The best Dropbox alternatives in 2026

Why People Leave Dropbox

Dropbox invented the "magic folder" that keeps files in sync across computers, and its desktop sync is still one of the most polished available. But the reasons people go looking for a Dropbox alternative are consistent, and most of them can be read straight off Dropbox's own pricing page.

The free plan is small and device-limited. Dropbox Basic gives you 2 GB of storage and lets you stay signed in on up to three devices at a time. Google gives every account 15 GB, pCloud's free tier goes up to 10 GB, and Box's free Individual plan includes 10 GB. If you have a laptop, a phone, a tablet and a work computer, Dropbox Basic already does not cover you.

There is no cheap middle tier for individuals. The only personal paid plan on the Dropbox plans page is Plus: 2 TB for $9.99 per month billed yearly, or $11.99 billed monthly. That works out to $119.88 a year on annual billing and $143.88 a year if you pay month to month. If you only need 100 GB or 500 GB, there is nothing smaller to buy. Google One sells 100 GB for $1.99 a month, and pCloud sells 500 GB for $49.99 a year.

Plus is light on sharing controls. On Dropbox's comparison table, password-protected links, custom link expiration dates, disabling downloads and watermarking are all marked as not included on Plus. You need a team plan (Standard, from $15 per user per month billed yearly) to get them.

Team plans climb quickly once you need security features. Dropbox Standard ($15 per user per month billed yearly, $18 monthly) covers sharing controls and a 180-day file recovery window. But single sign-on, audit logs with file event tracking, tiered admin roles, ransomware detection and end-to-end encrypted team folders are all on Advanced, which costs $24 per user per month billed yearly ($30 monthly) and requires at least three users.

Dropbox is not zero-knowledge by default. Dropbox encrypts data at rest with 256-bit AES, and its end-to-end encrypted team folders exist only on Advanced and Enterprise (and the legacy Business Plus plan). Services like Sync.com and Tresorit make end-to-end encryption the default on every plan, including free ones.

None of this makes Dropbox a bad product. It makes it an expensive one for people who need either very little storage or a lot of security. The seven tools below are compared on the criteria that actually drive the switch.

What Matters When Choosing a Dropbox Alternative

These are the buying criteria used throughout this comparison:

• Price for the storage you actually need. A 2 TB plan is wasted money if you use 200 GB. Look for a tier that matches your usage, and compare annual vs monthly billing.
• Free tier size and device limits. Useful for light users and for testing a service before migrating.
• Sync model. Every tool here offers some form of on-demand files (cloud placeholders that download when opened), but the details differ: Dropbox calls it online-only files, OneDrive calls it Files On-Demand, Google offers streaming or mirroring, Box Drive streams through a cache, Sync.com has CloudFiles, and pCloud mounts a virtual drive.
• Sharing controls. Password-protected links, expiry dates, download limits or preview-only links, and file requests (letting someone upload to you without seeing your other files).
• Encryption model. Whether the provider can technically read your files. End-to-end, zero-knowledge services hold no keys; mainstream services encrypt at rest but manage the keys themselves.
• File recovery window. How far back you can restore deleted or overwritten files: Dropbox Plus offers 30 days, Standard 180 days, Advanced one year.
• Office suite fit. If you live in Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, the storage that ships with those suites is often already paid for.

Dropbox: Full Review

What it is. Dropbox is the original consumer file sync service, now sold as personal plans (Basic and Plus) and team plans (Standard, Advanced and Enterprise). It is the anchor in this comparison, so every alternative below is measured against it.

Key features. Online-only files keep everything visible in Finder or File Explorer without using disk space, and you can make online-only the default. Dropbox Transfer sends one-way deliveries up to 50 GB on Plus and 100 GB on team plans (250 GB on Enterprise). PDF editing, unlimited self-signing and three signature requests per month are included on Plus, Standard and Advanced. Team plans add password-protected links, expiry dates, disabled downloads, watermarking, remote device wipe, file locking and viewer history.

