In this article, we took a deep dive into the best Dropbox alternatives to help you find a provider that will prioritize your privacy while meeting your file-sharing and storage needs.
Sync: Best for security and privacy features Google Drive: End-to-end file encryption and an excellent tool for team collaboration pCloud: Offers lifetime plans and doesn’t store your encryption keys Internxt: Zero-knowledge cloud storage service provider that will keep your data safe NordLocker: User-friendly cloud storage service with end-to-end encryption for your files
Why should you choose another cloud storage provider? The answer is simple. Dropbox has several shortcomings:
It can access your data. It provides only 2GB of storage to users with a free account. Organizing files or folders can be a complex process. Many tools are used, which creates clutter in the platform. It offers overpriced subscription plans.
So, if you’re looking for the best Dropbox alternatives, we’ve done the hard work for you. We’ve researched and tested dozens of cloud storage solutions. In this article, we’ll show 20 cloud storage services that you can use instead of Dropbox.
Dropbox Alternatives
Dropbox is one of the most popular tools for file sharing, but there are privacy issues with the service provider that have come to light in the past. The amount of storage offered to free accounts is also a problematic feature. So, we recommend opting for one of the Dropbox alternatives in the table below. *This is a yearly price plan. ** This service provider only offers team plans starting at 100 users. Next, we’ll discuss these best Dropbox alternatives in more detail.
1. Sync – Great security and privacy features
When it comes to security and privacy, Sync is a far better choice than Dropbox. Sync offers zero-knowledge encryption, which means that you’re the only one who has access to your encryption keys. Its end-to-end encryption feature ensures unauthorized persons can’t read or tamper with your data. These features make Sync a smart choice if you often send and receive sensitive files. Furthermore, Sync offers unlimited storage, which is ideal if you need to store, transfer and receive lots of files. Even without subscribing to a paid plan, Sync gives you 5GB of free storage. Many other cloud services offer much bigger free storage, but this is more than double what Dropbox offers. Sync’s main downside is that it doesn’t have many third-party integrations.
2. Google Drive – Popular team collaboration tool
Google Drive is considered one of the best Dropbox alternatives for many reasons. First, it’s an excellent choice for team collaboration, thanks to its seamless integration with in-house Google and third-party applications. Google Drive is a no-brainer if you already use Google’s products, including Gmail, Docs, Sheets, Sites, Calendar, and Keep. Furthermore, Google Drive offers a rather generous 15GB of monthly storage. Note that this storage is shared across all of Google’s apps, so you might burn through it quickly. If you need more space, you can purchase a Google One subscription of up to 2TB of storage. However, there are also privacy concerns with Google Drive. Google stores a truckload of information about users, and it has suffered security breaches in the past.
3. MEGA – Useful file versioning process
With 20GB of free storage, MEGA is one of the best free Dropbox alternatives. This is about ten times what Dropbox offers. You can increase your storage by completing certain actions, including installing MEGA’s apps, inviting friends, and verifying your mobile number. This offer makes MEGA a handy choice for free users. However, that’s not the only ace up MEGA’s sleeves. It stores up to 100 versions of all files for an unlimited amount of time, which is a rare practice among cloud storage solutions. Comparatively, Dropbox keeps files for only 30 days on the Basic, Plus, and Family plans and 365 days for Advanced and Enterprise customers. Add that to the fact that MEGA offers end-to-end encryption, and you have a solid cloud storage service on your hands.
4. iDrive – Backup multiple devices through a single account
If you’re looking for a cloud storage service with many backup features, iDrive is your best bet. With a single account, you can back up multiple PCs, Android devices, Macs, iPhones, and iPads. You can also back up your data offsite by putting it on a hard drive. If your system is compromised, iDrive will send you physical storage containing your data in less than a week. Moreover, iDrive allows you to run sector-level and file-level backups. That way, you can restore your entire device in the event of a disaster. It is ideal for businesses that run databases and servers like MS SQL Server, SharePoint Server, Oracle Server, Microsoft 365, Linux Servers, and VMware. All these are features that Dropbox lacks.
5. pCloud – Lifetime access with a one-off payment
There’s a lot to love about pCloud. It offers lifetime plans, meaning you can make a one-off payment and get access to the service forever. This is a good move if you’re convinced about pCloud’s services and want to save money. If you don’t want to spend money at all, pCloud offers 10GB of storage for free. Furthermore, pCloud rivals Dropbox in terms of collaboration features. Both allow you to share links and invite users to shared folders. However, pCloud takes it a step further, providing detailed links for stats and allowing you to brand your shared links. pCloud is also a great choice if you’re interested in playing media since it has a built-in media and audio player.
6. Backblaze – User-friendly platform that offers unlimited storage
Backblaze is a no-frills cloud storage service that focuses on helping users back up their Mac or PC. Its easy-to-use interface makes it an ideal choice for individuals who want to back up a single computer. Regarding security, Backblaze doesn’t have end-to-end encryption, but it offers personal encryption keys to ward off unauthorized access. For businesses, Backblaze offers several backup options, including server and workstation backups. Its integration with top software backup tools like MSP360 and Veeam makes it a handy backup choice. Its free version offers 10GB of storage space, which is useful for a start. You can upgrade to get unlimited storage.
