Google is introducing a new cheaper option for it’s Google One cloud storage subscription service. … [+]
Google has begun offering a new, considerably less expensive entry-level tier for its Google One subscription service.
According to a report from The Indian Express, some Google users in India are being offered a new Google One “Lite” subscription tier for ₹59 (around 0.70 USD) per month—less than half the monthly cost of the current “Basic” 100GB option.
The new Lite tier, currently on offer with a one-month free trial, provides up to 30GB of cloud storage for Google Photos, Google Drive, and Gmail, doubling the initial 15 GB users get free just for signing up.
Unlike Google One’s existing paid tiers, the new Lite subscription can’t be shared with other users—not that 30GB of storage would be enough to be worth sharing with friends and family anyway.
The new Google One Lite tier was first spotted back in July when a previous report found references to it in the code of the Google Photos Android app. It appears that Google has now started rolling this option out, albeit only in India so far.
Is The New Google One Lite Tier Good Value?
A storage allowance of just 30GB doesn’t seem like a lot. By contrast, Apple’s entry-level iCloud+ plan comes with 50GB of storage for the equivalent of $0.89 monthly (in India) and, unlike Google One Lite, includes family sharing, making it more flexible and cheaper per Gigabyte than Google’s offering. However, iCloud users start with only 5GB of free storage, forcing them onto a paid plan sooner than Google One Lite.
Looking at it from another angle, and once again using converted Indian pricing, Google is asking for $0.70 monthly for an extra 15GB of storage, whereas Apple charges $0.89 per month to increase your storage by 45GB, making Apple’s 50GB iCloud+ plan seem like the more enticing offer.
Note that Google has yet to announce the Google One Lite tier, and the offer is currently only available to a small group of people in India. So, most “free tier” Google One users will still see the 100GB option as the cheapest available paid option.
It’s not yet known whether Google plans to make the Google One Lite tier available to markets outside India. If Google’s trial goes well, I can see no real reason why not, but it would be nice to see at least a little more storage included in the price.
Follow @paul_monckton on Instagram.