Better Than Dropbox: Alternatives for 2026:

Key Takeaways: These Are the Best Dropbox Alternatives

1. Sync.com — Best alternative to Dropbox, with better security and privacy features. Try 5GB for free, or get its 1TB Pro Teams Standard annual plan for $6 per month.
2. pCloud — Fast cloud storage service with an advanced integrated media viewer for photos and videos. Try pCloud’s 10GB free plan or get a 2TB Premium Plus annual plan for $8.33 per month.
3. Tresorit — Privacy-focused cloud storage for businesses that require GDPR adherence. Try its 1TB annual plan for $11.99 per month, or test out the 3GB free plan.
4. Internxt — Open-source cloud storage with lifetime deals for long-term storage. Try the 1GB free plan or get 1TB of annual storage for $1.67 per month. 
5. Google Drive — Seamless collaboration controls and Google integrations. Try out the 15GB free storage plan.
6. OneDrive — Microsoft-integrated cloud storage for Windows users. Try the 5GB free plan or get a 1TB annual plan for $8.33 per month.
7. Box — Business-focused cloud storage with professional features. Get unlimited storage for $15 per user per month with a business account.
8. Icedrive — Feature-light cloud storage with strong security features. Get 10GB for free, or get a 1TB annual plan for $4.92 per month. 

Facts & Expert Analysis About Cloud Storage Services Like Dropbox:

• Strong security and privacy: Although Dropbox is generally secure, it has had data leaks and it also doesn’t offer client-side encryption, like some other services on this list. 
• Collaboration and file-sharing: One of Dropbox’s best features is its collaboration tools. The alternatives I’ve picked offer comparable real-time collaboration options or advanced sharing options.
• Productivity integrations: Being able to access work suite apps from your cloud storage can tighten your workflow. Like Dropbox, most of these alternatives have Office 365 or Google Docs compatibility. 

Best Dropbox Alternative

www.sync.com

200GB$2.65 / month

(save 40%) (All Plans)

Visit Sync.comReview

Dropbox is a popular cloud storage service. However, it has limited free space, its prices are increasing, and there are growing concerns about its security and privacy — learn more about the pros and cons in the full Dropbox review. 

I’ve put together a list of Dropbox alternatives that provide more storage space, better security and more affordable pricing. Many of these list options also rank in our best cloud storage services list, from privacy-first cloud storage providers like Sync.com, to productivity powerhouses like Google Drive. Read on to discover the best alternatives to Dropbox. 

Dropbox Pros & Cons: Why You Need a Secure Alternative

While Dropbox offers solid integration with productivity and collaboration tools, you may want to consider Dropbox alternatives for several reasons, such as Dropbox’s very limited free plan, somewhat expensive pricing and valid privacy concerns. You can find out more in our Dropbox review and our Dropbox Business review for more details.

www.dropbox.com

2TB – 5TB$9.99 / month

(save 16%) (All Plans)

Visit DropboxReview

Pros:

• Block-level sync
• Individual & business plans tailored for different users
• Simple, user-friendly user interface across various devices
• Integration with Microsoft Office 365 & Google Workspace

Cons:

• Expensive plans
• Very limited free plan
• Privacy concerns regarding user data
• End-to-end encryption on Advanced business plan only

Cloudwards’ Choice: Sync.com

Cloudwards’ Choice: Sync.com

Rebecca White is a Cloudwards expert in cloud storage services.

If I had to pick just one alternative to Dropbox, it would be Sync.com. Its commitment to privacy and its use of client-side encryption goes a long way toward giving users peace of mind with their data.

