Dropbox vs Google Drive
Dropbox and Google Drive are both file sync and storage software. Dropbox is a commercial product from Dropbox, Inc. Google Drive is a commercial product from Google.
Which to pick
- Pick Dropbox when
- A team works with large files across mixed platforms and wants dependable sync independent of Microsoft or Google.
- Pick Google Drive when
- You use Google accounts or Workspace and want storage that works with Google's editors and sharing.
Side by side
Cloud file storage and sync across devices, with file sharing, version history, transfer of large files and Dash for search across company apps.
Google's cloud file storage and sync, shared with Gmail and Photos storage, and the home for Docs, Sheets and Slides files.
Paying separately is hard to justify if you already get storage with Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace.
Sharing permissions get tangled in organisations, and storage is shared with Gmail and Photos.
Production-ready (both)
Cloud service, desktop app and mobile app (both)
Not published (both)
Closed source, sold by Dropbox, Inc.
Closed source, sold by Google
Closed source: you use it under the maker's terms and cannot change or resell the code. (both)
4.5k Wikipedia readers a month on phones
61k Wikipedia readers a month on phones
Other comparisons
More file sync and cloud storage software
Both sides were judged on 2026-11-03 from makers' descriptions, Wikipedia, READMEs and GitHub data. License, age and popularity lines are worked out directly.