Google Photos is a popular service with a wide array of benefits: cloud storage, image-organization tools, and AI-enhanced search, not to mention easy syncing across devices via the Photos app. I’ve been an active Google Photos user for many years – and I pay annually for two terabytes of storage – so I’m well aware of its value.
But I’m also aware of the problems inherent in Google Photos. Back in 2021, Google dropped its free unlimited storage policy, and the current Google One tiered-storage subscription plans are on the pricey side, especially for folks with more than a couple of terabytes of photos.
And even if you don’t mind paying the subscription costs, Google Photos comes with several major limitations. The image-organization features are relatively basic, especially compared to AI-powered photo-management programs like Excire Foto 2024 or even Adobe Lightroom. And while the image-editing features have recently expanded to include a few eye-catching AI tools, other apps blow them out of the water.
As I said, I’m a Google Photos user. But I don’t use it exclusively; as a serious photographer with over 20 TB of image files, I rely on a number of other storage services, apps, and programs for the bulk of my workflow.
Today, I’m excited to share my favorite Google Photos alternatives for a variety of users, including enthusiast photographers, professional shooters, and even casual shooters just looking for an easy way to manage and store their images.
I’ve used each and every option on this list, and I still use many of them regularly, so I’m well-equipped to explain the pros and cons of each service/program. When possible, I provide examples based on my own experiences, but I also do my best to speak to the needs of other types of users with other workflows.
So without further ado, let’s take a look at the five best Google Photos alternatives available today, starting with:
1. Dropbox: The Best Google Photos Alternative for Image Backup and Syncing
Dropbox is a well-known cloud storage/backup service that, while not especially photo-centric, offers a slew of features to satisfy photographers. I’ve used Dropbox on and off over the years, and what I appreciate most is the easy syncing; the service allows you to automatically sync files between desktops and other devices, making it easy to access your entire image library from multiple devices and even in multiple locations.
I’m also a fan of Dropbox’s comprehensive backup capabilities, which keep your photos saved for 30 days on the Basic plan (and this can be extended up to 365 days on higher-tier plans). That way, if you accidentally delete some of your files, have a hard drive failure, or lose files to corruption, you can still recover them. (As I detailed in my image-backup recommendations, it’s important to maintain an off-site copy of your photos at all times, and Dropbox’s automatic backup fits the bill!)
Then there’s the service’s image-organization functionality, which is straightforward but effective. Users can create folders, share entire folders, and add tags to organize their photos. The platform also includes basic AI-powered image search features, making it easier to locate specific images within large collections – though for robust AI image search, Excire Foto 2024 (also on this list) is the program to beat.
It’s worth mentioning that the platform includes professional sharing and collaboration tools; for instance, it’s easy to send batches of photos to others via links, which is useful for professional photographers who need to deliver images to clients or work collaboratively on projects. And the Dropbox interface is both well-structured and user-friendly, even if it does include features that are unnecessary for most photographers, such as signatures, file requests, and team-based review features.
Of course, you get what you pay for, and Dropbox isn’t exactly cheap. Sure, there’s a free plan with 2 GB of storage, but unless you’re an extremely casual user, that’s not going to cut it. For more extensive storage requirements, the standard personal plan costs $9.99/month and offers 2 TB of storage, which isn’t a bargain but is on par with the competition. At the end of the day, I do think that Dropbox is a great choice for photographers looking for reliable image backup and syncing solutions, though it’s a bit feature-heavy for more casual users.
2. Excire Foto 2024: The Best Google Photos Alternative for Image Organization and Search
I want to acknowledge from the get-go that I am indeed affiliated with Excire, and this article is destined to be published on the Excire blog. However, I am a dedicated Excire user, and my recommendation here is based on my genuine experiences. I really do believe that Excire Foto 2024 is an excellent alternative to Google Photos – primarily for anyone who prioritizes image organization and AI-powered search, as well as users looking to keep their files safe and secure on their local hard drives.
At base, Excire Foto 2024 is a desktop program designed to save time with its advanced AI image-organization and search tools. The software boasts comprehensive image-management features such as keywording, ratings, stars, and albums, which will help keep your photos organized, even if you have a huge image library.