Pricing.

• Basic: free, 2 GB, up to 3 devices.
• Plus (1 user, 2 TB): $9.99 per month billed yearly, $11.99 billed monthly.
• Standard (1 or more users, team storage starts at 3 TB): $15 per user per month billed yearly, $18 billed monthly.
• Advanced (3 or more users, team storage starts at 15 TB): $24 per user per month billed yearly, $30 billed monthly.
• Enterprise: contact sales.

Security and compliance. Dropbox lists ISO 27001, ISO 27017, ISO 27018, SOC 1, SOC 2 and SOC 3 reports, GDPR compliance and HIPAA/HITECH business associate agreements. A BAA can be signed electronically by admins on team plans (US customers). End-to-end encrypted team folders are available on Advanced and Enterprise; Dropbox notes that metadata stays visible and that the mobile app cannot open encrypted folders. Data can be stored in the US, or in Australia, the EU, Japan or the UK for eligible teams.

Who it is for. Teams that move large files around and want online-only file controls, Transfer deliveries and long recovery windows in one product.

Limits. The free tier is the smallest here. Plus has no password-protected links or expiry dates. SSO and audit logs require Advanced.

Google Drive: Full Review

What it is. Google Drive is the storage layer behind Gmail, Google Photos and Google Docs. Individuals pay for more storage through Google One (and the Google AI plans that now include the larger storage tiers). Businesses get Drive as part of Google Workspace.

Key features. Drive for desktop lets you stream files (stored in the cloud, downloaded when you open them) or mirror them (always stored locally as well). Non-Google files can be up to 5 TB each. Google Docs, Sheets and Slides edit in the browser with real-time co-authoring. Workspace Business Standard and above include eSignature with Docs and PDFs.

Pricing for individuals.

• Free: 15 GB shared across Drive, Gmail and Photos.
• Google One Basic, 100 GB: $1.99 per month or $19.99 per year.
• Google AI Plus, 2 TB: $9.99 per month or $99.99 per year.
• Google AI Pro, 5 TB: $19.99 per month or $199.99 per year.
• Every paid plan can be shared with up to five other people.

Pricing for business (Google Workspace, per user per month). Business Starter $7 with a one-year commitment or $8.40 on the Flexible monthly plan (30 GB pooled per user). Business Standard $14 or $16.80 (2 TB pooled per user). Business Plus $22 or $26.40 (5 TB pooled per user, plus Vault for retention and eDiscovery). Enterprise is quote-only. Starter, Standard and Plus are capped at 300 users, and there is a 14-day trial.

What it does better than Dropbox. Much cheaper small tiers, 7.5 times the free storage, family sharing on every paid plan, and a 2 TB plan that costs $99.99 a year against Dropbox Plus at $119.88 a year on annual billing. Workspace bundles business email and video meetings with the storage.

What it does worse. Google's sharing help offers no password-protected links, and expiration dates on shared access are only available to eligible work or school accounts. Version history for non-Google files may drop versions after 30 days or once there are 100 newer versions, compared with Dropbox Standard's 180-day window.

Who it is for. Individuals and families who want the most storage per dollar, and teams already in Google Workspace.

Box: Full Review

What it is. Box is a business-first content platform. It has a consumer tier, but its strengths are admin controls, governance add-ons and integrations.

Key features. Unlimited storage from the Business plan up, Box AI on business plans, unlimited e-signature requests through Box Sign on Business and above, and more than 1,500 integrations. All plans include built-in integrations with Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace. Box Drive streams files from the cloud through a local cache and lets you mark folders for offline use. Paid accounts can password-protect and set expiration dates on shared links, and business plans include document watermarking, data loss protection, custom branding and the Admin Console.

Pricing (billed annually, monthly in brackets).

