Try our new research platform with insights from 80,000+ expert users

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
9th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.5
Number of Reviews
16
Ranking in other categories
File and Object Storage (10th)
Dropbox
Ranking in Cloud Storage
3rd
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.6
Number of Reviews
90
Ranking in other categories
Content Collaboration Platforms (1st)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2025, in the Cloud Storage category, the mindshare of Amazon EFS (Elastic File System) is 7.2%, down from 9.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Dropbox is 5.1%, down from 5.9% 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 offers the flexibility of scaling as needed without requiring pre-provisioned storage."
"The product's initial setup phase is easy, as per the configurations."
"Amazon EFS is extremely stable, as it is managed by AWS."
"The first valuable thing is it is scalable."
"Elastic File Systems allow me to share data, provision, and manage capacity and performance in AWS."
"Amazon EFS (Elastic File System) is secure as it is used under VPC."
"We are not that big of a cloud user. We just use it for the storage of our bytes. The most valuable aspect is the storage."
"Amazon EFS offers the flexibility of scaling as needed without requiring pre-provisioned storage."
"The initial setup is extremely easy."
"The security is very good."
"A valuable feature is that it's useful for exchanging large files and documents. I'm happy with it."
"The primary standout feature for me is the effortless synchronization across various devices."
"We haven't had any issues at all with the solution."
"The solution is easy to use."
"The initial setup is simple and straightforward."
"The small business version gave us ample capacity."
 

Cons

"I don't have notes on improvements."
"The product's stability has some shortcomings where improvements are required."
"The initial setup requires prior experience and technical skills."
"Specifically, when it comes to the file system for the learning system, we encountered performance issues with both Azure and AWS."
"The platform's connectivity could be improved to be more comparable to S3 buckets, which offer better API availability."
"Its deployment process could be faster while installing the Python package directly into the environment."
"Amazon EFS is more costly compared to other storage options available from AWS."
"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."
"It is difficult to set up. I'd rate the solution maybe a six or seven out of ten."
"The product must provide users with the ability to edit and modify documents."
"Currently, it permits up to five users, but for larger families, it would be beneficial to have a more flexible offering."
"I think the product's interface is an area of concern since it has been changed for a long time and can be considered for improvement."
"I cannot edit a document at the same time as another user."
"Dropbox, like many file sharing tools, needs to synch to a local hard drive. That is a bit difficult with 5TB Dropbox content."
"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 Security and privacy of this solution need improvement."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Amazon EFS (Elastic File System) offers a pay-as-you-go model, so whenever you use its services, you need to pay."
"I would rate the pricing 7 out of 10."
"The product charges are based on the amount of data stored."
"It has flexible pricing. You are charged based on your storage."
"The solution's price is mid-ranged."
"The product's price depends on the services and the size and capacity at which it is used in a business environment."
"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."
"The amount of free space they provide is sufficient for me. However, if you want more space I don't believe is very expensive."
"I was using the free version of the product."
"We pay for the license yearly."
"The solution is purchased on a subscription basis, and there are purchasing options. If you purchase annually there is a discount."
"The solution does not come with a licensing cost."
"Users need to pay to increase the solution's capacity."
"I am using the free version of the solution."
"The solution is expensive."
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Cloud Storage solutions are best for your needs.
858,038 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
14%
Educational Organization
12%
Financial Services Firm
12%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Educational Organization
56%
Computer Software Company
5%
Financial Services Firm
4%
Construction Company
4%
 

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?
One area of improvement would be to allow multiple users to edit a file simultaneously and see edits in real time, similar to OneDrive. In Dropbox, once a file is opened on one system, it locks the...
 

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: June 2025.
858,038 professionals have used our research since 2012.