Azure NetApp Files vs Dropbox comparison

Read 89 Dropbox reviews

945 Views
680 Comparison Views

90% willing to recommend

Azure NetApp Files

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Download the report

Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 17, 2024

Dropbox and Azure NetApp Files offer robust cloud storage solutions. Dropbox excels in user satisfaction due to its competitive pricing and user-friendliness, while Azure NetApp Files stands out for its advanced features and scalability, justifying its higher cost.

Features: Dropbox offers seamless file synchronization, straightforward sharing capabilities, and effective collaboration tools. Azure NetApp Files provides high-performance storage, seamless cloud integration, and advanced security features.

Room for Improvement: Dropbox should improve its complex folder permissions and limited storage options for free accounts. Azure NetApp Files needs better integration with non-Azure environments and simpler configuration tools.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Dropbox is easy to set up and has responsive customer support. Azure NetApp Files has a more complex deployment but offers strong support and detailed documentation.

Pricing and ROI: Dropbox is cost-effective with clear ROI benefits in productivity. Azure NetApp Files requires higher initial investment but provides significant long-term ROI through advanced features and scalability.

To learn more, read our detailed Azure NetApp Files vs. Dropbox Report (Updated: March 2025).

Azure NetApp Files vs. Dropbox

Download the complete report

Helped 842,296 peers since 2012

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

Azure NetApp Files

Ranking in Cloud Storage

7th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.4

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Cloud Migration (3rd), Public Cloud Storage Services (8th)

Dropbox

Ranking in Cloud Storage

5th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.5

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Content Collaboration Platforms (1st)

Mindshare comparison

As of March 2025, in the Cloud Storage category, the mindshare of Azure NetApp Files is 8.9%, down from 10.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Dropbox is 4.3%, down from 6.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Cloud Storage

Featured Reviews

Vladislav Malicevic

CTO at Jedox

We can expand our storage on-the-fly without the need to reprovision

Ease of provisioning: It's very easy to consume the product. We are not doing this manually. We are doing this programmatically, but it's very easy and seamless for us to consume it. It's like any other Azure component. It's very good and well-integrated into the ecosystem of Azure. There is tight integration. We didn't need to learn anything new. It feels like we know everything already, although under the hood, the product is something totally different. However, it seemed very easy for us. It's elastic, so it scales with our demands. We can start small, then with the addition of customer loads, we can expand on-the-fly without the need to reprovision something. The performance is quite good, so it's almost on par with the make of SSD storage. It provides a quick, scalable storage solution. We were looking for a supported solution. We didn't want to experiment. We didn't want to look for open source, though we did look into open source initially before we bumped into NetApp. We figured out that adding yet another unknown into our system was not going to bring us benefit. It would be another problem that we would need to tackle. So, we said, "Okay, let's look for a supported solution," and NetApp was one of them. Then, we turned to NetApp.

Read full review

Edgar Paez

Measurement Manager at A3E Ingenieros

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.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"We use Azure NetApp Files mainly for backup."

"Its security and ease of use are most valuable."

"The most valuable features of the solution is replication to another region and the performance. The solution is stable. The solution is scalable. The initial setup is straightforward."

"Azure NetApp Files has been stable."

"I think the easiest part is, when you do a comparison, it is the throughput versus the cost. And it's much easier to set up."

"It's elastic, so it scales with our demands. We can start small, then with the addition of customer loads, we can expand on-the-fly without the need to reprovision something."

"Since we have NetApp's internally, we use the SnapMirror predominantly for this process in the cloud which is beneficial."

"It has saved a lot of time. Because in the older, conventional hardware system, they need to raise a ticket to go to storage engineering, then storage engineering would increased the size. Now, it's dynamic. You don't have to do anything. This improved the time by more than 50 percent."

More Azure NetApp Files pros

"One of the most useful features of Dropbox is its ease of use."

"Dropbox is easy to use."

"The solution is reliable and user-friendly."

"It ensures all our staff are using the current version of our documents."

"The solution is very fast and simple. If I want to share a file I can put it on the cloud or on-premise. It's user-friendly."

"The scalability is great for us."

"Dropbox's most valuable features are ease of use and performance."

"I had a good experiment with the technical support from Dropbox."

More Dropbox pros

Cons

"We would like to have backup functionality built-in so that we don't run into the issue where the replication process makes a copy of the corrupted data."

"Azure NetApp Files could improve by being more diverse to integrate better with other solutions, such as Splunk and the on-premise version. There are some use cases that are not covered natively by Azure. It is not the best solution because it is not external from the cloud which for me is the best type of solution."

