Why I still pay for Google Photos, even with free alternatives available

Convenience is one reason.

Apr 23, 2025 - 14:09

Credit: Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority

Google Photos used to offer unlimited storage for free, a feature many of us relied on. That all changed back in June 2021. Like many others, I quickly received the inevitable “storage full” message after the change and decided to pay up. I’ve been paying for a Google One plan ever since, and honestly, I don’t plan on changing that anytime soon, even though free alternatives exist.

Convenience is king

I’ll admit, I kind of resented Google when it ditched the unlimited free storage for Photos. It certainly felt like a classic bait-and-switch: get everyone hooked on a great free service, build a massive user base dependent on it, and then start charging once we were all accustomed to it.