Google One vs Link to Windows
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Google One
Safely back up your phone's photos, contacts, and messages to the cloud. Manage your Google account storage across Drive, Gmail, and Photos, and easily free up space. Upgrade for more storage and benefits.
- Phone backup (photos, contacts, messages)
- Cloud storage management
- Free up space tool
- Storage upgrade options
- Cross-service storage view
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The Google One app lets you back up your phone and manage your Google account storage. • Back up the important things on your phone, like photos, contacts and messages using the 15 GB of storage that comes with a Google account. If you break, lose or upgrade your phone, you can have the peace of mind of knowing the stuff you care about is safe on the cloud. • See your storage across Google Drive, Gmail, Google Photos, and easily free up space within the app with the storage manager. Upgrade to a Google One membership to get even more: • Get as much storage as you need for your memories, projects and digital files. Choose the plan that works best for you.
Link to Windows
Seamlessly integrate your iPhone with your Windows PC. Access calls, messages, notifications, and contacts directly from your computer. Easily share files between devices for enhanced productivity.
- Make and receive calls
- Manage phone notifications
- Read and reply to text messages
- View phone contacts
- Share files between phone and PC
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You love your phone. So does your PC. Get instant access to everything you love on your phone, right from your PC. To get started, connect your iPhone with the Phone Link Feature on your Windows PC. Enjoy these Phone Link features on your PC: • Make and receive calls • Manage your phone's notifications • Read and reply to text messages • View your phone contacts • Share files between your phone and PC Phone Link for iOS requires iPhone running iOS 16 or higher, and a PC with Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) support running Windows 10 (with the May 2019 Update or later) or Windows 11. Not available for iPad (iPadOS) or MacOS. By installing this app, you agree to the Microsoft Terms of Use https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=246338 and Privacy Statement https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=248686
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Google One at 4.7 against Link to Windows's 4.0. Link to Windows's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 13) and review sentiment (56% vs 28%). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Google One sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Link to Windows asks for nothing beyond the download.
Google One holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 23K and 16K respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 28% of Google One's written reviews are positive against 56% of Link to Windows's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Google One | Link to Windows |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (23K ratings) — better | 4.0 (16K ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 27.9% of reviews | 56.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 23K — better | 16K |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | Fortnightly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Best chart rank | #48 | #17 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 16.6 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 192 MB | 103 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Microsoft Corporation | |
Customer experience
Google One
Link to Windows
User reviews
Google One
From 23K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Convenient storage management
- 👍 Helpful for organizing files
- 🤖 Integrates with other Google services
Room to improve
- 🐛 Unreliable VPN connection
- 🔒 Poor account security and refund policies
- 💸 Misleading subscription offers
- 🤯 Confusing and frustrating user experience
Link to Windows
From 16K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Convenient text messaging from PC
- 📱 Ability to see phone notifications on PC
- 🔋 Battery level display on PC
- 👍 Helpful for productivity
Room to improve
- 🐛 Inconsistent Bluetooth connectivity
- 🔀 Unreliable message syncing between devices
- 🚫 Lack of group messaging support
- 📷 Inability to send/receive media
- 🔇 Poor call quality
Bugs and requests
Google One
Reported bugs
3 issues- VPN disconnects internet connectivity
- Inability to disable VPN within app
- Incompatibility issues with iOS updates
Requested features
3 requests- Allow changing VPN location
- Improve offline functionality
- Add duplicate file management
Link to Windows
Reported bugs
3 issues- App crashes and freezes
- Bluetooth interference with other devices
- Inability to reconnect after device is out of range
Requested features
4 requests- Seamless call handling between phone and PC
- Full message history sync
- Support for media sharing
- Group messaging functionality
In-app purchases
Google One
- 100 GB$1.991 Month
- 100 GB1 Month trial2 variants$1.991 Month
- 200 GB$2.991 Month
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- 200 GB1 Month trial$2.991 Month
- Google AI Plus (2 TB)$9.991 Month
- Google AI Plus (2 TB)1 Month trial$9.991 Month
- 100 GB$19.991 Year
- 100 GB1 Month trial$19.991 Year
- 200 GB$29.991 Year
- 2 TB$99.991 Year
Link to Windows
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Google One free?
Is Link to Windows free?
Which has better reviews, Google One or Link to Windows?
Do Google One or Link to Windows have ads?
Which is updated more often, Google One or Link to Windows?
Which is more popular, Google One or Link to Windows?
Other comparisons
