The largest promoting level of Google Photos was limitless picture storage, however Google removed that choice final yr. With 15GB of free storage accessible with a Google account, the search big is now nudging customers to pay for a Google One plan ought to they exceed the free storage quota. So when Google introduced the transfer to take away limitless storage in Google Photos, I began searching for another.
It did not take lengthy for me to determine that Synology Photos is a viable answer. I have been utilizing the DiskStation DS1019+ and DS1520+ to again up full-res photographs and movies from all of the telephones we have now in the home, so it was fairly simple to contemplate the model. There are a number of benefits to utilizing a NAS server for storing your media, key amongst them being information safety. As the information by no means leaves your own home, you might have full management over your photographs and movies, and I wrote a information breaking down why a NAS server is the ideal offline Google Photos alternative.
To its credit score, Synology did a wonderful job collating all of its disparate providers right into a unified entity for backing up photographs and movies, dubbing it Synology Photos. The transfer coincided with Google killing off limitless storage with Google Photos, and having used Synology Photos quickly after it launched, there was so much to love. Synology Photos is insanely quick at importing photographs, and as you are solely doing so inside your own home community, it has a definite benefit over Google Photos on this regard — significantly in the event you’re working with massive albums with a whole bunch or hundreds of photographs.
Synology Photos will get so much proper, and it now works natively on the perfect good TV platforms.
Then there’s the truth that Synology Photos has higher picture administration, and also you get the power to kind photographs by location, digicam, file identify, and extra. This makes an enormous distinction for my specific use case as I have a tendency to go looking with file names when searching for product pictures. As we’re on that topic, the price of storage provides up very quick in the event you want loads of it on Google Photos. I might have to get the 10TB tier if I needed to again up all of the photographs I shot over the past three years in native decision, and that comes out to $49 a month, or $600 a yr — that is the price of two 18TB Red Pro drives (opens in new tab), and I do know what I am shopping for.
What makes Synology Photos a bit of extra attractive is that the newest model has native purchasers for Android TV and Apple TV, making it about as simple as attainable to browse your media library on the TV. The Synology Photos shopper for Android and iOS does an excellent job transferring photographs to the NAS, and with the power to simply view these photographs on the best smart TV platforms, Synology is proving that it’s invested in making its picture administration service among the finest round. This was a problem once I wrote concerning the service final yr, and I am glad to see it change for the higher.
Do not get me mistaken; Google Photos nonetheless will get so much proper, and the convenience of use mixed with the enhancing options makes it an important alternative for lots of customers. However in the event you’re like me and take loads of photographs and movies, it makes higher sense to get an offline answer for storing your whole full-resolution media. In the event you’re enthusiastic about making the swap, the DiskStation DS220+ continues to be my decide for the best home NAS, and is a superb place to begin. I additionally wrote a information detailing how to transfer your photos from Google Photos to Synology Photos, so check out that to know the best way to transfer your information.
Synology DiskStation DS220+
With two drive bays, sturdy {hardware} and twin Gigabit Ethernet connectivity, the DiskStation DS220+ is an excellent alternative for first-time NAS patrons. Mix that with an in depth feature-set and also you get the perfect offline Google Photos different.
