Is SnapVault cheaper than Google Photos with Google One storage?
Short answer For a 200 GB library, SnapVault plus a Backblaze B2 bucket is about $79 in storage over five years, plus the one-time app purchase, against $299.40 for Google AI Plus (400 GB) at $4.99 per month. At 2 TB, Google One at $99.99 per year ($499.95) beats every bucket. SnapVault's edge is owning the files in your own account.
What is the difference between SnapVault and Google Photos?
Google Photos backs up phone photos into the 15 GB every Google account shares with Gmail and Drive, and Google One sells more space: 100 GB for $1.99 a month, AI Plus with 400 GB for $4.99, 2 TB for $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year, and larger AI tiers above that, as of August 2026. Original quality keeps full resolution; Storage saver compresses. SnapVault is an iOS app that copies the camera roll to an S3-compatible bucket you rent from Cloudflare R2, Backblaze B2, AWS S3 or Wasabi. The app is a one-time purchase priced in your local App Store, and the provider bills per gigabyte-month, roughly $0.007 on B2 and $0.015 on R2. Google holds the keys and export runs through Takeout archives; with SnapVault the files are plain objects in your own account. Google Photos is the better viewer and search tool; SnapVault is the copy nobody else controls.
How do Google Photos (Google One) and SnapVault compare feature by feature?
The table reads from the vendors' public pages; SnapVault's column reflects the current App Store release (1.0.3). Android is not shipped yet, so "iOS today" is the honest platform line.
| Feature | Google Photos (Google One) | SnapVault |
|---|---|---|
| Free tier | 15 GB shared with Gmail and Drive | Free tier with a weekly upload cap; bucket providers add 10 GB free (R2, B2) |
| Cheapest paid plan | 100 GB at $1.99/month or $19.99/year | One-time app purchase, priced per country in the App Store; storage billed by your provider |
| Plan that fits 200 GB | AI Plus 400 GB at $4.99/month (annual price not published) | Any bucket; about $1.32/month on Backblaze B2, $2.85 on Cloudflare R2 |
| Plan that fits 2 TB | 2 TB at $9.99/month or $99.99/year | Any bucket; about $13.83/month on Backblaze B2, $29.85 on Cloudflare R2 |
| Billing | Monthly or annual (save up to 16%) | One-time app purchase (price shown in your local App Store); provider bills per GB-month |
| Family sharing | Every paid plan shared with up to 5 others | Any number of phones can write to the same bucket with their own keys |
| Original-quality photos and video | Yes with Original quality; Storage saver compresses above 16 MP / 1080p | Yes, files are copied byte for byte as stored on the phone |
| Platforms | iOS, Android, web, desktop via Drive for desktop | iOS today; Android coming soon |
| Who holds the files and keys | Google; content over quota or inactive for 2 years can be deleted | You: files sit in a bucket under your own provider account |
| Getting your files out | Google Takeout archives (expire after about 7 days, metadata in sidecar JSON) | Standard S3 objects; any S3 client, CLI or desktop tool can download them |
Google Photos (Google One) plans and prices
| Plan | Storage | Monthly | Annual |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | 15 GB | $0 | n/a |
| Google One Basic | 100 GB | $1.99 | $19.99 |
| Google AI Plus | 400 GB | $4.99 | Not published |
| Google One 2 TB (includes AI Plus) | 2 TB | $9.99 | $99.99 |
| Google AI Pro about | 5 TB | $19.99 | About $199.99 ($99.99 first year promo) |
How much do Google One and SnapVault cost over five years?
The cheapest Google One tier that holds 200 GB is AI Plus at 400 GB for $4.99 per month: $59.88 per year and $299.40 over five years on monthly billing (the annual price for that tier was not published on the plans page we checked). SnapVault with Backblaze B2 costs (200 - 10 free) x $0.00695 = $1.32 per month, $79.23 in storage over 60 months, plus the one-time app purchase priced in your local App Store. Cloudflare R2 is $2.85 per month, $171.00 in storage over five years, plus the app. Both buckets beat Google at 200 GB. At 2 TB, Google One's annual plan is $99.99 per year, $499.95 over five years, while SnapVault on B2 is $829.83 in storage and on R2 $1,791.00, plus the app, so Google wins clearly at that size. The bucket route pays off for libraries up to roughly 1 TB. Prices are list prices as of 2026-08-19.
