Introduction
In this article, we will discuss the difference between cloud storage and file synchronization features, that is, Google Drive and the dropbox. These two have some common features that make them similar, but there are quite a few differences between them too. Some Features like free storage, version history, and selective folder syncing help in auto-saving, tracking, and customized sharing of permissions as well.
The difference in features is also plenty like comparing the two in terms of popularity. People use both Dropbox and Google Drive almost daily, but when it comes to general preference, Google Drive wins. This can be understood because of some of the features that Google Drive provides like the 5GB storage that is free with the drive, and apart from this, it’s shared and connected to your emails. Google drive has better security and can be shared among people. This makes it very suitable for work environments and are active used in offices. The feature of advanced search helps in easy tracking and organizing of the files. Apart from this, several features of Dropbox are better than Google Drive but not as popular. Dropbox functions at a faster speed of work, and Dropbox has Basic permission management. Shareable links support password protection and expiration dates along with One-click shareable links from the desktop. this has a great file recovery system as well. Can recover files deleted or changed within the past 30 days. The highest-paid plan offers a 10-year limit. The one major drawback with Dropbox is the price plan that consumers are unwilling to buy.
Google Drive Vs. Dropbox
The main difference between Google Drive and Dropbox is the price and data storage. Dropbox's free plan includes 2GB of storage, and though it’s easy to reach a maximum free storage capacity of 16GB by adding friends, this is still less, but in case of Google Drive's free plan, a 15GB free storage without any additional effort but that 15GB is shared across your entire Google account and this includes all the things like email attachments and photo backups, so it's easier to use up all that 16GB space. Dropbox's paid plans start at $11.99 per month—or $9.99 per month if you pay annually—for 2 TB of storage. With Google Drive, there are two options: they can purchase storage via a Google One subscription or a Google Workspace subscription. This is considerably cheaper than Dropbox. Dropbox's 2TB annual plan when the consumer is paying monthly, though one can save a few bucks going with Google on the annual plan. Google also offers smaller, cheaper plans that get 100GB for $1.99/month (or $19.99/year), or 200GB for $2.99/month (or $29.99/year).
Difference Between Google Drive and Dropbox in Tabular Form
| Parameter | Google Drive | DropBox |
| Price | Google Drive, there are two options. They can purchase storage via a Google One subscription or a Google Workspace subscription. This is considerably cheaper than Dropbox. Google also offers smaller, cheaper plans that get 100GB for $1.99/month (or $19.99/year), or 200GB for $2.99/month (or $29.99/year). | Dropbox's paid plans start at $11.99 per month—or $9.99 per month if you pay annually—for 2 TB of storage. There are a few Dropbox free plan which includes 2GB of storage, though you can reach a maximum free storage capacity of 16GB by adding others, with each person earning you at least 500MB. |
| Language available in | Google Drive there are more than 60+ languages like regional and international languages included. | Dropbox is available in several languages like English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Latin American Spanish, Castilian Spanish, Brazilian, Bahasa Indonesia, Bahasa Malaysia, PуÑÑкий and Polski |
| Website | www.drive.google.com | www.dropbox.com |
| File size limit | The file size upload limit for google drive is 300 MB via the website. Limitless via desktop app. | The file size upload limit for Dropbox is 10GB via website and desktop app. |
| Operating systems that support | The software that supports Google Drive are Desktop: Windows, Mac, Linux - Mobile: Android, iOS, Blackberry, Kindle Fire. | The software that supports Dropbox is Desktop: Windows, Mac; Mobile: Android, iOS. This is a smaller number than Google Drive. |
What is Google Drive?
Google Drive is a file storage synchronization service by Google. This has now become the home of Google Docs, a suite of productivity applications that offer collaborative editing on documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and more; the Google Drive desktop client functions in the same way as the Dropbox desktop app, except for files that are opened via the Google Docs software. But in case the users want to open a document in Microsoft Word, they must first export the file from Google Docs. The web client is where Google Drive works best, as the built-in suite of software apps allows online editing of documents like spreadsheets and photos without needing to download anything to any local hard drive. Google Drive also has many different search tools, which not only perform a highly specified search of text and file names but also use optical character recognition to search photos and scanned documents for context. Google Drive, there are two options in plans. They can purchase storage via a Google One subscription or a Google Workspace subscription. This is considerably cheaper than Dropbox. Google also offers smaller, cheaper plans that get 100GB for $1.99/month (or $19.99/year), or 200GB for $2.99/month (or $29.99/year). Further, it's available in 60+ languages, including regional and international languages. There are some limitations to this as well, like the file size upload limit for Google Drive is 300 MB via the website. Unlimited via desktop app. But The software that supports Google Drive is Desktop: Windows, Mac, Linux - Mobile: Android, iOS, Blackberry, Kindle Fire are more than Dropbox supporting software.
