GoKawiilJoe Maring / Android Authority
Google One used to be a suite of subscription services primarily centered around cloud storage. When that dreaded “Account storage is full” notification popped up on my devices, I had to decide whether I wanted to spend my day clearing out my Gmail and Drive or pay up for Google One Basic or Premium. Google added additional perks to One subscriptions over time, such as Google Store rewards and VPN access.
Storage remained the centerpiece until one year ago, when Google launched its AI Pro and AI Ultra subscriptions.
The new tiers put greater emphasis on exclusive AI perks, leaving me skeptical. I couldn’t justify paying for the old Google One Premium plan, so why would I pay double for the Google AI Pro subscription with its unconvincing AI features? For a while, Google didn’t give me a reason to. That all changed with a big addition last October, and it was the start of a new trend. Google AI Pro is now one of the best deals in subscriptions you’ll find anywhere on the internet, but for some reason, that leaves me more scared than excited.
What is your favorite Google AI Pro perk? 9 votes 5TB cloud storage 33 % Exclusive Google AI features 33 % Google Home Premium Standard 0 % Google Health Premium 11 % YouTube Premium Lite 0 % Something else (comments) 22 %
YouTube Premium Lite is the latest enticing upgrade
Joe Maring / Android Authority
Google One was an imperfect subscription service for most of its life because, contrary to its name, it wasn’t the “one” Google software product to rule them all. Extra cloud storage was basically the sole reason to subscribe to Google One. Google users who needed other benefits had to subscribe individually to Nest Aware, YouTube Premium, or Fitbit Premium, and that’s without mentioning other subscriptions like Google Play Pass or YouTube TV. The disjointed subscription offerings were partly a testament to Google’s diverse range of services — how could it fit everything into a single plan without charging users a fortune?
Google began answering that question in October 2025, when it added Google Home Premium Standard to the AI Pro plan without raising the price. For those out of the loop, Home Premium is the successor to Nest Aware, which is vital for extended video history and other smart home features. Home Premium Standard costs $9.99 monthly on its own, but it’s bundled with AI Pro for only $19.99 total.
Joe Maring / Android Authority
... continue reading