17 Best Dropbox Alternatives of All Times

Searching for the best Dropbox alternatives?

You should. Edward Snowden clearly stated a couple years back how Dropbox isn’t secure, or private.

These Dropbox alternatives act as the perfect virtual hard disks. Moreover, sharing files too is made easy.

Be it any type of media file, audio, videos, pictures, movies, large folders etc. Dropbox alternatives offer much ease while sharing these files with others.

Here are the 17 alternatives to Dropbox.

10 Best Dropbox Alternatives | Sites Like Dropbox

You need not to worry about any usage charges as all of them are partially or fully free Dropbox alternatives. You are going to get to know more when you will try them on your own.

• IceDrive

Website: https://icedrive.net/

IceDrive is sure a cloud storage service, just like Dropbox, but for those who value privacy and security above all else.

Additionally, it also beats quite a few other sites like Dropbox when it comes to features.

• Desktop Integration: The optional desktop app creates a virtual drive on your computer. Use it like a normal partition. Upload/download, access, view files. Any and all changes are automatically synced to the cloud.
• Web-version: No mandatory downloads are required. The web app offers a graphical interface with built-in players for almost all file types. Files can be uploaded by drag-dropping.
• Chunked uploading: Advanced file-upload tech. Makes sure even large files can be uploaded fast, without slowing down rest of the connection.
• TwoFish Encryption: It’s often considered to be more secure than AES, the standard encryption for most other Dropbox alternatives.
• Client-side/Zero-Knowledge encryption: Obviously all data and files are encrypted on your system, before being uploaded. IceDrive has no access.
• Timeout links: These are basically time-based links that you can share with others. They expire after a pre-set time.
• Password Protection: Files can be password protected.

Pricing Plans:

It’s one of the very few Dropbox-like cloud storage services that offer lifetime (one-time) payment plans! means pay one time and used forever, with huge data storage. If You are highly interested in monthly or yearly plans, Icedrive offers you in budget price. 

Monthly billing starts at €4.99 /month (Pro plan, no Lite plan available for monthly package) or the yearly billings start at $1.67/month (Lite plan).

Buy Cheap Cloud Storage with IceDrive

• pCloud

Website: https://www.pcloud.com/

Download App: Android, iOS

pCloud is pretty much the best cloud storage provider on top of being a great Dropbox alternative.

pCloud offers some of the most advanced and secure features among all the other options on this list.

• Client-side encryption: This means, pCloud at no time has access to your files. No third party has any access either.
• Password protection: Each file-link can be protected with a password for added security.
• Expiry date: You can set expiry dates to links. The files still exist, but the link wouldn’t work after the expiry date.
• Link branding: pCloud exclusively offers this feature. You can display your own logo, header and description on the links’ landing page.
• Multi-server storage: Your files are stored on minimum 3 different servers. This guarantees file availability and protection against data loss.
• Universal sharing: You can share file with anyone even when they don’t have pCloud accounts.
• Virtual hard drive: pCloud acts as a virtual drive on your system. It doesn’t use any storage space, but, you can drag & drop files to this virtual drive to directly store and sync them with your pCloud storage.
• Unlimited file sizes: No maximum file size limitation on individual uploads. A very rare feature.
• Versioning and Extended file history: You can revisit previous versions or changes to files, and restore them. Moreover, the Extended file history offers file histories up to 360 days. You can even recover deleted files within this period.
• Based in Switzerland.
• 7 million users across the globe.
• Work together on every file through fast and quick collaboration tool.
• The highest level of encryption to maintain security and privacy.

pCloud Pricing Plans:

• Free forever: pCloud offers a free forever plan which offers 10GB storage.
• Premium 500 GB- Annual payment – $47.88/year- 500 GB storage space/500 GB bandwidth/ branded links/ 30-day history. (This plan is also available for a lifetime, for a one-time payment of $175.00).
• Premium Plus 2 TB- Annual payment – $95.88/year- 2 TB storage space/ 2 TB bandwidth/ branded links / 30-day history. (You can get this plan for a lifetime, by paying the one-time fee of $350.00.)

