If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement. Last November, Google - which had offered unlimited storage for what it called "high quality" (read: compressed) photos - announced that, as of June 1st, "unlimited" was being changed to "up to 15GB on your Google account." (Oh, and "high quality" is being renamed "storage saver.") In other words, while photo and video storage once did not count against your total of 15 free gigs on a Google account, it does now - along with your Gmail, Google Drive files, and other stored data. Once you hit that 15GB wall, you will have to buy into the Google One service to increase your storage capacity. If you’re a Google Photos user who finds all of this a bit irritating, you may be thinking of leaving. But first, it’s a good idea to check out your alternatives. Data was generated by GSA Content Generator Demov ersi on.
Below are some of the main photo storage services available to you, along with their basic fees, so you can figure out whether you want to switch. Google provides each of its accounts with 15GB of free storage. However, for the last few years, photos have been treated differently: under its "high quality" plan, Google stored an unlimited number of photos for free as long as you allow them to be compressed to 16 megapixels. "Original quality" photos - those that were not compressed - were not part of this unlimited plan but were counted as regular files. However, all of that has changed. As mentioned above, starting on June 1st, 2021, Google is including photos in its storage calculations. Once you hit that 15GB ceiling, you have to buy into the Google One service for additional storage space. Google One currently starts at 100GB of storage for $1.99 a month ($19.99 a year) and proceeds to 200GB for $2.99 a month ($29.99 a year) or 2TB for $9.99 a month ($99.99 a year).
The 2TB plan also comes with a VPN for Android phones. Before you run to invest in Google One, be aware that there are several mitigating factors Google is offering its users. Photos you uploaded before the new plan went into effect don’t count toward your 15GB limit. Also, if you own a Pixel 5 or earlier model phone, then you can continue to upload "high-quality" / "storage saver" photos without affecting your 15GB limit. Of course, Pixel owners used to get unlimited "original quality" photos for free. If you’re part of Apple’s ecosystem, then you have easy access to iCloud Photos, Apple’s equivalent to Google Photos. Cloud Photos is connected to the Phone app on your Mac or iOS device as a backup for your photos. You automatically get 5GB of storage space associated with your iCloud account; after that, it costs 99 cents per month for 50GB, $2.99 per month for 200GB, and $9.99 per month for 2TB. (This is for the US; other countries have different fees.) Windows users can also access iCloud Photos via an associated app; Android users will have to access it using a browser. C ontent has been created by GSA Content Ge nerator DEMO!
Flickr has a free plan as well, but it’s limited to 1,000 photos - within certain guidelines: photo files are limited to 200MB and video files to 1GB. For unlimited storage without ads, you pay either $6.99 a month or $59.99 annually (plus tax). Other advantages to a paid annual membership include stats about which of your photos are trending and a variety of discounts from several companies, including Adobe and SmugMug (which is now part of Flickr). Speaking of SmugMug, this long-lasting service is also available, offering storage, portfolios, and sales opportunities for professionals. For $55 a year or gamingdeals.shop $7 a month, you get unlimited uploads and a customizable website. The Power plan ($85 a year or $11 monthly) adds site customization and your own domain name. If you’re looking to be a professional photographer, the Portfolio plan adds e-commerce features for $200 a year or $27 a month (you keep 85 percent of the markup). Post was gen erated by GSA Content Genera tor DEMO .
And finally, the Pro plan lets you create events, price lists, and branded orders, among other features, for $360 a year or $42 a month. If you’re interested in trying it out, you can get a two-week trial. Canadian company 500px is actually more for professional photographers than your average snap-and-save picture taker. It offers pros a place to store, exhibit, and license their work. So if you have ambitions to start peddling your photos, 500px may be worth checking out. The site offers two paid plans. The first, modestly named Awesome, offers unlimited uploads, letts.org priority support, no ads, a history of "liked" photos, gallery slideshows, and a profile badge for $59.88 a year or $4.99 monthly. The Pro plan adds a way to display your services and organization tools for $119.88 a year or $9.99 monthly. There is a free ad-supported plan that gives you seven uploads a week.