Although it sits at the expensive end of the spectrum, this popular cloud storage platform is backed by a range of advanced features, impressive security, and powerful integrations with a suite of third-party platforms.
For
No file size limit for uploads
Simple, feature-rich user interface
Against
Slightly expensive
Poor privacy features
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This Dropbox review comes at a specific time for cloud storage. Although cloud storage has been easily accessible for almost three decades, it has never been as popular as it is today. Creatives and other users across the world regularly use some sort of cloud storage platform to securely store their image, media, document, and other files.
Anyone who knows anything about the industry will agree that Dropbox clearly sits alongside the best cloud storage providers in the business. In the rest of this Dropbox review, we analyze every aspect of this platform to help you determine whether or not it offers the right cloud storage solutions for your needs.
01. EXCLUSIVE: IDrive One-year 5TB plan: $69.50 $3.48
Get 95% off: IDrive is our choice as the best cloud storage service available, and Creative Bloq readers can get 5TB for only $3.48, for a whole year, which would normally cost close to $70. That's a bargain you won't want to miss.
02. pCloud:Lifetime subscription, or less than £4 a month
Low cost storage: If you want a guaranteed low price over the long term, the pCloud is the best cloud storage service for you. Plans start at just £3.59 a month, and you get 500GB of storage; or you can opt for the very reasonably priced lifetime subscription.
01. Dropbox review: Plans and pricing
There are five different Dropbox subscription options (Image credit: Dropbox)
Dropbox is available with two personal and three business subscription options, along with a free plan that has a tight 2GB storage limit. The Plus ($11.99 per month) and Family ($19.99 per month) plans both come with 2TB of storage and support one and six users respectively.
A Professional plan ($19.99 per month) for a single user includes 3TB of storage and a range of advanced features, including document watermarking and a huge 100GB single file transfer limit. The Standard ($15 per user, per month) and Advanced ($25 per user, per month) plans are designed for team use and include a suite of highly advanced management tools.
The Professional, Standard, and Advanced plans are all available to test with a 30-day free trial.
When compared to its main competitors, Dropbox’s relatively high prices become immediately obvious. For example, Google Photos costs just $9.99 per month for 2TB of high-quality cloud storage, and it comes with equal or better collaboration and management features. Or, an even cheaper option is FlickrPro, which costs just $6.99 per month for unlimited storage.
Value for money: C
These ratings work on an A-C basis, with A being the best.
02. Dropbox review: Features
Dropbox is backed by a range of collaboration features (Image credit: Dropbox)
At the end of the day, Dropbox comes with all the main features we would expect to see from a cloud storage provider that focuses on collaboration. Its user interface is very attractive, it comes with a suite of sharing and file permission tools, and it can be accessed via web, desktop, and mobile apps.
Below, we’ve outlined a few of the platform’s most important features.
Maximum file size and upload limits
Those working with large files will love Dropbox’s generous file size and upload limits. When using the desktop or mobile app, there is no restriction whatsoever on upload size. With the web app, you will be restricted to 50GB per file, which is still huge.
What’s more, even the low-end Professional Business plan comes with 3TB of storage—enough for 300,000 photos with an average file size of 50MB. Or to put it another way, this would let you upload 100 hours of standard 4K footage. And if, for some reason, you need more storage than this, you can simply upgrade to a more advanced plan.
Collaboration and file sharing
Dropbox comes with an impressive range of collaboration features, including the ability to share files directly with other parties. Different permissions can be set to allow people to view, comment on, or edit a file directly, and you can even create collaborative documents through the Dropbox Paper integration.
What’s more, Dropbox can be connected with a range of third-party platforms, including Slack, Zoom, and many others, to streamline daily workflows.
Streamlined photo backup and management
Finally, Dropbox also allows you to automatically back up your photos from your mobile or desktop device. Simply download the mobile app and configure it to sync directly with your camera roll, or import photos from memory cards, cameras, and more by connecting through the desktop interface.
You can also use the desktop, mobile, and web apps to access stored photos. Uploaded files can be organized into different folders, previewed directly in the app, and shared via simple, unique links.
03. Dropbox review: Interface
The Dropbox user interface is very intuitive and easy to navigate (Image credit: Dropbox)
The Dropbox user interface is excellent. Setting up your account simply involves signing up for the plan you want and downloading the desktop app. Then, files can be uploaded or managed through either the desktop, mobile app, or web interface.
The web interface is particularly attractive, with a simple menu on the left of the screen that allows you to navigate between different files and folders. On the right of the screen, there is a small menu allowing you to create new folders and upload files as required.
04. Dropbox review: Security
Dropbox is protected by various security features (Image credit: Dropbox)
As one of the world’s oldest cloud storage providers, Dropbox has had plenty of time to fine-tune its security integrations. All uploaded files are protected by multiple layers of advanced protection, including full encryption to ensure your images are inaccessible to hackers and other malicious entities.
You will also have access to automatic backups allowing you to recover files and version history for up to 180 days. And what’s more, you can even watermark files and set strict permission controls.
05.Dropbox review: Support
Various support resources are available via the Dropbox Help Center (Image credit: Dropbox)
All paid Dropbox plans come with access to Priority email support. All Business plans also include live chat support, while the Standard and Advanced subscriptions even come with phone support during local business hours.
There are numerous other help and self-help options available, including a comprehensive knowledge base and an active community forum.
Although it sits at the expensive end of the spectrum, this popular cloud storage platform is backed by a range of advanced features, impressive security, and powerful integrations with a suite of third-party platforms.
Daniel is a freelance copywriter with over six years' experience writing for publications such as TechRadar, Tom’s Guide, and Hosting Review. He specialises in tech and finance, with a particular focus on website building, web hosting and related fields. For Creative Bloq, he mainly reviews software, including website builders, cloud hosting and web hosting services.
