Dropbox alternatives – the best 13 competitors
Cloud storage is currently at the very pinnacle of modern computing technology, and the wave is joined by more and more early adopters.
The reason is that storing files in cloud makes data universally accessible, regardless of the device or location of the person looking for it. What is more, most prominent providers guarantee encrypted cloud storage to make sure no intrusion can affect sensitive information.
Applications like Dropbox certainly revolutionized how users upload and share information, mostly to the benefit of small and midmarket businesses which didn’t have the same benefits as large enterprises.
Thanks to Dropbox’s fast and most secure cloud storage, there are no longer geographic boundaries that require expensive physical infrastructure to exchange large files.
Another reason that apps like Dropbox are becoming so popular is that average consumers can easily get grasp on their functionality, but the truth is that only some of them will meet their enterprise-grade collaboration, security, and affordability needs.
To make the choice of the right system easier for you, we selected some of the best Dropbox alternatives and Dropbox like services that can meet your needs.
Brandfolder
Brandfolder is a leading digital asset management solution for enterprise marketing teams. The platform is trusted by over 5,000 companies, including many household brands such as Slack, Mastercard and Kroger.
Businesses use Brandfolder to easily upload, store, organize, access and track their creative, marketing and sales collateral. Users are able to upload an unlimited number of files, in any format, and neatly organize them by tags and collections. Once uploaded, the assets can then be quickly retrieved using the software’s in-document search, filtering and image recognition features.
Managers are able to set privacy controls, permission levels, and configure rights management protocols to help keep all the assets secure. In addition, you can use the reporting dashboards to see which files are used the most across different teams, and integrate the software with other third-party applications – Google Analytics, HubSpot, Salesforce, Adobe and hundreds of others – in order to streamline existing workflows.
Orbit
Orbit is a relatively new offering from Bynder. It is a free all-in-one solution for you to smartly manage your files in the cloud.
There are three main ways that Orbit is different from the rest:
1) It comes with up to 100GB free cloud storage
2) It’s AI powered search allows you to actually search for objects within your images.
3) It has a filter based (rather than folder based) file structure, which is an interesting way to help teams keep their files better organized.
For all these reasons, Bynder Orbit is a very competitive alternative to dropbox. For more information on how Orbit compares to dropbox, check out this post.
pCloud
One thing that we can all agree on is that compared to the time when it appeared, Dropbox has certainly become stingier with free storage giveaways. First, their Basic plan got down to 5 GB, but what customers were absolutely shocked by was the downgrade to only 2 GB.
This is why pCloud deserves customer’s attention – the system offers 20 GB of free storage (used to be 10), and is thereof fully enabled to compete with brands such as Google and Box.com
pCloud is unique. It gives you a hard drive in the cloud that doesn’t occupy storage space (unlike Dropbox). Plus, it comes with a lot of bells and whistles for secure file sharing: password protected links, end-to-end encryption – all the good stuff.
If you want to use it as a traditional file syncing tool like Dropbox you can, in fact, you’ve even more flexibility because pCloud syncs ANY folder on your computer, not just one.
Google Drive
This Google product is the most prominent and attractive product among Dropbox competitors, where you can store 15 GB of data for free (7 times as much as Dropbox would allow). Nevertheless, you should keep in mind that these 15 GB also cover your Gmail account files and Google+ pictures.
Regardless of how you’ve chosen to look at it, Google Drive is still the most viable alternative to Dropbox. Its looks and functions are similar to Dropbox, but where it really shines is the integration with Google Sheets and Google Docs.
It is a single hub where you can edit and upload files and collaborate with other users, while a possibility to work on files in group is also provided. The same as other alternatives to Dropbox we are about to mention, Google Drive supports all web browsers and devices.
As a desktop client, you get to use Google Drive on Windows and Mac systems, sync the files you already stored on your local device, and edit them in Google Docs and similar tools. If you’re an Android/iOS user, you will get a dedicated app from where you can access and edit files on the go.
Box.com
In short, Box.com helps users to save, share, and edit their files in cloud.
There are also dedicated apps for Windows, Android, and iOS users that facilitate access to system files from all possible locations.
