A straight cost comparison of Google Photos and iCloud storage plans in Australia, with recommendations based on library size.

Two phones side by side

If you're paying for iCloud storage mainly for photos, it's worth checking whether you could be paying less with Google Photos. The price difference isn't huge, but over a year or several years, it adds up — and there are other factors beyond price worth considering.

Here's a direct comparison.

Price Comparison: Australia 2026

Storage	iCloud	Google One
Free tier	5GB	15GB
Entry paid	50GB — A$1.49/mo	100GB — A$2.49/mo
Mid tier	200GB — A$4.49/mo	200GB — A$3.99/mo
Large	2TB — A$14.99/mo	2TB — A$12.99/mo

Key differences:

Google's free tier is 15GB vs Apple's 5GB. If you're currently squeezing into the free iCloud tier, you'd have more breathing room on Google One for free.

At 200GB, Google is slightly cheaper: A$3.99 vs A$4.49 — a saving of A$6/year.

At 2TB, Google saves you A$24/year.

Neither is dramatically cheaper than the other at equivalent tiers. The bigger saving comes from the free tier gap — 15GB vs 5GB means more people can stay on Google's free plan.

What the Storage Covers

iCloud 5GB (free) covers: iCloud Drive files, app data, Messages backups, iCloud Mail, and iPhone backups. Photos only use this storage if you have iCloud Photos turned on. Many people find 5GB isn't enough once iPhone backup is included.

Google One 15GB (free) covers: Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Photos. If you have a lot of email or Drive files, this fills up faster than it sounds.

The Integration Factor

Apple devices on desk

Price is only part of the story. iCloud Photos integrates more deeply with Apple devices:

Photos appear in Lock Screen widgets automatically
Memories and highlights are generated and surface in the Photos app
Shared with You works with iMessage
On Apple Watch, your photo face uses iCloud
iCloud Photos is the source for Shortcuts automations involving photos

If you have multiple Apple devices and use these features, there's a real convenience cost to leaving iCloud Photos.

Google Photos on Apple devices works well, but it's an app — it doesn't integrate at the OS level the way iCloud does.

The Search Factor

Google Photos has significantly better search than iCloud:

Search by what's in photos ("dog at beach", "birthday cake", "red car")
Facial recognition that lets you search by person
Location-based search
Search by document type ("receipts", "screenshots")

iCloud's search is improving but still trails Google's years of machine learning advantage.

If you have a large library and regularly search for specific photos, this is a real practical difference.

The Practical Recommendation

Person using phone and laptop

If you're heavily in the Apple ecosystem: Stay with iCloud for recent photos. The integration is worth the slight price premium.

If you use Android or plan to: Switch to Google Photos — it works across platforms and the search is better.

If cost is the priority: The hybrid approach saves the most money. Keep the last 1–2 years in iCloud (or just 50GB worth) and archive everything older to Google Photos using Migrate Moments. This lets many people drop from iCloud 200GB or 2TB down to 50GB, saving A$36–162/year.

If you want to leave Apple entirely: Move everything to Google Photos now. It's not dramatically cheaper, but it's more portable — your photos won't be tied to an Apple ID.

The Verdict

Google Photos is modestly cheaper at the 200GB and 2TB tiers, and significantly more generous on the free tier (15GB vs 5GB). It also has better search.

iCloud Photos integrates better with Apple devices and is more seamless if you're in the Apple ecosystem.

The biggest saving isn't choosing one over the other — it's archiving old photos out of your primary cloud storage to reduce the tier you need. Whether you archive to Google Photos or an external drive, freeing up space in iCloud can drop your monthly cost significantly.

Download Migrate Moments for Mac →

Google Photos vs iCloud Storage: Which Is Cheaper in 2026?