Plus, it offers affordable pricing, Microsoft 365-integration, and advanced file sharing — though its collaboration does have some limitations. You can try Sync.com at no cost with its 5GB free plan.

www.sync.com

200GB$2.65 / month

(save 40%) (All Plans)

Visit Sync.comReview

The Best Dropbox Alternatives Compared at a Glance

Service:	Free Storage	Best Annual Price	Server Locations	E2E Security	Collaboration	Advanced Sharing	Security
	5GB	$6 per month (one-year plan) for 1TB	Canada		Proprietary		AES 256-bit
	10GB	$8.33 per month (one-year plan) for 2TB	U.S. (Texas), EU (Luxembourg)	*	Proprietary		AES 256-bit at rest, TLS/SSL in transit
	3GB	$11.99 per month (one-year plan) for 1TB	Ireland (default), Switzerland, Germany, France, U.S. (East & West), U.K., Netherlands, Canada, Singapore, UAE (Dubai), Brazil		Proprietary		AES 256-bit
	1GB	$1.67 per month (one-year plan) for 1TB	EU		No		Kyber-512
	15GB	$8.33 per month (one-year plan) for 2TB	Worldwide		Google Workspace		AES 256-bit
	5GB	$8.33 per month (one-year plan) for 1TB	Worldwide		Microsoft Office		AES 256-bit
	10GB	$15 per month (one-year plan) for Unlimited GB	Worldwide		Proprietary		AES 256-bit
	10GB	$4.92 per month (one-year plan) for 1TB	U.K., Germany, U.S.		No		Twofish 256-bit

1. Sync.com— Best Secure Dropbox Alternative

Sync.com’s MASSIVE Update Changes Everything – Full 2025 Review

Try Sync.com with its 5GB free plan.

www.sync.com

200GB$2.65 / month

(save 40%) (All Plans)

Visit Sync.comReview

Pros:

• Affordable pricing
• Microsoft 365 integration
• Client-side encryption on all plans

Cons:

• Slow speeds
• Only 5GB of free storage

Sync.com is my top choice for a secure alternative to Dropbox. Unlike Dropbox, it applies client-side encryption across all of your storage — ranking top in our most secure cloud storage list. Collaboration is often difficult with encrypted cloud storage, but Sync.com offers Microsoft 365 integration while maintaining zero-knowledge encryption on all plans.

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It also supports secure file sharing and collaboration among teams, with the option to set custom link permissions, expiration dates and passwords.

Sync.com Hands-On Testing

Sync.com has easy-to-use apps for Windows, macOS, iOS and Android. I found it easy to sync files with the Windows desktop app. Unfortunately, it doesn’t have native Linux compatibility, but I was able to manually upload files to the desktop client on my Linux machine.

Notes From the Lab: Sync.com Speed Test Results (5GB)

	First Test	Second Test	Average
Upload	09:43	09:51	09:47
Download	11:48	12:04	11:56

We follow the same speed-testing procedure for all cloud storage services: transferring a 5GB test folder over a connection throttled to 100 Mbps. While Sync.com’s connection was stable, its upload speeds were on the slow side, and its download speeds were even worse.

Notes From the Lab: Sync.com Security Analysis

Encryption Type	Protocols Used
Encryption at rest	AES-256
Encryption in transit	TLS/SSL

Sync.com Pricing & Value

If you feel limited by Dropbox’s 2GB free plan and you’re specifically looking for free accounts, Sync.com isn’t a much better option. You get only 5GB free, which won’t allow you to store many additional files. 

Luckily, Sync.com’s premium plans offer great value, with an option to get 1TB of storage on the Pro Teams Standard plan for $6 per month with an annual plan. Read our full Sync.com review to learn more about the service.

30-days money-back guarantee

Free

• 5GB

FREE

Personal

• 200GB

1-year plan

$2.65/month

$60 $31.80 billed every year

Save 40%

Pro Solo Basic

• 2TB

1-year plan

$4.80/month

$96 $57.60 billed every year

Save 40%

More plans

Pro Solo Professional

• 6TB

1-month plan

1-month plan

$20/month

1-year plan

$11.67/month

$240 $140 billed every year

Save 41%

Pro Teams Standard

• per user, per month, billed annually
• 1TB

1-year plan

$6/month

$72 billed every year

Pro Teams+ Unlimited

• Priced per user (3 users minimum)
• Unlimited GB

1-year plan

$15/month

$180 billed every year

Enterprise

• Minimum 100 users, custom requirements, account manager, training options

Contact support for pricing

2. pCloud— Best Cloud Storage Provider for Media Files

pCloud Review 2025: Pay Once, Own Forever: Cloud Storage That Actually Makes Sense

Get 10GB of storage on pCloud’s free plan.

www.pcloud.com

2TB$4.17 / month

(save 24%) (All Plans)

Editor’s ChoiceVisit pCloudReview

Pros:

• Advanced media viewer
• Fast download & upload speeds
• Lifetime plans with affordable pricing

Cons:

• Limited file collaboration
• Client-side encryption as a paid add-on

pCloud is a good Dropbox alternative for users who store images, videos or audio files. It’s one of the best cloud storage options for multimedia, with a built-in media player that allows you to create playlists of audio files and listen to them straight from your storage space. You can also perform basic image editing with pCloud’s photo alteration tools, from cropping to color alterations. It also has a backup service that can help with file recovery. 