The only reason why an average customer should skip Box.com is the relatively limited package for individual users who can store no more than 250 MB. Despite of it, Box.com relies on powerful mainstream and administrative services to score as a leading cloud storage system.
OneDrive
OneDrive is the inheritor of Sky Drive, Microsoft’s homegrown cloud storage app that allowed users to store/exchange 7 GB of files in their networks free of charge. Once you subscribe to a higher plan (Microsoft Office 365 Professional or Home), the storage rises to 20 GB.
The biggest advantage of this system is the spotless integration with Office, thanks to which users can edit their files directly in the platform. The service is available on iOS, Mac OS X, Windows, and Windows Mobile devices, meaning that managing files on the network is almost unlimited.
In a comparison of OneDrive and Dropbox, according to some users, the problem with this app is that it requires them to share files using its own inbuilt buttons, which they find to be harder than sharing them the usual way.
CloudMe
CloudMe is a unique, standalone storage service where users get to share as much as 19 GB of files at no charge.
All documents uploaded in the system are categorized in folders and groups, and you can benefit from a simple drag-and-drop mechanism to sync them to specific devices. Plus, CloudMe is available on all leading devices and major operating systems.
Amazon Cloud Drive
As expected, Amazon also developed its own service for cloud storage, and one that offers users to share 5 GB of data for free. It is fairly easy to sync local documents on the network, and access them from traditional and mobile devices.
For example, once you’ve synced your phone with the Amazon network, all your images are automatically transferred to your Cloud Drive from where you can restore them even in case you’ve deleted them from the original location. Back up is automated, which means that documents are protected regardless of what could happen to your device.
Amazon is quite generous when it comes to size limits per file, and permits users to upload and exchange files up to 2 GB. What could be considered as a drawback is that you can’t give content a public status, and distribute it on more than 8 devices.
Sugar Sync
Sugar Sync is probably one of the safest and best-encrypted Dropbox alternatives, known by its friendly and intuitive interface where you can sync files to specific devices in less than no time.
One of its most advanced features is File Versioning, used to monitor backed up files and to restore them on different devices. You can also use it to stream your media, following the advice of many users who believe Sugar to be much better than Dropbox in many functionality aspects.
The initial package offers 5 GB of costless storage, while the user gets extra 500 MB for each additional referral.
Team Drive
TeamDrive is another great cloud storage system for sharing and syncing data coming from Germany.
What makes the platform extremely popular is the bank-level network-wide encryption that makes it impossible for unauthorized people to access your files. In fact, this is why many Fortune 500 but also small companies have chosen TeamDrive for their collaboration needs.
Tresorit
Tresorit is incorporated in Switzerland, offers client-side security, but doesn’t require the use of risky extensions like Java. More than a 1000 hackers tried to break their security for $50,000. No one succeeded.
Sync
Sync.com is also quit generous with safety precautions, and speaks of it without false modesty.
Going on their website, one can read that they offer the most private, secure cloud storage on the planet, and many users who are familiar with their features or have tested those agree with this opinion.
The capabilities list is presentable, to say at least, and covers all syncing and sharing options one could expect from a solid cloud storage service. Using it, you’d also benefit from 5 GB free storage, zero-knowledge encryption, user and device control, automated backup, HIPAA compliance, and many other professional features.
SpiderOak
SpiderOak is relatively new compared to other cloud storage solutions we discussed, and appeared as a result of what critics like to call the ‘post-Snowden’ era.
What it means is that privacy and security are the top features of this system, and that all data is encrypted and accessible only with passwords. SpiderOak protects even your metadata, and guarantees none of their employees will be able to see it.
Bogdan Sandu, a seasoned designer with 15 years of diverse experience, has been designing websites since 2008.
Renowned for his expertise in logo design and visual branding, Bogdan has developed a multitude of logos for various clients.
His skills extend to creating posters, vector illustrations, business cards, and brochures. Additionally, Bogdan's UI kits were featured on marketplaces like Visual Hierarchy and UI8.
Renowned for his expertise in logo design and visual branding, Bogdan has developed a multitude of logos for various clients.
His skills extend to creating posters, vector illustrations, business cards, and brochures. Additionally, Bogdan's UI kits were featured on marketplaces like Visual Hierarchy and UI8.
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