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How to choose an alternative to Google Photos — if you want one

How to choose an alternative to Google Photos — if you want one

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Google no longer has unlimited photo storage

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Google Photos on the Google Pixel
Photo by Vlad Savov / The Verge

Last November, Google — which had offered unlimited storage for what it called “high quality” (read: compressed) photos — announced that, as of June 1st, “unlimited” was being changed to “up to 15GB on your Google account.” (Oh, and “high quality” is being renamed “storage saver.”) In other words, while photo and video storage once did not count against your total of 15 free gigs on a Google account, it does now — along with your Gmail, Google Drive files, and other stored data. Once you hit that 15GB wall, you will have to buy into the Google One service to increase your storage capacity. (Unless you own a Pixel 5 or earlier device, in which case you still have no limits on “high quality” photos.)

If you’re a Google Photos user who finds all of this a bit irritating, you may be thinking of leaving. But first, it’s a good idea to check out your alternatives. Below are some of the main photo storage services available to you, along with their basic fees, so you can figure out whether you want to switch. (Note: We’ve only included services that have features specifically geared toward photos, not more general storage services such as Dropbox.)

Google Photos

Google Photos
Google Photos

Google provides each of its accounts with 15GB of free storage. However, for the last few years, photos have been treated differently: under its “high quality” plan, Google stored an unlimited number of photos for free as long as you allow them to be compressed to 16 megapixels. (According to Google, photos that size can be printed without issue up to 24 x 16 inches.) Videos were kept to a maximum of 1080p. (Data such as closed captions could be eliminated to save space.) “Original quality” photos — those that were not compressed — were not part of this unlimited plan but were counted as regular files.

However, all of that has changed. As mentioned above, starting on June 1st, 2021, Google is including photos in its storage calculations. Once you hit that 15GB ceiling, you have to buy into the Google One service for additional storage space.

Google One currently starts at 100GB of storage for $1.99 a month ($19.99 a year) and proceeds to 200GB for $2.99 a month ($29.99 a year) or 2TB for $9.99 a month ($99.99 a year). The 2TB plan also comes with a VPN for Android phones.

Before you run to invest in Google One, be aware that there are several mitigating factors Google is offering its users. Photos you uploaded before the new plan went into effect don’t count toward your 15GB limit. Also, if you own a Pixel 5 or earlier model phone, then you can continue to upload “high-quality” / “storage saver” photos without affecting your 15GB limit. (Of course, Pixel owners used to get unlimited “original quality” photos for free. But hey, it’s something.)

Google is rolling out some tools to help confused users, including one that estimates how much time you have left before you have to purchase more storage space (based on previous usage), and one that will help you discard blurry photos, too-large videos, and other items that may take up space.

iCloud Photos

iCloud Photos
iCloud Photos

If you’re part of Apple’s ecosystem, then you have easy access to iCloud Photos, Apple’s equivalent to Google Photos. iCloud Photos is connected to the Phone app on your Mac or iOS device as a backup for your photos. You automatically get 5GB of storage space associated with your iCloud account; after that, it costs 99 cents per month for 50GB, $2.99 per month for 200GB, and $9.99 per month for 2TB. (This is for the US; other countries have different fees.) Windows users can also access iCloud Photos via an associated app; Android users will have to access it using a browser.

Flickr

Flickr page
Flickr

Flickr has a free plan as well, but it’s limited to 1,000 photos — within certain guidelines: photo files are limited to 200MB and video files to 1GB. For unlimited storage without ads, you pay either $6.99 a month or $59.99 annually (plus tax). Other advantages to a paid annual membership include stats about which of your photos are trending and a variety of discounts from several companies, including Adobe and SmugMug (which is now part of Flickr).

SmugMug

Smugmug
SmugMug
Photo: SmugMug

Speaking of SmugMug, this long-lasting service is also available, offering storage, portfolios, and sales opportunities for professionals. For $55 a year or $7 a month, you get unlimited uploads and a customizable website. The Power plan ($85 a year or $11 monthly) adds site customization and your own domain name. If you’re looking to be a professional photographer, the Portfolio plan adds e-commerce features for $200 a year or $27 a month (you keep 85 percent of the markup). And finally, the Pro plan lets you create events, price lists, and branded orders, among other features, for $360 a year or $42 a month. If you’re interested in trying it out, you can get a two-week trial.

500px

500px
500px
Photo: 500px

Canadian company 500px is actually more for professional photographers than your average snap-and-save picture taker. It offers pros a place to store, exhibit, and license their work. So if you have ambitions to start peddling your photos, 500px may be worth checking out.

The site offers two paid plans. The first, modestly named Awesome, offers unlimited uploads, priority support, no ads, a history of “liked” photos, gallery slideshows, and a profile badge for $59.88 a year or $4.99 monthly. The Pro plan adds a way to display your services and organization tools for $119.88 a year or $9.99 monthly. (You get a discount on your first year: Awesome costs $47.88 a year or $3.99 monthly, while Pro goes for $71.88 a year or $5.99 monthly.) And if you want to make a bit of money, you can submit your photos to be licensed for stock usage through 500px.

