Google Drive slashes paid storage prices

in News.

Google Drive already offered lower pricing than Dropbox, but the difference between the two services is now even greater: For individual Dropbox users, 100 gigabytes of cloud data runs $8.25 per month when billed annually, or $9.99 per month on a month-by-month basis. A 200-gigabyte Dropbox account runs $16.60 per month billed annually, while 500 gigabytes is $41.60.

Previously, Google charged $4.99 per month for 100 gigabytes and $49.99 per month for one terabyte, but with both now slashed to $1.99 and $9.99 per month, respectively, they are significantly cheaper. The search giant also offers storage levels of 10 terabytes and higher starting at $99.99 per month.

Google Drive also offers 15 gigabytes of complimentary cloud storage for free. That’s a higher amount than Dropbox’s starting 2 gigabytes, though that number can be increased through various methods, including referrals.

Dropbox is the current leader in the cloud file storage business, serving as the default storage and sharing platform for many. The service is available cross-platform, with dedicated applications available for Apple’s OS X and iOS, as well as Microsoft Windows and Google’s Android.

Dropbox was allegedly offered a nine-figure buyout by Apple as part of a personal pitch from late CEO Steve Jobs in 2009. That offer was rejected, and Apple ultimately went on to introduce its own iCloud service in 2011 which takes a different approach, focusing on seamlessly syncing data in the background rather than dealing with traditional file structures as Dropbox, Google Drive and others do.

Like Dropbox, Google Drive also has its own application for Apple’s iOS, as well as an OS X desktop client. The service is also integrated with third-party applications such as VLC.

Other cloud storage solutions compatible with Apple’s platforms include Box, Microsoft’s newly rebranded OneDrive, and SugarSync. A Box personal account comes with 10 gigabytes for free, OneDrive includes 7 gigabytes of free storage, and SugarSync recently transitioned to a paid-only model.

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