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Box vs Dropbox comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 17, 2024
 

Categories and Ranking

Box
Ranking in Cloud Storage
11th
Ranking in Content Collaboration Platforms
4th
Average Rating
8.4
Number of Reviews
40
Ranking in other categories
Enterprise Content Management (5th), Digital Asset Management (3rd), Document Management Software (1st)
Dropbox
Ranking in Cloud Storage
6th
Ranking in Content Collaboration Platforms
1st
Average Rating
8.2
Number of Reviews
88
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2024, in the Cloud Storage category, the mindshare of Box is 8.5%, up from 5.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Dropbox is 9.0%, down from 10.0% 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
Jan 26, 2024
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
Jan 17, 2024
An easy-to-use solution that can be used to store files in the cloud and share them with different people
We use Dropbox to store files in the cloud and share them with different people and sources Dropbox is an easy-to-use solution that has good stability. The solution could provide more capacity for free. I have been using Dropbox for many years. Dropbox is quite a stable solution, and I don't…

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The solution is used for data storage and any kind of visualization."
"Sharing and collaborating across files and folders has been a massive game changer."
"Box is very realistic when it comes to sharing capabilities."
"Box is very user-friendly; more so than SharePoint."
"Box is extremely stable, they have not been hacked or lost any data in the past seventeen years. I am very impressed with it."
"The system's performance is impressive, and file sharing is notably straightforward."
"The ability to collaborate around data anywhere, anytime is the most powerful features of Box."
"Box is very simple and effective, so I prefer Box."
"I use the product to open files."
"We don't really use the collaboration features because we have only a small organization. Dropbox is valuable having the hard drive space available, and the access to be able to upload and access the content."
"The product's most valuable feature is storage."
"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 is easy to use."
"Offers great flexibility."
"The most valuable feature of the solution is that it is user-friendly."
"It offers convenience. It can connect with all devices that you own."
 

Cons

"The UI should be faster. Sometimes it lags when switching between documents."
"They could integrate better with other platforms."
"The search features and role permissions are not very user friendly. It only searches the first few pages of a document, which is quite a problem."
"Data privacy, regarding where to store your data: Offering several transparent(!) options (where to store my data and whether to sync back or not and where to sync) regarding the local law situations (USA, EU, Switzerland!) would increase the credibility of a US based company (after NSA ‘snooping’)."
"Like all cloud platforms, there are always areas of improvement around sync to local devices."
"Improvements in speed - Box's high level of security impacts performance, especially when compared with other similar services."
"I find their API to be quite complex and it could be more straightforward."
"It could be cheaper."
"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 solution could improve by being more secure and having more storage."
"The storage is not large enough."
"A room for improvement in Dropbox is document editing. It would be nice to have the functionality of editing the document with other people at the same time. This is something that can be done on Office 365, and it's a feature I'd like to see in the next release of Dropbox."
"The tool must be better protected."
"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."
"It could be more secure."
"The solution could be a bit less expensive."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The pricing may seem steep at first, but delve into the features and you'll soon realize it is incredible value for what you get."
"It is expensive per head, as you need the enterprise license to get full security and tools. So negotiate a discount!"
"Our pricing and licensing is excellent. I'd tell all Higher Ed customers to talk with Internet2 for excellent pricing and support."
"They are very price competitive when pushed. Initially, they come out with a standard list price, but they are willing to be very competitive. The Box price was pretty much equal to or lower than the Citrix price, and Box has more features."
"We are using the free version of the solution. There is a free version and monthly and yearly subscriptions available."
"Box needs to improve with their pricing in terms of licensing costs."
"Box's pricing is excellent."
"I have to pay for Box. It could be a little cheaper. On a scale from one to ten, I would give the pricing a five."
"Dropbox could be less expensive, and I pay monthly."
"The solution does not come with a licensing cost."
"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 are using the free version of Dropbox which has approximately two gigabytes of data capacity."
"My company makes monthly payments towards the licensing charges associated with the product. I think it's a reasonably priced product."
"A bigger discount for existing users would be appreciated."
"The pricing varies depending on the version, and the one we currently utilize is the business version."
"The pricing for non-corporations is expensive. They have raised their prices and have low storage capacity."
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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
56%
Computer Software Company
6%
Financial Services Firm
5%
Manufacturing Company
4%
Educational Organization
56%
Computer Software Company
5%
University
4%
Government
4%
 

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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GE, Toyota, P&G, Caterpillar, Flex, Schneider Electric, Sally Beauty, Eurostar, AstraZeneca, AirBnB, Whirlpool, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Nationwide, Aeropostale etc
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 Box vs. Dropbox and other solutions. Updated: October 2024.
813,418 professionals have used our research since 2012.