There is a free ad-supported plan that gives you seven uploads a week. When you sign up, you can try out the Pro plan for two weeks before committing yourself.

Photobucket

Photobucket
Photobucket

Photobucket offers a limited free plan, allowing you to upload up to 250 photos for free — more a trial plan than anything else. If you like what you see, you can start with the Beginner plan at $5.99 per month or $64.68 annually, which gives you 25GB of storage, along with no ads, password-protected album sharing, and an image editor. For $7.99 per month or $86.28 annually, the Intermediate plan provides 250GB of storage and unlimited image hosting. Finally, for $12.99 per month or $140.28 annually, the Expert plan offers unlimited storage and no image compression, among other extras.

DeviantArt

DeviantArt
DeviantArt

DeviantArt calls itself “the world’s largest art community” with a social network for visual artists of all kinds. It offers visitors a wide range of artist galleries to view, divided into categories such as traditional, animation, and illustrations. DeviantArt (or DA for short) even has its own publishing platform called Sta.sh — emphasizing the fact that this site, like 500px, is less for simple storage and more for showing (and selling) your art.

With a free membership in DeviantArt, there are no restrictions on how much you upload for public access, and you get admission to DA’s community of artists and art lovers. Core Members enjoy additional perks. For $3.95 a month or $39.95 a year, you get to sell your art with no service fee (but a 20 percent fee on Premium Gallery & Premium download sales) and a $100 max price per digital item, along with 20GB of private storage space in Sta.sh. For $7.95 a month or $79.95 a year, you can charge up to $1,000 per item and pay a 12 percent fee on Premium Gallery & Premium download sales, along with 30GB of private storage. Finally, $14.95 a month or $149.95 a year lets you charge up to $10,000 per item, lowers your fee to 10 percent fee per sale, and gets you 50GB of storage.

Amazon Photos

Amazon Photos
Amazon Photos

Amazon provides its Prime members with a grab bag of extras along with the free shipping. In addition to the video offerings, music streaming, and other goodies, you get unlimited photo storage for $119 a year.

A nice perk is that you can share that unlimited storage with five friends or family members in what is called the Family Vault. Everything there is accessible to everyone who shares the Vault. “Unlimited,” by the way, does not include videos or other files; for those, Prime members get 5GB of storage, and after that, there is a long list of storage plans available starting from $1.99 a month for 100GB.

That’s something to keep in mind if you drop your Prime membership. In that case, according to the Amazon instructions, “the unlimited photo storage benefits associated with the membership end. All uploaded photos count toward your Amazon Drive storage limit.” The total storage for non-Prime members (stills and video) is 5GB.

Microsoft OneDrive

Microsoft OneDrive
Microsoft OneDrive

While OneDrive is a more general storage service, it does include a photo storage section that offers some very basic features such as albums and the ability to share, caption, or crop photos. OneDrive includes 5GB of free storage, considerably less than Google’s 15GB, but offers the same 100GB for $1.99 a month. If you’re already a user of the company’s productivity package, Microsoft 365 Personal (which costs $69.99 a year), you should take advantage of the 1TB of storage that comes with the deal.

Degoo

Degoo
Degoo

Unlike 500px and DeviantArt, which are tailored more toward professional creators, Degoo is geared toward the everyday photographer who uses images to make memories. In fact, the site touts its AI engine, which it says will “show you the best moments of your life.” To that end, its free ad-based version provides 100GB of storage; you can view or download photos on an unlimited number of devices but only upload from three. You also have to access your account at least every 90 days to keep it active. Paid accounts include Pro ($2.99 / month), which removes the ads and time limit and gives you 500GB of storage, and Ultimate ($9.99 / month), which gives you a whopping 10TB.

Cryptee

Cryptee
Cryptee

If you’re concerned about privacy and like the idea of encryption, an open-source service called Cryptee, which is based in Estonia, offers to keep all your photos encrypted using AES-256 (you have to enter an encryption key along with your password to gain access). It offers storage for both documents and photos; the photo feature lets you organize your images in albums and select favorites. You can access up to 100MB of storage free. After that, for €3 (about $4) a month, you get up to 10GB; for €9 (about $11) a month, you get up to 400GB; and for €27 (about $33) a month, approximately 2TB.

Update November 12th, 4:55PM ET: This article has been updated to include SmugMug and to explain that it only covers photo-specific services.

Update November 16th, 10:30AM ET: Updated to add iCloud Photos and to update the prices and screenshot for 500px.

Update May 11th, 2021, 1:10PM ET: Several prices and screenshots updated.

Update May 21st, 2021, 10:20PM ET: Degoo added.

Update May 24th, 2021, 2:35PM ET: New details added about upcoming changes to, and tools for, Google Photos.

Update June 1st, 2021 10:45AM ET: Updated the introduction and added entrees for Microsoft OneDrive and Cryptee.