Flickr vs Google Photos
Flickr
flickr.com
Google Photos
google.comSide by side
| Figure | Flickr | Google Photos |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $6.83/mo | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 5 | 10 |
| Spec score · Photo Storage Services | 9.3 (#3) | 9.3 (#4) |
| Spec score · Photo Management Software | 9.3 (#2) | 9.3 (#3) |
| Integrations | Official tools include Lightroom and Aperture upload integrations, a Chrome new-tab extension, and desktop Uploadr applications. | Google Photos lists camera and digitization partners including Canon and Photomyne, print partners including Walgreens and Shutterfly, and TV platforms including Google TV and Samsung. |
| Privacy controls | Users control visibility, downloads and interactions per item; EXIF and GPS data can be hidden or exposed according to settings. | Google states that users control sharing, can delete or export their content, and that Photos does not sell photos or use them for advertising. |
| Rating on Apple App Store | 4.5 out of 5 from 15,000 ratings | 4.8 out of 5 from 1.6M ratings |
| Rating on G2 | 4.1 out of 5 from 332 reviews | 4.5 out of 5 from 814 reviews |
| Rating on Google Play | 3.3 out of 5 from 34,100 reviews | 4.4 out of 5 from 53,899,623 ratings |
| Security | Flickr says it takes physical, technical, and administrative measures to protect information, while stating that it cannot promise information will remain secure. | Google says Photos data is protected with HTTPS encryption in transit and encryption at rest. |
| Self-hosting | Flickr publishes hosted web, mobile and desktop services and API documentation but no self-hosted server edition. | The official product and developer pages describe Google-hosted web, mobile and API services and provide no self-hosted deployment option. |
Plans
Flickr
- Flickr FreeFree
- Flickr Pro$8 a month
- Flickr Pro Monthly$11 a month
- Flickr Pro Annual$82 a year
- Flickr Pro 2-Year$148, paid once
Google Photos
- FreeFree
- Basic$1.99 a month
- Google AI Plus$9.99 a month
- Google AI Pro$19.99 a month
- FreeFree
- Basic$1.99 a month
- Google AI Plus$9.99 a month
- Google One Basic (100 GB)¥290 a month
- Google AI Plus (2 TB)¥1,450 a month
- Google AI Pro (5 TB)¥2,900 a month
In their own words
Flickr
Flickr is an online photography community for managing, sharing, and discovering photos. Users can store and organize images, make galleries, and explore galleries from photographers they follow. Groups, contests, and a photography blog provide community activities, while daily curation and Creative Commons images support discovery. Privacy settings let users choose default visibility and control who can view, download, or interact with individual photos and videos. The mobile app can upload camera-roll photos and videos automatically, keeping them private until the user chooses to share them. Image recognition can find visually similar images and assist with search and organization. Users may authorize third-party apps to work with their accounts and later revoke access in settings. Flickr offers an API for non-commercial use; commercial use requires prior arrangement. The free plan permits 1,000 public photo and video uploads and displays ads. Flickr Pro costs $8 a month, billed annually, and includes unlimited full-resolution sharing and backup, ad-free browsing, detailed statistics, and enhanced privacy settings.
Google Photos
Google Photos is a service for editing, organizing, searching, backing up, and sharing photos and videos. It runs on Android, iOS, and the web. A Google Account includes 15 GB shared among Photos, Gmail, and Drive at no cost; Original quality backups use that storage. Users can back up media automatically or manually, and share photos, videos, and albums with people who do not use Google Photos. The app lists AI editing tools including Magic Eraser and Photo Unblur. It supports full-resolution RAW image backup and cloud storage for 4K video. Google lists paid monthly plans including Basic at $1.99 a month for 100 GB, Google AI Plus at $9.99 a month for 2 TB, and Google AI Pro at $19.99 a month for 5 TB; each allows up to five additional people. The natural-language search example is limited to eligible US users aged 18 or older who meet specified language and settings requirements. Google says data is encrypted in transit and at rest, and users can delete or export their content.