Google Drive
Mattermost
| Feature | Google Drive | Mattermost |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free / from $1.99/mo | Free / from $10/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4.5 / 5 | 4.2 / 5 |
| Best For | individuals, students, teams, google-workspace-users | devops-teams, security-conscious-orgs, government, enterprise |
| Founded | 2012 | 2015 |
| File Storage | ✓ | ✗ |
| File Sharing | ✓ | ✗ |
| Real Time Collaboration | ✓ | ✗ |
| Search | ✓ | ✗ |
| Version History | ✓ | ✗ |
| Third Party Apps | ✓ | ✗ |
| Messaging | ✗ | ✓ |
| Channels | ✗ | ✓ |
| Playbooks | ✗ | ✓ |
| Integrations | ✗ | ✓ |
| Self Hosting | ✗ | ✓ |
| Compliance | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ Google Drive Pros
- 15GB free
- Google ecosystem
- Real-time collaboration
- Powerful search
✗ Google Drive Cons
- Privacy concerns
- Limited offline
- Storage fills quickly with Gmail
✓ Mattermost Pros
- Self-hostable
- Open source
- DevOps integrations
- Secure
✗ Mattermost Cons
- Smaller ecosystem
- Fewer integrations than Slack
- Self-hosting complexity
The Verdict
Google Drive is built for individuals and students, with a focus on file-storage and file-sharing. Mattermost targets devops teams and security conscious orgs and leads with messaging and channels.
On pricing, Google Drive is the clear winner for budget-conscious users — starting at $1.99/mo compared to $10/mo for Mattermost. That $8.01/mo difference adds up quickly for growing teams.
Both offer free plans, so you can test each with your real workflow before committing to a subscription.
Bottom line: Google Drive has a slight overall edge — but if self-hostable matters most to you, Mattermost may still be the right call.