Google Drive alternative
A Google Drive Alternative for Creative Work
Drive stores your files. Clusters shows them — every reference on one canvas your team builds on together, organised the way your folders were.
Soleil Clusters is a Google Drive alternative for a creative team’s working files: drop a folder and it becomes nested boards, every file kept under its own name and laid out where the whole team can see it, comment and decide. Keep Drive for backup, sync and offline copies; use Clusters for the work.
Drive stores files. Clusters shows them.
A Drive folder of references is a list of names until you open them one at a time. In Clusters the same folder is a canvas: every image on screen at once, in rows you can rearrange, beside the notes, the script pages and the decisions about it. Nothing is lost on the way in — each file keeps the name it had, and list view still sorts and filters a cluster like a folder when that is what you want.
- Drop a folder and its folders become nested clusters
- Every file keeps its name — in list view, in search, in downloads
- List view browses a cluster like a folder: sort, filter, download
Where a team actually works
Drive shares files; it does not give a team a place to work on them together. In Clusters the board is shared and live: cursors, comments pinned to the card they are about, a vote card beside each option, and a doc with the brief or the screenplay right next to the images. A link opens it read-only in any browser, and everyone you invite edits free.
- Live cursors, and comments pinned to the card in question
- Docs and a screenplay mode beside the imagery
- One link to show it; editors are free
What to keep Drive for
Backup, sync and offline. Drive keeps a copy on your computer, works without a connection, keeps earlier versions of a file, finds words inside some scanned images and PDFs, and shares a single file with its own link. Clusters does none of those, and is not trying to. Keep the archive in Drive and work from Clusters: drop the folder this project needs, and leave the rest where it is.
How to bring a Drive folder into Clusters
- Download the folder from Drive — Right-click it in Drive and choose Download. Drive hands you a zip — several for a big folder — so unzip them into one folder.
- Drop it on a canvas — It becomes a cluster named after the folder, with a nested cluster for each folder inside, and every file a card under its own name.
- Lay it out and decide — Arrange the references, write the brief beside them, and pin comments to the frames that need them.
- Share one link — Everyone you invite edits free, and one link shows the board to anyone, with no account needed to view it.
Clusters vs Google Drive
How the two compare for a creative team’s working files. Drive features as of October 2026:
| Feature | Clusters | Google Drive |
|---|---|---|
| A folder of images, all on screen | Yes — a canvas, laid out | A thumbnail grid |
| Folders keep their structure | Yes — as nested clusters | Yes — as folders |
| File names kept | Yes | Yes |
| Notes, docs and comments beside the files | Yes, on the same canvas | Comments on a file; Docs separately |
| A live board a team works on together | Yes | No |
| Sync to your computer, and offline | No | Yes |
| Earlier versions of a file | No | Yes |
| Share one file by its own link | No — a whole cluster | Yes |
| Search words inside images and PDFs | No — file names and card text | Yes, for some files |
What it costs
Start free. Pay when you outgrow it.
Free — $0 forever
- 50 cards to build with
- No separate limit on clusters — each one counts as one of your cards
- Free collaboration — invite editors to any cluster
Creator — $25/mo, or $20/mo billed annually
- Unlimited cards
- Any file type
- No size limits, on a 100GB drive
One Creator plan covers the whole workspace — everyone you invite builds at your limits, and there are no per-seat charges.
Made with Clusters
Real boards published from the canvas — open one and explore it live.
Frequently asked questions
Is Soleil Clusters a Google Drive alternative?
For a creative team’s working files, yes: drop a folder and it becomes nested boards where every file is on screen, kept under its own name, and worked on together. For backup, sync to your computer and offline copies, keep Drive — Clusters does not do those.
Can I bring a whole folder over from Google Drive?
Yes. Download it from Drive, which gives you a zip, unzip it, and drop the folder onto a Clusters canvas. It becomes a cluster with a nested cluster for each folder inside, and every file a card under its own name. A very large folder can go in over a few drops.
Does Clusters sync with Google Drive?
No. Nothing syncs in either direction: Clusters keeps its own copy of what you drop in, and Drive keeps its own. That is why the honest split is Drive for the archive and Clusters for the project you are working on.
Can I find a file by its name in Clusters?
Yes. Search finds photos and videos by the name their file had, along with cluster names, card text and tags, and list view sorts and filters a cluster like a folder.
Is there a Clusters app for my phone?
Clusters runs in the mobile browser and can be added to the home screen as a web app. There is no App Store or Play Store listing yet, and a phone cannot drop a whole folder.