5-year cost at 200 GB
| Option | Year 1 | 5 years | Arithmetic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google AI Plus 400 GB (monthly) | $59.88 | $299.40 | $4.99 x 12 = $59.88/year; x 5 = $299.40 |
| SnapVault + Backblaze B2 | $15.85 | $79.23 | (200 - 10 free) GB x $0.00695/GB = $1.32/month; x 60 months = $79.23 storage (app purchase not included) |
| SnapVault + Cloudflare R2 | $34.20 | $171.00 | (200 - 10 free) GB x $0.015/GB = $2.85/month; x 60 months = $171.00 storage (app purchase not included) |
| SnapVault + AWS S3 Standard | $55.20 | $276.00 | 200 GB x $0.023/GB = $4.60/month; x 60 months = $276.00 storage (app purchase not included) |
| SnapVault + Wasabi | $95.88 | $479.40 | 1,000 GB minimum x $0.00799/GB = $7.99/month; x 60 months = $479.40 storage (app purchase not included) |
5-year cost at 2 TB
| Option | Year 1 | 5 years | Arithmetic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google One 2 TB (annual) | $99.99 | $499.95 | $99.99/year; x 5 = $499.95 (monthly billing: $9.99 x 60 = $599.40) |
| SnapVault + Backblaze B2 | $165.97 | $829.83 | (2,000 - 10 free) GB x $0.00695/GB = $13.83/month; x 60 months = $829.83 storage (app purchase not included) |
| SnapVault + Cloudflare R2 | $358.20 | $1,791.00 | (2,000 - 10 free) GB x $0.015/GB = $29.85/month; x 60 months = $1,791.00 storage (app purchase not included) |
| SnapVault + AWS S3 Standard | $552.00 | $2,760.00 | 2,000 GB x $0.023/GB = $46.00/month; x 60 months = $2,760.00 storage (app purchase not included) |
| SnapVault + Wasabi | $191.76 | $958.80 | 2,000 GB x $0.00799/GB = $15.98/month; x 60 months = $958.80 storage (app purchase not included) |
Method: year 1 is twelve months on the cheapest billing option the vendor offers; five years is year 1 times five with no price changes. Bucket totals use decimal gigabytes, subtract each provider's always-free allowance, and exclude the one-time app purchase, which is priced per country in the App Store. Egress is excluded because a backup is written once and read only on restore; see the bucket cost explainer for egress and request fees.
Who should pick Google Photos?
- You use Android and iPhone together, or share a library with family across both platforms.
- You want the best search, face grouping and automatic albums in a consumer photo app.
- Your library is 2 TB or larger, where $99.99 per year is hard to beat on cost.
- You already pay for Google One for Gmail or Drive space and the photos fit in the same plan.
Who should pick SnapVault?
- Your library is in the 100 GB to 1 TB range, where a per-GB bucket undercuts every subscription tier.
- You want the files in an account you control, in standard formats, reachable from any S3 tool.
- You already run AWS, Cloudflare, Backblaze, Wasabi or a MinIO box and want the phone to write into it.
- You prefer paying once for software and paying wholesale for storage instead of a bundle.
- You do not want a full Gmail inbox to block photo backup, and you want files stored as plain objects rather than a Takeout archive.
Trade-offs to know: SnapVault needs a bucket and access keys before the first backup (a few minutes at Cloudflare R2 or Backblaze B2), it has no web gallery or sharing, and it runs on iOS only today with Android coming soon.
How do I move my photos from Google Photos to my own bucket?
- Photos taken on your iPhone are already in the iOS photo library, so SnapVault can back them up directly. Photos that exist only in Google Photos (uploaded from other devices) need a Takeout export at takeout.google.com; pick Google Photos, request the archive, and download it within its 7-day window.
- Install SnapVault from the App Store, create a bucket at Cloudflare R2, Backblaze B2, AWS S3 or Wasabi, and paste the endpoint, bucket name and access keys into the app.
- Run the first backup on Wi-Fi while charging. SnapVault skips files already in the bucket, so you can stop and resume safely.
- Check the object count in your provider's console against the photo count on the phone before you downgrade or cancel the old plan.
- Turn off Google Photos backup in the app settings on the iPhone if you no longer want uploads to count against your Google quota, or keep both for redundancy.
Questions about Google Photos (Google One) and SnapVault
Does Google Photos still give free unlimited storage?
No. Since 2021-06-01 every new upload counts against the 15 GB shared with Gmail and Drive, even in Storage saver quality. Photos uploaded in Storage saver before that date stay free.
Which Google One plan do I need for 200 GB of photos?
As of 2026-08-19 the smallest plan above 100 GB is Google AI Plus with 400 GB at $4.99 per month. The 2 TB plan is $9.99 per month or $99.99 per year. There is no 200 GB tier on the US plans page.
Is SnapVault cheaper than Google One at 2 TB?
No. Google One 2 TB on annual billing is $499.95 over five years. SnapVault plus Backblaze B2 at 2 TB is about $829.83 in storage over the same period, plus the one-time app purchase. Below about 1 TB the bucket is cheaper; above it Google's flat tier wins.
Can I keep Google Photos and use SnapVault at the same time?
Yes. Both read the iPhone's photo library. Many people leave Google Photos on for viewing and search and let SnapVault keep an independent copy in a bucket they own.
Try SnapVault with your own bucket
Free tier with a weekly upload cap; SnapVault Pro is a one-time purchase, priced in your local App Store. Your storage provider bills the bucket directly.
Sources and date checked
All vendor pages below were read on 2026-08-19. Bucket prices come from the provider pricing pages listed last.
- Google One plans
- Google AI plans (AI Plus, AI Pro, AI Ultra)
- Google Photos Help: Original quality vs Storage saver
- Google Account Help: Download your data (Takeout)
- 9to5Google: Google AI Plus launches in the US (2026-01-27)
- 9to5Google: AI Plus drops to $4.99 with 400 GB (2026-06-08)
- Backblaze B2 pricing
- Cloudflare R2 pricing
- AWS S3 Standard pricing
- Wasabi pricing