Dropbox vs Google One: price, plans, and which to keep
Current US prices, price history, trial terms, and cancellation friction side by side, built from our service guides. Last reviewed September 8, 2026.
The short answer
Google One is cheaper at every size that matters. Its 2 TB plan is $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year against Dropbox Plus at $11.99 or $119.88, and its $1.99 Basic tier with 100 GB has no Dropbox equivalent: after the free 2 GB, Dropbox starts at $11.99. Every paid Google One plan is shareable with up to five family members at no extra cost, where Dropbox charges $19.99 for Family. Dropbox's only price change on record is Plus going from $9.99 to $11.99 in June 2019, when storage doubled to 2 TB; Google cut prices twice in 2026. Dropbox earns its premium only if you live in shared folders and lean on its sync engine, file requests, Rewind and transfers of up to 50 GB on Plus or 100 GB on Essentials.
Google One is cheaper by $99.89 a year on its entry plan.
At a glance
| Dropbox | Google One | |
|---|---|---|
| Cheapest standard plan | Plus (2 TB, annual): $119.88/yr | Basic (100 GB, annual): $19.99/yr |
| Cheapest plan per year | $119.88 | $19.99 |
| Most expensive plan | Essentials (3 TB, monthly): $19.99/mo | Google AI Ultra (30 TB): $199.99/mo |
| Price changes since 2023 | 0 | 5 |
| Latest price change | June 2019 | June 2026 |
| Free trial | 30-day free trial on Plus, Essentials and Family for new users; a payment method is required and it converts to a paid plan automatically. | Storage-only plans have no free trial (everyone starts with 15 GB free); Google periodically offers first-time subscribers a free month or discounted first months on the AI Plus and AI Pro tiers. |
| Cancellation | 4 steps · app-store or partner billing caveat | 4 steps · app-store or partner billing caveat |
Cheapest and most expensive plans exclude add-ons, student, bundle, and per-seat plans. Price changes are counted from January 2023. US list prices, last reviewed September 8, 2026.
Which one should you pick?
Choose Dropbox if…
Pick Dropbox if your work lives in shared folders with clients or a team and you lean on file requests, Rewind and version history, or transfers of up to 50 GB on Plus and 100 GB on Essentials. Take the 30-day trial, then pay annually: Plus is $119.88 a year, two months less than paying $11.99 every month, and refunds only exist inside the EU, UK and Turkey 14-day window.
Choose Google One if…
Pick Google One if you want the cheapest storage for photos and files, especially for a household: 2 TB at $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year is shared with up to five people and includes Gemini features, and 100 GB for $1.99 covers a single phone. Storage is pooled across Drive, Gmail and Photos, so check which of them is eating the quota before you upgrade, and note there is no trial on the storage plans.
Every current plan
Dropbox plans
| Plan | Current price |
|---|---|
| Plus (2 TB, monthly) | $11.99/mo |
| Plus (2 TB, annual)Shown as $9.99 a month, billed once | $119.88/yr |
| Essentials (3 TB, monthly)One user; the former Professional plan | $19.99/mo |
| Essentials (3 TB, annual) | $199/yr |
| Family (2 TB, up to 6, monthly) | $19.99/mo |
| Family (2 TB, up to 6, annual) | $203.88/yr |
Google One plans
| Plan | Current price |
|---|---|
| Basic (100 GB)100 GB shared across Photos, Drive and Gmail | $1.99/mo |
| Basic (100 GB, annual) | $19.99/yr |
| Google AI Plus (400 GB)Entry AI tier, sold through Gemini; cut from $7.99 in June 2026 | $4.99/mo |
| Google AI Plus (2 TB)The former Premium 2 TB plan, relabelled in 2026 | $9.99/mo |
| Google AI Plus (2 TB, annual) | $99.99/yr |
| Google AI Pro (5 TB)Formerly AI Premium; includes YouTube Premium Lite and Google Home Premium | $19.99/mo |
| Google AI Pro (5 TB, annual) | $199.99/yr |
| Google AI Ultra (20 TB) | $99.99/mo |
| Google AI Ultra (30 TB)Cut from $249.99 in May 2026 | $199.99/mo |
US list prices; taxes, promotions, and app-store billing may differ. Last reviewed September 8, 2026.
Price history, both services
June 2026 · Google One
The entry Google AI Plus tier dropped from $7.99 to $4.99 and its storage doubled from 200 GB to 400 GB; the $9.99 2 TB plan was officially relabelled Google AI Plus.
May 2026 · Google One
Google AI Ultra was cut from $249.99 to $199.99 a month and a new $99.99 AI Ultra tier with 20 TB was added at I/O 2026.
January 2026 · Google One
Google AI Plus launched in the US at $7.99 a month with 200 GB; Premium 2 TB subscribers received the AI Plus benefits at no extra cost.
May 2025 · Google One
Google One AI Premium ($19.99) was renamed Google AI Pro at the same price, and Google AI Ultra launched at $249.99 a month with 30 TB.
February 2024 · Google One
The AI Premium plan launched at $19.99 a month (2 TB plus Gemini Advanced); the $2.99 200 GB plan was hidden from new subscribers.
June 2019 · Dropbox
Plus rose from $9.99 to $11.99 a month ($99 to $119.88 a year) as storage doubled from 1 TB to 2 TB, the first increase in four years.
How to run both without paying for both
Archive on Google One 2 TB and share it with the family, keep the free Dropbox Basic and its 2 GB for the client folders that need Dropbox's sync, and if you truly need Rewind or file requests, hold Dropbox Plus on the annual plan only. Never run both 2 TB plans at once: Dropbox Plus at $119.88 a year plus twelve months of Google One 2 TB at $9.99 comes to $239.76 for the same 2 TB twice.
Frequently asked questions
Which is cheaper, Dropbox or Google One?
Google One. Its cheapest standard plan works out to $1.67 a month ($19.99 a year) versus $9.99 a month ($119.88 a year) for Dropbox, a difference of $99.89 a year. Bundles, promotions, and app-store billing can change the final price.
Is Google One cheaper than Dropbox?
Yes, at every size. For 2 TB Google One is $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year against Dropbox Plus at $11.99 or $119.88, and Google's $1.99 plan with 100 GB has no counterpart: Dropbox's first paid tier is Plus. At $19.99 Google AI Pro gives 5 TB where Dropbox Essentials gives 3 TB. What the Dropbox premium buys is its sync engine, file requests, Rewind and big transfers, not space.
What happens to my files if I cancel Dropbox or Google One?
Neither deletes anything on the day you cancel. Dropbox drops you to the free 2 GB Basic plan: your files stay where they are, but syncing stops until you are under the limit. The cancel path is dropbox.com, your avatar, Manage account, Plan, Cancel plan, past the retention offers. Google One returns the account to the free 15 GB at the end of the billing cycle; over quota you cannot upload, back up photos or send and receive Gmail, and after two years over the limit Google may delete content. You cancel from Settings at one.google.com. Neither refunds outside the EU 14-day window.
Full guides
Dropbox price & cancellation guide
Plus has cost $11.99 a month, or $119.88 up front for a year, since June 2019, when it went from 1 TB to 2 TB in its first increase in four years.
View guideGoogle One price & cancellation guide
Storage still starts at $1.99 for 100 GB, but the 2026 lineup now runs through Google AI Plus, AI Pro and AI Ultra tiers up to $199.99 a month.
View guideMore comparisons
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