Azure Blob Storage vs. Dropbox

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Azure Blob Storage
Score 8.7 out of 10
N/A
Microsoft's Blob Storage system on Azure is designed to make unstructured data available to customers anywhere through REST-based object storage.
$0.01
per GB/per month
Dropbox
Score 8.2 out of 10
N/A
Dropbox is a cloud storage solution, equipped with features that help users to save time, improve productivity, and collaborate with others. Users can edit PDFs, share videos, sign documents, and collaborate with stakeholders without leaving Dropbox.
$9.99
per month
Pricing
Azure Blob StorageDropbox
Editions & Modules
Block Blobs
$0.0081
per GB/per month
Azure Data Lake Storage
$0.0081
per GB/per month
Files
$0.058
per GB/per month
Managed Discs
$1.54
per month
Plus
$9.99
per month
Essentials
$18
per month
Business
$20
per month per user
Business Plus
$26
per month per user
Basic
Free
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Azure Blob StorageDropbox
Free Trial
YesNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Features
Azure Blob StorageDropbox
File Sharing & Management
Comparison of File Sharing & Management features of Product A and Product B
Azure Blob Storage
-
Ratings
Dropbox
7.6
585 Ratings
10% below category average
Versioning00 Ratings7.2446 Ratings
Video files00 Ratings7.9454 Ratings
Audio files00 Ratings8.4403 Ratings
Document collaboration00 Ratings7.6508 Ratings
Access control00 Ratings7.5546 Ratings
File search00 Ratings7.0567 Ratings
Device sync00 Ratings7.5537 Ratings
Cloud Storage Security & Administration
Comparison of Cloud Storage Security & Administration features of Product A and Product B
Azure Blob Storage
-
Ratings
Dropbox
7.3
562 Ratings
17% below category average
User and role management00 Ratings7.2507 Ratings
File organization00 Ratings7.8553 Ratings
Device management00 Ratings7.1471 Ratings
Cloud Storage Platform
Comparison of Cloud Storage Platform features of Product A and Product B
Azure Blob Storage
-
Ratings
Dropbox
7.6
558 Ratings
11% below category average
Performance00 Ratings7.7555 Ratings
Reliability00 Ratings8.0557 Ratings
Storage Reports00 Ratings7.1423 Ratings
Best Alternatives
Azure Blob StorageDropbox
Small Businesses
Backblaze B2 Cloud Storage
Backblaze B2 Cloud Storage
Score 9.7 out of 10
SugarSync
SugarSync
Score 10.0 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
IBM Cloud Object Storage
IBM Cloud Object Storage
Score 8.8 out of 10
Druva Data Resiliency Cloud
Druva Data Resiliency Cloud
Score 9.6 out of 10
Enterprises
IBM Cloud Object Storage
IBM Cloud Object Storage
Score 8.8 out of 10
Druva Data Resiliency Cloud
Druva Data Resiliency Cloud
Score 9.6 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Azure Blob StorageDropbox
Likelihood to Recommend
8.2
(8 ratings)
7.3
(607 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
-
(0 ratings)
6.0
(27 ratings)
Usability
-
(0 ratings)
8.5
(26 ratings)
Availability
-
(0 ratings)
9.1
(2 ratings)
Performance
-
(0 ratings)
7.3
(6 ratings)
Support Rating
9.0
(3 ratings)
5.1
(33 ratings)
Online Training
-
(0 ratings)
9.0
(1 ratings)
Implementation Rating
-
(0 ratings)
9.1
(3 ratings)
Product Scalability
-
(0 ratings)
9.1
(2 ratings)
User Testimonials
Azure Blob StorageDropbox
Likelihood to Recommend
Microsoft
Azure Blob Storage is well suited for cases where you are working with different data formats and looking for cost-effective storage solutions based on access frequency. Another area of strength is the encryption of data at rest, and encryption can be managed on your own. However, it may not be appropriate for transferring large data very fast.
Read full review
Dropbox
Ultimately, Dropbox just works better when working crossplatform between Windows, Mac, Andoid, ios. It's snappier compared to Google Drive and is overall a more pleasant experience. The lack of integration with the rest of Google's suite is a small sacrifice. Image preview is also snappier and more pleasant to use compared to drive. Though any large batches that need review should be relegated to a better image gallery hosting platform like pic-time.
Read full review
Pros
Microsoft
  • Ease of use both through Azure Portal as well as API.
  • Cost-effective solution for storing a large amount of data compared to other storage solutions.
  • Scalability, Security, and Performance are the other key aspects of Azure Blob Storage that are easily manageable through Admin Console.
Read full review
Dropbox
  • Dropbox's real-time collaboration features, including simultaneous editing and commenting, have revolutionized the way our teams work together.
  • On multiple occasions, we've accidentally overwritten important documents or needed to retrieve deleted files. With Dropbox, we can easily revert to previous versions or recover deleted files, preventing data loss and minimizing disruptions.
  • Dropbox excels in making file sharing a breeze. With just a few clicks, we can generate shareable links or invite colleagues to shared folders.
Read full review