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• Sync.com

Website: https://www.sync.com/

Download App: Android, iOS

Sync.com is a great option in the list of alternatives to dropbox which gives equal preferences to security and usability. It follows the principle of “Zero Knowledge Authentication”. Under such conditions, all your data remains private even from the host of this platform.

Sync.com is very user-friendly and it delivers a different level of permissions for different members of the same plan. You can specify the bandwidth on which you want your plan to work. This makes Sync.com incredibly fast and accurate.

• Share files with people in a faster and more secure way.
• Save files in your PC and access them through other devices.
• Provides offline accessing too.
• Share files with people not even having a Sync account.
• Collaboration on multiple files with multiple people.
• Custom password setting for shared files and folders.

The Pricing Plan:

• The first one is a free plan which gives you 5GB storage with free sign-up and it never expires too.
• The next one is a personal plan which is suitable for an individual. They provide a cloud storage of 2 TB here and bills $8 per month. You get additional features for advanced sharing and advances collaboration in it.
• Last one is a business plan which is suitable for multiple users. It charges you $5 per user per month and gives you 1 TB space for per user.

• Mega – End To End Cloud Storage

Website: https://mega.nz/

Download App: Android, iOS.

If it’s the free best Dropbox alternative you’re looking for, Mega totally ticks all the right boxes. Founded by KimDotCom the founder of the popular file-upload site MegaUpload. Its tagline says “The Privacy Company” which hints at some of the ethics it holds itself by. If your data is higly secure and looking best cloud storage for data host, Mega.nz can host your data.

Now mega.io or Mega.nz is a great collaboration tool for individuals and businesses. because they offered you S3, S4 Scalable object storage, Chat, video call, and share screen, and Document sharing with teams.

• 50GB Free space with Free User.
• End-to-End Encryption: This provides for the highest level of security. The files can’t be accessed by anyone else apart from those who have access permission, not even the company.
• Chat/Video Calls: Users can not only chat in an End to End environment but also make Calls/Video calls to discuss and understand the files better.
• Cross-Compatibility: The files can be accessed on Windows, Mac, and Linux, and it also has a Desktop Application, as well as Browser extension, that’s why Mega cloud storage is the part of best privacy tools list.
• Open-Source: The client apps are Open-Source, letting anyone with the know-how to audit the files and ensure that it really is as secure as it claims to be.
• File-Versioning: All Edits/Changes to a file are saved as versions, which provide for the “undo” feature and revert to the files’ previous condition later.
• Non-U.S DataCenters: Mega has a strict No-U.S policy, so while U.S users can still use the platform it doesn’t store any data on U.S grounds. They’re either stored at a European Datacenter, or in New Zealand, Canada, etc.

Mega Paid Plans:

• Pro Lite: 200GB Storage / 1TB Transfer – EUR 4.99/month.
• Pro I: 1 TB Storage / 2TB Transfer – EUR 9.99/month.
• Pro II: 4TB Storage / 8TB Transfer – EUR 19.99/month.
• Plan III: 8TB Storage/ 16TB Transfer – EUR 29.99/month

Create Your Account With Mega.io and Get 50 GB of Storage Free!

• Box

Website: https://www.box.com/

Download App: Android, iOS

Box.com is the first pick in this list of Dropbox alternatives and this is a well-deserved entry too. Take a look at the website of Box and decide it on your own that there is no way the site lacks in any sort of features. In fact, this is a step higher than Dropbox itself.

The main motive of Box is to share all your important files (large or small) from anywhere to anyone easily. The site also features some demos so that you can understand it better.

• Open Source Cloud Storage service along with various add-ons for different consoles.
• 15 GB storage allotment on creating free account.
• Collaboration on a file on real-time basis.
• Allows you to manage your content in the way you want.
• Total security for sensitive files and folders.

Pricing Plan:

• Free: This plan is free of cost and you need not to pay anything for it. However, you do not get any additional features in it and the space allotted in it is 15 GB only.
• Starter: For 3 users, it charges $4 per month. You get 100 GB of space along with features like document encryption, sync capabilities, proper management and maximum for 10 users.
• Business: For min. 3 users charge $12 per month. Along with unlimited storage, you get office 365 with file size capability of 5GB, data loss safety, management, customer branding etc.
• Enterprise: You need to contact them for this plan. It avails unlimited storage with integration, metadata, and automation of workflow.