• Individual: free, 10 GB, 250 MB upload limit.
• Personal Pro: $10 per month ($14), 100 GB, 5 GB upload limit.
• Business Starter: $5 per user per month ($7), 3 to 10 users, 100 GB.
• Business: $15 per user per month ($20), unlimited storage, 5 GB upload limit, external collaborators need paid accounts.
• Business Plus: $25 per user per month ($33), unlimited external collaborators, 15 GB upload limit.
• Enterprise: $35 per user per month ($47), 50 GB upload limit, FedRAMP Moderate and HIPAA support.
• Enterprise Plus: $50 per user per month (annual), 150 GB upload limit.

What it does better than Dropbox. Unlimited storage at Business ($15 per user per month billed annually, the same as Dropbox Standard), unlimited e-signature requests instead of three per month, and a cheaper entry tier for small teams (Business Starter at $5). SSO is available on Business and Enterprise accounts.

What it does worse. The personal plan is a poor deal: Personal Pro is 100 GB for $10 a month, while Dropbox Plus gives 2 TB for $9.99. Upload limits are low on cheaper tiers (250 MB free, 2 GB on Business Starter). Box signs HIPAA BAAs only with Enterprise, Enterprise Plus and Enterprise Advanced customers, while Dropbox offers a BAA from Standard.

Who it is for. Companies that want content management with governance, not just a sync folder.

pCloud: Full Review

What it is. pCloud is a Swiss-headquartered storage service (pCloud International AG) best known for selling lifetime storage plans alongside normal subscriptions.

Key features. pCloud Drive mounts your cloud storage as a virtual drive so files do not use local space. You can upload files of any size, restore previous versions and recover data from up to 30 days ago on Premium plans. Sharing includes password-protected links, file requests and branded shares. pCloud Encryption is an add-on that adds client-side, zero-knowledge encryption.

Pricing.

• Free: up to 10 GB.
• Premium 500 GB: $4.99 per month, $49.99 per year, or $219 lifetime.
• Premium Plus 2 TB: $9.99 per month, $99.99 per year, or $499 lifetime.
• Ultra 10 TB: $29.99 per month, $299.99 per year, or $1,499 lifetime.
• Family 2 TB (up to 5 users): $749 lifetime.
• pCloud Encryption add-on: $150 lifetime.
• Business: $9.99 per user per month billed monthly (1 TB per user, 3 users minimum); Business Pro $14.98 per user per month billed monthly with a new-account discount (2 TB per user). pCloud says annual billing saves 20%.

pCloud shows its lifetime prices as discounts from higher list prices ($279, $709 and $2,799), so check the current figure before buying.

What it does better than Dropbox. Five times the free storage, a 500 GB tier for people who do not need 2 TB, and the option to pay once. A 2 TB lifetime plan at $499 costs about the same as five years of pCloud's own annual 2 TB plan ($99.99 times 5 is $499.95), or a little over four years of Dropbox Plus on annual billing ($119.88 times 4 is $479.52). pCloud Business includes client-side encryption and 180-day file history.

What it does worse. Zero-knowledge encryption is a paid add-on for personal plans, not the default. Premium plans keep 30 days of recovery, the same as Dropbox Plus. Multi-user options are limited: Family covers up to five people but only as a lifetime plan, and teams need pCloud Business.

Who it is for. Individuals and families who want a large amount of storage and would rather pay once than subscribe.

Sync.com: Full Review

What it is. Sync.com is a Canadian storage service built around end-to-end, zero-knowledge encryption. Files are stored in Canadian data centres in Toronto.

Key features. End-to-end encryption on every plan, no third-party tracking, and sharing controls that include read-only access, expiry dates, download limits, preview-only links, password protection, file requests and remote share wipe. CloudFiles provides files-on-demand, selective sync chooses which folders download to each computer, and Microsoft Office apps can open, edit and save files in Sync (an Office 365 license is required). Sync lists SOC 2 Type 1, HIPAA, GDPR and PIPEDA compliance and offers a BAA to eligible healthcare customers.

Pricing (regular prices; a 25%-off first-year promotion was running in October 2026).

