Dropbox vs. Nextcloud

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Dropbox
Score 8.0 out of 10
N/A
Dropbox is a service for file syncing and sharing, or for cloud storage.
$11.99
per month
Nextcloud
Score 8.8 out of 10
N/A
Nextcloud offers their open source, self-hosted Content Collaboration Platform, combining what they describe as an easy user interface for consumer-grade cloud solutions with the security and compliance measures enterprises need. Nextcloud brings together universal access to data through mobile, desktop and web interfaces with next-generation, on-premise secure communication and collaboration features like real-time document editing, chat and video calls, putting them under…N/A
Pricing
DropboxNextcloud
Editions & Modules
Plus
$11.99
per month
Family
$19.99
per month
Basic
Free
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
DropboxNextcloud
Free Trial
NoYes
Free/Freemium Version
NoYes
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoYes
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeOptional
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
DropboxNextcloud
Considered Both Products
Dropbox
Chose Dropbox
Of all the options we tried, Dropbox was at the top in terms of performance, reliability, and features.

Nextcloud is a self-hosted solution, and is the system preferred by our IT department — mainly because it is free or has no annual subscription cost. However, it's UI is …
Chose Dropbox
I actually selected Google Drive for our primary cloud storage solution as it provides better collaboration tools. A couple of usage scenarios where one person was working on writing a book and wanted to ensure that those helping with the review were working from the latest …
Nextcloud
Chose Nextcloud
Dropbox was no longer an option due to their hosting policy. We needed an EU-based solution, preferably open source and self-hosted. There were also security leaks with Dropbox in the past. OneDrive is dreadfully slow, Nextcloud is as fast as you want it to be. On a dedicated …
Chose Nextcloud
Main feature is the possibility to self host your files and have control over your data (especially if it is sensitive and you want to host the data in house). Others provide good services too, but thinking about GDPR this is the easiest route you can take. Since we use it for …
Chose Nextcloud
On-premise solution good for control and cost (in our case).
Top Pros
Top Cons
Features
DropboxNextcloud
File Sharing & Management
Comparison of File Sharing & Management features of Product A and Product B
Dropbox
7.1
113 Ratings
14% below category average
Nextcloud
8.8
11 Ratings
7% above category average
Versioning6.997 Ratings7.79 Ratings
Video files6.9105 Ratings9.010 Ratings
Audio files7.2101 Ratings9.79 Ratings
Document collaboration7.5104 Ratings9.49 Ratings
Access control7.1111 Ratings8.911 Ratings
File search7.2112 Ratings7.810 Ratings
Device sync6.8108 Ratings8.711 Ratings
Cloud Storage Security & Administration
Comparison of Cloud Storage Security & Administration features of Product A and Product B
Dropbox
7.2
109 Ratings
17% below category average
Nextcloud
9.1
11 Ratings
7% above category average
User and role management6.9101 Ratings8.811 Ratings
File organization7.7108 Ratings9.410 Ratings
Device management7.194 Ratings9.19 Ratings
Cloud Storage Platform
Comparison of Cloud Storage Platform features of Product A and Product B
Dropbox
7.3
113 Ratings
14% below category average
Nextcloud
8.6
10 Ratings
2% above category average
Performance7.5113 Ratings7.010 Ratings
Reliability7.7113 Ratings9.310 Ratings
Storage Reports6.687 Ratings9.58 Ratings
Best Alternatives
DropboxNextcloud
Small Businesses
SugarSync
SugarSync
Score 10.0 out of 10
SugarSync
SugarSync
Score 10.0 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
IBM Cloud Block Storage
IBM Cloud Block Storage
Score 9.2 out of 10
IBM Cloud Block Storage
IBM Cloud Block Storage
Score 9.2 out of 10
Enterprises
IBM Cloud Block Storage
IBM Cloud Block Storage
Score 9.2 out of 10
IBM Cloud Block Storage
IBM Cloud Block Storage
Score 9.2 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
DropboxNextcloud
Likelihood to Recommend
7.2
(132 ratings)
9.0
(11 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
4.5
(21 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Usability
8.6
(23 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Availability
9.0
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Performance
8.8
(10 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
7.3
(60 ratings)
9.0
(1 ratings)
Online Training
9.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
10.0
(4 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
8.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
DropboxNextcloud
Likelihood to Recommend
Dropbox
Well-Suited Scenarios: Large Design Files: Dropbox is well-suited for architects who work with large design files, such as blueprints, CAD files, and 3D models. Dropbox's large file sharing capabilities make it easy to share these files with team members and clients, while its version control features allow architects to track changes over time. Limited Customization: Dropbox may be less appropriate for me who require a high level of customization in my workflow or project management.
Read full review
Nextcloud
