Standard Dropbox Review: Is It Right for You

Dropbox is a popular cloud storage service that offers a free plan, as well as several paid plans with varying levels of storage and features.

With Dropbox, you can store up to 2 GB of files for free, which is a great starting point for individuals and small teams.

The free plan allows for sharing files with others, but it has some limitations, such as a 30-day file recovery period and limited collaboration features.

Dropbox is widely compatible with most devices and operating systems, making it easy to access your files from anywhere.

Additional reading: Free Cloud Databases

Dropbox offers a range of features to help you manage your files and collaborate with others. You can choose from various plans, including 2TB – 5TB storage capacity for $9.99 / month.

Dropbox allows for seamless file sharing, with options to share files or folders by inviting others through email or generating a shareable link. The size limit varies based on the plan, with 100 MB on the Basic (free) plan and 2GB on Dropbox Plus, Family, and Standard plans.

Expand your knowledge: Cost of Google Drive for Business

With Dropbox, you can sync any folder, including your desktop, documents, and photos, across all your devices. The service also offers selective sync, allowing you to choose which files and folders to sync and which ones to keep offline.

Dropbox features a range of productivity tools, including file previews, edit files, in-app collaboration, and Office Online. You can also integrate with third-party apps, such as Google Docs and Microsoft 365, to supercharge your workflows.

Here are some of the key features of Dropbox's productivity tools:

Dropbox also offers robust security features, including at-rest encryption, in-transit encryption, and two-factor authentication. The service is compliant with various security standards, including AES 256-bit encryption.

Dropbox has a user-friendly interface, making it easy to upload files, create folders, and share files with others. The service also offers a range of mobile apps for Android and iOS devices, allowing you to access your files on the go.

Dropbox's file-sharing and syncing features make it easy to collaborate with others, with options to share files or folders by email or generating a shareable link. The service also offers advanced options for paid users, including link expiry dates and passwords for folders.

Additional reading: Google Storage Transfer Service

Dropbox has robust security measures to protect your account and files.

Dropbox provides password-protected login, which periodically changes and notifies users to change their account password.

You can also use Dropbox Passwords, a password management tool that helps users centrally store all account logins, security codes, and payment cards, and sync them across devices.

Dropbox offers breach monitoring, which notifies users when an account associated with their email address is exposed on the web.

You can also enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) as an extra layer of security for accounts.

Dropbox uses MFA, which requires a 6-digit security code each time you log in, in addition to your password.

You can connect a phone or a mobile application like Google Authenticator to receive the security code.

Dropbox provides two security measures for public links: security by obscurity and link disabling.

Links are unique and completely random, making it difficult for attackers to guess a link unless shared with them by the user.

Worth a look: What Is a Dropbox Link

After sharing a link, you can disable it, so others who received the link can no longer access the referenced files.

Dropbox uses the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) with state-of-the-art 256-bit encryption to secure data at the file level.

This means that once a file is transferred to Dropbox, it is automatically encrypted and only accessible by an authorized Dropbox user.

Dropbox also keeps copies of deleted files and previous versions for 30 days, which can be extended if you buy Dropbox Professional or Dropbox Business.

You can restore a deleted file or revert to a previous version through Dropbox Restore and Recovery.

To improve Dropbox security, you can set up email notifications, enable selective sync, disconnect devices and apps, encrypt Dropbox files before uploading, and receive security education.

Here are some key security concerns facing organizations that use Dropbox: social engineering, data theft, data loss, non-compliance, accountability, and no audit trail.

Dropbox has various security features, like 2FA authentication, and encryption standards like AES and Transport Layer Security (TLS) to protect data at rest and while in transit.

For more insights, see: Get Download Link Google Drive

However, Dropbox suffered a security breach in 2012, when more than 68 million email addresses and passwords were leaked online.

The company responded by improving its encryption protocol from SHA1 to bcrypt and advising users to adopt two-step authentication and avoid reusing passwords.

Dropbox allows users to set up 2FA to protect their accounts from unauthorized access.

When you enable 2FA authentication, Dropbox will always require a six-digit code and password whenever you want to add a new device or log in to your account.

Here are some key protocols that Dropbox uses to protect your data:

Dropbox offers a range of plans to suit different needs, from individuals to businesses.

The free plan provides 2GB of storage, which is enough for casual users with minimal storage requirements.

You can store around 200 to 400 photos in 2GB, depending on their size.

The paid plans offer significantly larger storage capacities, with the Plus plan providing 2TB of storage.

Here's a breakdown of the paid plans:

The Standard pricing plan costs $15.00 per user per month and provides 5TB of storage, making it a good choice for businesses that want to store large files.