7. Microsoft OneDrive – Excellent storage tool for Microsoft users
If you’re using Microsoft products, chances are high that OneDrive will work better for you than Dropbox. Because OneDrive is a Microsoft product, it integrates seamlessly with Windows and Microsoft apps. For example, if you’re using Microsft Office 365, you can collaborate with other team members in real-time, and your changes will be automatically saved to OneDrive. Microsoft OneDrive is also a great choice for storing sensitive files and documents, thanks to the Personal Vault. You can keep all kinds of files, including receipts, IDs, business cards, and notes, and not worry about them being lost or compromised. That’s because the Personal Vault has helpful security features, including virus and ransomware detection and identity verification. OneDrive is considered one of the best Dropbox alternatives.
8. Internxt – Cloud storage for your files and photos
Internxt is a free Dropbox alternative for storing files and photos. It packs a suite of security and privacy features, including end-to-end encryption and zero-knowledge technology. Both ensure that no third parties can access your data. Internxt has three key services: Drive, Photos, and Send. Internxt Drive enables you to back up, sync, and share your files securely. You can access store files from any device, as long as you have an internet connection. Photos allows you to create and sync your photo library. You can generate links for your photos and control how often users access or download them. Finally, Send enables all your files to be sent in secrecy. You can read more about this cloud service in our Internxt review.
9. Box – Useful tool for team collaboration and workflow automation
Box is the standout choice for business collaboration. You can create, store, edit, review files and assign tasks using Box. It integrates with over 1,500 apps, which includes popular business tools like Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Slack, Workspace by Facebook, and Salesforce. For those reasons, we recommend Box for businesses that work remotely. In addition, Box is great for workflow automation. It has triggers and templates for many business processes, from onboarding employees and tracking work progress to reviewing and signing contracts. All these features considered, it’s no surprise that Box powers over 100,000 organizations and 67% of the Fortune 500 companies.
10. Icedrive – Cloud storage provider with TwoFish encryption
Although Icedrive is relatively new to the cloud storage scene, it’s already making quite an impression. First of all, it’s the only cloud storage service that offers TwoFish encryption, which rivals the more common AES encryption. It also offers zero-knowledge and client-side encryption, which ensure that neither Icedrive nor nosy characters have access to your data. Icedrive also stands out for its modern, sleek, and intuitive apps. This makes it a good choice for people who are new to cloud services and may be overwhelmed by complicated interfaces. When you create an Icedrive account, the service gives you 10 GB of free storage. If you’re sure about Icedrive, you can purchase a lifetime plan and never have to pay again.
11. Apple iCloud – Great Mac and iPhone user storage tool
Apple usually designs apps for its ecosystem, and Apple iCloud is no different. If you own an iPhone, iPad, or Mac, Apple iCloud is your default storage. You’ll get 5GB of storage for free, but you can upgrade to iCloud+ and get up to 2TB of storage. You can share this storage space with your family. iCloud is a good choice if you want to keep your photos and videos secure. It automatically backs up your iOS and iPadOS over Wi-Fi. That way, if you lose your phone, all you’ll have to do is to sign into your iCloud account, and you won’t miss a beat. The main challenge with iCloud is that you can’t view shared files without an Apple ID.
12. Nextcloud – Self-hosted collaboration platform
In strict terms, Nextcloud is not an online cloud storage provider like Dropbox. Instead, it enables companies to host their own cloud on their premises. This removes the potential of online fraudsters and hackers compromising your data. It also gives users full control over their systems. That’s why we recommend Nextcloud for companies that want to ensure complete privacy and control of their data and systems. Nextcloud has four key products: Files, Talk, Groupware and Office. Files enables you to create, share and collaborate on files, while Talk helps you chat, make calls, and have web meetings. Groupware is designed to manage your calendar, mail, and contacts to ensure productivity. There’s also Office, which supports all the major document, spreadsheet, and presentation file formats.
13. NordLocker – A cloud storage provider with user-friendly, secure features
NordLocker was developed by Nord Security, the same company behind NordPass and NordVPN. NordVPN is one of the best VPN services, and it’s no surprise that NordLocker is also a secure Dropbox alternative. The service uses end-to-end encryption for all your files. You can also sync your files across all devices, including Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android. Take note that it might be slow at times. The free plan gives only 3GB of storage space, just a little more than Dropbox offers. All-in-all, NordLocker is a decent Dropbox alternative if you need a cloud storage service with encryption.
14. Tresorit – One of the best storage solutions for businesses
Tresorit is another cloud storage service that’s a great choice for businesses. The business plans have up to 2TB of storage. If you need more, reach out to Tresorit for custom storage. Security-wise, Tresorit offers zero-knowledge encryption, which gives you control over your data. It also has advanced link-sharing controls, including branding links, setting passwords, expiry dates, and download limits. Tresorit is also a good bet for Linux users. That’s because it’s one of the only few cloud storage services that offer a Linux application. Tresorit’s downside is that it doesn’t integrate with many apps as Dropbox, but it’s certainly a better choice when it comes to security and using Linux.
