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Amazon EFS (Elastic File System) vs Dropbox comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 17, 2024

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

Amazon EFS (Elastic File Sy...
Ranking in Cloud Storage
4th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.4
Number of Reviews
15
Ranking in other categories
File and Object Storage (8th)
Dropbox
Ranking in Cloud Storage
5th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.5
Number of Reviews
89
Ranking in other categories
Content Collaboration Platforms (1st)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the Cloud Storage category, the mindshare of Amazon EFS (Elastic File System) is 8.0%, down from 9.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Dropbox is 4.8%, down from 6.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Cloud Storage
 

Featured Reviews

MuhammadAzhar Khan - PeerSpot reviewer
Auto-scaling capabilities enhance file management while reducing downtime
The most valuable feature of Amazon EFS is its auto-scaling capability. It's really easy to configure EFS by just creating it and running a command to directly configure it with my servers. It supports unlimited use, and charges are applied based on the file usage at the end of the month. The solution offers reduced downtime and increased durability through its auto-scaling features.
Edgar  Paez - PeerSpot reviewer
Work from anywhere and backup easily while being practical
I recommend Dropbox, yet not for all of the features it has. I am a basic user. In a personal mode, we have about 100 employees, and maybe 20 of them use Dropbox as a personal backup system. ShareFile is more secure than Dropbox. Five years ago, ShareFile was qualified as having better security control, access privilege management, and version control recovery, among many features that we were using for private documentation. Overall, I would rate Dropbox an eight out of ten.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"Amazon EFS is extremely stable, as it is managed by AWS."
"Elastic File Systems allow me to share data, provision, and manage capacity and performance in AWS."
"We can run code and deploy it whenever we want."
"The first valuable thing is it is scalable."
"Its elasticity and flexible pricing are the most valuable. For Amazon EFS, you are charged based on the storage. It is also very fast and stable with a very simple and intuitive interface."
"Amazon EFS (Elastic File System) is secure as it is used under VPC."
"The initial setup was straightforward."
"The platform is highly scalable."
"Reliability is the most valuable feature."
"It is the best solution in terms of space, file sharing, and live editing. I can share and edit files with multiple users."
"The solution provides great performance."
"Its usability is valuable. It is easy to use."
"The product's most valuable feature is storage."
"I think Dropbox is a good option for Windows users because it's easy to use in Windows and a user can access all other products and software."
"The way the tool is designed and using the tool itself is quite transparent."
"A valuable feature is that it's useful for exchanging large files and documents. I'm happy with it."
 

Cons

"Amazon EFS is more costly compared to other storage options available from AWS."
"The platform's connectivity could be improved to be more comparable to S3 buckets, which offer better API availability."
"It could be better in connecting with Windows Server instances."
"The user activity needs to be more connected."
"Around 80 percent of the features of Amazon EFS (Elastic File System) are available on Linux and not in Windows, making it a major drawback of the product."
"I don't have notes on improvements."
"The product's stability has some shortcomings where improvements are required."
"Its deployment process could be faster while installing the Python package directly into the environment."
"The price is expensive for individual users."
"They can do the scanning of viruses, and they can also do malware detection when they do the synchronization."
"It could be more secure."
"Dropbox, like many file sharing tools, needs to synch to a local hard drive. That is a bit difficult with 5TB Dropbox content."
"Dropbox needs to increase its storage."
"Dropbox could improve by being more secure."
"The only thing I have had trouble with is the ability to share files. The recipients of my requests have had difficulty accessing the files."
"The solution could be more scalable."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The product's price depends on the services and the size and capacity at which it is used in a business environment."
"I would rate the pricing 7 out of 10."
"The main challenge with EFS is its cost, which is slightly higher compared to EBS or S3. For one GB or ten GB of data, S3 is much cheaper. EFS could cost around $30 to $50 per month for similar usage."
"It has flexible pricing. You are charged based on your storage."
"The solution's price is mid-ranged."
"The product charges are based on the amount of data stored."
"Amazon EFS (Elastic File System) offers a pay-as-you-go model, so whenever you use its services, you need to pay."
"The solution is paid for annually."
"I believe I pay around $5 per month for the license."
"The solution allows one only a certain amount of free storage, but he must pay for a subscription, perhaps on a six-month basis, if he wishes to maintain this."
"I am using the free version of the solution."
"The pricing for non-corporations is expensive. They have raised their prices and have low storage capacity."
"There is a subscription-based pricing model and I pay monthly."
"The subscription could be cheaper."
"I am on a monthly subscription for the solution and I am somewhat satisfied with the pricing. However, the price could a bit better."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Educational Organization
17%
Computer Software Company
14%
Financial Services Firm
12%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Educational Organization
65%
Computer Software Company
5%
Financial Services Firm
3%
University
3%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

Which file storage system is better - Amazon EFS (elastic file storage) or Azure File Storage?
Amazon EFS is easy to set up: you can use the AWS management console, API, or command-line. Amazon EFS can grow to petabytes and deliver consistent low latencies and high levels of throughput. This...
What do you like most about Amazon EFS (Elastic File System)?
The product's initial setup phase is easy, as per the configurations.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Amazon EFS (Elastic File System)?
Amazon EFS is more costly compared to other storage options available from AWS.
What do you like most about Dropbox?
For me, the biggest thing is version history. I can easily go back and view older versions.
What needs improvement with Dropbox?
I would like to have a document flow. Sharing documents with other people in the same division or department and being able to work without downloading the file would be ideal. Working online would...
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Arcesium, Atlassian, Seeking Alpha, Zend
Vita Coco, BCBGMAXAZRIA Group, Centric Project, Kayak, FourSquare, Asana, Huge Adversting , USA Gymnastics, Appen, Valliant, Radio Lab
Find out what your peers are saying about Amazon EFS (Elastic File System) vs. Dropbox and other solutions. Updated: April 2025.
846,617 professionals have used our research since 2012.