More impressive, however, are the remarkable AI-powered search and organization capabilities. With prompt-search AI, you can enter free-text descriptions of the images you’re looking for, and Excire will instantly locate the files. (It is extremely effective, and amazingly fast, too; to see the prompt-search tool in action, give this video a watch!) Excire also includes cutting-edge facial-recognition technology so you can quickly retrieve photos of specific people from your image database, as well as an excellent similarity-search tool for color- and content-based photo retrieval.
Other AI-powered tools include X-tetics AI, which speeds up the culling process, and deduplication search and automatic tagging features that keep your catalog organized with practically zero effort on your part. These tools collectively streamline the photo-management process, reducing the time and effort required to maintain a well-organized library. Plus, they’re a lot of fun to use!
Excire Foto 2024 works on your computer and doesn’t send data to the cloud, which ensures complete security and privacy. As a consequence of this, however, the program does not offer cloud storage or cloud-based backup features (though it does offer efficient integration with several cloud-storage providers, if that’s of interest to you!).
Unlike many other services that operate on a subscription basis, Excire offers a lifetime license for a one-time fee of $189. This makes it a cost-effective option for folks who prefer to avoid ongoing subscription costs – and makes it easy to recommend for any photographers looking to save time and money while streamlining their image-organization workflow.
3. Adobe Lightroom: The Best Google Photos Alternative for Photo Editing
If you’ve been in the photography space for more than a few months, you’ve undoubtedly heard of Adobe Lightroom, even if you haven’t used it yourself.
What’s important to realize, however, is that Adobe offers two similar, and similarly named, all-in-one image editors: Lightroom Classic, which is a desktop-only software, and Lightroom (formerly Lightroom CC), which was designed to appeal to smartphone and tablet users but is available as both an app and a desktop program. I use both Lightroom Classic and Lightroom, but the mobile-friendly version of Lightroom overlaps more substantially with Google Photos, so it’s Adobe Lightroom that I’m discussing today.
Lightroom is a popular all-in-one image editor known for its sophisticated post-processing capabilities, and for passionate photographers, it’s an excellent alternative to Google Photos. In Lightroom, you can perform basic adjustments, but you can also use state-of-the-art editing tools such as tone curves and color grading wheels, and you can even apply masks to enhance your images with greater precision.
The organizational features are also relatively robust. You can create albums, add keywords, apply star ratings and flags, and add captions and titles to your photos. Lightroom even includes AI-enhanced search capabilities that rely on content- and facial-recognition capabilities. I’ve tested them, and while they don’t match the prompt-search capabilities of Excire Foto 2024, they’re certainly worth using.
Another Lightroom selling point is the cloud integration, which allows the editor to sync seamlessly across devices, ensuring that a) you can access your Lightroom database from any device and b) changes made on one device are reflected on all others. This synchronization makes it easy to organize and edit photos from any (internet-equipped) location, whether you’re using a desktop, tablet, or smartphone.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t briefly touch on Lightroom’s most undervalued feature: the Community tab, which allows you to share your own edits, view edits made by other photographers, and even apply edits to others‘ images. It’s a great way to develop your post-processing skills, and it’s a lot of fun, too.
Lightroom offers several plans to suit different needs. The Lightroom Plan costs $9.99/month and includes 1 TB of cloud storage. For those needing more comprehensive tools, the $20/month Photography Plan also includes 1 TB of cloud storage, and it includes access to Lightroom, Lightroom Classic and Photoshop. Depending on the size of your image database, 1 TB might be sufficient, or it might be frustratingly limiting, though additional storage can be purchased if needed.
Overall, Adobe Lightroom stands out as a powerful program that offers extensive features for both editing and organization, and the cloud-based syncing is a great bonus. While it’s overkill for casual photographers just looking for sharing and storage, for photographers seeking advanced editing capabilities and seamless cross-device integration, I highly recommend it.
4. iCloud + Apple Photos: The Best Google Photos Alternative for iPhone Users
iCloud is Apple’s alternative to Google’s cloud storage service, and while it cannot be used outside the Apple ecosystem – except via the web – it excels in providing seamless integration and functionality for Apple users. This makes it an ideal choice for those using iPhones, iPads, and Macs.
With iCloud, you can easily access your photos on any and all of your Apple devices; here, you’ll need to rely on the native Photos app, which is pre-installed on all Apple devices and will ensure that any edits or organizational changes made on one device are automatically updated across all your other Apple devices for a consistent and streamlined image-management experience.