15. SpiderOak One – A backup solution that restores previous file versions
SpiderOak One is a secure alternative to Dropbox. It functions more as a backup solution, enabling you to store your files and documents with end-to-end encryption and zero-knowledge encryption. In addition, SpiderOak One allows you to restore past versions of all files at any time. Comparatively, Dropbox limits it to a maximum of 365 days. Another feature worth mentioning is its Share Rooms. If you want to share a sensitive file, you can create a Share Room and share it with anyone. When you’re done, you can close the Share Room and revoke access. This is a better alternative to sharing files over email. It has a 21-day free trial if you want to test it yourself.
16. MediaFire – A service that offers one-time sharing links
MediaFire is a handy alternative for storing photos and audio. Users get 10GB of free storage, and you can upgrade to get up to 1TB of storage space. MediaFire has one-time links, which ensures that only one computer downloads your files. This gives you control over your downloads and prevents others from sharing or accessing your files. MediaFire is great if you need to organize files from websites. You can upload directly from a website into your MediaFire storage. You can also bulk download files in a ZIP file. However, MediaFire falls short in many respects. The free version is riddled with ads. It’s not transparent about its encryption and doesn’t have an integrated media player. Its customer support is also not responsive.
17. Cloudup – Great media-streaming tool
Cloudup was set up to make sharing anything easier. Imagine you’re having a birthday party, and some of your family members are abroad. You can use Cloudup to stream the party and share it with as many family members as possible. With Cloudup, you’ll be able to share all kinds of files, videos, music, pictures, texts, and code. You can stream using a password-protected one-click link and share your streams on social media like Facebook and Twitter. Cloudup is also a generous service, offering a mouth-watering 200GB of storage for free. The biggest challenge with Cloudup is that it doesn’t allow public signups. If you’re interested in the service, you’ll have to submit your email and wait for the company to contact you.
18. Jumpshare – Best storage provider for content creators
Jumpshare is one of the best cloud storage providers for content creators. It has a video recording feature, which allows you to record any part of your screen as a video or GIF. You can record zoom meetings, tutorials, lectures, games, and live streams with this feature. Each recording is stored instantly in your Jumpshare cloud account, and you can share it using a link. Jumpshare can save files in over 200 formats, so it’s great for creators who require specific formats. In addition, Jumpshare allows you to take screenshots and annotate them using its intuitive photo editor. Its file-sharing feature is instant and comes with several analytics that helps you keep track of how people are reacting to your files. All Jumpshare links work on all the major apps and services.
19. Redbooth – Project management made easy
Although Dropbox excels at third-party integrations and collaboration, Redbooth is a much more effective alternative for managing projects. It’s designed to help teams collaborate and communicate on common tasks they are working on. It has Kanban boards that make assigning and tracking the progress of tasks a breeze. There’s also an intuitive dashboard that gives admins an overview of what’s going on with each project. You can run HD video meetings right from Redbooth. You can also get detailed productivity reports on all tasks to help you know if the project is progressing well or if you need to make changes. Unfortunately, Redbooth’s free plan only offers 2 GB of storage, although you can upgrade to get 500 GB.
Why You Should Explore Dropbox Alternatives
Dropbox is not the best choice for privacy-conscious users. For example, in 2016, the service suffered a data breach that exposed the login details of over 68 million users. Even though Dropbox does offer end-to-end encryption, the service provider retains the encryption key for your files. So, an employee at Dropbox can gain access to the information that is stored, or your data may be given to the government for surveillance purposes if required. The cloud storage provider also had a very basic search function that was later improved. However, this enhanced version of the search function is only available for users that are paying for the service. Moreover, the collaboration tool called Dropbox Paper can also be challenging to navigate. Therefore, since Dropbox may not be the ultimate cloud storage provider, it makes sense to look for services that offer a greater number of features and have solid privacy and security measures.
Final Thoughts: How to Choose the Best Dropbox Alternative
In this article, we have included many of the best Dropbox alternatives for different business needs and software requirements. Dropbox can be a great tool for file storage, but there are many other storage and backup providers in the market that can offer a wider range of services and products to suit your individual needs. However, with so many choices out there, it can be challenging to pick the best cloud storage provider. So, how can you choose one of the best Dropbox alternatives? The first thing to keep in mind is the privacy and security of the information you want to store. So ensure you choose a service provider that offers end-to-end encryption. Moreover, if you will require a lot of storage space, do a thorough check of the subscription packages of individual providers and see how much cloud storage they offer. Finally, if you are using the service for your company it may be worth checking whether a service provider offers collaboration features that will suit your specific needs. Regardless of the cloud storage service you choose, here are some useful guides to help you learn how to back up your devices:
Step into the Time Machine and Back up Your Mac How to Back Up Your Android Data: A Detailed Guide How to Back Up iPhone: The Complete Guide The WhatsApp Backup Plan You Need to Keep Your Chat History Safe Protect Your Valuable iPad Data With a Backup Plan
