Both services have improved over the years, but they still take very different approaches to storage limits, pricing, sharing options, and overall convenience.
My iPhone holds thousands of photos, ranging from vacation shots, screenshots I swore I’d delete later, and a few family memories I hope to never lose. That’s why I’ve spent the past week trying to figure out which cloud backup service is right for me. Apple by default gives me access to iCloud Photos right out of the box, seamlessly integrated into every iPhone, iPad, and Mac. But Google Photos has remained a favorite for many users thanks to its smart editing tools, powerful search, and the ability to access your library from nearly any device.
If you’re an iPhone user, deciding between these two services isn’t always straightforward. iCloud feels almost invisible in day-to-day use, quietly syncing your images in the background and keeping everything neatly organized inside the Photos app. Google Photos, meanwhile, puts lots of emphasis on cross-platform access, intuitive sharing, and clever AI features that help you surface old memories or quickly find a specific image.
Both services have improved over the years, but they still take very different approaches to storage limits, pricing, sharing options, and overall convenience. Whether you want the most seamless experience on iOS or you prioritize portability across device ecosystems, the choice you make will impact how easily you can manage, browse, and protect your photos. Google Photos vs. iCloud: storage, pricing, and flexibility
When choosing a photo backup service for your iPhone, storage and pricing are often the deciding factors, and here’s where the two platforms in question begin to diverge.
