Box vs. Dropbox: Battle of the Cloud Storage Titans

Box and Dropbox are among the best-rated cloud storage providers. They have software applications for storing and sharing different files, documents, and media. Most businesses use either of the two services owing to their storage space, production technology, pricing, ease of use, and security. 

Which between Box and Dropbox is superior? Stick around as we compare the two cloud storage providers in every aspect and declare a winner by the end. Let’s dive into our Box vs Dropbox guide for answers.

Box vs. Dropbox: Side-By-Side Comparison

What is Box?

Box is a file storage service that allows users to store and access different files from the cloud. However, Box takes co-editing to the next level as it features several productivity tools and allows teams to collaborate on projects. With triggered workflows, a built-in CMS system, and an automated e-signature creation, Box provides a fantastic working experience when co-editing documents. You can access Box on all devices through the browser, desktop, or mobile app.

What Is Dropbox?

Dropbox is a cloud-based file storage service allowing users to access their files from any device freely. The service is accessible through a mobile app, a browser, and a software app. With Dropbox, you can store, organize and manage files, documents, audio, images, and link files, among others. Additionally, multiple users can simultaneously access, share, or co-edit the stored files.

Box vs. Dropbox: What’s The Difference?

Box and Dropbox, being the standards of excellent cloud-storage services, have several distinguishing features. Let us take a look at some of them.

Subscription Plans & Storage

Starting with pricing, Box is more expensive than Dropbox. However, let’s not be quick to judge. We shall check out some of the plans Box and Dropbox offer and their storage capacities.

Box has a total of 7 plans comprising Individual and Business Plans. Of the 7 plans, one is free, and six are paid. The free plan comes with 10GB of storage. All Business plans offer unlimited storage and support collaboration. 

The Personal Pro plan costs $16 monthly, while the Business Starter costs $7/mo. They both offer 100GB of storage. Business and Business Plus cost $20/mo and $33/mo, respectively, while Enterprise costs $47/mo. There also is a newly-added customizable Enterprise Plus plan. All Business plans support at least three users, with the prices charged per user. When you sign up for an annual subscription, you get a 25% discount on all paid plans.

Dropbox also offers seven different plans, of which six are paid. The free basic plan supports a maximum of 2GB, 3 simultaneous devices, and packs basic features. With the paid plans, storage sizes and features improve as you go up the plans. 

Britbox Plus offers 2TB of storage at $11.99 / month for one user, while Family (Up to 6 users) provides the same 2TB at $19.99 / month. Professional costs $19.99 / month and offers 3TB to one user, whereas Standard (3+ users) has 5TB at $18 / user/month. Finally, Advanced has unlimited storage for 3+ users at $30 /month. The Enterprise plan is customizable, and its price depends on your specifications.

Special Features

Box and Dropbox have several notable features, some similar while others are specific to the respective cloud storage platforms. Let’s go through some of these special features:

Box features:

Box allows users to store all types of files, from documents, photos, videos, CAD files, and slides. The files can be of different sizes depending on your plan. With a maximum of 30 simultaneous users, Box gives teams tools that allow them to collaborate on tasks. You can add new collaborators and customize access permissions, comment on the documents, provide and receive feedback from different users, and assign tasks to team members. 

Workflow tools come in handy when working in teams. Administrators can use these tools to customize their workflow sequences based on several factors, from edits to user creations, or requests. The sequences generate file request links, instantly simplifying teammates’ contributions. The E-signature requests tool also enables teammates to sign onto a document upon the administrator’s request. 

Dropbox Features

Like Box, Dropbox allows users to store different types of files, from photos, videos, presentations, documents, and CAD files. All these files will be arranged on the home screen depending on the recently worked projects, with the option to customize this display.

Dropbox has several file and folder management tools, including copy and drag files, one-click upload and download, and dropdown tools for each file and folder. For team workers and collaborative projects, Dropbox features handy collaboration tools. When cowriting, a user can easily edit, modify or delete any file, and all these updates will appear on synced devices.

Additionally, team administrators can monitor these changes while still being able to see previous versions of the project. Other collaboration features include customized permissions, commenting, link generation, and file requests.

Dropbox also organizes and manages all your photos and videos. Uploads are automated, and when a picture or video is uploaded, you can view it using either of the approved devices so long as you use the same account. 

Dropbox uploads media from both your mobile phone and desktop. The mobile app can also scan documents and upload screenshots automatically upon request. You also get other media features like image previews, tagging, and shareable links.

File Sharing

Dropbox wins effortlessly here. When sharing, Dropbox allows you to set expiration dates for your links, with the option to send files directly to your colleagues. Additionally, Dropbox supports external sharing, and the integrated apps make sharing easier. 

The Professional and Advanced subscription plans have a 100GB maximum transfer limit, adding to the already good file-sharing track record. This insanely high limit allows you to share all your files regardless of their sizes. 