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• Google Drive

Website: https://www.google.com/drive/

Download App: Android, iOS

The next one is one of the most used and most popular alternatives to Dropbox which is Google Drive. This is my personal favorite too because I am using Google Drive for a really long time. It has a great user-friendly system and its additional apps for Android and iOS gives a more comfortable using experience too.

Share your files with different users or different PCs or other different consoles because Google Drive is very reliable in all the features.

Google Drive comes with a number of features and great facilities like the rest of the Dropbox alternatives. Let’s take a quick view of its features:

• Collaboration in real-time on same Google Docs or Google Sheets.
• Allows you to leave comments.
• Speech-to-text conversion fluently.
• The initial allotment of 15 GB space is divided between Gmail, Google Photos, and Docs etc.
• Integration with various tools, apps, and services.
• Cloud storage service.

Pricing Plan:

• The first plan is free of cost where you get 15 GB of space without any charges but no other features are accessible.
• In the next plan, you get 100 GB of space allotment for the charges of $1.19 per month.
• In the third plan, you get 1 TB of space which is really huge enough to store all your data and important files. You get this plan for $9.99 per month.
• In the last and final plan, you get 10/20/30 TB of space allotment. These plans go for the charges of $99.99/ $199.99/ $299.99 per month respectively.

• SpiderOak One

Website: https://spideroak.com/

Download App: Android, iOS

SpiderOak One is one of the newest competitors in the list of Dropbox alternatives. You will surely like this file-sharing platform as it is as easy to use as any other alternative to Dropbox. The main thing that SpiderOak One works upon is the safety and security of every single file of yours.

If you are searching a sharing platform other than Dropbox for security reasons then SpiderOak One is just perfect for you.

• Specifically, ponder on the security of all types of files.
• The non-sharable password which cannot be seen by other users.
• Provides deeper control over preferences and settings options.
• End-to-end encryption of documents.
• Group chat, file sharing, and backup creation.

The Pricing Policies and Different Plans:

• Like all other Dropbox alternatives, it has a free plan which requires no signup and offers 2 GB of space for no charges.
• Next plan is for the group which has free set-up policy and charges $9 per month for minimum 10 users. Along with unlimited space, you get fast start and unlimited file storage.
• For the Enterprise plan they charge $299 for set up and an additional $5 per month and require at least 100 users. It offers unlimited storage with LDAP directory.
• The last one is On Premise plan which charges $599 for set up and requires you to contact for pricing. For this plan, you need at least 1500 users.

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• Microsoft OneDrive

Website: https://onedrive.live.com/about/en-us/

Download App: Android, iOS

OneDrive is no new name when we are talking about great Dropbox alternatives. This sharing mechanism is more suitable for those people who are handling a business. Its windows compatibility is just phenomenal as it is regulated by Microsoft itself. However, you also get its Android and iOS apps too.

• Pre-installed with Windows 10 and saves documents automatically.
• Organizing photos and tagging people automatically on the basis of the visuals.
• Sign, highlight, and draw in any PDF file through iOS console.
• Real-time notification of people editing in shared files and documents.
• Collaboration in different files like word, excel, PowerPoint, PDF, OneNote etc.

The Pricing Plans:

• The first one is of course a free plan but it requires you to sign up. Without giving any charges, you get basic OneDrive storage of 5GB.
• Another storage only plan allows you to have a space of 50 GB for your documents. You can buy it for $1.99 per month.
• Next one is a premium plan which gives you, office 365 personal with premium features. You can buy it for $69.99 per year or $6.99 per month.
• The last one is again a premium plan with specific premium features which gives you, Office 365 Home. You can buy it for $99.99 per year or $9.99 per month.

• Tresorit

Website: https://tresorit.com/

Download App: Android, iOS

Tresorit is another one of the best Dropbox alternatives. This sharing platform turns any file into “Tresor” which allows you to convert any document into a link. The only drawback of Tresorit is that it does not offer any free plan to its users.

