and Google Drive is very similar. The primary ways you can collaborate are through document creation, commenting, and file sharing. We recommend Google Drive for your business if sharing large files is a priority for you. This is because its individual size limit is 5 TB, while OneDrive’s is 250 GB.

You can collaborate on documents in both applications through their respective content creation suites. Documents are automatically stored to your OneDrive or Google Drive upon creation. They are also updated whenever any changes are made.

Here are some of the primary collaborative projects you can create through OneDrive and Google Drive:

Commenting on Google Drive is more flexible than OneDrive. This is because you can directly comment on files through its interface without opening up its respective content creation tool. For example, you do not need to open pdf files in Google Docs to comment on them.

This workflow is similar to Box and is most helpful for businesses working with outside clients who might not use the same document creation tools as your business. You can additionally highlight individual parts of an image in Google Drive. This is another feature OneDrive lacks.

Finally, OneDrive cannot transfer larger individual files than Google Drive. OneDrive has an individual file size limit of 250 GB while Google Drive has a limit of 5 TB. You can group files together and send them as a package in both applications.

If your business prioritizes external branding and client communication, consider Dropbox Business. This is because transferring files in Dropbox Business comes with the advantage of customizable landing pages.

Integrations

OneDrive and Google Drive both offer a number of popular integrations found in standard cloud storage software. Here are some of the most popular native integrations both solutions offer:

Bottom Line

Overall, the primary factor in choosing either OneDrive or Google Drive depends on whether your team is already using Microsoft or Google products. If having an additional layer of file protection is important to you, consider OneDrive. If transferring much larger individual files is a priority, consider Google Drive.

If you’re planning on using the free version of either application, note that Google Drive comes with 15 GB of storage while OneDrive only comes with 5 GB.

If you’re interested, visit OneDrive or Google Drive today to get started.