• Free: 5 GB, up to 5 devices, 30-day file history, 5 GB of share transfer per month, up to 3 password-protected links.
• Personal 1TB: $12 per month billed annually, $16 billed monthly. 90-day history.
• Solo 5TB: $28 per month billed annually, $32 monthly. 180-day history.
• Personal Unlimited: $45 per month billed annually, $54 monthly. 365-day history.
• Teams 1TB: $6 per user per month billed annually, $8 monthly, 3-user minimum. 180-day history.
• Teams 2TB: $9 per user per month annually, $12 monthly. 365-day history.
• Teams 10TB: $15 per user per month annually, $18 monthly.
• 30-day free trial and 30-day money-back guarantee.

What it does better than Dropbox. Zero-knowledge encryption is standard rather than an Advanced-tier feature, password-protected links and expiry dates are on personal paid plans, and team pricing is lower: Teams 2TB at $9 per user per month billed annually versus Dropbox Standard at $15. File history on Teams 2TB is 365 days, matching Dropbox Advanced.

What it does worse. Personal pricing is not cheap for small needs: 1 TB at $12 a month billed annually costs more per year ($144) than Dropbox Plus with 2 TB ($119.88). The only integration Sync's pricing pages list is Microsoft Office, and SSO is not listed at all.

Who it is for. Freelancers, small firms and privacy-conscious individuals who want zero-knowledge storage without enterprise pricing.

OneDrive: Full Review

What it is. OneDrive is Microsoft's cloud storage. For most people it comes bundled inside a Microsoft 365 subscription rather than bought on its own.

Key features. Files On-Demand shows every file in File Explorer as an online-only placeholder until you open it, and it is on by default in current OneDrive builds. Files can be up to 250 GB. Microsoft 365 subscribers can use "Restore your OneDrive" to roll back all files to any point in the past 30 days, which is useful after ransomware or mass deletions. Microsoft's consumer plan comparison lists Personal Vault, ransomware detection and file restore, and password-protected or expiring link settings.

Pricing for individuals.

• Free: 5 GB.
• Microsoft 365 Basic: $19.99 per year or $1.99 per month, 100 GB.
• Microsoft 365 Personal: $99.99 per year or $9.99 per month, 1 TB, desktop Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook.
• Microsoft 365 Family: $129.99 per year or $12.99 per month, up to 6 people, 2 TB shared.
• Microsoft 365 Premium: $199.99 per year or $19.99 per month, up to 6 people, 1 TB each.

Pricing for business (per user per month, paid yearly, 1 TB per user, up to 300 users). Business Basic $7.00, Apps for business $10.00, Business Standard with Copilot $23.50, Business Premium with Copilot $32.00. There is a one-month free trial and it requires a credit card.

What it does better than Dropbox. Office apps are included in the price. Microsoft 365 Family puts 2 TB across up to six people for $129.99 a year, and Microsoft 365 Basic covers light users with 100 GB for $19.99 a year. Business Basic at $7 per user per month includes 1 TB per user plus email and Teams.

What it does worse. The free tier is 5 GB. Storage is tied to Office: if you do not want Microsoft 365, you are paying for apps you will not use.

Who it is for. Anyone already paying for Microsoft 365, and Windows-heavy small businesses.

Tresorit: Full Review

What it is. Tresorit is an end-to-end encrypted, zero-knowledge storage and file-sharing service. It is part of Swiss Post.

Key features. Every plan, including the free Basic tier, is end-to-end encrypted and zero-knowledge. Link security on personal plans includes passwords, expiry dates and open limits. Business adds single sign-on, custom admin policies and data residency options; Business Pro adds dynamic watermarks, advanced link tracking, auto-deletion policies and Azure AD and Okta provisioning. Tresorit holds ISO 27001:2022 certification (audited by TÜV Rheinland) and offers a BAA to customers who need HIPAA coverage. Business and Enterprise customers can choose data residency across 12 regions, including the EU, UK, Canada, Switzerland and US East and West.

Pricing.

