Comparison

SugarSync vs Google Drive

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

SugarSync

Securely back up and sync files, photos, and music across all your devices. Protect your digital life with advanced encryption and easily share or restore files. Offers automatic syncing and remote data wiping for enhanced security and convenience.

Highlights
  • Secure file backup
  • Automatic cloud syncing
  • Cross-device synchronization
  • Remote data wipe
  • File sharing and collaboration
  • Easy file restoration
Read full description

SugarSync lets you securely backup your files, photos, music, and more, on any device. We add a layer of security to all of your file syncing and storing so you can keep your digital life private and organized. Easily sync and send files from one device to another, collaborate with team members, and enjoy seamless file syncing across your devices with minimal effort. Features: Automatically sync your files to the cloud Instantly backup photos taken on your iPhone Sync multiple folders at once Remotely wipe your data in the case of device theft or loss Complete Data Security SugarSync makes security a priority. We use industry-standard encryption to protect your files and data while they sync to our servers, and store them in the cloud in an encrypted format. iPhone Photo Syncing Skip using iCloud or a cable to upload your iPhone photos. SugarSync lets you automatically upload photos from your iPhone to your computer so you can have all of your important memories and more in one secure place. Auto-Syncing Across Devices SugarSync makes it easy to keep all of your devices synced. You can automatically sync files across computers, devices, and platforms, and all changes made in the cloud will be automatically applied to all of your synced devices. Flexible File Sharing Sharing files and folders has never been easier. SugarSync lets you control how and what you want to share, whether it’s a small read-only file or a large folder with editing permissions — it’s up to you. Easy Restoration Never worry about losing your important files, photos, and documents again. Our Protected Folders option lets you easily roll back your folder to a previous date in time so you can recover all files within it at once. Enjoy a free 30-day trial when you sign up for SugarSync. Choose from our 100 GB, 250 GB, and 500 GB personal plan options, or choose our business plan which offers 10000 GB of space. We also offer custom business plans for teams looking for the right cloud storage for their needs. Learn more about SugarSync here: https://www.sugarsync.com/ Terms of Service: https://www.sugarsync.com/terms/ Privacy Policy: https://www.sugarsync.com/privacy/

About

Google Drive

Securely store, organize, and access your files from any device. Collaborate with others, scan documents, and search for content with ease. Offers advanced features for businesses and individuals.

Highlights
  • Secure cloud storage
  • File organization
  • Cross-device access
  • Document scanning
  • File sharing and permissions
  • Offline access
  • AI-powered insights (Workspace)
Features
Read full description

Google Drive lets you securely store, intelligently organize and collaborate on files and folders from anywhere, on any device. With Drive, you can: • Safely store and access your files anywhere • Edit and store 100+ file types, including PDFs, Office files, videos and more • Scan and upload paper documents using your device’s camera • Quickly access recent and important files • Search for files by name and content • Filter files by type, last modified date and more • Share and set permissions for files and folders • View your content on the go while offline • Receive notifications about important activity on your files Google Workspace subscribers have access to additional Drive functionality, including: • Using AI to summarize information, retrieve quick facts, and surface insights from your files • Security and management controls for admins to help meet data compliance needs • Sharing files and folders directly with groups or teams within your organization • Creating a shared drive to store all of your team’s content • Requesting electronic signatures and manage vendor agreements, customer contracts, and more Learn more about Google Apps update policy: https://support.google.com/a/answer/6288871 Google accounts get 15GB of storage, shared across Google Drive, Gmail, and Google Photos. For additional storage, you can upgrade to Google Workspace or Google One as an in-app purchase. Storage subscriptions purchased from the app will be charged to your iTunes Account, and automatically renew unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Subscriptions and auto-renewal may be managed by going to iTunes Account Settings after purchase. Google Privacy Policy: https://www.google.com/intl/en_US/policies/privacy Google Drive Terms of Service: https://www.google.com/drive/terms-of-service Follow us for more: X: https://x.com/googleworkspace and https://x.com/googledrive LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/googleworkspace Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/googleworkspace/