• Highest level of security amongst all the alternatives to Dropbox.
• Password protection and download limit for documents.
• Expiration date set up of docs.
• No need of creating local storage.

The Pricing Plan:

• The first plan is called Premium. It gives you a storage space of 100 GB. They charge you $10.42 per month along with features like 5 devices and 10 versions. 2-factor authentication and end to end encryption.
• Next plan is Solo and it gives a space of 1000 GB and you need to pay $24 per month for it. It gives the same features as Premium plan along with 10 devices adjoining.
• Next one is a Business plan which offers 1000 GB per user and charges $12 per user per month. It offers phone support, migration assistance, above plus security etc.
• The last plan is Enterprise which offers 1000 GB per user and suitable for 100+ users. It gives great advanced features.

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• WorkZone

Website: https://www.workzone.com/

WorkZone is on this list because it isn’t just a Dropbox Alternative, but is so much more. It’s a complete Project Management solution within itself.

Does it allow uploading and sharing files? It totally does. But in addition, it lets users create, track, monitor and drive projects to success.

• Status-Monitor to monitor the status of each project/task individually.
• Project templates can be created and shared multiple times over.
• Comments and collaborations on the project dashboard helps users stay updated with the project.
• Advanced report-building capabilities.
• Non-Team members can view, edit, comment and interact with projects as well.

Other basic features we’d expect in any Dropbox alternative worth its salt are available as well such as file-versioning.

A total of three different pricing plans are available:

• Team: 100 GB Storage
• Professional: 150GB Storage.
• Enterprise: 200GB+ Storage.

Note that the “Pricing” isn’t displayed in advance and rather is only shared after a free demo is requested by the users.

• Sugar Sync

Website: https://www2.sugarsync.com/

Another DropBox alternative which lets us not just “store”, but share and access data on the cloud. It focuses heavily on security, and backup of the files. Also for a large part it’s automated making things easier. Advanced options include Permissions for folders, syncing and so on.

Its Cross-platform capabilities make accessing the file and folders from just about any device easy as well. The UI in my personal opinion needs to be updated just a little bit.

Primary Features:

• AES 265-bit Encryption: It employs AES 256-bit Encryption during transporting the files from one location to another.
• Easy Rollbacks: Has a feature called “Protected folders“. This allows for one-click rollbacks of folders and their previous contents.
• Public Links: It allows the creation of public links, which allow downloading the entire folder, or specific files. No registration or payments required.
• Collaborations: Allows sharing files and folders with other members. Lets us control if we wish to allow or deny changes.
• Automated Backups: Allows upto 12 backups for every file. Also functions as the “rollback point” or “restoration point” to revert back to.
• Automated Sync: All files/Folders are Synced automatically across all devices.
• Remote Wipe: You can specifically wipe data from other synced devices. The data isn’t lost, the device’s access is simply revoked.

The Paid Plans:

• USD $7.49/month – 100GB Storage.
• $9.99/month – 250GB Storage.
• USD $18.95/month – 500GB Storage.

There is a free trial plan for 30days as well.

• Cloudme

Website: https://www.cloudme.com/en

Download App: Android, iOS. Direct APK (android) download.

Sure not as feature-rich as Dropbox, but sure wins a place as a Dropbox alternative. It’s a Cloud storage, as well as a Cloud backup service. If it’s Privacy and Security you’re looking for, Cloudme promises a good game.

It’s located in Sweden, and hence offers strong EU data privacy. It also houses its own Datacenters which further eliminate third-party attacks, risks and contamination. The Interface in my personal opinion could be improved a bit, but the features more than makeup for it.

• Upload-Only Mode: So the file doesn’t get deleted from all devices, even after being deleted from one or multiple devices.
• Camera-Roll Sync: Specifically sync the camera roll, and then access the media on any device.
• Selective Syncing: Not all Devices need to be synced alike. Cloudme offers selective syncing, so only some devices get access to selected folders while others don’t.
• Real-time Collaborations: Collaborate on files and folders with other members. Users without a Cloudme account can track the changes/updates as well.
• Music-Streaming: Music Streaming allows users to sync their music albums/playlists, and stream the audio on any device.
• Scheduled Backups: These are automated, and help make sure a file is uploaded no matter what. Is desirable both for personal and professional reasons.