"I have a hunch that storage could be now the most expensive portion of our monthly bill. So I can imagine that, not this year, but next year we will be talking about looking deeper into ways how we can optimize the cost."

"The main area for improvement is in the support ticket system. Since it's a SaaS platform, support tickets are managed by Microsoft or NetApp backend. This can sometimes lead to cross-functional challenges for organizations."

"We would like to see more paired regions for the replication."

"We would like for the files which are coming in that we can version them. So, if a file is accidentally deleted, there should have a recycle bin option where we can go back, and at least once, clean it up."

"This solution would be improved with more innovation."

"Azure NetApp Files is expensive."

More Azure NetApp Files cons

"While I feel the price being charged to be reasonable, it should either be more cost-effective or account for an increased amount of storage space."

"The arrangement of documents can be simplified. Personally, I am used to it, but for a new user, it might be a little confusing. It can maybe have a feature to allow people to collaborate or work on the same document at the same time. I'm just using it to load and access information, and I haven't faced many challenges. However, I have seen that the whole system or laptop slows down a bit when I am synchronizing files to Dropbox. I don't know if it is because of my system. It might be good if they can enhance the synchronization process so that we can specify that synchronization should be done after 30 minutes. In addition, synchronization should only be done for the documents that have been uploaded."

"Dropbox could improve by increasing its storage."

"The interface could have bigger buttons."

"I see that if you use a mobile device that does not allow you to properly configure the email part with Dropbox, then you cannot access it."

"The storage is not large enough."

"The price is expensive for individual users."

"Dropbox could probably be improved around the integrated security, but those options are probably available. I don't have much of a view on improvements, based on the relatively few occasions that I use it."

More Dropbox cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The pricing depends on your scaling and consumption."

"The performance has improved by about 30 percent."

"On a scale from one to ten, where one is cheap and ten is expensive, I rate the solution's pricing a seven out of ten."

"Our pricing has not been determined because we are still waiting on additional features."

"It is expensive in small environments, which could be better. The reason is the four terabyte minimum. A one terabyte minimum would be better."

"This solution is very expensive compared to the alternatives."

"The licensing fees for this solution vary, ranging from a single shelf to a full suite."

"The solution’s combination of the ease of use, simplicity, and reduction in IT management versus the cost has helped a lot. It is very fast to deploy. It's very easy to maintain. You don't have to do a lot in the cloud to maintain this thing, so it gives good performance. It's fast to deploy, easy to maintain, and it gives a better performance. These are the most basic three criteria for any application. This saves cost because the manpower you need to deploy is going down. You're getting better performance and not buying new resources. You have resources available in the cloud. It's just a couple of clicks, then you're good to go."

More Azure NetApp Files pricing and cost advice

"It has some free features, but for some of the features, you need to pay. If you need more storage, then you need to pay. Its licensing probably is on a monthly basis."

"There is a subscription-based pricing model and I pay monthly."

"The pricing varies depending on the version, and the one we currently utilize is the business version."

"Given the price and limitations, there are more competitive options available."

"I don't pay any licensing costs."

"We pay for the license yearly."

"We use a yearly license. The pricing is not a bad price. I'd rate it about a five out of ten, with ten being expensive and one being cheap."

"Dropbox is one of the cheapest tools in the market."

More Dropbox pricing and cost advice

See which vendors are best for you

Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Cloud Storage solutions are best for your needs.

See recommendations

842,296 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Educational Organization

32%

Manufacturing Company

11%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Computer Software Company

Educational Organization

64%

Computer Software Company

Financial Services Firm

University

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

How does Azure NetApp Files compare to NetApp ONTAP?

Azure NetApp Files is a Microsoft Azure file storage service built on NetApp technology. The platform combines the file capabilities of Azure and NetApp to move critical file-based applications to ...

What do you like most about Azure NetApp Files?

The availability is good, meaning downtime or network issues rarely occur. The system also offers flexibility, allowing for increases in data volume, IOPS, and other capabilities without requiring ...

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Azure NetApp Files?

The solution's competitors like Oracle or Amazon are not cheap either. I think we're paying two million dollars for Azure NetApp Files. On a scale from one to ten, where one is cheap and ten is exp...

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 is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Dropbox?

We are using the free version of Dropbox.

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...