Screenshots

SugarSync4 screens
Google Drive4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Google Drive at 4.8 against SugarSync's 3.2. Google Drive also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (weekly vs every 5 months). SugarSync's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 14) and review sentiment (81% vs 65%). On price, monetization model and device support 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Google Drive sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. SugarSync asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Google Drive holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Google Drive has 7.8M ratings behind it against 109, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 81% of SugarSync's written reviews are positive against 65% of Google Drive's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SugarSync ships an update every 5 months, Google Drive weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 10, 2026 and September 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
SugarSync versus Google Drive: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSugarSyncGoogle Drive
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.2 (109 ratings)4.8 (7.8M ratings) — better
Positive reviews80.5% of reviews — better65.0% of reviews
Number of ratings1097.8M — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsWeekly — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank—#9 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS10.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size33 MB439 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSugarSync, Inc.Google

Customer experience

SugarSync

All ratings103 ratings
Positive51.5%
Neutral8.7%
Negative39.8%
Written reviews1,536 reviews
Positive80.5%
Neutral4.8%
Negative14.6%

Google Drive

All ratings7,811,107 ratings
Positive95.0%
Neutral2.0%
Negative3.0%
Written reviews4,331 reviews
Positive65.0%
Neutral6.0%
Negative28.9%

User reviews

SugarSync

From 109 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Seamless syncing across devices
  • 🔒 Secure cloud storage
  • 👍 Easy to use and navigate
  • 💡 Ability to access files remotely
  • 👍 Reliable backup solution

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezes
  • 🐛 Syncing issues and unreliable file access
  • 🔋 High resource consumption on mobile devices
  • 👎 Poor customer support and lack of response
  • 👎 Expensive pricing compared to alternatives

Google Drive

From 7.8M App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Convenient cloud storage
  • 🔒 Secure file backup
  • 👍 Easy file sharing and collaboration
  • 👍 Accessible from any device
  • 🚀 Seamless integration with other Google apps

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Unreliable uploads and syncing
  • 🔍 Difficult file organization and navigation
  • 🔍 Limited editing capabilities within the app
  • 🔋 High battery drain on mobile devices

Bugs and requests

SugarSync

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Login issues and account problems
  • Incompatibility with newer iOS versions
  • Slow upload and download speeds

Requested features

4 requests
  • Offline file access and editing
  • Integration with more third-party apps
  • Improved photo management and viewing
  • Ability to selectively sync folders/files

Google Drive

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Compatibility issues with older iOS versions
  • Frequent app crashes and freezes
  • Inconsistent file upload and download performance

Requested features

4 requests
  • Allow bulk file/folder management
  • Improve offline file access and editing
  • Integrate more advanced productivity tools
  • Enhance search and file organization features

In-app purchases

None

SugarSync

No in-app purchases

9 purchases

Google Drive

Subscriptions9
  • 100 GB1 Month trial4 variants$1.991 Month
  • 100 GB$1.991 Month
  • 200 GB2 variants$2.991 Month
Show 6 more
  • 200 GB1 Month trial$2.991 Month
  • Google AI Plus (2 TB)2 variants$9.991 Month
  • Google AI Plus (2 TB)1 Month trial$9.991 Month
  • 100 GB1 Month trial$19.991 Year
  • 100 GB$19.991 Year
  • 200 GB$29.991 Year

Questions

Is SugarSync free?
SugarSync is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Google Drive free?
Google Drive is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, SugarSync or Google Drive?
Google Drive is rated higher. SugarSync averages 3.2 out of 5 from 109 ratings, while Google Drive averages 4.8 from 7.8M ratings.
Do SugarSync or Google Drive have ads?
SugarSync shows ads; Google Drive does not.
Which is updated more often, SugarSync or Google Drive?
SugarSync ships an update every 5 months, and Google Drive weekly. Most recently, SugarSync was updated on September 10, 2026 and Google Drive on September 28, 2026.

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