Pricing Plans:

• Personal Plans: 4 Different Plans, Starting at EUR 1.00/month, going upto EUR 30.00/month.
• Business Plans: 3 Plans; EUR 149.00/month, EUR 279.00/month and EUR 759.00/month each.

30-Day free trial plan available.

• Team Drive

Website: https://teamdrive.com/en/startingpage/

Download App: All Official Download Links.

Team Drive is a cloud storage solution from Germany, and they pay quite a bit of attention to “security“. One of my personal favorite features with the company is that users can manually select a non-German server as well. It also is GDPR compliant and hence can be trusted with privacy.

It makes use of “Spaces“. These are basically folders which are uploaded or stored on Team Drive. A number of highly reputed companies such as AirBus, Technische Universität München etc.

• Easy to Use: Installing Team Drive is no rocket-science, 0 tech-skills required.
• Role and Rights: Owners can set rights and roles for each space and individual. Read/Write permissions can be assigned or changed easily.
• Auto-Sync: Once a file/folder has been added to a Space, it’s permanently synced. Meaning, all updates and changes are instantly and automatically reflected to all the devices/users who have access to the files.
• End-to-End Encryption: One of the most important features, E2E encryption. Meaning, only the owners and those with the correct permissions have access to the files. No third-parties, not even the company can access the files without permission.
• PiTR: Point in Time Recovery Security Solution auto generates snapshots. These can be used to recover data in case of theft, data corruption etc.
• Change-tracking and Versioning: You can restore previous versions of a file. Also, transparent access to all changes made, as well as the users who made them is available.

Pricing Plans:

Fortunately, Team Drive is completely free for “Private individuals”. As in, if you’re using it individually and personally.

Plans start at EUR 59.50/year, and go up to EUR 99.00/year depending on the number of licenses and storage space.

• Seafile

Website: https://www.seafile.com

Seafile is an open-source program/platform which allows file-syncing as well as live collaborations. It features a unique “Knowledge Management” feature which allows for markdown Wikis to be created. It’s built keeping both individual, as well as corporate use in mind. Department hierarchy is one of its more impressive features.

It has names such as Kaspersky, Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, Strasbourg University etc. for its client-base. It claims being able to sync 10,000 files in a minute.

• Local Drive integration: It allows users to allocate a local disk to Seafile server. Once done, you can access all your Seafile content, and use the drive as a normal drive from your system but with Seafile’s extensive space.
• Snapshots and Versioning: These are two of the other features I’m in love with. Snapshots are basically like an older version of folders, while versioning is for files. These allow you do restore the files and folders to their older state, and hence recover changed data.
• Collaborations: Multiple users can be editing the same file simultaneously. The progress of each users is shown in real-time to the other users on the file.
• Lock Files: Files can be locked while being edited. This prevents others from editing the file simultaneously and create conflicting versions of the same.
• Detailed Logs: It offers detailed logs for all logins, changes, modifications, and even the traffic for each shared link.
• Passwords and Expiry Dates: You can password-protect the files. Or, setting the files up with expiry dates too is possible.
• Remote Wipe: In case of an intrusion, the files can be remotely wiped off the account/server.
• Security Features: Accounts can be protected using 2-FA and there’s in-built virus scanners.

It’s open-source and free for the most part. However, a Professional edition with more features than the free version is available. There’s a USD $100.00 plan for 9 users. For more users, an additional fee needs to be paid.

• MediaFire

Website: https://www.mediafire.com/

Compared to other serious Dropbox alternatives MediaFire doesn’t have a lot of “innovation” per se. But if you need just simple cloud storage at a cheap cost, MediaFire delivers.

The cloud storage has more than 50 Million registered users and is monthly visited by more than 840 million users. Even if it’s cheap it still offers impressive security to its users which earns it a place on this list. It offers a free plan with 10GB storage, which can be expanded to 50GB simply by connecting social media accounts.