For a SOHO business, this solution is ideal. You don't need to administrative overhead of other products like GSuite, and it saves licensing costs. The maintenance effort is minimal as long as you use their default applications. Migrations to newer versions can be done with a few commands and run automatically. If you're planning on using Nextcloud in large deployments with many users, you'll start to see higher costs on your resources and maintenance. There will be a point at which Gsuite becomes easier to manage.
Read full review
Pros
Dropbox
  • We are transferring large files and multiple files with various internal and external parties due to the ease of sharing files and folders.
  • Smart sync, so you don't have to worry about device space and search large file batches quickly.
  • Synchronizing a data file across organizations without the user having to do anything other than work is a significant benefit of cloud computing.
  • Allowing only the people who need it to have access is a huge perk and works well with other enterprise software.
Read full review
Nextcloud
  • Remote collaboration platform with just the right tools.
  • Ease of access from any device, anywhere.
  • Solid templates for development teams to collaborate without distraction.
Read full review
Cons
Dropbox
  • At one point 2 gigs [were] deemed enough for the "Free" version of Dropbox and its competition. However as even the most simple picture from a phone gets larger, 2 gigs might no longer be enough. Might want to increase the free size to adjust for file size inflation.
  • Dropbox's app is very presumptive of updating itself every time you log on to a system that it's installed on. I know that's a feature you can turn off, but the assumption to turn that feature on by default is annoying.
  • Dropbox could use a phone app function that would initiate a download to a designated computer hard drive. It would eliminate having to see the file on your phone, go to your computer, turn it on and then download the file.
Read full review
Nextcloud
  • Slow in comparison to other solutions
  • May be complex for the start since there are lots of apps and features
  • May be not focusing on core topics
Read full review
Likelihood to Renew
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
Nextcloud
No answers on this topic
Usability
Dropbox
Dropbox is dead simple to us since right out of the box, it creates a folder on your PC and anything added to it gets synced to the cloud and any other device signed into that account. You can then dive deeper into permissions, version history, etc. Overall though, the minimalist approach is welcome since not everyone we work with is highly technical and that itself saves us time and money. Many of our colleagues already use Dropbox for their personal cloud so no training is required when using it at work other than going over our own company guidelines and best practices.
Read full review
Nextcloud
No answers on this topic
Performance
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
Nextcloud
No answers on this topic
Support Rating
Dropbox
It has not been necessary to go to customer support lately, since everything works perfectly. However, I must add that at the beginning when I started using Dropbox, and I had any doubts about how it worked, customer support was always attentive and found the best solutions effectively.
Read full review
Nextcloud
I never needed support as everything always worked fine. The documentation on Nextcloud website is extensive and clear. The community is very active on the forum and should support you if you don't already find what you are looking for.
Read full review
Implementation Rating
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
Nextcloud
No answers on this topic
Alternatives Considered
Dropbox
Compared to Google Cloud Storage, the Dropbox app has proven to be more stable and dependable. In the meantime, Google has improved and is a great alternative. But now that we've decided to stick with Dropbox, we'll keep using it. In terms of ease of use, Dropbox appears to be the better option. It has all of the features that we require and more. It's easier to use for simple tasks, making it more convenient.
Read full review
Nextcloud
Nextcloud stacks up pretty well against Mattermost and ownCloud. I really appreciate the fact that Nextcloud seems to integrate with other products pretty seamlessly and allows for extensibility that our product team can extend and improve functionality without a tremendous ramp-up time. We once used ownCloud in previous years, but they went the wrong way, and have found Nextcloud to be the right direction over time.
Read full review
Scalability
Dropbox
I can add and add a tin files large files and Dropbox is still working great!
Read full review
Nextcloud
No answers on this topic
Return on Investment
Dropbox
  • Dropbox has a very generous free option. Once surpassed, the cost is relatively inexpensive, which makes it a low cost option for file sharing.
  • It allows us to easily share files with clients without needing to pay for other services that are email based.
  • It's wide usage and wide acceptance in the business world makes it easy to work with other individuals and companies, speeding up collaboration.
Read full review
Nextcloud
  • It allowed us access to our files from any device over the internet.
  • It helped manage and organize our file sharing with third parties.
  • It provided a secure wrapper for accessing files.
Read full review
ScreenShots

Nextcloud Screenshots

Screenshot of Nextcloud HubScreenshot of Nextcloud CalendarScreenshot of Nextcloud Talk