However, pCloud falls short with its lack of productivity tools. You won’t be able to edit text files saved to your pCloud storage, which means you’ll have to download and reupload any text files to which you want to make changes.  

Another small downside is the extra price of its client-side encryption. pCloud offers full client-side encryption only as a separate add-on, which costs $49.99 per year. 

pCloud Hands-On Testing

In addition to its browser client, pCloud offers apps for Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS and Android. All of its apps are easy to use and have a similar file upload system to Dropbox. I was able to switch from Dropbox to Sync.com without too much of a learning curve.

Notes From the Lab: pCloud Speed Test Results (5GB)

	First Test	Second Test	Average
Upload	07:02	07:10	07:06
Download	06:50	06:53	06:52

pCloud performed very well during speed testing and is one of the fastest services on this list. However, it did have higher CPU usage than expected, and the speeds weren’t as stable as I’d like, which may mean delays for large files.

Notes From the Lab: pCloud Security Analysis

Encryption Type	Protocols Used
Encryption at rest	AES-256
Encryption in transit	TLS/SSL

pCloud Pricing & Value

pCloud’s free plan is very generous, with up to 10GB of storage space available. The full 10GB is accessible only after you complete certain tasks, though, such as referring others to the service.

Its premium options offer great value, with the 2TB annual plan going for $8.33 per month. You can also lock in lifetime cloud storage, including 2TB for a $399 one-time payment. Learn more about what we think of the service in our pCloud review.

Editor’s Choice

Free

• 10GB

FREE

Premium 500GB

• 500GB

1-month plan, 1-year plan

1-month plan

$4.99/month

Save 9%

1-year plan

$4.17/month

$49.99 billed every year

Save 24%

Lifetime plan

$5.53/month

$199 one time payment, Monthly price for 3 years of use

Premium Plus 2TB

• 2TB

1-month plan, 1-year plan

1-month plan

$9.99/month

Save 9%

1-year plan

$8.33/month

$99.99 billed every year

Save 24%

Lifetime plan

$11.08/month

$399 one time payment, Monthly price for 3 years of use

More plans

Ultra 10TB

• 10TB

Lifetime plan, 1-month plan

Lifetime plan

$33.06/month

$1190 one time payment, Monthly price for 3 years of use

1-month plan

$19.99/month

Save 39%

1-year plan

$16.67/month

$199.99 billed every year

Save 49%

Family 2TB Lifetime

• + FREE Encryption
• 2TB

one time payment

$595

Family 10TB Lifetime

• + FREE Encryption
• 10TB

one time payment

$1499

Business 1TB

• Price per user (minimum 3)
• 1TB

1-month plan

1-month plan

$9.99/month

1-year plan

$7.99/month

$95.88 billed every year

Save 20%

Business Pro 2TB

• Price per user (minimum 3)
• 2TB

1-month plan

1-month plan

$19.98/month

1-year plan

$15.98/month

$191.76 billed every year

Save 20%

pCloud Crypto Encryption

• Encryption for pCloud Drive

1-year plan

1-year plan

$4.17/month

$49.99 billed every year

one time payment

$150

3. Tresorit— Best Privacy-Focused Storage Provider

Tresorit: Premium Security or Overpriced Hype? (Full 2025 Review)

Test Tresorit’s cloud storage with a 14-day free trial of any plan.

tresorit.com

50GB – 6TB$4.75 / month

(save 20%) (All Plans)

Editor’s ChoiceVisit TresoritReview

Pros:

• Business tools included
• Client-side encryption on all plans
• Email encryption add-on for Gmail & Outlook

Cons:

• Only 3GB on the free plan
• Expensive storage options

Tresorit is a privacy-focused, secure storage alternative to Dropbox, especially for businesses that need HIPAA or GDPR adherence. With a business account, you get access to eSign, a secure file-signing service, as well as the email encryption add-on. While eSign is limited to 16 free signatures per month, the email encryption allows you to encrypt your Gmail or Outlook inbox for more secure file sharing. 

