The Android operating system's popularity has made Google's services some of the most-used and most-loved services in the world. With Android& people get to use Google Drive& Google Photos& Gmail& Google Keep& and even office productivity apps such as Google Docs& Google Sheets& and Google Slides free of charge. There is a generous 15 GB of storage available for all these apps to use. However& for most users& Google Photos is the most efficient service& even more than their email. This is due to the explosion of social media in the last few years& and the with cheaper internet data& we are consuming more and more and sharing more content than ever. Our phones are filled with photos& memes& videos& GIFs that date back years& and for most users& Google Photos is at the heart of it. Google decided in November 2020 that prompted users to look for the best Google Photos alternatives in 2021.
Starting June 1& 2021& Google said it would end the free unlimited storage it offers for Google Photos. Google used to permit High-Quality photos without counting towards the limit& and Original Resolution was the only quality that was counted towards a user’s storage. Beginning June 1& 2021& Google will start counting High-Quality photos towards storage as well. To be clear& Google says only new photos will count towards the storage limit as per your plan& and all existing photos in your account will remain exempt from this limit. However& this was enough to trigger many people who started looking online for the best Google Photos alternatives in 2021.
Table of Contents
- What Should A Google Photos Alternative In 2021 Look Like?
- Best Google Photos Alternative In 2021: Mylio
- Best Google Photos Alternative In 2021: SmugMug
- Best Google Photos Alternative In 2021: pCloud
- Best Google Photos Alternative In 2021: Microsoft OneDrive
- Best Google Photos Alternative In 2021: Sync.com
- Best Google Photos Alternative In 2021: Amazon Photos
- Best Google Photos Alternative In 2021: Why Not Your Own?
- Managing Cloud Drives With Wondershare InClowdz
What Should A Google Photos Alternative In 2021 Look Like?
Photos are precious memories. They always have been& they always will be. Today& with high-resolution cameras in our pockets& we take high-quality photos without batting an eyelid. They were stored in Google Photos in High Quality that is good enough. It the not an original resolution& but good enough a compromise for most people. But Google will count every photo you store in High Quality in Google Photos from June 1& 2021. Do you even know how many photos do you take on a daily/ weekly/ monthly basis? Well& now you might have to think. And that is why people are searching online for the best Google Photos alternatives in 2021.
What should a Google Photos alternative in 2021 look like? To answer that& it must be understood what Google Photos is.
What is Google Photos?
Google Photos is a digital asset management (DAM) app designed to bring your photos and media front and center. As such& it only recognizes media formats and will not open other file formats. You can create albums for your photos in Google Photos. Connected with Google Drive& Google Photos syncs your photos across all your devices connected to the same Google Account. Google Photos is an app designed for photos and media only& as against& say& Google Drive that is meant for storing any and everything.
With this in mind& it would do well to look at the best alternatives to Google Photos in 2021 designed to work around photos and media.
Best Google Photos Alternative In 2021: Mylio
Mylio is& hands down& one of the best Google Photos alternatives in 2021 available to you. This is an innovative service you can use to gather and organize all your photos into one library and make them accessible on all your devices& be it Mac& Windows& Android& or iOS.
Mylio’s features also include facial recognition& fast search& and editing capabilities. Like Google Photos& Mylio stores optimized versions on your device to save space& and everything is synced across all connected devices automatically.
The free plan provides storage of up to 25&000 photos and videos& and you can manage and edit them from anywhere on any 3 devices. Mylio allows you to retain your current app's folder structure& Google Photos& in this case& when you import your photos and videos from Google Photos into Mylio& making your transition seamless and hassle-free.
There is a paid Premium plan to take care of any requirements not met by the free plan or if you outgrow the limit of 25&000 photos and videos or need access to your library on more than 3 devices.
Mylio is built with security and privacy in mind& and the founder has an illustrious 35-year career& even working as Microsoft’s Chief Technical Officer reporting directly to Bill Gates.
Best Google Photos Alternative In 2021: SmugMug
At the start& it must be said that SmugMug is not free. It is a paid service. If you can look beyond that& you will realize that SmugMug is what you have been missing all this while.
