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Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
Head-to-head

Google Photos vs Google Drive

Google Photos 4.8★ · Free to download 75
Winner Google Photos
Google Drive 4.8★ · Free to download 68

Google Photos is the better choice for dedicated photo and video management with its AI-powered features, while Google Drive excels as a general-purpose cloud storage and file sharing solution.

Full reviews: Google Photos · Google Drive

Google Photos offers robust photo backup and AI-driven memory features, though recent updates have caused performance and usability issues for some users. Google Drive provides versatile cloud storage for various file types, but struggles with editing capabilities and occasional lag.

Head to head

Features & AI Capabilities edge: Google PhotosR5R11R15R18
Google Photos Google Photos is praised for its automatic video creation, memory reminders, and facial recognition, which helps users find and organize photos R5R11R32. However, some users dislike the automatic AI features and new grid layout, finding them intrusive and difficult to navigate R15R31. The photo-to-video feature is reported as broken for some R18.
Google Drive Google Drive is valued for its ability to store various file types, including VR content, and its automatic saving feature for ongoing work . However, users are frustrated by the need to download separate apps for editing documents like Google Sheets R81R109. There are also complaints about new AI features like 'summarize this file' pop-ups being annoying and unwanted .
Ease of Use & Navigation tieR1R9R13R15
Google Photos Many users find Google Photos easy to use for finding and sharing albums and pictures R53. However, recent updates have made the app's interface clunky and difficult to navigate, with complaints about the removal of monthly view, new photo grid layouts, and issues with manually uploading photos R1R9R13R15. Some users also report difficulty selecting specific photos for sharing without granting full access R1R19R49R52.
Google Drive Google Drive is generally considered user-friendly and helpful for daily tasks . However, many users find the app hard to navigate, especially for sharing files, organizing folders, and managing multiple accounts . The app is also described as laggy .
Reliability & Performance tieR3R9R10R12
Google Photos Google Photos users report significant reliability issues, including photos not deleting properly, app freezing, crashing during editing, and failure to upload or download videos R3R9R10R12. Some users also experience the app losing access to photos, showing blank spaces, or deleting albums after updates .
Google Drive Google Drive users experience issues with uploads getting stuck, videos not playing or being aggressively processed, and synchronization problems . There are also reports of a persistent 'Content Unavailable' error on iPad .
Storage & Value tieR3R4R7R35
Google Photos Users appreciate Google Photos for freeing up phone space by backing up photos and videos R35. However, many are frustrated by the app consuming storage without clear understanding, forcing them to buy more space R3R4R37. The app size itself is also a concern, approaching half a gigabyte R7.
Google Drive Google Drive is criticized for its low free storage (15GB) and aggressive monthly fees for more space R64R115. The app size is also noted as being large and growing . Users struggle to delete unwanted files, which contributes to storage issues .
Privacy & Trust tieR4R19R31R37
Google Photos Google Photos faces significant criticism regarding privacy. Users feel the app 'steals' photos by automatically backing up entire libraries without explicit consent, forcing them to grant full access, and then demanding payment for storage R4R19R37R49. Some also dislike the app 'snooping' and creating collages without permission R31.
Google Drive Google Drive users express concerns about it not being a secure place to store personal work and information, leading some to seek more ethical alternatives . There are also reports of work files being moved into spam .
Pick Google Photos if

You primarily need a dedicated solution for backing up, organizing, and rediscovering photos and videos, and appreciate AI-generated memories and albums R5R11R35.

Pick Google Drive if

You need versatile cloud storage for a wide range of file types, including documents, and value automatic saving for ongoing work .

Evidence note: Both apps are free to download and offer similar free storage tiers, with paid upgrades available. Reviews for both apps show a recent negative skew, with many users expressing frustration over updates and performance issues, despite high lifetime ratings. The free-tier friction is evident in both, as many complaints revolve around storage limits and the push to upgrade.

Frequently asked

Which app is better for organizing photos?
Google Photos is generally better for organizing photos due to its AI-powered features like facial recognition, automatic album creation, and memory reminders, which help users find and categorize their images R11R32R53.
Can I edit documents directly in Google Drive?
No, to edit documents like Google Sheets in Google Drive, you typically need to download separate Google Workspace apps, which users find frustrating R81R109.
Do Google Photos and Google Drive offer free storage?
Yes, both Google Photos and Google Drive offer free storage, but users frequently complain about the limited free tier (15GB shared across Google services) and the pressure to purchase more storage R64R115.
Are there privacy concerns with Google Photos?
Yes, many users express significant privacy concerns with Google Photos, reporting that the app automatically backs up their entire photo library without clear consent, forces full access to photos, and then demands payment for storage R4R19R49R52.

What reviewers actually said

Built only from these 120 real reviews (foreign ones translated). Superscripts jump to the quote here. Apple has no per-review links, so [ref] opens that app's reviews on the App Store.