• Basic: free, 3 GB, 2 devices, 500 MB upload limit.
• Personal Lite (50 GB): $5.99 per month or $57 per year.
• Personal Essential (1 TB): $13.99 per month or $143.88 per year.
• Personal Pro (4 TB): $33.99 per month or $329.88 per year.
• Business (3 or more users, from 6 TB): $24 per user per month billed monthly, or $228 per user per year ($19 per month).
• Business Pro (5 or more users, from 15 TB): $30 per user per month monthly, or $288 per user per year ($24 per month).
• 14-day free trial on any plan.

What it does better than Dropbox. Zero-knowledge encryption on every plan rather than on encrypted team folders in Advanced, data residency you control per user, and watermarking plus link analytics for client-facing work.

What it does worse. Price per gigabyte is high. File size caps are low (2 GB on Personal Lite, 10 GB on Essential and Pro, 15 GB on Business, 20 GB on Business Pro), so it is not a fit for video or large design files. Personal plans keep a fixed number of versions (5 to 25) rather than a time window.

Who it is for. Law firms, finance teams, healthcare providers and anyone whose files would be costly if exposed.

Pricing Comparison: What You Would Actually Pay

For one person who needs about 2 TB

All figures use the vendors' published annual prices.

Google and pCloud are the cheapest ways to get 2 TB. OneDrive costs $30 more than Google but includes the Office desktop apps. Sync.com and Tresorit cost roughly three times as much, and what you are paying for is zero-knowledge encryption.

For a 10-person team

Annual billing, per-user prices multiplied by 10 users and 12 months.

Box Business costs the same as Dropbox Standard but includes unlimited storage and unlimited e-signature requests. Microsoft 365 Business Basic and Google Workspace Business Standard also include business email and video meetings. Sync.com Teams 2TB is the cheapest end-to-end encrypted option here, and Tresorit Business costs less than Dropbox Advanced while including SSO and data residency.

How to Choose

1. Start with the suite you already pay for. If your company has Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, you already have OneDrive or Drive storage. Leaving Dropbox may mean cancelling a line item rather than adding one.
2. Size the plan to your real usage. Check how much of your Dropbox quota you use. If it is under 100 GB, Google One Basic or Microsoft 365 Basic costs $19.99 a year.
3. Decide whether the provider should be able to read your files. If the answer is no, pick Sync.com or Tresorit, or add pCloud Encryption.
4. Check sharing controls on the exact tier. Password links and expiry dates are team-plan features on Dropbox and work-account features on Google Drive; on Sync.com and Tresorit they are on personal plans.
5. Check file size limits. Tresorit and Box's lower tiers cap uploads in the low gigabytes; Google Drive allows files up to 5 TB and OneDrive up to 250 GB.
6. Test with the free tier or trial. Google (15 GB), pCloud (up to 10 GB), Box (10 GB), Sync.com (5 GB), OneDrive (5 GB) and Tresorit (3 GB) all have free tiers; Sync.com offers a 30-day trial and Tresorit a 14-day trial of paid plans.

Migration Tips

• Make everything in Dropbox available offline on one computer before you start, so a full local copy exists.
• Move in batches by top-level folder and check counts after each batch.
• Recreate shared folders and links in the new service before you announce the switch. Shared links do not move between providers.
• Keep Dropbox for one billing cycle as a fallback. Its 30-day (Plus), 180-day (Standard) or one-year (Advanced) recovery window protects you if something is missed.

Conclusion

Most people leave Dropbox for one of three reasons: the free tier is too small, Plus is too much storage at too high a price, or the security features they need are locked in Advanced. Google Drive is the best general replacement for individuals and families. OneDrive wins if you also want Office. pCloud is the pick if you would rather pay once. Sync.com is the best value if you want zero-knowledge encryption, and Tresorit is the choice when encryption must come with admin controls, compliance certifications and data residency. Box is the most direct business replacement, matching Dropbox Standard's price with unlimited storage. Stay with Dropbox if its sync engine and large file transfers matter more to you than the bill.