The new world demands new measures and the advancement in science and technology has let mankind’s life easier and more convenient with sophisticated tools and services to assist the needs of people. One such advancement happened in the way people store important files and folders. Instead of keeping and maintaining the documents and other important paperwork in a physical format, lion’s share of the population is resorting to cloud storage which keeps an immense amount of information as hard copies
When it comes to the popular and reputed cloud storage service providers, the most celebrated names are Google Drive and One Drive. Both excel in carrying out the storage function effectively and efficiently. But yet, they possess certain disparities and differences from each other along with several similarities.
Some of the most important nuances regarding Google Drive and One Drive are discussed below in detail.
Similarities between Google Drive and One Drive
Security Features
When it comes to the security features, both Google Drive and One Drive prove to be trustworthy and efficient. They are both created by reputed enterprises like Google and Microsoft, who give prior importance to the safety and security of the privacy and the sensitive information of their customers.
Both of them have equipped their respective platforms with security features like two-step user verification and authentication, layered and responsible access to files, and the provision of encryption of handling the files.
They are also similar in handling the complicated information or files kept by the user. if the user happened to have any pirated or objectionable files, chances are high for both the applications to ban the user from it. Some of the personal information of the user is used for creating targeted advertisements for the user also.
Business Features
The business features or the services offered by both platforms are also quite similar to each other. They both offer team drives that can be shared between multiple users, administrative controls, web calling services, etc. It is safe to say that except for the price charged for the services, the service functionalities are quite similar between both the service providers.
File History
When the user updates any of the existing files, the older files and folders are kept by both the applications for 30 days. During these 30 days, the user can revert the old files and folders if found necessary.
File sharing features
When it comes to the capacity or possibilities of file sharing, both platforms are almost the same. They can even be used to carry out real-time collaborative editing.
Differences between Google Drive and One Drive
File Syncing
As far as file syncing is concerned, One Drive seems to be much better. It is due to the process of syncing used by both platforms. Google Drive reuploads every file present in the cloud during each syncing and thus, is bound to take more time usually.
But when it comes to One Drive, it resorts to the process called ‘block-level copying’ for syncing the files. In this process, the One Drive identifies the files that were updated or edited, or changed after the last sync and only updates them, causing the process to take much less time.
File Searching
One of the chief features of cloud storage is its ability to pick up the required file or folder most easily and conveniently. When it comes to searching and finding the required file fast, Google Drive comes out as the best. Being a search engine, the file searching and finding technology of Google Drive is much more advanced and evolved than that of One Drive.
Integration Capabilities
This is a section that is led by Google Drive with the help of its agility. Although Microsoft’s integration capacity has increased significantly in the last decade, it has not yet reached as far as Google Drive goes. Along with the Google workspace tools, Google Drive is capable of integrating with numerous other apps and programs whereas One Drive is only able to provide limited access to third-party apps.
Business Plans
When it comes to being affordable, the business plans offered by both platforms are quite different. Google Drive is extremely suitable for individuals and enterprises as they offer more space and services for a lower price when compared to One Drive. Google Drive offers far more free space than that One Drive.
