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Box 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:
 

Customer Service

No sentiment score available
Users report varying experiences with Box support, finding it quick and accurate but sometimes delayed and repetitive.
Sentiment score
7.5
Users find Dropbox easy to use, with mixed feedback on technical and billing support response times and varying regional experiences.
 

Room For Improvement

Sentiment score
5.0
Box requires better integration, improved features, enhanced security, lower pricing, streamlined API, and better reporting and device compatibility.
Sentiment score
4.9
Dropbox requires enhancements in security, pricing clarity, collaboration, storage, synchronization, integration, and user interface to compete with rivals.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.9
Box handles scalability well, offering consistent performance and speed, accommodating large files and multiple users without significant issues.
Sentiment score
7.1
Dropbox is highly scalable with easy storage upgrades for paid plans, though some users find competitors easier for scaling up.
 

Setup Cost

No sentiment score available
Box is seen as cost-effective but experiences with pricing vary, with some finding licensing high and API calls expensive.
No sentiment score available
Dropbox offers a free version with 2GB storage and competitive paid plans, with annual subscriptions typically cheaper.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
8.0
Users praise Box's stability and reliability, with consistent performance, no issues, and strong security over seventeen years.
Sentiment score
8.7
Dropbox is highly rated for its stability and reliability, with users rarely reporting significant technical issues or performance glitches.
 

Valuable Features

Sentiment score
8.0
Box excels in security, user-friendly interface, efficient collaboration, and offers excellent version control, metadata tagging, and governance features.
Sentiment score
8.3
Dropbox offers device accessibility, seamless sharing, user-friendly interface, Office integration, synchronization, collaboration, security, stability, backup, access control, organization, and versatile storage.
 

Categories and Ranking

Box
Ranking in Cloud Storage
11th
Ranking in Content Collaboration Platforms
4th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.5
Number of Reviews
40
Ranking in other categories
Enterprise Content Management (5th), Digital Asset Management (3rd), Document Management Software (2nd)
Dropbox
Ranking in Cloud Storage
5th
Ranking in Content Collaboration Platforms
1st
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.5
Number of Reviews
88
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of November 2024, in the Cloud Storage category, the mindshare of Box is 8.6%, up from 5.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Dropbox is 8.5%, down from 10.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Cloud Storage
 

Q&A Highlights

AS
Jul 09, 2014
 

Featured Reviews

Parthasarathy Chellapillai - PeerSpot reviewer
Used for data storage and data collaboration, but its data security could be improved
If I have restricted access within an organization by keeping the data in Box, there are other applications through which I can barge into the data. If anyone wants to keep a file restricted to four people, I can access it because it's available in the cloud. I can directly access the file and pull in the data by entering the file's name. Someone from outside the organization can't access it. However, someone from within the organization who is not supposed to access the data can access it, provided it is in Box. Box is almost like a folder structure outside your system. The solution uses the cloud, and you don't need any separate storage in your system. Even if your system crashes down, the data will be saved. Overall, I rate the solution a six out of ten.
Anton Krivonosov - PeerSpot reviewer
An easy-to-use solution that can be used to store files in the cloud and share them with different people
Dropbox is a cloud-based solution. Dropbox is a nice solution to use if you have nothing to hide or aren't afraid that others will view some secrets because you don't know how the company protects them. If you store normal files you don't care much about, you can use Dropbox. Overall, I rate Dropbox a nine out of ten.
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816,406 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Answers from the Community

AS
Jul 9, 2014
Jul 9, 2014
Just an FYI...I found out this week that Microsoft with their OneDrive solution will be also encrypting files in storage and in transit, and if you have your email already in the cloud with Microsoft O365 you can get enormous amounts of data per user in each person's OneDrive...I probably can't say how much, but let's just say it's WAY more storage per user than you get with Box or Dropbox. I'...
2 out of 4 answers
it_user120363 - PeerSpot reviewer
Jun 17, 2014
If you’ve ever been frustrated by the desire to share your text files with a friend or business colleague, these two products will be a great boon. Both are free too. Both allow you to invite people to either view your files, or to share the editing. A great idea if you want to co-write a report for example. Both allow you to download the file, edit it, and then load it back up again. Or to edit offline on your PC using the synch option. Box (formerly box.net) key features: · Free storage – 10gb · File size limit – 250mb (free version) · Main users – business · Good online help · Works by you uploading files and folders, which you can then share. These can be synched with boxsynch – similar to Dropbox. Also free. · Secure storage · Not as intuitive to use (more like Google docs), due to endless security options · Great for more robust business usage · Looks very flash · Has a business version · Not so widely used (30m users) · Access from most phones, ipads, PCs and Macs. Dropbox key features · Free storage – 2GB (introduce your friends and this goes up) · File size limit – no limit · Main users – everyone · Little online help · Works by synchronising to a folder on your PC · Intuitive to use · A doddle to set up · Looks less flashy than Box, but improving · Secure storage (it is now!) · Great for simple file sharing · Has a business version · Very widely used (300m users) · Access from most phones, ipads, Kindle, Linux, PCs and Macs. If I were choosing now, I would almost certainly pick Box to work with, unless I wanted to share really large files (I don’t) or to run on Linux or a Kindle (don’t want to do this either). If all you want is a simple tool to share a few files, then I’d choose Dropbox. I’ve been using cloud based storage for many years now, but the earlier versions of Box, when it was Box.net, put me off, as they were flaky and cumbersome to use. Dropbox stole their thunder, made it really simple and hundreds of millions of users now use it. Both companies are working fast to capture users, especially business users. So watch this space, and watch Google docs too. Thank you, Jacqui
ED
Jun 17, 2014
The biggest difference we saw when we looked at Box a few years ago was that Box encrypted stored files both in transit and at rest in storage. This is a deal breaker for most enterprises because most enterprise policies won't allow public storage (outside company data center) of employee or customer data without it being encrypted in order to protect that information. In addition to better security, box had much better administrator tools than dropbox at the time. More granular control, better tools for the security team to enforce policies, etc. As far as I know, this hasn't changed in the last few years. Box is the only player really putting forth the effort to offer a secure cloud storage platform that has the ease of use of consumer solutions, but secured for the enterprise. Microsoft doesn't have it. Dropbox doesn't have it. I'm not aware of anyone else focusing on this niche of the marketplace.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Educational Organization
57%
Computer Software Company
6%
Financial Services Firm
4%
Manufacturing Company
4%
Educational Organization
57%
Computer Software Company
5%
University
4%
Financial Services Firm
3%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Box?
The solution is used for data storage and any kind of visualization.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Box?
The solution is expensive when it comes to API calls.
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?
Dropbox needs to improve its integration with Google platforms, including Google Sheets, Google Docs, and Google Slides, which facilitate easier collaboration. I would also like to see features rel...
 

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Find out what your peers are saying about Box vs. Dropbox and other solutions. Updated: November 2024.
816,406 professionals have used our research since 2012.