  1. [R5] Google Photos 5/5 · US Very cool!: I love how they make videos for you , very cool! keep up the great work!
  2. [R11] Google Photos 5/5 · US Awesome: Thank you for your help selecting special people, events and places and sharing with me.
  3. [R15] Google Photos 3/5 · US photo grid update: Myself and so many other users of google photos who I know, HATE, the new main photo grid. There is no need to have Recent moments, cinematics (which i turned off but still get), videos, and people and pets show up. there is literally a separate tab for that i can go to i don’t need it getting in the way of trying to find what i’m actually looking for in my photos. it’s large an
  4. [R18] Google Photos 3/5 · US Photo to video feature is broken: With the most recent update, the photo to video feature does not work anymore. It states that every photo is “too small,” even though it fits perfectly within the frame. This was never an issue before. Update: after the newest update where they said there were bug fixes, the feature is still broken. Update: there have been several app updates since my initial re
  5. [R1] Google Photos 1/5 · US Nosy and not worth it: Wanted to upload my photos to a shared album on this app from a work team bonding event. It was a really fun day and I wanted to contribute. If I could select certain photos from my library I would’ve done just that and have a neutral to positive experience on this app. But no, I spent many minutes of my life poking around the app, not knowing why the selected photos I chose
  6. [R9] Google Photos 3/5 · US Bring back MONTHLY VIEW!!: May 1, 2026: I WANT OFF THIS ISLAND!! These updates are seriously getting worse with EVERY update since changing and removing the monthly layout! July 4th: The updates are steady getting worse! Google Photos literally stopped working for me on July 3rd. It started freezing and not opening all the way. Multiple phone reboots did nothing. I hesitated but gave in and upda
  7. [R13] Google Photos 1/5 · US Terrible UX: Which ever PM/Designer decided this should be a UX and it should be this hard to manually upload a photo to google photos should find a new career. This app is borderline unusable if you don’t want to use automatic backup… I want to manually upload a photo from my iphone, no, I don’t want to scroll through my entire google 10k+ google photo collection most of which are not on my iphon
  8. [R3] Google Photos 3/5 · US Photos won’t delete: I have been a longtime Google Photos user. We’re talking years!!! In the past 6 months I have noticed when I press delete on photos, it doesn’t actually delete. I will have to delete the same photo 3x sometimes Prior to it actually deleting and stop taking up my storage quota. Also, now that it’s not free, there’s little difference between paying here and paying for extra iClo
  9. [R10] Google Photos 1/5 · US Never uploads correctly: I imagine this product works well on Android, but on iOS it has been a complete mess for sometime. Images will not upload even when you leave your phone open, you cannot remove images from albums, images disappear from albums, and the list goes on. Fire these PMs and start over from scratch.
  10. [R12] Google Photos 3/5 · US Performance is horrible: I used to love this app and am married to it because all my photos from over the years are in it. However, the last year or two the performance has continued to deteriorate. The app is so impossibly slow and sometimes doesn’t load at all. Hoping to amend this review if updates are finally made, but I’m tired of waiting and hoping.
  11. [R4] Google Photos 1/5 · US shady practice: This app keeps tricking me into enabling photo backup, forcing me to buy more space without understanding how I ran out in the first place. I just had to spend an hour undoing it manually because I’m worried the bulk undo option will erase photos I manually added to shared albums. You have lost my trust and I will be migrating to a different app.
  12. [R7] Google Photos 1/5 · US 🚨 🚨 BLOATED app size approaching HALF a GIGABYTE, spams notifications ⛔️: Google Photos was 420.5 MBs and growing to… 423.3 MBs… And like all Google apps, the Photos app is well on its way to AN ENTIRE GIGABYTE (see Gmail). 🚨 This is deplorable and comically out of touch while phone prices are increasing and consumers are crunched for storage, and by the way: bandwidth caps and overage costs exis
  13. [R35] Google Photos 5/5 · US The best: I love this app!! You can store all your videos and pictures.. then delete them off your phone photo app.. freeing up some much needed space! Highly recommended!
  14. [R19] Google Photos 1/5 · US Won’t work unless you give Google access to all your photos: Do you want to add a few photos from vacation to a friend’s share Google photo album? Well, forget it, this app will not let you access and share a few photos, it wants every single photo on your phone. The app claims to allow “limited access” but you can punch that button all day, it won’t work. Then, once you allow “full access,” and h
  15. [R31] Google Photos 1/5 · US You can STOP: I don’t want you going into my photos at all. I did not ask for any of your little collages or montages. I don’t like you snooping through my stuff and then showing me what you made. If I want a collage, I will buy an app to make then myself. Eff Off!
  16. [R37] Google Photos 1/5 · US Took up all my Google storage, and I cannot unlink it from my Google account: I don’t even remember creating a Google Photos account and linking it to my iPhone camera roll, but somehow it has access to every single photo and video, and is taking up all my Google storage. I never use this app for anything, but there is no way to unlink it to free up more storage for my Google account (Gmail, drive
  17. [R32] Google Photos 5/5 · US I love Google photos: I’ve been a paying customer for years and tell others to use it. Only suggestion that comes to mind: My family went on a trip recently. I created a shared photo album and we all added to it from our Google photos. The problem is that my own facial recognition definitions don’t work with their shared photos. I feel like they should still. There are like 1,300 photos and I wan
  18. [R53] Google Photos 5/5 · US Mi favorito: Poderoso y útil para buscar. Mucho mejor para encontrar fotos que Apple
  19. [R81] Google Drive 3/5 · US Edit a google sheet: I feel like I shouldn’t have to download another app to be able to edit this document
  20. [R109] Google Drive 1/5 · US Can’t edit sheets on my iPhone 16?: For some reason, I can’t edit sheets or uploaded excel documents on my iPhone. Pretty frustrating.
  21. [R64] Google Drive 1/5 · US It has so less storage: It really does have really low storage
  22. [R115] Google Drive 1/5 · US Not enough free storage: 15gb is hardly anything. Charge a flat rate for more storage like an external hard drive- the monthly fees are egregious.
  23. [R49] Google Photos 1/5 · US Steal your privacy: After update, you cant choose some photos to publish anymore. Only "give me all your photos" or "nothing" options.
  24. [R52] Google Photos 1/5 · US Typical predatory behavior from google: You cant just select a subset of photos to share. This app will only work if you share everything (full access) from your phone. I’m already migrating to a personal photo server than use these horrible data pirates

Synthesized from 120 recent App Store reviews · updated July 2026 · View on the App Store