Through the Photos app, iCloud offers basic yet effective photo-organization features. You can create albums and add titles, captions, and keywords to images. Photos can be marked as favorites, and some metadata can be edited. Like Google Photos, Apple Photos automatically groups files into special sets called “Memories;” the program also uses AI to recognize faces, pets, and the like. Additionally, you can search for photos based on faces, locations, dates, captions, and more – although the search capabilities are somewhat limited compared to more advanced alternatives (see Excire Foto 2024, above!).
I’m not a huge fan of the editing tools in the Photos app – they’re pretty rudimentary – but for casual users, they might be enough. What is handy, though, is that your edits will sync across devices, which makes it easy to apply quick adjustments while on the go.
A basic iCloud account is free, but you only get 5 GB of storage; this fills up pretty fast, so you’ll likely need to pay for an iCloud+ subscription. The prices aren’t unpalatable, and unlike Google Photos, you can purchase a smaller plan to fit your needs. For instance, you can get 50 GB of cloud storage for $0.99/month, though high-capacity plans are also available (e.g., 2 TB for $9.99/month, which is on par with the Google Photos 2 TB plan).
Overall, iCloud is limited in its appeal due to the Apple-only integration, but it stands out as a great Google Photos alternative for dedicated Apple customers due to its syncing capabilities and flexible storage options.
5. Flickr: The Best Google Photos Alternative for Photo Sharing
If you’re looking for an excellent alternative to Google Photos that offers robust photo-sharing capabilities, then Flickr stands out. It’s a reputable web-based photo-sharing community that also offers image storage and (very basic) file management – and while it’s no longer as prominent as it was back in, say, 2010, it still commands plenty of respect in the photography world.
The platform is free to join, and Flickr stores full-resolution images upon upload, but free accounts are limited to 1000 uploads. The 1000-upload limit shouldn’t pose much of a problem if you’re simply seeking to showcase, categorize, and back up your best photos (I’ve never reached the upload limit, myself, and I’ve been a user for over a decade).
However, if you plan to use Flickr for more dedicated storage or backup, you’ll need a Flickr Pro subscription, which costs $9.49/month (paid monthly), $6.08/month (paid annually), or $5.54/month (paid every two years). With it, you get unlimited uploads and several other benefits, including ad-free viewing and enhanced privacy controls.
I do think that the unlimited storage feature is a major perk, and though Flickr is web-based, the Auto-Uploadr feature streamlines the uploading process to make image backup more efficient. That said, the site comes with one huge caveat: there’s zero support for RAW files, so unless you only shoot JPEGs, you’ll need to store your originals elsewhere.
As I mentioned above, Flickr’s photo-sharing capabilities are top-notch; you can easily share photos with the online photography community, which allows you to get feedback and even gain followers – and for those looking to keep photos private or share them with a select group of people, there are options for that, too. Plus, the Flickr community offers inspiration in spades; while I don’t use Flickr as much as I once did, I still spend time browsing through the work of other photographers.
When it comes to image organization, Flickr’s features are relatively basic. You can create albums in order to group related images, and you can also apply tags, titles, and captions to individual photos, but there’s not much in the way of advanced organizational tools. The site lacks AI classification and AI-powered search capabilities offered by Google Photos and Excire Foto 2024, which can be a pain for photographers with a huge library of images.
Bottom line: If you’re after a web-based service with great photo sharing and decent storage features, Flickr is great. However, if you need comprehensive image-organization or photo-editing features, I encourage you to look elsewhere on this list!
Pick a Google Photos Alternative and Keep Your Photos Organized!
Well, there you have it:
The best alternatives to Google Photos in 2024, including choices for casual photographers all the way up to professionals.
As I emphasized above, Flickr is an excellent choice for those who prioritize photo sharing and community interaction, but if you need reliable backup and syncing capabilities, Dropbox is the better pick (or iCloud, if you’re an Apple user).
Lightroom offers impressive editing and syncing capabilities, but if you’re serious about photo management, Excire Foto 2024 is the best image-organization program available today, thanks to its futuristic AI search and image-management features – and its lifetime-license model ensures you can avoid endless recurring payments.
At the end of the day, however, it all depends on you: the size of your image library, the number and type of devices you use, your budget, and the features you need. There’s a solid program or service on this list for practically everyone, so consider your options carefully, make your decision, and enjoy the benefits of a great Google Photos alternative!
