Dropbox vs Microsoft OneDrive
Dropbox and Microsoft OneDrive are both file sync and storage software. Dropbox is a commercial product from Dropbox, Inc. Microsoft OneDrive is a commercial product from Microsoft.
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 Microsoft OneDrive when
- You already use Microsoft 365 or Windows and want file sync and Office co-editing included in what you pay for.
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.
Microsoft's cloud file storage and sync, built into Windows and Microsoft 365, with Office co-authoring and files-on-demand.
Paying separately is hard to justify if you already get storage with Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace.
Windows pushes folder backup by default, which confuses users, and sharing behaviour differs between personal and business accounts.
Production-ready (both)
Cloud service, desktop app and mobile app (both)
Not published (both)
Closed source, sold by Dropbox, Inc.
Closed source, sold by Microsoft
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
7.4k 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.