SmugMug offers unlimited& original resolution photo uploads. This is important. As display resolutions increase over time with technological advancements& you might want an as high resolution as possible& and storing your photos in full resolution is a great start. You can upload your photos automatically and view your photos on any device& anywhere in the world. SmugMug promises that the company will not mine& sell or share your data with anyone.
If you use photo editing software such as Lightroom& Luminar or On1& you can upload your edits directly to SmugMug!
Lastly& SmugMug features e-commerce integration& allowing you to create a portfolio and a website that people can visit to browse through your content and purchase prints if they want. You can choose who you allow to view your content& be it& family& friends& or the whole wide world. You can organize your photos in folders& galleries& or use themes to showcase your work online. Integration with social media tools such as Facebook and Twitter gives you the ability to keep your friends and family (or the world!) updated with your newest muse easily.
Best Google Photos Alternative In 2021: pCloud
If you are feeling a little stung by Google’s decision to count new photos uploaded to Google Photos towards your storage space& we feel you& and this Google Photos alternative is just the right fit for you since this is one of the most trusted and reliable cloud storage providers that offer a one-time payment option for life. You read that right - this is a solution that you can purchase for a one-time fee and use for 99 years or& well& the account holder’s life& whichever happens& earlier.
If you are using free Google Photos& you are within your stipulated 15 GB limit. pCloud offers 500 GB. That is a lot of room to grow& and for a one-time payment& you will literally be worry-free for life. Furthermore& pCloud offers a family plan that you can get for a one-time discounted payment. That means 4 of your family members can make up a total of 5 users.
Security has never been an afterthought with Cloud& and it goes on to offer a pCloud Crypto service for military-grade encryption should you want it& for a one-time payment. pCloud is big on one-time payments& as you can see& to let you concentrate on enjoying the service more than having to worry about payments. That said& there are annual payment plans available as well& should you want them instead& to try the service out. When it comes to privacy& it is GDPR-compliant and has a zero-knowledge privacy policy in place.
pCloud lets you showcase your work& complete with custom branding. This means that your photos can get a life of their own.
Best Google Photos Alternative In 2021: Microsoft OneDrive
Microsoft Windows is still a predominant desktop operating system globally& and Windows comes with Microsoft OneDrive deeply integrated into its architecture& making for a seamless cloud storage experience for Windows users.
While the free tier of OneDrive is nothing to write home about& where the deal sweetens is that for $99 a year& you can get a Microsoft 365 Family account that comes with 6 users. And each of those users gets 1 TB OneDrive storage. 1 TB is more than enough already& and 6 TB is a dream for $99 a year.
But that is not all that you get. For that price& you also get Outlook Premium along with desktop apps of Microsoft Office. If you have any Microsoft Office use& this deal quickly becomes more lucrative than you can imagine.
OneDrive can automatically upload all your photos from your camera as you take them. You can organize your photos in Microsoft Photos. You can take your photos with you through the OneDrive app on Android and iOS and have those operating systems upload the photos you take on your mobile right into OneDrive. OneDrive app for Mac keeps your Mac in sync with your Windows computer as well& should you want.
Considering Google Photos only let you store High-Quality photos for free and even that will start counting towards storage& it may be time to start looking at the best Google Photos alternatives in 2021 that you can use to store original resolution photographs and other media& along with enough room to grow without worrying about storage space& and Microsoft OneDrive is certainly it. It is a complete package with storage space starting at 1 TB& premium ad-free email experience& and Microsoft Office apps on all your devices for unrivaled productivity& for $69 per year for 1 TB and $99 a year for a Family that allows 6 users& totaling to 6 TB.
Best Google Photos Alternative In 2021: Sync.com
Sync is an end-to-end encrypted Google Photos alternative you can use if you are concerned about your memories' privacy. It is a GDPR-compliant& PIPEDA-compliant cloud storage service that also promises zero third-party trackings.