One of the major downsides of Tresorit is the price. Its personal and business plans cost more than those of other cloud storage providers. With only 3GB of free storage and a 14-day free trial, it’s also not a service you can try out for very long before running out of space or time. 

Tresorit Hands-On Testing

Tresorit has apps for Windows, macOS, iOS and Android. I found the mobile apps to be slightly superior overall, as they include a basic note-taking function that’s missing from the desktop version. 

Notes From the Lab: Tresorit Speed Test Results (5GB)

	First Test	Second Test	Average
Upload	07:46	07:44	07:45
Download	07:44	07:48	07:46

Tresorit had favorable results during testing, though the testing team had issues with speed stability, and the software used a moderate amount of CPU. 

Notes From the Lab: Tresorit Security Analysis

Encryption Type	Protocols Used
Encryption at rest	AES-256
Encryption in transit	TLS/SSL

Tresorit Pricing & Value

Tresorit is one of the more expensive providers on this list, at $11.99 per month for a Personal Professional 1TB annual plan. 

Its business plans, which include eSign and data residency options, start at $19 per user per month, each user getting 1TB. Luckily plans come with a 14-day free trial. Find out more about the provider’s features in our Tresorit review. 

Editor’s Choice

Personal Lite

• 50GB

1-month plan

1-month plan

$5.99/month

1-year plan

$4.75/month

$57 billed every year

Save 20%

Business

• Price per user (billed annually), Storage per user, User count: 3+
• 1TB

1-month plan

1-month plan

$24/month

1-year plan

$19/month

$228 billed every year

Save 20%

Engage Business

• 3+ room managers, 15 contributors, unlimited viewers, unlimited data rooms, 15GB max file size & more.
• 6TB

1-month plan

1-month plan

$177/month

1-year plan

$162/month

$1944 billed every year

Save 8%

More plans

Basic

• 500MB file-size limit, Maximum 2 devices
• 3GB

FREE

Professional

• Price per user (billed annually), Storage per user, User count : 1
• 2TB

1-month plan

1-month plan

$33.99/month

1-year plan

$27.49/month

$329.88 billed every year

Save 19%

Personal Essential

• 1TB

1-month plan

1-month plan

$13.99/month

1-year plan

$11.99/month

$143.88 billed every year

Save 14%

Personal Pro

• 4TB

1-month plan

1-month plan

$33.99/month

1-year plan

$27.49/month

$329.88 billed every year

Save 19%

Engage Professional

• 1 room manager, 5 contributors, unlimited viewers, unlimited data rooms, 10GB max file size & more.
• 4TB

1-month plan

1-month plan

$68.99/month

1-year plan

$62.50/month

$749.99 billed every year

Save 9%

Engage Enterprise

• Custom room managers and contributors, unlimited viewers, unlimited data rooms, custom storage, 20GB max file size & more.

Contact support for pricing

Enterprise

• Price per user (billed annually), Storage per user, User count : 50+

Contact support for pricing

4. Internxt— Best Open-Source Dropbox Alternative

Internxt Review 2025: Cheaper AND More Secure Than Google Drive

Try Internxt with its free plan, which offers 1GB of storage.

internxt.sjv.io

1TB – 5TB$1 / month

(All Plans)

Visit Internxt Review

Pros:

• Low initial costs
• Lifetime storage plans
• Open-source client-side encryption

Cons:

• Slow download speeds
• Only 1GB of free storage

With its open-source software, Internxt is a great alternative to Dropbox if you want your cloud storage service to be more transparent. Anyone can analyze the code for security failures, so Internxt’s claims regarding its tight security are well founded. It also offers post-quantum encryption and zero-knowledge encryption on all plans.

Internxt’s free plan is more restrictive than Dropbox’s, with only 1GB of free storage. This may be an issue if you’re veering away from Dropbox because of its limited free plan — though Internxt has low introductory prices.