• 10 GB free (can be expand up to 50GB)/ Up to 4GB per file.
• Unlimited bandwidth and downloads.
• Easy to share data once uploaded.
• Multiple uploads at same time.
• Organize with ease with the easy-to-use file manager.
• Single-use links: These links are sent from you to the recipient, can’t be shared further.

Pro Features:

• 1 TB storage.
• No Ads.
• Upload from any website.
• Direct download links to file.
• Bulk download (download everything as one zip file).
• One-Time links (100 per/day).

Pricing Plan:

• Pro: USD $7.50/Month – 1TB cloud storage with all Pro benefits, limited for only 1 user.
• Business: USD $80.00/Month -1TB storage (Up to 100TB) with all pro benefits with additional features like fully customizable branding and detailed security logs.

• Egnyte

Website: https://www.egnyte.com/

Egnyte is alike Dropbox in more than one ways, just with a lower price tag. It’s completely compliant with the regulatory requirements and is perfectly suited for small business owners as well as large enterprises.

Its compatibility with multiple devices, encryption, additional tools and features all combine together to make it one of the best Dropbox alternatives.

• Link Expiration: Set an expiry time for the shared links, after which they’re rendered useless.
• In-browser editing: Almost all document types can be edited directly without having to download them.
• Permissions: You can grant other users permission to read/write /delete. Sub-folder level permissions too can be granted.
• Versioning: No file is overwritten. You always get access to edit history as well as older versions of the file.
• File-Lock: Lock files so other users can not make changes to them, it still can be viewed though.
• Download notifications: You receive notifications each time a file from a shared link is downloaded.
• Mobile devices supported: Egnyte is compatible with Windows, iOs, Kindle, and Android.
• Advanced security features: It supports 2-FA, Password rotation, Account lockout and a few other features which protect user accounts from getting hacked.
• Remote Wipe: Lets you wipe data instantly and remotely.
• External uploads: You can allow other users to upload files into specific folders created and owned by you.
• 3 link-types: Allows you to share public links available for everyone, Password protected links available only to users with the right password, and Private links offering a bit more viewership-control

It sure has a ton of other features, but I’m sure you’ve got an idea of its potential by now.

Pricing Plans

• Office: USD $8.00/employee/month.
• Business: USD $20.00/employee/month.
• Enterprise: Custom pricing.

Does offer a free trial.

• BigMIND

Website: https://www.zoolz.com/bigmind/

BigMIND is more of a “long term” solution for storing files. Let’s just say that it’s one of the most advanced (and, also one of the more technical) alternatives to Dropbox.

It uses AES-256 bit encryption for securing the files. Obviously, it’s zero knowledge as well.

• A.I Photo detection: Not many Dropbox alternatives offer this. You can search for images by the “objects” in them. It’s capable of recognizing objects (e.g. glasses, shoes, cell phone etc.) It can also detect faces and categorize photos with the same faces under one single category.
• OCR Detection: You can upload a document photo, and search for text within that document. In simple words, it can recognize text within a document (or photo). It can detect as many as 18 languages.
• Versioning: Older versions of the same files are saved and can be accessed later.
• Password protection: Files can be password-protected.
• Custom permissions and notifications: You can set view only/download permissions for each file. Also, you’re notified if and when a file is downloaded.
• Self-destruct: File links can be set to expire after a certain time.
• Rotating links: The links for files change each time they’re generated. This adds more security as you can share the same file but with new links.

These are just some and not all the features that you get with BigMIND.

Pricing Plans:

The plans are customizable. Meaning, you can choose your space, no. of mobile devices, MySQL databases etc. Depending on that, your pricing would vary.

However, here’s the cheapest price possible for each plan:

• Starter: $15.00/month.
• Standard: $20.00/month.
• Premium: $37.5/month.

The best part is, you can try it absolutely free for 14 days. No cards or payments required.

• Duplicity

Website: http://duplicity.nongnu.org/

Duplicity is one of the more unique Dropbox alternatives. For starters, it’s completely open source, and 100% free. None of the other options above offer that.

