Google One vs Mega.nz vs Drime: Which Storage Is Worth Paying For?

When Google tells you your storage is full, they'd really like you to buy Google One. But there are two other options — Mega.nz and Drime — that most people have never heard of, and in many cases they're a better fit. Here's an honest comparison.

Google One

Cost: £1.59/month (100 GB), £2.49/month (200 GB), £7.99/month (2 TB)

Free tier: 15 GB (shared across Gmail, Drive, Photos)

Google One's advantage is integration. Your extra storage works seamlessly with Gmail, Drive, and Photos — no configuration needed. It's also the only option if your storage problem is primarily Google Photos or Docs/Sheets/Slides files that can't be moved elsewhere.

The downside is the recurring cost. £1.59/month sounds trivial, but it's £19/year indefinitely. Over five years that's £95 for a storage problem that might have a one-time fix.

Mega.nz

Cost: Free for 20 GB; paid plans from €4.99/month for 400 GB

Free tier: 20 GB permanent (no expiry)

Mega.nz is unusual in the cloud storage market because it offers genuine end-to-end encryption. Unlike Google Drive or Dropbox, not even Mega can read your files. This makes it particularly well-suited for sensitive documents, financial records, or anything you'd rather keep private.

The 20 GB free tier is permanent — not a trial. It's been available since Mega launched in 2013. For someone who needs to move Drive files out of Google, Mega.nz provides a solid destination at zero cost.

The main friction is connection. Mega uses a bookmarklet-based authorisation rather than standard OAuth, which feels unusual. GTransfer handles this automatically — you follow a 3-step guide and it connects without needing to understand how the bookmarklet works.

Drime

Cost: Free for 20 GB; paid plans available

Free tier: 20 GB

Drime is a European cloud storage provider, which matters if you're in the EU or handling files that need to comply with GDPR. Data stored in Drime stays in EU data centres — a meaningful distinction if you're a business owner, freelancer working with EU clients, or simply privacy-conscious.

It's a newer service than Mega, with a cleaner interface and standard API-based authorisation. GTransfer connects to Drime via API token — straightforward and reliable.

The combination play

Here's the thing most people miss: you can use both Mega.nz and Drime. That's 40 GB of free storage from two providers, which is more than twice Google's free 15 GB. If you move your Drive files out of Google using GTransfer — splitting them across Mega (20 GB) and Drime (20 GB) — you can free up your Google quota entirely without paying anyone a recurring fee.

GTransfer Pro (£19 one-time) covers transfers to both Mega.nz and Drime. Compare that to Google One at £19/year forever, and the maths is obvious for anyone with a Drive-heavy storage problem.

Which should you choose?

Stick with Google One if: Your storage problem is mostly Google Photos or Docs files, and you're happy with a recurring cost for tight integration.

Use Mega.nz if: You value end-to-end encryption, you have a lot of Drive files to move, and you want the most established free-tier provider.

Use Drime if: You're in the EU or working with EU clients and want GDPR-friendly storage with a clean interface.

Use both via GTransfer if: You want 40 GB free, you want to stop paying Google monthly, and you're happy to pay £19 once instead of £19 every year.