Internxt Hands-On Testing

Internxt is a solid cloud storage provider for compatibility, as it can be installed on Windows, macOS, iOS and Android. In my testing, I also found its apps to be easy to use.

Notes From the Lab: Internxt Speed Test Results (5GB)

	First Test	Second Test	Average
Upload	07:57	08:05	08:01
Download	09:26	09:30	09:28

Internxt’s upload speeds were passable: only a minute slower than pCloud and on par with Tresorit. However, downloading file updates to my device took quite a long time with the Windows desktop app. In addition, it took almost 10 minutes to download a 5GB file, which indicates that you may experience bottlenecks in your workflow.

Notes From the Lab: Internxt Security Analysis

Encryption Type	Protocols Used
Encryption at rest	Kyber-512/AES-256
Encryption in transit	TLS/SSL

Internxt Pricing & Value

Internxt has very affordable pricing. The 1TB annual plan goes for $1.67 per month for the first year, giving you a cheap introduction to the service. The price then increases upon renewal to $11 per month for the annual plan.

It also offers lifetime cloud storage, including 1TB for a $300 one-time payment. Learn more about the provider in our Internxt review.

Free

• 1GB

FREE

Essential

• Post-quantum encryption Zero-knowledge encryption Two-factor authentication Backup your computer Password-protected file sharing Encrypted VPN Antivirus
• 1TB

1-year plan

1-year plan

$1.67/month

$20 billed every year

Save 79%

Lifetime plan

$8.33/month

$300 one time payment, Monthly price for 3 years of use

Premium

• Everything in Essential plus; Cleaner Invite, share & collaborate File versioning (coming soon) Cleaner
• 3TB

1-year plan

1-year plan

$3.33/month

$40 billed every year

Save 73%

Lifetime plan

$12.50/month

$450 one time payment, Monthly price for 3 years of use

More plans

Ultimate

• Everything in Premium plus CLI & WebDav support NAS & Rclone support Meet Mail (coming soon)
• 5TB

1-year plan

1-year plan

$4.92/month

$59 billed every year

Save 70%

Lifetime plan

$16.67/month

$600 one time payment, Monthly price for 3 years of use

Business Standard

• Annual Price is per user
• 1TB

1-month plan

1-month plan

$1/month

1-year plan

$1/month

$12 billed every year

Business Pro

• Annual Price is per user
• 2TB

1-month plan

1-month plan

$1/month

Save 14%

1-year plan

$1.17/month

$14 billed every year

5. Google Drive — Best Productivity Cloud Storage Provider

Is Google Drive Worth It In 2024? Updated Google Drive Review

Store and share your files with Google Drive’s 15GB of free storage.

www.google.com

100GB – 30TB$1.67 / month

(save 16%) (All Plans)

Visit Google DriveReview

Pros:

• 15GB of free storage space  
• Advanced collaboration tools
• Native integration with Google Workspace

Cons:

• Privacy concerns
• No client-side encryption

Google Drive is the best alternative for Dropbox users who need productivity apps such as a word processor, as it comes fully integrated as part of Google Workspace. It’s one of the few cloud storage services on this list that offers real-time collaboration, especially for non-business accounts.

As a bonus, Google Drive offers 15GB of free storage, representing the most generous free plan on this list. This comes at the cost of lower security, though, as Google doesn’t include client-side encryption with any of its storage options. Although your files may be secure on Drive, Google does have a worrying history of data breaches.

Google Drive Hands-On Testing

Google Drive is supported on Windows, macOS, iOS and Android, making it a decent choice if you need to replace Dropbox for transferring files between devices. The only issue I had was with photos: While I was able to upload them manually to Google Drive, I had to go through Google Photos to enable automatic uploads.

Notes From the Lab: Google Drive Speed Test Results (5GB)

	First Test	Second Test	Average
Upload	07:02	06:55	06:59
Download	07:10	07:13	07:12

Google Drive has very good speeds and is only slightly slower than pCloud. It stayed consistent during uploads and downloads, with minimal CPU usage.

