Google Photos and Google Drive share the same Google account and the same storage, but they do different jobs. Google Drive is file storage: folders you control, any file type kept exactly as it is, and granular sharing. Google Photos is a photo library: it organises pictures by date, faces and places, makes them easy to browse and share as albums, and is built for viewing rather than archiving. So in the Google Drive vs Google Photos question, the answer for most photographers is both — Drive for originals, Photos for a set people will actually look at. CloudTether can send to either, or both, as you shoot.
Google Drive is for files: folders you control, any file type kept exactly as uploaded, RAW included. Google Photos is for looking at pictures: a searchable library and albums that are easy to share. They share one Google account and one storage quota but keep separate libraries, and they haven't synced since 2019. For photographers: originals in Drive, a set to browse and share in Photos.
| Google Drive | Google Photos | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | File-level control, folders, originals as files | A browsable, searchable photo library |
| Storage | Shared Google account storage | The same shared storage |
| Originals and RAW | Any file stored byte for byte, RAW included | Original quality or Storage saver; many RAW formats, best for viewing |
| Organisation | Manual folders you control | Automatic by date, plus search, faces and albums |
| Sharing | Folder and file links with view, comment or edit rights | Album links that are easy for clients and family |
| Teams | Shared drives on Google Workspace | Shared albums |
| How CloudTether routes | A folder per shoot, RAW and JPEG | An app-created album per shoot, JPEGs and other images (RAW skipped) |
No, although they share a login and a storage quota. Google Drive and Google Photos are separate apps with separate libraries: a photo you put in a Drive folder doesn't appear in Google Photos by itself, and a photo backed up to Google Photos doesn't show up as a file in Drive. Google ended the automatic sync between the two in 2019. You can still bring pictures from Drive into Photos with the upload option in Google Photos, but it's a copy, not a link.
Your free Google storage is shared between Gmail, Google Drive and Google Photos, and paid Google One plans add to the same pool. Photos backed up to Google Photos count against it whether you choose Original quality or Storage saver; Storage saver compresses photos and videos so they take less space. Drive always keeps files exactly as uploaded. If space is tight, keep originals in one place, not both, and send compressed or resized copies to the place people browse.
Drive is the safer home for RAW: it stores CR3, NEF, ARW, RAF and any other file untouched, in folders you name, ready to download into Lightroom or Capture One. Google Photos can store many RAW formats too, but it's designed for viewing and sharing — editing and exporting full RAW workflows happens elsewhere. For a photo business, RAW in Drive and JPEGs in Photos is a common split.
For a client who wants to browse, Google Photos albums are friendlier: they open as a gallery on any phone, and people can save the pictures they like. For a client who needs the files — an agency, an editor, a print lab — a Google Drive folder link is clearer, with exact file names, full resolution and download rights you control. Teams on Google Workspace get shared drives, so files belong to the organisation rather than one person's account.
The two work well side by side. A practical set-up for a shoot: every original, RAW and JPEG, goes to a dated Drive folder as your archive and delivery copy, and the JPEGs go to a Google Photos album you share with the client or family the same evening. With CloudTether you connect both in the Deliver tab and choose both for the camera's shots; each photo is uploaded once from your phone and delivered to both. Google Photos receives images only, so RAW files go to Drive.
Use Google Drive when you want an archive with folders and original files you control — RAW included. Use Google Photos when you want a viewable, shareable library. Most photographers are best served by Google Photos and Google Drive together: originals in Drive, a browsable set in Photos. CloudTether can deliver to both from the same shoot.
How live delivery works, camera by camera: camera to cloud.
Google Drive stores files in folders exactly as uploaded, any type. Google Photos is a photo library that organises, searches and shares pictures. They share your Google storage but keep separate libraries.
Not any more. Google stopped the automatic sync between Drive and Photos in 2019. You can copy photos from Drive into Google Photos with its upload option, but changes in one don't appear in the other.
For originals and RAW files you want to keep exactly as shot, Google Drive. For browsing, searching and sharing your pictures, Google Photos. Many photographers use both.
Yes. Your Google account's storage is shared across Gmail, Google Drive and Google Photos, and Google One plans add to the same pool.
With Original quality, yes, and it counts toward your storage. Storage saver compresses photos to use less space. Drive always keeps the original file as-is in a folder.
Yes — CloudTether tethers your camera to your phone and uploads each shot to Google Drive and/or Google Photos live as you shoot. Drive takes RAW and JPEG; Google Photos takes JPEGs and other images.