Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Drive File Stream by Google VS drive-cli

Compare Drive File Stream by Google VS drive-cli and see what are their differences

Drive File Stream by Google logo Drive File Stream by Google

Deploy Drive File Stream to your organization for a quick and easy way to access your Drive files from your computer. This article is for administrators. To learn how to use Drive File Stream, see th

drive-cli logo drive-cli

Google Drive client for the commandline
  • Drive File Stream by Google Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-03-11
  • drive-cli Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-01

Drive File Stream by Google features and specs

  • Efficient Storage Management
    Drive File Stream allows users to access files directly from the cloud, which helps save local storage space since files are not permanently stored on the device.
  • Real-Time File Access
    Users benefit from real-time access to their Drive files without the need to download them first. This enhances productivity as users can work on the latest versions of files.
  • Selective Sync
    Drive File Stream allows users to selectively sync folders or individual files, providing more control over which files are available offline.
  • Security and Compliance
    As part of Google Workspace, Drive File Stream leverages Google's security infrastructure, ensuring that data is secure and compliant with industry standards.
  • Seamless Integration
    The application integrates seamlessly with other Google Workspace apps, allowing for efficient workflow management and collaboration.

Possible disadvantages of Drive File Stream by Google

  • Internet Dependency
    Since files are accessed directly from the cloud, a stable internet connection is required for accessing and editing non-synced files.
  • Potential Learning Curve
    Users new to Google Workspace or cloud storage solutions may experience a learning curve when transitioning to using Drive File Stream effectively.
  • Limited Offline Access
    Only files that have been specifically marked for offline use are available without an internet connection, which can be a limitation for users needing offline access to all files.
  • Performance Issues
    In some cases, users may experience performance slowdowns if the application is accessing large files over a slow network connection.
  • Compatibility Restrictions
    Drive File Stream may not be fully compatible with certain older software systems, limiting its use in varied IT environments.

drive-cli features and specs

  • Open Source
    Drive-cli is open source, allowing developers to inspect, modify, and contribute to the codebase.
  • Lightweight
    Drive-cli is a lightweight tool with no unnecessary features, making it efficient for users who need a simple command-line interface for Google Drive operations.
  • Platform Independence
    As a command-line tool, drive-cli can be used on any platform, including Linux, macOS, and Windows, as long as Go is supported.
  • Version Control-like Features
    Drive-cli provides git-like operations, including pulling, pushing, and diff, to manage files in Google Drive efficiently.
  • Customizable and Flexible
    Users can customize their workflow with various flags and options, providing flexibility to automate tasks or integrate with scripts.

Possible disadvantages of drive-cli

  • Requires Technical Knowledge
    Non-technical users may find it challenging to use, as it requires familiarity with the command line and configuration of Google APIs.
  • Limited Official Support
    Being an open-source project, there might be limited official support and documentation, which can be an issue for users needing help.
  • Basic User Interface
    As a CLI tool, it lacks a graphical user interface, which can be a downside for users who prefer GUI-based interactions.
  • Ongoing Maintenance
    Depending on the activity of contributors and maintainers, there may be delays in updates and bug fixes.
  • Dependency on Google Drive API
    Functionality is dependent on Google Drive API, which may change, potentially causing disruptions or requiring updates to the tool.

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Drive File Stream by Google and drive-cli)
Cloud Storage
60 60%
40% 40
File Sharing
100 100%
0% 0
Web Service Automation
0 0%
100% 100
Backup & Sync
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, drive-cli should be more popular than Drive File Stream by Google. It has been mentiond 6 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Drive File Stream by Google mentions (3)

  • Uber Investigating Breach of Its Computer Systems
    >scan their intranet and find a network share Assuming screenshot is real[0], they have over 1PB in their Google Drive, so chances are everyone just uses Google Drive with shared drives, and employees use Drive for Desktop (previously drive file stream)[1]. Shared drives are pretty powerful and access to them can be gated at the same level as you can regular Drive files. My theory is that some high-level IT person... - Source: Hacker News / about 3 years ago
  • Windows Search showing wrong icons.
    I'm referring to Google Drive for desktop/Windows, aka Google Drive File Stream, that's installed by users or corps (https://support.google.com/a/answer/7491144.) To be specific, the rather well-known workaround for a frankly worse search icon issue that seems to be caused by how Google chose to make the icon overlays (https://github.com/phuze/windows-10-missing-search-icons) has exactly this effect, because it... Source: over 4 years ago
  • How to deploy GDrive?
    Yes. https://support.google.com/a/answer/7491144#zippy=. Source: over 4 years ago

drive-cli mentions (6)

  • 10 years since Google said to โ€œhang tightโ€ about Linux support for Google Drive
    I just want to collect the major options for Google Drive on Linux in a single comment, since a few options are scattered around: Insync works well, and it's 50% off for a couple more days: https://www.insynchq.com/ Not affiliated, but $15 is not a lot to pay, as opposed to waiting for something that probably won't happen. Rclone has support for Google Drive, and it's open source: https://rclone.org/ There's a... - Source: Hacker News / over 3 years ago
  • Has anyone used rclone to get their Google Photos?
    Run this command to download (into your home directory): $ mkdir -p ~/.local/bin $ cd ~/.local/bin $ wget -c "https://github.com/odeke-em/drive/releases/download/v0.4.0/drive_linux" -O "drive-google" $ chmod a+x ./drive-google. Source: over 3 years ago
  • Has anyone used rclone to get their Google Photos?
    I personally use this project https://github.com/odeke-em/drive for syncing to/from google-drive. Source: over 3 years ago
  • Any Google Drive sync that works for accessing another computer's local files?
    I think the dolphin file manager has Google drive access built in. But it requires the kio-gdrive package to be installed. If I am not mistaken it also does not do a sync to the local file system, it just allows for more convenient access. But this might be more like something, you are looking for: https://github.com/odeke-em/drive but I haven't tried this one out myself. Source: over 3 years ago
  • I tried to move entirely to Linux supporting programs before I migrate from Windows. Here's how it went
    If you want a free google drive client for Linux this project should work ( I used it to sync my google drive files while in school) https://github.com/odeke-em/drive. Source: almost 4 years ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Drive File Stream by Google and drive-cli, you can also consider the following products

Internxt - Store your files in total privacy

Insync - Meet the Insync team that made it possible for users to do more with Google Drive storage on your devices.

Samsung Cloud - Samsung Cloud is a cloud file management application made by Samsung that lets you manage your files and folders across devices.

Rclone - rsync for cloud storage.

VerHost - VerHost is a file sharing platform which has no sign up. Unlimited Uploads and Unlimited Downloads.

overGrive - Complete Google Drive desktop client for Linux