Azure NetApp Files vs Dropbox comparison

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90% willing to recommend

Azure NetApp Files

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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: January 2025).

Azure NetApp Files vs. Dropbox

January 2025

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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

6th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.5

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Content Collaboration Platforms (1st)

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2025, in the Cloud Storage category, the mindshare of Azure NetApp Files is 8.8%, down from 10.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Dropbox is 4.2%, 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.

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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

"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 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."

"The critical features of this solution are SnapMirror for replication, data protection, and SnapLock."

"Using NetApp Files got us out of a really difficult situation quickly, effectively, and at a reasonable cost."

"You can change it non-disruptively. You can increase the size and decrease the size online, which is a huge benefit compared to Azure disks. It just works seamlessly. You don't need to stop the instances."

"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."

"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 downtime, which is a strong point. Based on the money spent, we can get performance improvements and high availability."

"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."

More Azure NetApp Files pros

"Simple to share files with others."

"The product's initial setup phase was straightforward."

"Stability-wise, I rate the solution a nine out of ten."

"One of the advantages of Dropbox is that you can share files with people who are external to your organization without any additional costs. It is also easy to use, stable, and trustworthy."

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

"The way the tool is designed and using the tool itself is quite transparent."

"The user interface is very user-friendly."

"Dropbox has a simple interface, and it's pretty straightforward."

More Dropbox pros

Cons

"The main hurdle in promoting this solution is the price. Its price definitely requires an improvement. It is more expensive than other options, so customers go for a cheaper option."

"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."

"Azure NetApp Files is expensive."

"The solution needs to improve it's ABS environment."

"The pricing definitely needs to be improved."

"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 don’t like the solution’s configuration and support."

"Reserved Instances for Azure NetApp Files would improve more use cases, making them more valuable in Azure as the cost would be reduced."

More Azure NetApp Files cons

"They can do the scanning of viruses, and they can also do malware detection when they do the synchronization."

"They can provide more storage. Data is something that everybody is after. Any organization that has the requirement of data for any type of analysis will definitely need increased storage."

"The price for storage space is a little expensive."

"The free storage can be increased."

"The pricing could be better and/or more clear. Right now, they have a strange way of splitting pricing. It's a bit complicated and not clear for users."

"Dropbox could be improved by reducing the storage price."

"The solution could improve by being more secure and having more storage."

"DropBox is a little more complicated to scale up than OneDrive. It isn't as seamless to scale up storage or change the number of users. We have two or three users in Mumbai, and we don't plan to add more."

More Dropbox cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

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

"We are currently on a pay-as-you-go model with the storage that we use."

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

"In the cloud, pricing depends on how you manage it. It's not necessarily cheap, but it's all about optimizing charges and showing the cost back. So, it's more about managing the expenses rather than being inherently expensive or cheap."

"NetApp is a premium offering, so it's not a cheap product, but it is well-priced. It combines a couple of properties which customers like us are willing to pay. Could it be cheaper? Yes, but if you combine fully supported, fully managed, easily provisioned, scalable, and quick all in one product, it's a good selling point. You can ask a lot of money for all these. If you have a use case like we do, it's a perfect match. It's like the Porsche of storage solutions in the cloud. It is totally worth the cost."

"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."

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

"The price of Azure NetApp Files could be better."

More Azure NetApp Files pricing and cost advice

"We pay a monthly subscription fee."

"I am using the free version of the solution."

"The product is free up to a certain limit."

"I am on a monthly subscription for the solution and I am somewhat satisfied with the pricing. However, the price could a bit better."

"We pay for the license yearly."

"The solution is paid for annually."

"The solution is purchased on a subscription basis, and there are purchasing options. If you purchase annually there is a discount."

"The amount of free space they provide is sufficient for me. However, if you want more space I don't believe is very expensive."

More Dropbox pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Educational Organization

35%

Manufacturing Company

11%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Computer Software Company

Educational Organization

63%

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 40% of the time

NetApp Cloud Volumes ONTAP vs Azure NetApp Files

Compared 26% of the time

Amazon EFS (Elastic File System) vs Azure NetApp Files

Compared 9% of the time

Nasuni vs Azure NetApp Files

Compared 7% of the time

Amazon FSx vs Azure NetApp Files

Compared 5% of the time

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SharePoint vs Dropbox

Compared 20% of the time

ShareFile vs Dropbox

Compared 15% of the time

Microsoft OneDrive vs Dropbox

Compared 14% of the time

LucidLink vs Dropbox

Compared 13% of the time

Google Workspace vs Dropbox

Compared 8% of the time

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Product Reports

Download Azure NetApp Files product report

Azure NetApp Files

February 2025

Download Dropbox product report

February 2025

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