Notes From the Lab: Google Drive Security Analysis

Encryption Type	Protocols Used
Encryption at rest	AES-256
Encryption in transit	TLS/SSL

Google Drive Pricing & Value

Google Drive’s best value is its 15GB free plan. Premium plans can be on the pricier side or have inconvenient storage capacities. The 2TB paid annual plan costs $8.33 per month, with plans going up to 30TB. Read more about the service in our Google Drive review.

15GB

• Free plan
• 15GB

FREE

Basic 100GB

• 100GB

1-month plan

1-month plan

$1.99/month

1-year plan

$1.67/month

$19.99 billed every year

Save 16%

Standard 200GB

• *The plan is “hidden.” To find the 200GB plan, you need to be subscribed to one of the other plans, upgrade or downgrade to the 200GB through your account’s settings.
• 200GB

1-month plan

1-month plan

$2.99/month

1-year plan

$2.50/month

$29.99 billed every year

Save 16%

More plans

Premium 2TB

• 2TB

1-month plan

1-month plan

$9.99/month

1-year plan

$8.33/month

$99.99 billed every year

Save 16%

AI Premium 2TB

• 2TB

1-month plan

$19.99/month

Premium 5TB

• 5TB

1-month plan

1-month plan

$24.99/month

1-year plan

$20.83/month

$249.99 billed every year

Save 16%

Premium 10TB

• 10TB

1-month plan

$49.99/month

Premium 20TB

• 20TB

1-month plan

$99.99/month

Premium 30TB

• 30TB

1-month plan

$149.99/month

6. OneDrive — Best Dropbox Alternative for Microsoft Users

Get 5GB of free storage with OneDrive.

www.onedrive.com

100GB – 6TB$1.67 / month

(save 16%) (All Plans)

Visit OneDriveReview

Pros:

• Native integration with Office 365
• Preinstalled on Windows systems

Cons:

• Privacy concerns
• No client-side encryption

OneDrive is a great Dropbox alternative for Microsoft Office users who want cloud storage space integrated into their Windows devices. Its native integration with the Office suite is convenient, and you can manage and edit Office files from your data storage.   

Like with Google Drive, privacy is a concern with OneDrive. It lacks client-side encryption, and Microsoft has a similar history of tracking user data. Although your stored files may be safe, it’s always worth being aware of what you’re saving to your cloud storage.

OneDrive Hands-On Testing

OneDrive’s best integration is with Windows, and I like that it lets you save Office files straight to your cloud storage. You can also use it on macOS, iOS and Android. In addition, you can upload photos straight to OneDrive rather than having to use a different app, giving it a leg up on Google Drive. The web interface is easy to use, also.

Notes From the Lab: OneDrive Speed Test Results (5GB)

	First Test	Second Test	Average
Upload	07:12	07:27	07:20
Download	07:16	07:20	07:18

OneDrive has decent speeds that were only around half a minute slower during testing than pCloud, the fastest option on this list.

Notes From the Lab: OneDrive Security Analysis

Encryption Type	Protocols Used
Encryption at rest	AES-256
Encryption in transit	TLS/SSL

OneDrive Pricing & Value

In addition to offering a 5GB free plan, OneDrive is an affordable cloud storage option, with pricing similar to that of other options on this list. If you want Office 365 integration, you’ll need the 1TB annual plan, which costs $8.33 per month. See what else we think of the service in our OneDrive review.

Microsoft 365 Free (5GB)

• For one person
• 5GB

FREE

Microsoft 365 Basic (100GB)

• 100GB

1-month plan

1-month plan

$1.99/month

1-year plan

$1.67/month

$19.99 billed every year

Save 16%

Microsoft 365 Personal (1TB)

• Comes with Office 365 Personal
• 1TB

1-month plan

1-month plan

$9.99/month

1-year plan

$8.33/month

$99.99 billed every year

Save 16%

More plans

Microsoft 365 Family (6TB)

• Comes with Office 365 Home
• 6TB

1-month plan

1-month plan

$12.99/month

1-year plan

$10.83/month

$129.99 billed every year

Save 16%

OneDrive for Business (Plan 1)

• Price per user
• 1TB

1-year plan

$5/month

$60 billed every year

Microsoft 365 Business Basic

• 1TB

1-year plan

$6/month

$72 billed every year

Microsoft 365 Business Standard

• Price per user
• 1TB

1-year plan

$12.50/month

$150 billed every year

7. Box — Best Unlimited Business Cloud Storage Solution

Box Cloud Storage Review 2024 | Thinking Outside the Box or a Waste of Time?

