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File Storage · head to head

Google Drive vs Scality RING

Google Drive logo

Google Drive

File Storage

Google's consumer cloud storage app, sharing the same 15GB quota as Gmail and Google Photos

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Scality RING logo

Scality RING

File Storage

Petabyte-scale object storage software on your own hardware

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Google Drive has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Google Drive free storage is a 15GB pool shared with Gmail and Google Photos, so heavy use of any one of those services reduces what is left for the others.; Scality RING hardware is bought separately, so the software quote understates total cost and the buyer carries the sizing risk if the drive and server specification is wrong.
  • They diverge on capability: Google Drive covers Cloud file storage and sync, Scality RING covers S3-compatible object storage.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Google Drive and Scality RING actually diverge.

Attributes where Google Drive and Scality RING differ
AttributeGoogle DriveScality RING
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelFree tier plus paid storage add-onquote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsiOS, Android, Web, Windows, macOSLinux

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (File Storage).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Google Drive

  • Cloud file storage and sync
  • Google Docs, Sheets, Slides
  • Shared drives and permissions
  • Offline access
  • Version history
  • Third party format support

Only in Scality RING

  • S3-compatible object storage
  • File and object access
  • Erasure coding
  • Object lock
  • Multi-site geodistribution
  • Hardware independence
  • ARTESCA

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Google Drive

  • Backing up and syncing personal files across a phone, laptop and desktopnot Scality RING
  • Collaborating on a document, spreadsheet or presentation in real time with othersnot Scality RING
  • Sharing a folder of files with specific permission levels with a defined groupnot Scality RING
  • Storing large attachments to send by link instead of email attachment size limitsnot Scality RING

Scality RING

  • A broadcaster archiving decades of video where hyperscaler storage and egress costs would be prohibitivenot Google Drive
  • A hospital group holding medical imaging on premises for data residency and retention reasonsnot Google Drive
  • An enterprise building an immutable on premises backup target for Veeam or Commvault with object locknot Google Drive
  • A service provider offering S3-compatible storage to its own customers on hardware it controlsnot Google Drive

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Google Drive

  • Free storage is a 15GB pool shared with Gmail and Google Photos, so heavy use of any one of those services reduces what is left for the others.
  • Version history and recovery for accidentally deleted files has limits, and permanently deleted items are unrecoverable after a set retention period passes.
  • Sharing links can be misconfigured to be more open than intended, and Google's permission model has been a source of accidental oversharing for organisations and individuals alike.
  • Native Google Docs format files do not export perfectly to Microsoft Office formats in all cases, and complex formatting can shift on conversion.
  • This is the consumer product with consumer-grade support; organisations needing admin controls, audit logs and larger storage pools need the separate paid Google Workspace product instead.

Scality RING

  • Hardware is bought separately, so the software quote understates total cost and the buyer carries the sizing risk if the drive and server specification is wrong.
  • Running distributed erasure coded storage requires operations skills, and organisations that expected appliance simplicity end up staffing a storage team they had not budgeted.
  • Rebuild times after a drive failure on large capacity disks are measured in hours or days, and capacity planning has to leave headroom for that degraded window.
  • Pricing is per usable terabyte and quoted, so cost comparisons against cloud object storage require modelling your own retrieval patterns rather than reading a rate card.
  • Small deployments carry a minimum viable node count for erasure coding to work sensibly, which makes the entry footprint larger and less economic than the per-terabyte price implies.

Pricing, plan by plan

Google Drive

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 15GB shared across Gmail, Drive and Photos
  • Google One 100GB$1.99/month
    • 100GB shared storage across the same Google services
  • Google One 2TB$9.99/month
    • 2TB shared storage

Scality RING

On request
  • Scality RING$undefined/year
    • Priced per usable terabyte, subscription or perpetual
    • Server hardware purchased separately by the customer
    • Support tiers quoted separately
  • Scality ARTESCA$undefined/year
    • Lighter object store for smaller footprints
    • Priced per usable terabyte
    • Commonly deployed as an immutable backup target

Which should you pick?

Choose Google Drive if

  • You need cloud file storage and sync.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on iOS, Android, Web, Windows, macOS.
  • You also want google docs, sheets, slides.
Google Drive review

Choose Scality RING if

  • You need s3-compatible object storage.
  • You work on Linux.
  • You also want file and object access.
Scality RING review

Questions people ask

Is Google Drive or Scality RING better?
Neither clearly leads. Google Drive starts at Free and Scality RING at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Google Drive or Scality RING?
Google Drive has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Google Drive and On request for Scality RING.
Does Google Drive or Scality RING run on more platforms?
Google Drive runs on iOS, Android, Web, Windows, macOS. Scality RING runs on Linux.
Can I use Google Drive for free?
Yes. Google Drive has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Scality RING starts at On request.
What is Google Drive best used for?
Google Drive is most often used for backing up and syncing personal files across a phone, laptop and desktop, collaborating on a document, spreadsheet or presentation in real time with others, sharing a folder of files with specific permission levels with a defined group, storing large attachments to send by link instead of email attachment size limits. Of those, backing up and syncing personal files across a phone, laptop and desktop and collaborating on a document, spreadsheet or presentation in real time with others are not what Scality RING is typically brought in for.
What can Google Drive do that Scality RING cannot?
Google Drive covers Cloud file storage and sync, Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Shared drives and permissions, Offline access. Scality RING covers S3-compatible object storage, File and object access, Erasure coding, Object lock.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Google Drive: Is Google Drive free?

Yes, up to a 15GB storage pool shared with Gmail and Google Photos; more storage requires a paid Google One subscription.

Scality RING: Do we buy hardware from Scality?

No. RING is software; you buy commodity servers and drives yourself, which is the point for buyers who want to rebid hardware at each refresh.

Google Drive: Is this the same as the Save to Google Drive browser extension?

No, that is a separate browser extension for saving web pages directly into Drive; this entry covers the storage and document app itself.

Scality RING: Is it S3-compatible enough for backup software?

Yes, it is a common object lock target for Veeam, Commvault and Rubrik. Verify the specific S3 features your backup product needs during a proof of concept.

Google Drive: Do I need Google Workspace for business use?

For individual or informal use the free or Google One consumer tiers work, but organisations wanting admin controls and larger pooled storage need Google Workspace.

Scality RING: What is ARTESCA?

A lighter object store from the same company, aimed at smaller footprints and backup targets rather than multi-petabyte archives.

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