Microsoft Azure File Storage vs Azure NetApp Files

Comparisons

Compared 38% of the time

NetApp Cloud Volumes ONTAP vs Azure NetApp Files

Compared 27% of the time

Amazon EFS (Elastic File System) vs Azure NetApp Files

Compared 8% of the time

Nasuni vs Azure NetApp Files

Compared 7% of the time

Amazon FSx vs Azure NetApp Files

Compared 6% of the time

More Azure NetApp Files Competitors

SharePoint vs Dropbox

Compared 16% of the time

ShareFile vs Dropbox

Compared 15% of the time

LucidLink vs Dropbox

Compared 13% of the time

Microsoft OneDrive vs Dropbox

Compared 11% of the time

Google Workspace vs Dropbox

Compared 9% of the time

More Dropbox Competitors

Product Reports

Azure NetApp Files

Download Azure NetApp Files product report

Download Dropbox product report

Also Known As

NetApp ANF, ANF

No data available

Overview

Azure NetApp Files is designed for unstructured data, virtualized SAP systems, SQL backups, NFS and CIFS protocols, Azure Virtual Desktop storage, and optimizing file share services. It supports high performance and networking integration in Microsoft Azure.

Azure NetApp Files offers features such as SnapMirror for data protection, rapid provisioning, elastic scaling, and ultra-fast SQL backup and restore. It provides a seamless experience with fast snapshotting, high availability, security, and ease of setup. Users benefit from significant performance improvements and the ability to manage substantial workload migrations effortlessly. This service is ideal for environments like Azure Kubernetes Service and cloud EPM platforms, where speed, flexibility, and performance are crucial.

What are the key features?

Flexibility: Adaptable to diverse storage needs.
Rapid response time: Ensures quick data access and operations.
SnapMirror: Provides replication and data protection.
SEC compliance: SnapLock ensures regulatory adherence.
Ultra-fast SQL backup: Quicker backup and restore operations.
Elastic scaling: Easily adjusts resources based on demand.
Fast snapshotting: Enables quick data snapshots.
High availability: Ensures consistent data access.
Security: Robust measures for data protection.

What are the expected benefits and ROI?

Performance: Notable improvement in processing speeds.
Simplicity of setup: Easy deployment and configuration.
Scalable management: Handles significant workload migrations with ease.
Cost efficiency: Allows comparing throughput versus cost effectively.

Azure NetApp Files is implemented in various industries requiring robust file storage solutions, from educational environments where performance boosts are critical to businesses leveraging Azure Kubernetes Service for containerized applications. It supports high-demand environments, optimizing data management and improving efficiency.

NetApp

Dropbox is utilized for storing and sharing files, synchronizing documents across multiple devices, and ensuring data backups for both personal and professional use.

Users rely on Dropbox for collaborating on projects, managing personal storage, and exchanging files. It is often used for file version control, meeting notes, and as a central storage unit. Dropbox provides seamless data access across desktops, laptops, mobiles, and the cloud. It is valued for its accessibility, synchronization, strong security, user-friendly interface, robust sharing capabilities, Microsoft Office integration, efficient performance, and reliable storage. It supports multiple users, real-time editing, offers backup options, and has free usage tiers. Dropbox manages large files, maintains version history, and allows external sharing without extra costs. However, there are areas for improvement in security and privacy, pricing, storage capacity, and tool integration. Users experience synchronization issues, limited collaboration features, and a need for better real-time editing. Improvements are also desired in mobile access, search functionality, and setup complexity, alongside better performance and scalability.

What are Dropbox's most important features?

Easy accessibility from any device
Seamless synchronization
Strong security
User-friendly interface
Robust sharing capabilities
Integration with Microsoft Office
Efficient performance
Reliable storage
Real-time editing support
Backup options and free usage tiers

What are the benefits or ROI to look for in reviews?

Seamless data access across devices
Enhanced collaboration on projects
Strong security measures
Efficient document management
Real-time editing for teamwork
Cost efficiency with free tiers
Reliability in storage and backups

Dropbox is implemented diversely across industries, including legal, healthcare, and media. Legal firms use it for secure document storage and sharing. Healthcare professionals rely on it for maintaining patient records while ensuring compliance with privacy laws. Media companies utilize Dropbox for collaborative projects and managing large multimedia files efficiently.

Sample Customers

SAP, Restaurant Magic

Vita Coco, BCBGMAXAZRIA Group, Centric Project, Kayak, FourSquare, Asana, Huge Adversting , USA Gymnastics, Appen, Valliant, Radio Lab

Azure NetApp Files vs. Dropbox