With the end of the free backup of photos and videos on Google Photos, the choice of an alternative solution may arise. Here are five credible alternative solutions to backup your photos and videos on iPhone and Android.
As of June 1, 2021, backing up photos and videos to Google Photos will be deducted from Google Drive storage space. In other words, you will need to purchase a paid subscription to back up your smartphone camera roll if the 15 GB storage quota allocated for free is full.
Although the prices offered by Google are reasonable (20 euros / year for 100 GB, 30 euros / year for 200 GB and 100 euros / year for 1 TB) and the solution is as simple as it is efficient to use, users of the platform may wish to go and see if the grass is greener elsewhere.
While some opt for a NAS-type solution to create a home cloud system, others will prefer to avoid management and sometimes tedious configuration by choosing an online service where everything is functional immediately or almost.
Read also : Google Photos: how to export your photo library in just a few clicks
And, it must be said, there is a plethora of services that can replace Google Photos more or less easily. We have selected five that we believe will best meet the needs of Google Photos users who want to outsource their photo library to another dairy.
All of them can be tested through a free trial limited in time or offering a limited envelope of free storage. To make our choice, we also took into account the fact that these services offer a mobile application capable of automatically backing up the smartphone film. All without dwelling on the application interface, the appreciation of which by everyone remains quite suggestive.
1. Microsoft OneDrive
If you already have a Microsoft 365 subscription, your alternative to Google Photos is great. Microsoft’s online storage service, offered at 69 euros / year (or 7 euros / month) not only includes the main tools of the office suite, but especially includes 1 TB of online storage. If this space is in principle used to store documents, OneDrive knows how to manage the storage and backup of photos and videos on your smartphone.
On Android, as on iOS, the OneDrive app can be configured to automatically back up your photos and videos. Be careful, however, if OneDrive is perfect for storing your images, you will not have any editing tool to improve them.
Price: Included in Microsoft 365 (69 € / year for 1 TB of storage)
The +:
+ Included in Microsoft 365 (if you are already a subscriber)
+ Amount of storage space
The – :
– No editing tool
2. Amazon photos
Much like Microsoft 365 subscribers, Amazon Prime subscribers may already be eligible for a Google Photos alternative without knowing it. Amazon indeed includes a full-resolution, unlimited photo storage offer for the photos of its Prime members. As for videos, Amazon is offering 5GB of free space and will require an additional subscription to go beyond that. It will take respectively 2 euros, 10 euros and 20 euros for 100 GB, 1 TB or 2 TB of storage.
A very serious replacement for Google Photos, Amazon Photos includes a fairly complete image editor that will allow you to automatically adjust your photos, crop them, or apply filters. The application is available on both iOS and Android.
Price: Included in Amazon Prime subscription (49 euros / year) unlimited storage for photos, 5 GB free for videos.
Possibility of expanding the storage: 1.99 euros / month / 100 GB – 9.99 euros / month / 1TB – 19.99 euros / month / 2TB.
The +:
+ Included in Amazon Prime
+ Unlimited full resolution storage for photos
+ Possibility to edit photos
The – :
– Storage limited to 5 GB for videos, paying beyond
3.pCloud
Like OneDrive, pCloud is not a service specializing in photos and videos, but a general storage platform capable of accommodating all types of files.
Available online and available in the form of Android and iOS applications, pCloud offers 10 GB of free storage space and offers three paid plans: monthly, billed 5 euros for 500 GB and 10 euros for 2 TB, annual, billed 60 euros for 500 GB or 120 euros for 2 TB, or for life, for 480 euros for 500 GB and 980 euros for 2 TB (excluding promotion).
And while the service can store any file, it also knows how to automatically back up photos and videos from your smartphone’s camera roll, with no file size limits.
Price: 500 GB: 4.99 euros / month, 59.88 euros / year, 480 euros for life – 2 TB: 9.99 euros / month, 119.88 euros / year, 980 euros for life.
The +:
+ Attractive prices
The – :
– No image editor
– Navigation in the images not always easy on mobile
4.kDrive
Offered by the Swiss host Infomaniak (also behind SwissTransfer), kDrive is a fairly recent backup solution. Designed to store all types of files, it also knows how to manage photos and videos from your smartphone’s camera roll.
The mobile application, available on iOS and Android, includes an automatic upload function of the contents of the camera roll to your cloud storage space.
But what makes kDrive great strength is undoubtedly its very aggressive pricing policy since it is one of the cheapest offers on the market. It will take less than 5 euros per month to enjoy a storage space of 2 TB, a price that far outweighs the competition.
Price: 4.99 euros / month / 2 TB
The +:
+ Very attractive price
The – :
– No image editor
– Confusing automatic film backup setting
5.iCloud Photos
A service somewhat apart from its absence on Android, iCloud which only offers 5 GB of free storage space will undoubtedly be the easiest solution to set up to save your photos and videos if you have an iPhone.
Integrated directly into iOS, the backup is relaxed, painless, since you will only have one option to check in the iCloud settings on iOS to back up the contents of your iPhone camera roll.
Photos and videos stored in iCloud can be accessed from any browser by logging into the service’s web interface. Price side, it will cost 0.99 euros / month for 50 GB, 2.99 euros / month for 200 GB and 9.99 euros per month for 2 TB.
Note that in addition to storing and backing up your photos and videos, iCloud can also be used to back up your documents, the contents of your applications, your keychain, your notes, contacts, e-mails, messages, etc. And much more.
Price: 0.99 euros / month / 50 GB – 2.99 euros / month / 200 GB – 9.99 euros / month / 2 TB
The +:
+ Integrated with iOS
+ Affordable rates
+ Transparent use on iPhone
The – :
– Available only on iOS