Sadly, unlimited storage on Google Photos is coming to an end next June 2021, with all photos uploaded lots of users hope they don’t surpass that free 15GB of Google Drive storage. That means that at best they have a few months left of free storage before they have to start paying for more space.
For those who want to prevent hitting the iceberg and jump ship early, there is good news: There are already several Google Photos alternatives on the market. The bad news is that none of them offer the same feature set that Google Photos does. Here’s a look at the best options!
Best Google Photos alternatives
- Amazon Photos
- Dropbox
- Flickr
- Apple iCloud
- OneDrive
- Your own server
Should we stop using Google Photos?
Before we get into Google Photos alternatives we must ask the question: are you just better off paying for more storage on Google Photos?
The answer is a robust yes. Free unlimited storage was just one part of what made Google Photos the best option around. The ability to search fastly through your photo library by date, location, or keyword is incredibly amazing and useful, that no other service gets close to it.
These other alternatives will not be free forever, either. Many of them offer less free capacity than Google Drive and require hardware or software fees. In the majority of the cases, it will be much easier to pay $5 a month (or $50 a year) for 100GB G-Suite once you reach the limit.
With that in mind, here are the best Google Photos alternatives for those who want to leave the service out for good.
Amazon Photos
People still reaching to keep real unlimited storage, Amazon Photos is an excellent substitute. Even better, if you’re paying for Amazon Prime you already have it.
Amazon Photos is essentially unlimited cloud storage, only for photos. You can store 5GB of videos and other files, but you have to pay for more than that. It has some keyword search features and you can save photos in their original quality.
The app syncs automatically your photos, and you can share them with others too. The unlimited photo storage can be shared with up to six family members on a single subscription. But, if you cancel your Amazon Prime subscription you will lose access to your photos, and they may even be deleted permanently.
Dropbox
Dropbox is one of the most popular cloud storage services, and if configured correctly it can serve as a decent Google Photos alternative. You can automatically sync all of the photos from your phone to a secure location in the cloud and has many third-party integrations with a lot of other cloud providers.
The free version is limited. You get only 2GB of storage and paid plans are more expensive than their competitors. But one chooses it for additional security and productivity features.
Flickr
Flickr is one of the oldest services online, it offers great photo storage plans. Primarily marketed to professional and amateur photographers as a way to host and share high-quality photos, but it can be used for regular users too.
The app offers auto-syncing of all of your photos, or individual uploads if you just want to save the best shots. Photos and videos can be set to private too. Designed for photographers from the ground up, keeping everything organized in albums is so smooth.
Free plans offer storage for 1,000 photos. If you want unlimited storage, you can get Flickr Pro, which runs $7 a month (or $60 a year).
Apple iCloud
If you have an iPhone, you are probably using iCloud. It’s robust cloud storage and it’s an easy way to keep all of your photos safely stored in the cloud. It doesn’t have the same search capabilities, but you can access your photos from any device.
Free users can use only 5GB of storage, but Apple iCloud offers some of the cheapest plans for expansion. 50GB runs just $1 a month, 200GB runs $3 a month, and 2TB runs just $10 a month.
But, if you’re not an iPhone user you probably need to look elsewhere. There is no official support for Android phones. You can access some functions via a mobile browser, but not at the same level of convenience.
OneDrive
Next up is Microsoft’s cloud storage solution. OneDrive is a popular choice for business users due to its integration with Office apps, but it’s a capable Google Photos replacement, too. You can download the app to your phone and have it automatically sync your photos to the cloud. The gallery allows for searching and automatically tags pictures based on their content (just like Google Photos).
The free version is more limited at just 5GB, but you can bump that up to 100GB for just $2 a month. Microsoft 365 users also get 1TB of storage as part of the $7 per month (or $70 per year) plan. This makes it a natural choice for anyone who uses Microsoft apps for work or personal use.
Your own server
The last Google Photos alternative is the most complicated, but also the most versatile. Setting up your own cloud server will give you complete control over your files, and free you from subscriptions to paying services.
However, it will take far more time and effort than any other service on the market. You can use Plex, Synology, OwnCloud, or several other services to do this, but it will take some technical know-how.