Get 10GB of free storage with Box.

www.box.com

100GB – Unlimited GB$5 / month

(save 28%) (All Plans)

Visit BoxReview

Pros:

• Unlimited storage for business plans
• Integrations with Office 365 & Google Suite

Cons:

• Very expensive
• Client-side encryption not included

Box is the best alternative to Dropbox for users who need unlimited storage and business tools, like e-signatures. It also has integrations with Office 365 and Google Suite for better collaboration and productivity among teams.

Sadly, client-side encryption is available only as a paid add-on called Box KeySafe. It’s also unclear how much KeySafe costs, so it could end up being an expensive add-on for what should be basic security.

Box Hands-On Testing

Box is available on Windows, macOS, iOS and Android. While the desktop app is a simple sync folder, the mobile app comes with an option to auto-upload any pictures you take. Since I take photos frequently, I found this a convenient way to stay on top of my gallery backups.

Notes From the Lab: Box Speed Test Results (5GB)

	First Test	Second Test	Average
Upload	07:04	07:13	07:09
Download	07:47	07:25	07:36

While the testing team saw good speeds with Box, they did fluctuate a lot. It was only slightly slower than pCloud, but user experience may vary. The speed instability indicates that you may experience slower data transfers.

Notes From the Lab: Box Security Analysis

Encryption Type	Protocols Used
Encryption at rest	AES-256
Encryption in transit	TLS/SSL

Box Pricing & Value

Although Box offers 10GB of free cloud storage, the paid plans are quite expensive — but that’s because most of them include unlimited storage. The annual Business plan costs $15 per month for unlimited data. Read more about it in our Box review.

Free

• Single user
• 10GB

FREE

Personal Pro

• Single user
• 100GB

1-month plan

1-month plan

$14/month

1-year plan

$10/month

$120 billed every year

Save 28%

Business Starter

• Price per user, minimum of three users
• 100GB

1-month plan

1-month plan

$7/month

1-year plan

$5/month

$60 billed every year

Save 28%

More plans

Business

• Users: No limit
• Unlimited GB

1-month plan

1-month plan

$20/month

1-year plan

$15/month

$180 billed every year

Save 25%

Business Plus

• Users: No limit
• Unlimited GB

1-month plan

1-month plan

$33/month

1-year plan

$25/month

$300 billed every year

Save 24%

Enterprise

• Users: No limit
• Unlimited GB

1-month plan

1-month plan

$47/month

1-year plan

$35/month

$420 billed every year

Save 25%

Enterprise Plus

• Price shown is for one user; minimum 3 users
• Unlimited GB

1-year plan

$50/month

$600 billed every year

8. Icedrive — Best Lightweight Dropbox Alternative

Ultimate Icedrive Review [2024 Pros and Cons Revealed]

Try Icedrive for free with its 10GB storage plan.

icedrive.net

1TB – 5TB$4.92 / month

(save 17%) (All Plans)

Visit Icedrive Review

Pros:

• 10GB of free storage
• Client-side encryption folder on paid plans

Cons:

• Limited extra features
• No collaboration tools

Icedrive is a lightweight alternative to Dropbox for users who have no need for anything beyond cloud storage’s key features. That doesn’t mean it skimps on security, though — it’s a secure cloud storage service, and all of its paid plans include a folder with client-side encryption. Note that the 10GB free plan provides only server-side encryption.

Icedrive’s minimalist approach to its app means that it skips out on collaboration features. While you can share files with others and leave comments, you won’t be able to edit the documents straight from your cloud storage. 

Icedrive Hands-On Testing

Icedrive is compatible with Windows, macOS, iOS and Android, and it has an incredibly clean interface. I found the user experience to be very intuitive, with everything clearly labeled. It won’t be difficult to make the switch from Dropbox to Icedrive.

