Google Photos vs. Gallery app: What’s the difference and which should you use?
Google’s Gallery app offers a simpler way to organise photos, while Google Photos adds cloud backup and a broader set of editing tools. Users can install and keep both apps, choosing whichever suits the task.
Photos can back up images automatically and free up phone storage by removing copies already saved online. Older personal Google accounts include 15GB of storage, while accounts created from 9 March 2026 start with 5GB, with another 10GB available after phone verification; paid Google One plans offer 100GB for $2 a month or 200GB for $3. Gallery has basic crop, rotate and filter tools, and users can also save images to an external drive; deleting backed-up photos from either app can remove them from the cloud and other devices after 30 days.
- Photos provides cloud backup and more editing features.
- Gallery is a simpler option for organising images.
- You can use both apps on the same phone.
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Google offers two different photo apps on its phones. Gallery is the basic option for viewing and organising pictures stored on your device, whilst Google Photos is a more advanced app that keeps copies of your images in the cloud – Google's online storage service.
Google Photos automatically backs up your pictures online, which means you can free up space on your phone by deleting the local copies. It also includes more powerful editing tools than Gallery. Storage is free up to a limit – older personal Google accounts have 15GB of free storage, whilst accounts created from 9 March 2026 get 5GB initially, with 10GB more available after phone verification. Additional storage can be purchased through Google One plans starting at $2 per month.
Gallery provides the basics for viewing and editing photos with simple crop, rotate and filter options, and lets you save images to external drives if you prefer not to use cloud storage. Users can install both apps and use whichever suits their needs at any given time. Be aware that deleting backed-up photos from either app will remove them from the cloud and other connected devices after a 30-day period.