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Head-to-head · Cloud Storage Services

Google Drive vs Amazon S3

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 4 checks side by side
Google Drive #4 in Cloud Storage Services 8.9/10 Free plan · 14-day trial Free planFree trial✓ 3 of 3 features Visit Google Drive
Amazon S3 #5 in Cloud Storage Services 8.9/10 From $0.02/mo ✓ 0 of 3 features Visit Amazon S3

Google Drive leads on 1 check, Amazon S3 on 0, and 3 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 4 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Free planonly Google Drive
  • Free trialonly Google Drive
  • Most featuresGoogle Drive · 3 of 3

Google Drive and Amazon S3 score identically on our rubric (8.9 out of 10) for cloud storage services; Google Drive sits at #4 and Amazon S3 at #5 in our editorial ranking, so the choice comes down to fit.

Google Drive offers free plan; Amazon S3 doesn't.

Google Drive is the better fit for teams wanting a broad general-purpose drive. Amazon S3 is the better fit for developers and applications needing object storage.

  • Google Drive fits best

    Teams wanting a broad general-purpose drive

  • Amazon S3 fits best

    Developers and applications needing object storage

Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.

Side by side

Feature Google Drive 8.9/10 Visit ↗ Amazon S3 8.9/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 8.9 8.9
Ranking #4 in Cloud Storage Services #5 in Cloud Storage Services
Best for Teams wanting a broad general-purpose drive Developers and applications needing object storage
Pricing model Free plan + paid Paid
Starting price $1.99/mo From $0.02/mo
Free plan ✓ (best) —
Free trial 14 days —
Deployment Cloud, Desktop, Mobile Cloud
Platforms Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android Web
Integrations 9 integrations 8 integrations
Features Google Drive 3/3 · Amazon S3 0/3
File versioning ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Zero-knowledge encryption ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Business admin controls ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Specs
Storage limit 15 GB Not checked yet
File size limit 5 GB Not checked yet
Device platforms Windows, macOS, iOS, Android Not checked yet
Our review
Pros
  • Shared drives, permissions, version history, and file restoration
  • Works across web, Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android
  • Integrates with Google Workspace, Slack, Zoom, Salesforce, and more
  • Lifecycle rules, versioning, retention controls, and replication
  • REST API, SDK, CLI, and web console access
  • Integrations across Lambda, Athena, CloudFront, and AWS tools
Cons
  • Personal storage is shared across Drive, Gmail, and Google Photos
  • Client-side encryption is limited to eligible Workspace accounts
  • Enterprise pricing requires contacting sales
  • Paid-only service with usage-based billing
  • Pricing varies by region, storage class, requests, and data transfer
  • Access is centered on web and API-based workflows
Our verdict

Google Drive is a cloud storage service for individuals, teams, and organizations that need to upload, organize, search, share, and collaborate on files. It supports Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides, with access through the web, mobile…

Read the review →

Amazon S3 is a cloud object storage service for organizing, protecting, and retrieving data in buckets. It is suited to developers and applications that need storage for data lakes, backups, archives, analytics, content delivery, or…

Read the review →
  1. Google DriveCloud Storage Services 8.9Free plan · 14-day trial
  2. Amazon S3Cloud Storage Services 8.9From $0.02/mo

Strengths and trade-offs

  • Google Drive — where it wins

    • Shared drives, permissions, version history, and file restoration
    • Works across web, Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android
    • Integrates with Google Workspace, Slack, Zoom, Salesforce, and more

    Where it doesn't

    • Personal storage is shared across Drive, Gmail, and Google Photos
    • Client-side encryption is limited to eligible Workspace accounts
    • Enterprise pricing requires contacting sales

  • Amazon S3 — where it wins

    • Lifecycle rules, versioning, retention controls, and replication
    • REST API, SDK, CLI, and web console access
    • Integrations across Lambda, Athena, CloudFront, and AWS tools

    Where it doesn't

    • Paid-only service with usage-based billing
    • Pricing varies by region, storage class, requests, and data transfer
    • Access is centered on web and API-based workflows

More comparisons

All cloud storage services comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update