Google Drive has an edge over Dropbox as it Encrypts data in transit and at rest and encrypts keys 2FA via SMS, app, phone call, or physical key. It can also recover files that were deleted 30 days prior, which is a life-saving tool at times. Apart from this, the advanced search system and the free plans and storage are a few features that impress consumers and keep them satisfied with Google Drive.
What is Dropbox?
Dropbox is one of the famous file-hosting services operated by Dropbox, Inc. This also offers cloud storage, file synchronization, and client software. Dropbox's paid plans start at $11.99 per month—or $9.99 per month if you pay annually—for 2 TB of storage. There are a few Dropbox free plan that includes 2GB of storage, though you can reach a maximum free storage capacity of 16GB by adding others, with each person earning you at least 500MB. The price plans are not as great as those of Google Drive, so a bit less popular. Even though it was launched in 2008, two years after the coming up of Google Drive, it still has a Better security system. Though it has its qualities as well, the Dropbox has better speed than the Google Drive Block-level sync, LAN sync. This also has a better file-sharing system than Google Drive, Basic permission management. With Shareable links support, password protection, and expiration dates. One-click shareable links from desktop, etc. One of the main advantages of Dropbox is that it enables the user to open files in their preferred application and does not force a particular format. For instance, word documents can be simply opened with Microsoft Word, there is no need to upload them on Google Docs like in the case of Google Drive. However, the Dropbox web client is less robust than Google’s offering, which is a limitation. Files can only be reviewed but not edited via the web client. For editing, all files must first downloaded in the dropbox. There is a simple built-in search function available on both clients, which is not as advanced as Google Drive.
While using onDropbox supports file sharing directly through the desktop app, files can be shared through a link quickly and easily or by creating a shared folder with other users. Users in the same shared folder group can also see anything placed in there by another user and edit it by downloading it into their Dropbox. For ensuring safety, All documents in Dropbox are encrypted, and logging into the web client requires a two-step authentication process, but the loophole is that the Dropbox mobile app is the only one that requires a 4-digit passcode. Dropbox for Teams simply allows the creation of groups for sharing with different permission levels like editable etc. The downside of this is that it creates another set of permissions independent of any other programs that need to be managed and becomes much more complicated for the users.
Difference Between Google Drive and Dropbox in Points
- Security and Permissions: When it comes to Dropbox, all documents in Dropbox are encrypted, and logging into the web client requires a two-step authentication process but the loophole is that the Dropbox mobile app is the only one that requires a 4-digit passcode. Dropbox for Teams simply allows the creation of groups for sharing with different permission levels like editable etc. The downside of this is that it creates another set of permissions independent of any other programs that need to be managed and becomes much more complicated for the users. In the case of Google Drive through Docs, existing groups and permissions can be integrated into Google Drive without the need to create another set of groups/permissions/passwords. This process is much simpler for users.
- File types and platform used: there are not many software where Dropbox is available there are just, Desktop: Windows, Mac; Mobile: Android, iOS. This is a smaller number than Google Drive. The file types that are supported by Dropbox are Microsoft Office, Apple iWork, and audio, along with image files like Jpeg and PNG and video files like MP3. Google Drive has many supporting file types like Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop, AutoCAD, vector graphics files, audio, video, and image files all these encompass all the widely used file types. The compatible software is Desktop: Windows, Mac, Linux - Mobile: Android, iOS, Blackberry, and Kindle Fire.
- Sharing ease: While using onDropbox supports file sharing directly through the desktop app, files can be shared through a link quickly and easily or by creating a shared folder with other users. Users in the same shared folder group can also see anything placed in there by another user and edit it by downloading it into their Dropbox. In Google Drive on the other hand, Google Drive does not allow for sharing via the desktop client; the web client has powerful sharing capabilities that are particularly appealing to large collaborative efforts. However, as it is attached to the emails and docs directly, these can accessed from anywhere and used easily from any device that has a Google account logged.
Conclusion
This article has helped us understand the clear differences and similarities between Google Drive and Dropbox and helped us make a decision on which one is more suitable for us as users based on the features that are more of a priority for us. For a user that values Securtity above all else, Dropbox is the preference between the two but a user looking for more storage and easy access to documents through mail will prefer Google Drive. This has also helped clear the confusion that many users have regarding the benefits and perks that come with the paid plan of the two, along with the plan that would be better for them. This has further helped in portraying the advancement in storage keeping in the past few years and the way it has enhanced the digital storage market.
The major takeaway from this article was about the role these two features play and how crucial data saving and security have become with several verification processes that are devised by this software for the data protection of their users.
