Amazon Photos vs. Google Photos: Which Is Best?

Google Photos is unrivaled in terms of user numbers, mainly as a result of being the default option on Android. However, there are alternatives worth considering instead.

One option most people seem to be ignoring is Amazon Photos. So, how does Amazon Photos compare to Google Photos? Should you switch from one to the other? Read on for our comparison to help you pick the one that’s right for you.

Amazon Photos vs. Google Photos: Cost

There are two big caveats that we need to get out of the way. Firstly, Amazon Photos is a paid service. Secondly, it is only available in selected countries.

If you don’t live in either the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, or Japan, you can stop reading now.

Furthermore, subscribing to Amazon Photos is not as straightforward as paying a monthly subscription fee. Because it’s a sub-feature of Amazon Drive, there are two principal ways you can gain access:

• Amazon Prime: If you subscribe to Amazon Prime, you’ll get access to Amazon Photos.
• Amazon Drive: If you don’t want to subscribe to Amazon Prime, you can pay for standalone access to Amazon Drive.

Note: Subscribing to Amazon Prime brings lots of benefits you should know about.

The cost of subscribing to Amazon Prime varies from country to country. In the U.S., it costs $12.99/month. Similarly, the cost of Amazon Drive varies. In the United States, two plans are available. 100GB of storage costs $11.99/year; 1TB will set you back $59.99/year.

Obviously, Amazon Photo’s geographical and paywall restrictions place it in sharp contrast to Google Photos. Google’s app is free to use and is available everywhere.

Amazon Photos vs. Google Photos: Platforms

Google Photos is available on Android and iOS. Since the death of Picasa, there is no desktop app.

Amazon Photos does offer a desktop app. It makes the service instantly appealing to anyone who’s spent a couple of years comparing Picasa alternatives.

Amazon Photos also offers an Android and iOS app. Amazon has even integrated the service directly into all Amazon Fire TV devices and Fire tablets. Google Photos is not available on Amazon devices. There is an unofficial Google Photos app on Roku devices.

Amazon Photos vs. Google Photos: Features

Storage Limits

If you use Amazon Photos via a Prime subscription, you can upload an unlimited number of full-resolution photos to the app.

The full-resolution aspect is important. Google Photos only offers free storage for photos up to 16 megapixels. Anything larger than 16 megapixels will count against your storage limits.

If you use Amazon Photos through your Amazon Drive subscription, the photos will count against your storage limits.

Amazon Photos also offers users 5GB of storage for videos and other files. Google Photos lets you upload an unlimited number of video files, as long as they are no more than 1080p resolution.

RAW Photos

Amazon Photos lets you upload RAW files. The feature will appeal to anyone who regularly has to use high-resolution RAW images in a professional environment, such as photographers and graphic designers.

In contrast, Google Photos will convert RAW files into JPEG automatically if they exceed the 16-megapixel limit.

Amazon Prints vs. Google Photo Books

Amazon and Google both provide a way to turn your treasured photographs into permanent hard copies. However, of the two services, Amazon’s is much more holistic.

On Google Photos, you’re limited to two options. You can either buy an 18cm x 18cm soft-cover book for $9.99 or a 23cm x 23cm hardcover version for $19.99. Extra pages (up to a maximum of 100) cost $0.35 and $0.65 respectively.

Amazon’s product list is more impressive. There are more than 10 items available, including books, prints, mugs, mouse mats, calendars, and even aluminum prints. Each of the products is available in multiple sizes.

For all the products, you can choose which photos are included.

Smart Organization

Google Photos’ smart recognition feature been one of the services best features for a few years. However, Amazon Photos’ image recognition is just as powerful.

You can use it to find similar animals, objects, and people. It will also group your photos into locations, as long as you’ve got location services enabled on your device. The feature can even arrange your shots by the type of environment, such as sunset, beach, or mountains.

Family Vault

One of Amazon Photos’ best features is the Family Vault feature.

It allows you to create a shared photo archive for up to six people (including the principle Prime subscriber). Each user receives their own Amazon Photos account with unlimited storage. People in the Family Vault can add their own snaps to build up a family-wide album. The Prime owner can add and remove members as required.

Note: You can only be a member of one family vault at a time!

The equivalent feature on Google Photos only allows you to share your entire library (or a subset of dates) with one other person, usually your partner. Google also offers Family Groups, but the feature will share access to content like apps and entertainment purchases. It might not be suitable for all users.

Sharing Photos With Others

Amazon Photos and Google Photos both let you share your photographs with other people.

On Amazon, you can share up 25 images at a time. Four sharing methods are possible; via a link, email, Facebook, or Twitter. You can also share videos and albums.

You can share Google Photos with friends by typing their name, phone number, or email address. You can also share using Facebook, Twitter, or via a shareable link.

Editing Photos

Again, both services offer both editing features—there’s nothing to choose between them. You can add filters, tweak the brightness, and play with other options such as color adjustment, rotation, and crop.

Both services let you change the time and date stamps.

Is Amazon Photos Worth Trying?

So, is Amazon Photos worth trying? It depends on your use case. Amazon Photos definitely makes our list of worthy Google Photos alternatives, and all things considered, Amazon’s offering offers slightly more features than Google Photos.

Not everyone will find the features to be worth the hassle of migrating. However, Prime subscribers should definitely check out Amazon Photos. And remember, you can run both services simultaneously, letting you spend time using both apps before making your decision.

If you’d like to learn more about Amazon Prime, grab a 30-day free trial of Amazon Prime. You’ll have full access to Amazon Photos and be able to try it out first-hand.

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