However, Box is pretty close in file sharing. Although Britbox is much better at file sharing, Box still has simple and easy-to-follow file-sharing sequences. If you need to be discreet, you can share your files via password-protected links. The limited download option and file request tool are also handy. The file request tool allows users to request files from other external parties without having to log into the platform. 

Collaborations and Syncing

In a company setting, having a cloud storage platform that allows users to collaborate on projects can be convenient. The feature saves a lot of time, as multiple people can work on a single project concurrently. This takes away friction and lets team members focus on the project. 

Box outperforms Dropbox in collaborations. Because Box integrates Google Workspace and Office, multiple users can create and edit different projects concurrently via the same account. While Box can easily sync different files, it lacks block-level syncing. The absence of this sync feature means you have to upload files to your account after editing them individually.

Additionally, Box has a lower file size limit compared to Dropbox. The Starter plan supports 2GB, whereas the Business plans offer 5-15 GB support. Yes, these limits are high, but considering the subscription costs on the plans and Dropbox limits, Dropbox offers better. 

Dropbox shines in syncing as it supports block-level sync. This means you can upload blocks of files simultaneously after editing. Dropbox’s Smart Sync feature also takes syncing to the next level by enabling users to access, edit and work on Dropbox files without downloading them on their desktops. This saves disk space and time. 

Because Dropbox syncs better and has better upload limits than Box, it wins in collaboration and syncing. However, Box also performs impeccably in collaboration. The only downside is it lacks block-level sync and has lower upload size limits. 

Upload and Download Speeds

Both are extremely fast cloud storage services. However, when we put both services head-to-head over a 1GB test file, Dropbox took the lead in speed. Box had a 450 Mbps download speed and a 21 Mbps upload speed. On the other hand, Dropbox had 460Mbps and 22 Mbps Download and Upload speeds, respectively. From these results, Dropbox emerges as the winner only by a small margin.

Privacy and Security

When storing your files in the cloud, you want them to stay private and secure. Both platforms mainly focus on usability and productivity and have sufficient security protocols. They both use server-side encryption to protect user data.

Box protects its users at network and user levels. AES 256-bit encryption ensures all files are protected from third parties while in the servers, and an SSL/TLS layer ensures all your data is safe while in transit. Additionally, users can control several security protocols. These include:

• File sharing permissions
• Amin controls
• File classification settings
• Document watermarking
• Malware protection
• Box shield dashboard
• Content lifecycle management
• Customized file history setting

Dropbox also uses privacy and security protocols similar to Box’s for files in transit or in storage. AES-256 encryption prevents a data breach at the server level, whereas a featured SSL/TLS layer protects the file during upload and download. However, the two services have different user-oriented security features. Dropbox features access controls, two-factor authentication, folder permissions, remote wipe, and content-sharing link expiration. 

Integrated Apps

Box and Dropbox have 100s to 1000s of integrated apps within their ecosystems. The apps help simplify work. Box has 1500+ integrated apps, including Zoom, Google Workspace, Microsoft Office 365, Zarpier, Smartsheet, Asana, Salesforce, and Workato. On the other hand, Dropbox has 100+ integrated apps. Some standout options include Google Suit, Microsoft, Dropbox Capture (Windows), Adobe, Zoom, Slack, Canva, and Autodesk.

Box vs. Dropbox: 5 Must-Know Facts

• Dropbox outperforms Box in file sharing and syncing thanks to its 100GB file transfer limit, valuable integrated apps, and the block-sync feature.
• Box performs better in collaborations than Dropbox as it integrates Google Workspace and Office 365, making it easier for teams to collaborate on different projects while using the same account.
• Box subscriptions typically cost more than Dropbox overall, but since unlimited storage is a standard feature in Box plans, it might be less expensive for organizations with large files.
• Box support 100s of app integrations apps like Google Workspace, Zarpier, Smartsheet, Asana, Microsoft Office 365, and Workato, whereas Dropbox integrates apps like Google Suit, Microsoft, Dropbox Capture, Adobe, Zoom, Slack, Canva, and Autodesk.
• When tested using a 1GB file, Box registered 450 Mbps download speed, and 21 Mbps upload speed, while Dropbox had 460 Mbps download speed and 22 Mbps upload speed.

Box vs. Dropbox: Which One Is Better?

Winding down, Box vs Dropbox looks to go down to the wire. Both are excellent cloud storage options with fantastic features and capabilities. Ultimatelyly, your choice depends on your file type, size, and your collaboration needs. 

Dropbox is a good file management tool as it handles media files and has an outstanding syncing process. The platform offers many customizations to reorganize media files, and its sharing protocols are superb. Unfortunately, Dropbox offers lower storage capacities than Box. So, if you need to store large files, the service might not suit you.

Box offers better storage but at a higher subscription price. The extra space can make a difference if you have a vast content library. The file hosting service also supports app integration. You and your team can collaborate via Microsoft Office 365 and Google Workspace. Considering all these factors, Box wins this battle with a slim margin