• Free & Open source: No payments whatsoever. Being open-source, all the code can be examined for backdoors and loopholes.
• Incremental backups: When data in a file is changed, it doesn’t upload the whole file again. Rather, only the changed parts are uploaded. Saves bandwidth, time and space.
• E2E Encrypted: It uses GnuPG for encryption. All data is encrypted client-side. The server has no access.
• History/versioning: Older file versions/history are saved. Even if you’ve updated your file, you can retrieve an older version.

Do note that it clearly isn’t the most feature-rich cloud storage platform. Also, configuring it does require a bit of time as well as some skills. However, if you need a simple, secure, and free option, this is it.

How to Choose the Best Dropbox Alternatives?

You may be confused, with all these options that’s only natural.

How about we help share a few quick tips on how to make a choice?

If you’re in a rush, go with pCloud. It’s just unbeatable. Otherwise, here a few points you may pay attention to:

• End-to-End/ Zero Knowledge Encryption: If you need “security”, this is the first aspect you should look for. pCloud and most other options mentioned above are E2E encrypted.
• Headquarters: Verify where a company is based out of. pCloud is based in Switzerland, the undisputed privacy king. Try to avoid US/EU companies.
• Remote wipe: Lets you delete your files without having to access your system/account directly.
• Link-sharing features: Some cloud storage providers offer password-protected links, expiry dates, download-limits etc. for the links. Verify that at least some of these are available with your provider.
• Sync: Do you need your data to be auto-synced to the cloud, or would you like manual syncs? Do not reject a service just because it doesn’t offer Sync.
• Open-source: Unless you’re extremely paranoid, it’s okay to not go with open-source services. They often lack features but surely are a lot more trustworthy.
• Accessibility: Check if your provider offers a web/desktop and mobile version depending on your preferences.
• Pricing: Always prefer privacy & security over pricing. However, premium services such as pCloud and Sync offer free plans as well.

Note that these are just the primary features you should look for.

However, you do not need all of them to be available. Rather, let your primary preferences and requirements be the guide.

What is End to End Encryption?

You must have seen the phrase mentioned multiple times throughout this article.

Well, if you’re switching from Dropbox, you better switch to an E2E encrypted cloud storage service.

These services offer the maximum security and privacy that there is.

Into technicalities?

Well, E2E encrypted cloud storage servers use encryption keys to encrypt your files “before” they’re uploaded to the server.

These keys are encrypted client-side (your side).

The company doesn’t have the decryption keys.

Hence, neither the company, nor any other third-party at any point may gain access to your files.

This also protects against third-party hacks.

Cloud companies are often hacked.

However, with E2E encryption, even in the event of a hack, the hackers wouldn’t be able to decrypt your files.

The files may only be accessed by you, or anyone else you willingly share the link with.

While all of this may sound complicated, it’s actually not.

Not for you as a user at least.

You simply upload your file, and share the links with others.

All of that encryption and decryption happens in the background, automatically.

Is there a free alternative to Dropbox?

Yes, pCloud is a free alternative to Dropbox which doesn’t cost any money, ever. It sure has paid plans which offer more features, but, the free forever plan exists as well.

Similarly, Sync and Box too offer free Dropbox-like services at absolutely no cost. In fact, almost all the services like Dropbox mentioned above offer a free forever plan.

Do note that the security, privacy or anonymity isn’t effected anyway even if you go for the forever free plans. You only get a smaller storage space, and probably some limitations on features.

Is Dropbox secure?

No, it isn’t. Some of you may be searching for Dropbox alternatives just for more “features”. But, did you know Dropbox is extremely unsafe as well? For starters, Dropbox can access your files! It isn’t E2E encrypted like any of the options mentioned on this list.

Sure, it has a very strong financial position as a result of which it can afford physically secure servers, consistent checks and keep the data safe (for the most part) from hackers and intruders.

But, I’d never use Dropbox because they retain access, and, co-operate with govt. agencies whenever asked to.

Conclusion

These options for Dropbox are very reliable and free of cost too. I have handpicked some great and best Dropbox alternatives only. With their advanced features and great accessing, you get better features and reliable operations too.

These Dropbox alternatives are as great as Dropbox itself. They also eliminate additional fussiness and messiness regarding organizing your files and folders. Now, sharing files is much easier than before.