Google Drive vs OneDrive

The two cloud storage giants bundled with the two biggest office suites. Google Drive comes with Google Workspace, OneDrive comes with Microsoft 365. Most teams already pay for one of them. The real question is which ecosystem you want to live in.

Updated 2026-09 · 2026

Google Drive

Cloud storage built into Google Workspace

$7/user/moper user per month (Business Starter)

Strengths

+15GB free per personal account - generous
+Best-in-class real-time collaboration in Docs, Sheets, Slides
+Search is excellent - it's Google

Weaknesses

-Desktop sync (Drive for Desktop) can be buggy and slow
-File organization gets confusing with My Drive, Shared Drives, and shortcuts
-Privacy - Google scans and indexes your content

Best for

Teams built around Google Workspace who want seamless document collaboration and search

OneDrive

Microsoft's cloud storage, deeply integrated with Microsoft 365

$6/user/moper user per month (Microsoft 365 Business Basic)

Strengths

+Deep integration with Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Teams
+1TB per user on most business plans - massive storage
+Desktop sync is excellent on Windows - feels native

Weaknesses

-Mac and Linux sync experience is noticeably worse than Windows
-Web interface is slower and clunkier than Google Drive
-Confusing relationship between OneDrive, SharePoint, and Teams files

Best for

Teams locked into Microsoft 365 who need massive storage and tight Office integration

Feature Comparison

Feature	Google Drive	OneDrive
Free storage	15GB personal	5GB personal
Business storage	30GB/user (Starter) to unlimited	1TB/user on most plans
Desktop sync	Good, occasional issues	Excellent on Windows, okay elsewhere
Real-time collaboration	Excellent - a core strength	Good, improving
Office suite	Docs, Sheets, Slides (web-native)	Word, Excel, PowerPoint (desktop + web)
Search	Excellent - full text across all files	Good, better in SharePoint
Offline access	Requires Chrome, per-file setup	Files On-Demand, seamless on Windows
Version history	30 days / 100 revisions	Up to 500 versions
Admin controls	Solid via Google Admin	Extensive via Microsoft 365 Admin + SharePoint
Third-party integrations	Massive ecosystem	Massive ecosystem (strongest in enterprise)

The Verdict

This comes down to which office suite your team uses. If everyone lives in Google Docs and Gmail, Google Drive is the obvious choice - the collaboration is unmatched and the pricing is straightforward. If your team runs on Word, Excel, and Teams, OneDrive gives you 1TB per user and native desktop sync that just works on Windows. Switching ecosystems is painful enough that most teams should just pick the storage that matches their productivity suite. OneDrive wins on raw storage per dollar. Google Drive wins on real-time collaboration and search.

How to switch from Google Drive to OneDrive

1Export your Google Drive data using Google Takeout (takeout.google.com), selecting Drive and choosing to convert Docs/Sheets/Slides to Microsoft formats (.docx, .xlsx, .pptx) so files open natively in Office and OneDrive.
2For larger or ongoing migrations, use Microsoft's free Mover tool or the SharePoint Migration Tool to connect directly to your Google Drive account and copy files into OneDrive/SharePoint without manual export-import steps.
3Set up your Microsoft 365 tenant and OneDrive accounts for each team member before migrating, and organize target folders in OneDrive/SharePoint to mirror your existing Google Drive Shared Drives structure.
4Rebuild any Google-specific automations (Apps Script, Google Forms workflows, Drive API integrations) using Power Automate or the Microsoft Graph API, and reconnect third-party apps like Slack or Zapier to OneDrive instead of Google Drive.
5Run both systems in parallel for a short overlap period, share the new OneDrive/SharePoint links with the team, and update any embedded Drive links in wikis, CRMs, or project tools to point to the new OneDrive locations.
6Set a hard cutover date, revoke Google Drive access for the team, and archive or delete the original Google Workspace account once you've confirmed all files, permissions, and shared links transferred correctly.

Google Drive vs OneDrive: common questions

How do I export my files from Google Drive to move to OneDrive?+

Use Google Takeout (takeout.google.com) to export your entire Drive as a ZIP archive, or download folders directly from the Drive web UI. Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides get converted to .docx, .xlsx, and .pptx during export, which is what OneDrive/Office needs anyway. For larger migrations, Microsoft's SharePoint Migration Tool and third-party tools like Mover (free, owned by Microsoft) can connect directly to Google Drive and copy files into OneDrive without a manual export/import step.

What do I lose when I switch from Google Drive to OneDrive?+

You lose native real-time co-editing quality in Docs/Sheets-style workflows - Office Online collaboration works but feels less instant. Comments, revision history, and file sharing links tied to Google's format don't carry over automatically and need to be recreated after conversion to Office formats. Any Google Apps Script automations or Drive-specific integrations (like Google Forms-to-Sheets workflows) will need to be rebuilt using Power Automate or another tool.

Is OneDrive's free tier enough for a small team?+

The free personal OneDrive tier only gives 5GB, which isn't enough for a real team - you'll want at least Microsoft 365 Business Basic at $6/user/mo for 1TB per user. That said, 1TB per user is generous compared to Google's 30GB Business Starter tier, so a small team pays roughly the same but gets way more storage headroom with OneDrive.

Will my existing integrations still work after switching to OneDrive?+

Most major SaaS tools (Slack, Zoom, Asana, Zapier, etc.) support both Google Drive and OneDrive, so those connections just need to be re-authenticated. Anything built specifically around Google Apps Script, Google Forms, or Google Drive's API will need to be rebuilt using Power Automate, SharePoint, or the Microsoft Graph API instead. Budget a few days to test each integration after cutover rather than assuming a 1:1 swap.

Does switching from Google Drive to OneDrive actually save money over time?+

At list price it's close - Google Workspace Business Starter is $7/user/mo and Microsoft 365 Business Basic is $6/user/mo, but OneDrive includes 1TB per user versus 30GB, so you get more storage per dollar. The bigger cost driver is usually the full suite you're already paying for (Google Workspace vs Microsoft 365 with desktop Office apps), so compare the whole bundle, not just storage price, before assuming savings.