The Advanced pricing plan costs $20.00 per user per month and offers unlimited storage space, which is ideal for businesses with many cloud storage users.

Dropbox Business requires at least 3 users, so if you have a smaller business with just one or two users, you may want to consider the individual plans, which range from free to $17.99 per month.

Dropbox is a user-friendly platform with a clean UI that prioritizes functionality over classy designs. This makes it easy for beginners to find their way around.

The platform has a well-designed folder structure where users can create folders and sub-folders and invite users. Users can easily upload files on the web interface or drag and drop them into the Dropbox folder.

Worth a look: Dropbox Local Folder

Dropbox's desktop application creates a sync folder on your local machine and you can select which files to sync and which ones to keep online or offline. This allows for seamless syncing across devices.

The desktop app provides a preference menu that allows users to customize the service to their needs. Users can access these settings through the system tray and turn sync notifications on or off, select folders to sync, configure upload and download speeds, and choose whether Dropbox starts automatically when you turn your computer on or allow it to run in the background.

The mobile apps, available for Android and iOS, allow you to sign in using Google or email and auto-sync with the desktop app and web version. You can see all the files stored in your Dropbox and access them from anywhere.

Here are the key features of Dropbox's user experience:

Content Controls are a crucial aspect of maintaining data security and protecting sensitive information. Dropbox provides fine-grained content controls to protect, monitor, and manage your organization's content.

With Dropbox, shared file permissions can be disabled for other users, including comments. This means that team members who own shared files can take control of who has access to them.

Shared folder permissions allow owners to remove users' access to their folders or change read and edit permissions, giving them complete control over who can access their content. They can also transfer ownership of a folder if needed.

Password-protected shared links are another security feature Dropbox offers. Owners can set passwords for shared links, and access control checks the passwords before transmitting any folder or file.

Shared link expiration is also a useful feature. Users can set the expiration for shared links when providing temporary access to a folder or file, and admins can set a default expiration for specific links for enhanced security.

Dropbox also offers granular sharing and access controls, allowing admins to manage group memberships and permissions at the top or sub-folder level. This ensures that groups and users inside or outside the organization can only access and share specific files and folders.

Here's a summary of Dropbox's content controls:

Two-step verification requirements can also be enforced for specific team members or the whole team, providing an extra layer of security.

A unique perspective: Google Team Drive

You can store around 200 to 400 high-resolution photos on a 2GB Dropbox account, depending on their size.

Photos take up a lot of space, but documents are relatively small, taking up a few kilobytes to a few megabytes each. This means you can store thousands of documents in your free Dropbox space.

To free up space, go through your Dropbox and identify unused or redundant files. Delete old documents, blurry photos, and unnecessary duplicates to reclaim valuable storage space.

If you're nearing your 2GB limit, consider deleting files that are no longer needed. This can be a good opportunity to declutter your digital files and start fresh.

Dropbox occasionally offers bonus storage space for referring friends, but this is not a long-term solution. It can provide a temporary boost if you're tight on space.

Here are some general guidelines for estimating how much space you can store in your Dropbox account:

Remember, 2GB may not be a lot of space, but it's a good starting point for casual users with minimal storage requirements.

Dropbox is a user-friendly platform with a clean UI that prioritizes functionality over classy designs. This makes it easy for beginners to navigate and find their way around.

The platform has a straightforward call to action to help new users sign up and select the right plan. This is a great feature for those who are new to cloud storage.

Dropbox's web interface is easy to use, with a well-designed folder structure that allows users to create folders and sub-folders and invite users. This makes it simple to share and collaborate on files.

To get started with Dropbox, follow these simple steps:

The desktop application for Dropbox is also user-friendly, with a preference menu that allows users to customize the service to their needs. This includes options to turn sync notifications on or off, select folders to sync, and configure upload and download speeds.

The mobile apps for Android and iOS are also easy to use, allowing users to sign in using Google or email and auto-sync with the desktop app and web version. This means you can access all your files from any device.

Curious to learn more? Check out: Google Drive Add on Chrome Desktop

Dropbox's customer support is a major strength, with a help center that's easily accessible and has a search bar to find solutions to common issues. You can also use the community section or chatbot if you're on the free plan.

The help center has different categorizations, like "using Dropbox", "account", and "app and integrations", making it easy to find what you need.

Live chat and phone support options are available on paid plans during local business hours, Monday-Friday, from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. We tried the live chat option and were connected to a customer support agent in less than 30 seconds.

After closing the chat, you'll also receive a follow-up email with the chat transcript and a ticket number to follow up if needed. Dropbox promises to respond to all emails within one business day, Monday-Friday.

A fresh viewpoint: Google Workspace Storage