Google Drive vs Nextcloud
We give Google Drive a 3.8 GPA and Nextcloud a 3.4, out of 4.0. Google Drive grades higher on ease of use. Nextcloud grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on the free plan, features and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Google Drive
Cloud storage tied to Google Docs, Gmail and Photos
Nextcloud
Open source, self-hosted file sync and collaboration platform
How we grade them
| 3.8GPAGoogle DriveExcellent | 3.4GPANextcloudVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | B$1.99 a month for 100 GB and $9.99 for 2 TB. OneDrive charges the same for 100 GB and iCloud the same for 2 TB, so it's the going rate. Splitting your space with five other people is a nice extra. | AThe server software is free and open source, and so are the desktop and phone apps. You do supply the server. Paid Enterprise subscriptions add support, but they start at 100 users, from 71.29€ a user a year before VAT. |
| Free plan and trial | A15 GB with every Google account, three times what OneDrive or iCloud hand out. Docs, Sheets and Slides are in there too. But Gmail and Google Photos eat from the same 15 GB. | AThe whole server is free to download and host under the AGPL licence, and the apps cost nothing either. There's an instant online trial if you want a look before installing anything. |
| Features | AIt stores, syncs and shares, and you can edit Docs, Office files and PDFs right where they sit. The phone app scans paper into PDFs. Shared drives and client-side encryption are kept for some business plans. | AFile sync and sharing first, then a lot on top: Talk for chat and video calls, groupware, and office documents edited together through Collabora Online or Euro-Office. In the Enterprise plans, the AI assistant and Flow automation come with Ultimate only. |
| Ease of use | A4.8 from about 7.8 million App Store ratings. Got a Google account? You're already signed up. Drop a file in, send a link, and pick view, comment or edit. | DYou host it yourself, or find a third-party provider. Running the free server means handling installation, updates and backups, though there's an All-in-One Docker image to help. The iPhone app gets 4.7 from about 10,400 ratings, but the server is the hard part. |
| Platforms and integrations | AWeb, Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android, plus an API that plenty of other apps use to save into Drive. Linux gets no desktop app, only the website. | AWeb, Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone and Android. It connects to Collabora Online, Euro-Office, Thinkfree Office, Microsoft Teams and Microsoft's Office Online Server. |
| Best for | files you share and edit with other people | running your own file sync on your own server |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Google Drive and Nextcloud. How we grade
Where they differ
- Google Drive starts at $1.99 per month for 100 GB (US App Store price). Nextcloud starts at 71.29€ per user / year, excl. VAT (from 100 users).
- Only Nextcloud lists a Linux app.
- Nextcloud is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
- Google Drive also covers AI search.
- Nextcloud also covers video calls.
At a glance
| Google Drive | Nextcloud | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $1.99 per month for 100 GB (US App Store price) | 71.29€ per user / year, excl. VAT (from 100 users) |
| Free plan | 15 GB of storage with every Google account, shared across Google Drive, Gmail and Google Photos. | The Nextcloud server software is free to download and self-host under the AGPL license, and the Nextcloud desktop and mobile apps are free. |
| Free trial | Google Workspace business plans can be tried at no cost for 14 days | Nextcloud Enterprise can be tried for free, and an instant online trial is offered |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Nextcloud GmbH | |
| Price read from | apps.apple.com | nextcloud.com |
| Checked | Oct 9, 2026 | Oct 5, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Google Drive
- People who already use Gmail, Google Docs and Google Photos
- Teams that co-edit documents, spreadsheets and slides in the browser
- Organizations standardizing on Google Workspace
Nextcloud
- Organizations that must keep files on servers they control
- Technical users comfortable running a server or a Docker image
- Schools and public bodies with data-sovereignty requirements
Worth knowing
Google Drive
- The free 15 GB is shared with Gmail and Google Photos, so mail and photo backups count against it.
- There is no Drive for desktop app for Linux; Google directs Linux users to Drive on the web.
- Shared drives, client-side encryption and third-party app integrations are premium features of some Workspace Business and Enterprise plans.
- Business plans are sold separately through Google Workspace, with pooled storage of 30 GB per user on Starter and 2 TB per user on Standard.
Nextcloud
- Nextcloud does not host data itself: you self-host, sign up with a third-party provider, or use the partner-run Nextcloud One service.
- Enterprise subscriptions are available only from 100 users, with prices in euros per year excluding VAT.
- In Enterprise plans, Talk, Groupware and the office suites are optional components that cost extra.
- Running the free server means handling installation, updates and backups yourself.
Key features
Google Drive
- Drive for desktop
- A desktop app for Windows and macOS keeps Drive files up to date on the computer. Google's help center says there is no desktop version for Linux and points to the web app instead.