Notes From the Lab: Icedrive Speed Test Results (5GB)

	First Test	Second Test	Average
Upload	12:05	12:18	12:12
Download	12:58	13:02	13:00

Icedrive is a disappointingly slow service, coming in dead last on this list — it’s a big change because it used to be one of the fastest cloud storage services. Both uploads and downloads took longer than 12 minutes during testing, so it may be too slow for time-sensitive files.

Notes From the Lab: Icedrive Security Analysis

Encryption Type	Protocols Used
Encryption at rest	Twofish 256-bit
Encryption in transit	TLS/SSL

Icedrive Pricing & Value

In addition to the 10GB free plan, Icedrive offers affordable cloud storage options, at $4.92 per month for an annual 1TB plan. However, the best value lies in its lifetime plans. You can get 2TB of storage for life for $389, and you can even expand your storage limits at a later date if you run out of space. For more information, check out our Icedrive review. 

14-days money-back guarantee

Free

• 10GB

FREE

Pro I

• 1TB

1-month plan

1-month plan

$5.99/month

1-year plan

$4.92/month

$59 billed every year

Save 17%

Pro III

• 3TB

1-month plan

1-month plan

$11.99/month

1-year plan

$9.92/month

$119 billed every year

Save 17%

More plans

Pro V

• 5TB

1-month plan

1-month plan

$19.99/month

1-year plan

$16.58/month

$199 billed every year

Save 17%

Lifetime Core

• 2TB

one time payment

$389

Lifetime Add On – Stack 1K

• Additional 1TB storage for users who purchased the Lifetime Plan
• 1TB

one time payment

$199

Lifetime Add On – Stack 5K

• Additional 5TB storage for users who purchased the Lifetime Plan
• 5TB

one time payment

$449

Our Methodology: How We Tested the Strongest Dropbox Competitors

To find the best Dropbox alternatives, I made sure to focus on all the key areas where Dropbox falls short, such as encryption and data privacy. I also looked at storage capacity, value, advanced sharing, collaboration and file transfer speeds.

• Security and privacy: I examined the encryption algorithms each provider uses and whether they offer client-side encryption with private keys. To add to this, I combed through the data policies to make sure all user data is kept private and is not shared with third parties. 
• Cloud storage space and value: I compared each provider’s plans in terms of pricing and how much storage you get to gain an understanding of which providers offer better value for users. 
• Features: I determined which providers offer features like file collaboration, advanced sharing and file versioning. I also took into consideration whether collaboration functionality is proprietary or supported via integration with a third-party provider such as Google Workspace or Microsoft Office.
• Speed and performance: We ran speed tests for each provider, measuring how long it took to upload and download a 5GB folder with multiple file types. We ran the test on 100 Mbps and 1 Gbps connections and noted the results.

Final Thoughts

Picking the right provider in a sea of Dropbox alternatives comes down to what you value most in a cloud storage solution. If your main concern is security and privacy, Sync.com, is the best cloud storage service available, with a 5GB free plan and a 2TB annual plan that costs $4.80 per month.

Alternatively, if you prefer to pay just once, pCloud offers excellent lifetime plans. However, if you care more about productivity, it’s hard to beat Google Drive and OneDrive.

Have you used any of the Dropbox alternatives I explored above? What made you switch from Dropbox, and which provider did you turn to? Let me know in the comments, and thank you for reading.

FAQ: The Best Alternative to Dropbox

• What Is a Better Option Than Dropbox?

  There are several excellent Dropbox alternatives, but if you have to pick just one, Sync.com should be your go-to thanks to its strong security and affordable pricing.

• Who Is Dropbox’s Biggest Competitor?

  If you’re looking for feature parity, Google Drive and OneDrive offer similar collaboration features and productivity integrations, though both also have some of the drawbacks that Dropbox struggles with.

• What Is the Apple Equivalent of Dropbox?

  Apple’s iCloud is the equivalent of Dropbox, offering solid encryption, plenty of storage with reasonable pricing and deep OS-level integration with both macOS and iOS.u

• Can Google Drive Replace Dropbox?

  For some users, yes, Google Drive can replace Dropbox, especially if you’re an Android user who already has a Google account. Google Drive is an excellent alternative to Dropbox, with more free storage, better collaboration tools and more affordable pricing.