Sync has apps for all devices and operating systems and features such as automatic camera upload& offline files& and selective sync so that you can upload your photos to the cloud automatically& access your photos even when offline& and choose which photos you want on which device for granular control over your experience.
Your cloud storage is protected with 2FA (two-factor authentication) and remote device lockout that you can use to disable your device in the event of a theft quickly or if you misplaced it. Sync is fast& and you can preview your photos in the browser& making it more than just cloud storage but a viable alternative to Google Photos if you are willing to work with a folder structure.
Best Google Photos Alternative In 2021: Amazon Photos
Does it come as a surprise that Amazon has something for your digital needs as well& considering they have a wildly successful and revered catalog of products and services? If you are a Prime member and mostly only need a place for your photos& Amazon Photos is practically perfect since it offers free and unlimited storage for photos in their original resolution to Prime members. Videos& however& are another story& with Amazon providing only 5 GB for videos. More storage can be purchased.
You can search for your photos using keywords& apply tags& and photos are backed up to Amazon Photos automatically after initial setup.
This is not ideal for anyone looking for more than simply storing their photos in their original resolution online. But for those looking for just that& and if they are an Amazon Prime member& this is literally a no-brainer since Amazon Photos is bundled with Amazon Prime and is available to users whenever they want to use it. Apps are available on all platforms& including Amazon Fire TV!
Best Google Photos Alternative In 2021: Why Not Your Own?
If you are technically sound with a do-it-yourself bent of mind& there is nothing quite like setting up your own cloud storage that can also serve as a Google Photos alternative in 2021.
All it takes is setting up network-attached storage (NAS)& and there is no better NAS than Synology. Synology is like Apple of NAS. It has excellent hardware for every kind of use and has the software to match.
Synology Moments is their software the company makes for setting up your NAS as a Google Photos alternative in 2021. Since it is your server& your hardware& your cloud& you are in full control of your data at all times. There are apps for Android and iOS to allow you to take your photos everywhere you go - just like Google Photos& only for a one-time investment in the hardware.
Synology Moments uses the NAS hardware's power to group photos according to faces& places& and subjects. Everything is done on-device& so it is completely private. Keywords are supported& allowing you to search through your photos quickly. Advanced features such as a shared photo library allow you to invite people to collaborate and edit photos together. Apple’s Live Photos are supported. If you are up for the task& this is one of the best Google Photos alternatives in 2021 and one of the best investments you can make for your digital convenience in 2021.
Managing Cloud Drives With Wondershare InClowdz
In today’s always-online cloud computing world& we can’t live without a cloud drive& and since no one solution works for all our requirements& we have several cloud drives. Wondershare InClowdz is a useful tool to not only sync your files from one cloud to another cloud service but even collate all your accounts in one app to help you manage them with grace and ease& rather than having you juggle between browser tabs.
Migrate, Sync, Manage Clouds Files in One Place
- • Migrate cloud files such as photos, music, documents from one drive to another, like Dropbox to Google Drive.
- • Backup your music, photos, videos in one could drive to another to keep files safe.
- • Manage all cloud drives such as Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, box, and Amazon S3 in one place.
- • Sync clouds files such as music, photos, videos, etc., from one cloud drive to another.
Step 1: Get InClowdz here: https://drfone.wondershare.com/cloud-migration.html
Step 2: Click Management module in InClowdz
Step 3: Add the cloud drive that you want to manage. Here is a screenshot of InClowdz with a few accounts:
Step 4: Click your cloud drive& and you can now use InClowdz to go about your day-to-day operations such as creating& deleting& copying& and renaming files and folders easily& along with one neat trick you always wanted but never got before:
Conclusion
There are plenty of free and paid Google Photos alternatives in 2021. The ones listed here are tried and tested& have been around for a long& so you know they are not going to run away with your data& and all of these solutions feature excellent security. Management of multiple cloud drives is a problem people face today& considering the sheer number of accounts they often have to juggle through. It saps time and energy and saps productivity. Wondershare InClowdz makes it easy to bring your accounts together and sync your data between them& offering you a much-needed respite in the digital exhaustion the world faces today.
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