Cons
Microsoft
  • Unstructured data makes it harder to conceptualize what we have but with partners like Panzura that has been a non-issue for us.
  • Not always easy to understand the different models or tiers you can pick from when purchasing.
Read full review
Dropbox
  • Change the name of the root folder, the "()" can cause problems sometimes with some tools trying to find paths inside of the root folder.
  • The upload queue becomes slow trying to upload files that have more than ~500mb of file size, even if I have 1 Gbit of speed, Dropbox gets stuck uploading single files with that rule.
  • Sometimes we can't move a shared folder from root location.
  • LAN sync seems not to be working in my experience.
Read full review
Likelihood to Renew
Microsoft
No answers on this topic
Dropbox
Dropbox is a user-friendly, easy tool which requires little to no skill and they offer a free version with a good amount of storage available. There are other file sharing tools available however at a cost. Dropbox free version I have used for years and it serves every purpose I need.
Read full review
Usability
Microsoft
No answers on this topic
Dropbox
[Its] functionality and usability are very good, however[,] on every computer that I have ever installed the app on, Dropbox assumes I want it to update the files every time I start the system up. That's not always true, but the app assumes it is. I can switch that function off, but I would rather that function default to "Off" and then I can decide to turn it on as needed.
Read full review
Performance
Microsoft
No answers on this topic
Dropbox
Dropbox is really useful, you can access any file from anywhere and you can upload and even edit files online, but, sometimes it can be slow. Downloading, uploading, and syncing is a bit slow, it can take several minutes. Furthermore, the search engine for large amounts of data can be slow too and it is not powerful.
Read full review
Support Rating
Microsoft
Documentation sometimes appears to be out of date or not fully documented properly with new releases. It is like documentation comes out for a specific version and is quickly out of date. Another issue is documentation is scarce on new releases and only seems to get properly updated (and sometimes is still wrong) once enough people hit the forums to complain.
Read full review
Dropbox
Our experience with support has been limited which is a good thing. We haven't experienced any major issues with the service and most of our service interactions have been useability questions which we were able to find answers for within their knowledge base. For the few times we have reached out to support, the responses were on point, quick, and our issue was resolved in one interaction. I appreciate not being routed to a chatbot or offshored support.
Read full review
Implementation Rating
Microsoft
No answers on this topic
Dropbox
I needed to stay current in improving my daily operations. Dropbox
was suggested to me by a former colleague two-years ago and I've been using it just fine ever since.
Read full review
Alternatives Considered
Microsoft
Azure Blob Storage is the best choice to store files when the app runs in Azure. It also has some advantages over S3, like Shared Access Signatures, that make it easy to control access to files directly via a URL. Azure Blob Storage is very fast and we have not had any major issues with it after using it for several years.
Read full review
Dropbox
Dropbox gives more visual control over the success of uploading. WeTransfer uploads and then sends a link to the recipient. If something goes wrong during the upload, there doesn't appear to be a way to begin again from the dropping point. With Dropbox, I can watch as it uploads. If I lose a connection, it will continue uploading where it left off when I get a new connection. This is vital in transferring large files. If WeTransfer offers that, I was never able to figure it out.
Read full review
Return on Investment
Microsoft
  • Azure has increased the flexibility of where we place data within our organization.
  • It has proven to be very reliable and always accessible.
Read full review
Dropbox
  • Helped us to streamline boxes of papers into electronic folders.
  • Enables a more solid backup of necessary files, not dependent on one specific computer or one specific box of papers.
  • Enabled a quicker search to locate specific files than the previously used operations.
Read full review
ScreenShots

Dropbox Screenshots

Screenshot of the action bar, that sits across the browser page can be used to record the screen, edit PDFs, upload files, create folders, get signatures, or send and track documents.Screenshot of Dropbox Replay, that lets collaborators leave frame-accurate feedback and markups directly on project files.Screenshot of Dropbox Capture, which can be used to take screen recordings, screenshots, and GIFs with one click and share them with a link.Screenshot of the interface where Dropbox lets users upload, edit, send, and sign PDFs in one place.