What is Google One?

A guide to the cloud storage subscription service.
By Meera Navlakha  on 
A graphic of images and Google Drive logos like Docs and PDFs.
Credit: Google.

Google offers a range of productivity products, across Drive, Gmail, and Photos, and with all of it, storage is a consideration. Every Google account hands users 15 gigabytes of free cloud storage across these products, but for many, this isn't enough.

Enter Google One, the company's subscription cloud storage service. Here's a guide to the service and how it works.

What is Google One?

Google One is a cloud storage service that offers different tiered membership plans for monthly fees. The service can be used for Google Drive, Gmail, and Google Photos.

There are other benefits to the service, including photo effects, discounts on Google products, and access to Google experts for various tech questions. Certain plans also now offer access to Google's AI tool.

How is it different to Drive?

While Google Drive offers free storage to users, Google One replaced Drive's storage plans back in 2018. Drive is now a place exclusively for files and documents. One is a subscription service.

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How much does Google One cost?

Google One offers various membership plans.

  • 100-GB Basic Plan: For $2 per month or $20 per year (£1.59 or £16 in the UK)

  • 200-GB Standard Plan: For $3 per month or $30 per year (£2.49 or £25 in the UK)

  • 2-TB Premium Plan: For $10 per month or $100 per year (£8 or £80 in the UK)

  • 2-TB AI Premium Plan: For $20 per month (£19 in the UK)

For every plan, starting from the Basic tier, family-sharing is allowed for up to five people.

Tiers vary after that, with the 2TB Premium Plan, for example, offering Google Workspace benefits. The AI-Premium plan, meanwhile, offers all Premium benefits alongside AI-powered products: Gemini Advanced, and Gemini integration into Gmail and Docs.

There are other plan options with increased storage, but as Wired points out, it is unlikely that 2TB won't be enough.

  • 5TB: $25 per month or $250 per year (£20 or £200 in the UK)

  • 10TB: $50 per month (£40 in the UK).

  • 20TB: $100 per month (£80 in the UK).

  • 30TB: $150 per month (£120 in the UK)

How do you sign up Google One?

Head over to Google One and sign up using your Google login. From there, you can choose your preferred membership plan.

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Meera Navlakha
Culture Reporter

Meera is a Culture Reporter at Mashable, joining the UK team in 2021. She writes about digital culture, mental health, big tech, entertainment, and more. Her work has also been published in The New York Times, Vice, Vogue India, and others.


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