- Editing Docs, Office files and PDFs
- Google Docs, Sheets and Slides, Microsoft Office files and PDFs can be edited and organized in place, and Google says more than 100 other file types can be opened.
- Sharing permissions
- Files are shared with edit, comment or view permissions. Owners can also block certain actions. Setting an expiration date on someone's access is limited to eligible work or school accounts.
- Shared drives
- Team-owned spaces for storing and managing files together. Google marks shared drives as a premium feature of some Workspace Business and Enterprise plans.
- Gemini in Drive
- AI Overviews return cited answers from stored files, and Ask Gemini draws on Drive, Gmail, Calendar and Chat. On Workspace, Gemini in Drive starts at the Standard plan.
- Security and admin controls
- Ransomware detection in Drive for desktop, client-side encryption, Vault and data loss prevention policies are offered on some Workspace Business and Enterprise plans.
Nextcloud
- Nextcloud Files
- File sync and share across platforms, internally and with third parties. Desktop clients keep one or more local folders synchronized with the server.
- Self-hosting
- The server runs on your own hardware or private cloud. Nextcloud GmbH maintains an All-in-One Docker image intended for home or cloud installs.
- Nextcloud Talk
- Group chat, calls, screen sharing and web conferencing. In Enterprise subscriptions Talk is an optional component at extra cost, listed from 42€ per user / year.
- Office document editing
- Office documents can be edited together inside Nextcloud through Euro-Office, Collabora Online or Thinkfree Office, each an optional extra in Enterprise plans.
- Nextcloud Assistant and Flow
- A local AI assistant summarizes email threads, suggests text and translates chat messages, and Flow automates workflows. Both are included in Enterprise Ultimate only.
- Enterprise capabilities
- SAML authentication, Windows Network Drive support, password policies and audit-ready logging are included in every Enterprise subscription.
Plans
Google Drive
15 GB$0
Included with every Google account. The 15 GB is shared across Drive, Gmail and Google Photos.
Basic (100 GB)$1.99
per month (price on the US App Store listing)
100 GB across Drive, Gmail and Google Photos, with the option to share storage with up to 5 other people.
200 GB$2.99
per month (price on the US App Store listing)
200 GB of storage, listed as an in-app purchase on the Google Drive listing in the US App Store.
Google AI Plus (400 GB)$4.99
per month (price on Google's US Gemini plans page)
Google AI Plus at its smaller storage level: 400 GB with twice the Gemini app limits of a free account and Gemini in Gmail.
Google AI Plus (2 TB)$9.99
per month (price on the US App Store listing)
The same Google AI Plus plan with 2 TB of storage. Google's help page says Plus is sold with either 400 GB or 2 TB.
Google AI Pro (5 TB)$19.99
per month (price on Google's US Gemini plans page)
5 TB of storage with four times the Gemini app limits of a free account, Gemini in Gmail and Docs, and YouTube Premium Lite.
Nextcloud
Nextcloud serverFree
Open source server software to host yourself, with free desktop and mobile apps and community support.
Enterprise Standard71.29€
per user / year, excl. VAT, starting at 100 users
Nextcloud Files with enterprise capabilities, a 1-year maintenance life cycle and a 2-business-day reaction time.
Enterprise Premium104.99€
per user / year, excl. VAT, starting at 100 users
Adds a 5+ year maintenance life cycle, 1-business-day reaction time, upgrade stand-by support and support for clustered instances.
Enterprise Ultimate204.75€
per user / year, excl. VAT, starting at 100 users
Adds Nextcloud Assistant, Flow and Whiteboard, reaction times from 1 hour and phone support up to 24/7.
Ways to pay less
Google Drive
- Annual discount
Save up to 16% with annual billing
Google One's plans page offers a monthly or annual toggle and states a saving of up to 16% on annual billing. Workspace lists a 16% saving for a one-year commitment.
- Nonprofit
Free Workspace edition for verified nonprofits
Google Workspace for Nonprofits costs $0 per user with 100 TB shared across all users. Business Standard is discounted to $3.50 per user / month on a one-year commitment.
- Education
Free Workspace edition for qualifying schools
Google Workspace for Education Fundamentals is available at no cost to qualifying institutions and includes 100 TB of pooled storage shared by the organization.
- By country
Lower price shown to buyers in India
On 9 October 2026 Google One's plans page showed Basic (100 GB) at ₹130 a month to a reader in India. A copy of the US page from 5 October lists that plan at $1.99 a month.
Nextcloud
- Other savings
Lower per-user price from 200 users
From 200 users the listed Enterprise prices fall to 53.17€ for Standard, 81.99€ for Premium and 183.75€ for Ultimate, per user / year.
- Education
Education program, priced by quote
The pricing page lists an Education program for schools, universities and other educational institutes, alongside a Public Sector program. Both are quoted on request.
