OurVid vs Google Drive

Your film deserves a premiere, not a folder.

Drive can technically hold a wedding film. It can also greet your grandmother with a sign-in wall, a preview that stutters at 480p, and a big Download button. Technically possible isn't the experience.

Free to start · No app needed · You approve every single viewer

To be fair to Google Drive

As a personal backup for your own files, Drive is excellent — keep your master copy there. It's built for storing and collaborating on documents, and it does that well.

Where it breaks down for sharing moments

Video playback is an afterthought: previews are capped and stutter on big files, older relatives hit Google account walls and permission-request purgatory, "anyone with the link" undoes your privacy in one forward, and the Download button hands out full copies by design. Nobody feels like a VIP opening a folder.

Side by side.

OurVidGoogle Drive
The guest experienceA cinematic private page — tap, watchA folder, a sign-in wall, a preview
Playback qualityAdaptive streaming on any screenCapped, stuttery previews on big files
DownloadsDisabled — stream-onlyA prominent Download button
Access controlYou approve each viewer by nameLink-sharing or per-email Google setup
Works for non-technical familyNo app, no account setupGoogle account often required
Backing up your own filesKeep your master copy elsewhereExcellent

Questions? Fair enough.

Why does my video play badly in Google Drive?

Drive generates a capped preview rather than true adaptive streaming, so large high-quality films buffer and stutter — and the fallback it offers is downloading the whole file. OurVid encodes your upload for adaptive streaming, so it plays smoothly at the best quality each device can handle.

Can't I just restrict the Drive file to specific emails?

You can, but every viewer then needs a Google account on the exact email you invited, and you'll field "requesting access" emails for weeks. OurVid guests just tap your link and request access with their name — you approve them once and they're in, no Google account needed.

Should I delete the film from Drive then?

No — keep it there as your personal backup. Drive is great storage. OurVid is the sharing layer on top: upload the same file once and give family a private, stream-only place to actually watch it.

Out of the folder, onto the screen.

Upload once and give everyone you approve a private cinema — no sign-in walls, no download buttons.

Start free — it's private
  • Free to start
  • Stream-only playback
  • You approve every guest
  • No app required