Archevi vs. Google Drive: Why Families Need More Than Storage

Google Drive is awesome - you probably use it. It’s great for storing files, sharing photos, and collaborating on documents (Sheets, Docs, Slides etc). But when it comes to managing a family’s important documents, storage alone isn’t enough.

Here’s what’s missing from Google Drive - and how Archevi fills the gaps.

The Core Problem: Files vs. Knowledge

Google Drive thinks in files. You upload a PDF, give it a name, maybe put it in a folder. To find it later, you search by file name or browse folders.

**Archevi thinks in knowledge.** You upload a PDF, and Archevi understands what’s inside it. To find information later, you just ask.

Example:

Google Drive:

• Search: "insurance"
• Results: 47 files with "insurance" in the name
• Now what? Open each one to find your deductible?

Archevi:

• Ask: "What’s our home insurance deductible?"
• Answer: "$500 for dwelling coverage, $250 for personal property" (with source citation)

What Archevi Does That Google Drive Doesn’t

1. Semantic Search with AI

Google Drive: Keyword matching only. Searches file names and (sometimes) content for exact words.

Archevi: Understands meaning. Ask "Who is our dentist?" and it finds "Dr. Sarah Chen, DDS" even if the word "dentist" never appears.

Why it matters: You don’t have to remember exact phrases or file names.

2. Automatic Expiry Tracking

Google Drive: No concept of expiration dates. You have to manually set reminders.

Archevi: Automatically detects expiry dates in documents (policies, IDs, contracts) and shows dashboard alerts.

Why it matters: Never miss a renewal deadline again.

3. Family Privacy Controls

Google Drive: Share a file or don’t. No middle ground.

Archevi: Granular visibility levels (Everyone, Adults Only, Admins Only, Private) and member types (Admin, Adult, Teen, Child).

Why it matters: Your teen can see their own school records without accessing financial statements.

4. Person Assignment

Google Drive: No way to tag documents to specific family members.

Archevi: Assign documents to specific people (Mom’s medical records, Dad’s work documents, Sarah’s school forms).

Why it matters: Filter the knowledge base by person. Ask "What medications is Mom taking?" and get only her records.

5. Voice Notes with Transcription

Google Drive: Can store audio files, but can’t search them.

Archevi: Record voice notes, transcribe them automatically (80+ languages), and search the transcriptions.

Why it matters: Capture thoughts on the go and search them later.

6. AI-Powered Source Citations

Google Drive: If you find something, you found it. No context.

Archevi: Every answer includes source citations with similarity scores - so you know where the information came from and how confident the AI is.

Why it matters: Trust but verify. Always see the original source.

7. Duplicate Detection

Google Drive: Upload the same file 5 times? Now you have 5 copies.

Archevi: Warns you if you’re uploading a duplicate document.

Why it matters: Keep your knowledge base clean and organized.

8. Query Templates and Suggestions

Google Drive: You’re on your own. Figure out how to search.

Archevi: Pre-built query templates (Insurance, Medical, Financial, Legal) and search suggestions based on your documents.

Why it matters: Get started faster with suggested queries.

The Privacy Gap: What Happens to Your Data

This is where the difference becomes critical for families storing sensitive documents.

Google Drive + Gemini: When you use Google's AI features, your documents are processed by Google's models. Google's terms allow data use for service improvement by default. Opting out requires navigating privacy settings, and it applies going forward -- not retroactively. Your real names, addresses, and financial details are visible to the AI.

Archevi: Your documents are stored on Canadian infrastructure and never sent to AI providers. When you ask a question, personal information is automatically replaced with realistic surrogates (boundary anonymization) before reaching any cloud AI. The AI literally never sees your real name, email, or location -- only fake substitutes.

For families storing tax returns, insurance policies, legal papers, and medical records, this privacy gap is significant. Learn more about our security architecture.

Cost Comparison

Google Drive is cheaper if all you need is storage. But if you want AI-powered search, expiry tracking, and family privacy controls, you need Google Workspace + Gemini - which is 4x more expensive than Archevi.

When Google Drive Is Enough

Google Drive is great for:

• Sharing photos with family
• Collaborating on documents (Google Docs, Sheets)
• Storing large files (videos, backups)
• Simple file storage with no advanced search

When You Need Archevi

Archevi is built for:

• Important family documents (insurance, medical, legal, financial)
• Asking questions about document content
• Tracking expiry dates and renewals
• Privacy controls for different family members
• Voice notes and audio transcription
• Semantic search ("What did the doctor recommend?")

Can You Use Both?

Absolutely. Many families use:

• Google Drive for photos, videos, and collaborative documents
• Archevi for important documents that need AI search and tracking

Try Archevi Free for 14 Days

See the difference for yourself. Upload a few important documents and ask questions. No credit card required.

Visit archevi.com to sign up.