Gallery is a pared-down option if you don’t need Photos’ cloud backup and editing features. Did you know that Google has another, simpler app for images called Gallery? It's a stripped-down alternative you can use if you don't really care for most of Google Photos' features and just want something that will let you organize your images.
One of the most important differences is that Photos can automatically back up your images to the cloud, whereas Gallery can't. Old personal Google accounts come with 15GB of free storage, but new accounts created on or after March 9, 2026 only come with 5GB by default. To expand your storage space, you will have to pay for a Google One subscription.
Since Gallery is a simpler app, it has minimal editing tools like Rotate, Crop and filters. Meanwhile, Google Photos has access to a wider range of editing tools, including AI enhancements. You can adjust brightness, contrast, tone, highlights, shadows, add blurring effects, and more.
You can share images to social media or send them via email or messaging apps through both apps. If you regularly edit your images, Photos may be the better app for you. Gallery is good enough if you just want to crop your photos sometimes.
Source: Engadget · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing