Dropbox vs. ownCloud

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Dropbox
Score 8.6 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
ownCloud
Score 9.2 out of 10
N/A
ownCloud is a self-hosted open source file syncing and sharing option, from the Boston-based company of the same name.
$5
per month
Pricing
DropboxownCloud
Editions & Modules
Plus
$9.99
per month
Essentials
$18
per month
Business
$20
per month per user
Business Plus
$26
per month per user
Basic
Free
Standard
$5
per month
Enterprise
$12
per month
For Teams
$13
per month
For Single Users
$15
per month
Community
Free
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
DropboxownCloud
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
DropboxownCloud
Considered Both Products
Dropbox
Chose Dropbox
Dropbox offers a simpler, fast and reliable file synchronization.
Chose Dropbox
Dropbox makes it easier to share files with clients outside my organization.
Chose Dropbox
Google Drive is slower and less reliably syncs. But it is excellent as a collaboration tool and permissions are incredibly easy to resolve. If we need to work in the cloud on written, sheet, or presentation documents, my preference is on Google Drive and their ecosystem.

WeTrans…
Chose Dropbox
Dropbox and OneDrive share many similar features. OneDrive excels in integration with other Microsoft products, but this can make the platform feel clunkier and more unwieldly. Dropbox excels in providing a suite of simple, easy to use tools that get the job done. The platform …
Chose Dropbox
This platform is easy to use and is a reliable source for data storage .
Chose Dropbox
Dropbox is much better for file reliability, large asset management, and creative team workflows. It's definitely more reliable for file syncing (especially large files)
Chose Dropbox
All of these product offer reliable cloud storage and file sharing capabilities but Dropbox is easy to use,fast file synchronization and smooth user experience.Team members were able to adopt it quickly with minimal training. Compared to other products it provide more …
Chose Dropbox
Dropbox does everything the others do that we need, and is fast, trouble-free, and offers document signing.
Chose Dropbox
Dropbox has similar characteristics as Microsoft SharePoint. Both have the ability to share files and access them from multiple devices. Both offer upgrades to higher levels of storage capacity. I tend to use Dropbox more for personal files or ones that I want to share outside …
Chose Dropbox
We looked at several solutions for file sharing and found Dropbox to have the most options and functions that we require.
Chose Dropbox
I can work on InDesign need to download them
Chose Dropbox
Regarding the core syncing experience on macOS, Dropbox has been rock-solid and the best among the ones I listed here. Also, it provides a native Linux client, which makes it more cross-platform. I do still use iCloud and Google Drive for other purposes. But for the main file …
Chose Dropbox
The other platform has too many limitations on the storage end, and since I was already a client of Dropbox, it was easier to stay with the same platform.
Chose Dropbox
easier and what we need is all in one place
Chose Dropbox
Hate to be a broken record but it all goes back to ease of use and doing business. OneDrive and iCloud have extra steps to give access and it becomes cumbersome
Chose Dropbox
Years ago I used Flickrr to share my photos. Dropbox was easier to use 13 years ago and I've been very satisfied ever since.
Chose Dropbox
Dropbox has the best value to feature ratio- and is so much more responsive and reliable than Google Drive- it is almost unusable for storing large media files especially folders of files!
Chose Dropbox
I find that Dropbox works best for me, because I'm able to simply visit a website, drop off my files, and create a shareable link. Everything in Dropbox is more organised and quicker than the other products I've used - at least, in my experience.
Chose Dropbox
Dropbox ergonomy is better & makes it easy to navigate in the app
Chose Dropbox
We still use both, but we use Dropbox more for media files (photos, videos, photoshop files etc.) due to it's enhanced searching, organization and visual layout.
Chose Dropbox
I prefer Dropbox due to the amount of features available as well as the esthetic of the platform. It just feels more premium & capable than some of it's competitors. It also is able to organize a lot easier. I have found the mobile usability to be far superior than some other …
Chose Dropbox
Dropbox is more well-rounded as far as capabilities. The other is geared more towards documents.
ownCloud
Chose ownCloud
The most important advantage for our research group is security and access control to our files, which cannot be guaranteed with 3rd party services

The sync client is great and outperforms OneDrive for sure and sometimes even Google Drive depending on the number and size of the …
Chose ownCloud
The paid cloud services are expensive if you need a lot of data. You're giving your personal and business information to a data-hungry organization. Local NAS solutions are too slow. We run ownCloud on an older business PC and the performance is outstanding, even for remote …
Chose ownCloud
ownCloud is better than Google Drive and Microsoft's OneDrive. I have not used Google Drive in some time now, so it may have improved. OneDrive has become better over time too, but my go-to is still ownCloud. Firstly, I prefer to have my data under my control. No other service …
Chose ownCloud
I have a very similar experience between Google Drive and DropBox. Both offer real-time sharing and collaboration. Google Drive limits external access and requires the recipient of shared files to have a Google account. In the case of both DropBox and GoogleDrive, they limit …
Chose ownCloud
The sync client is great and outperforms OneDrive for sure and sometimes even Google Drive depending on the number and size of the files.

If you already have your own home-lab or server room, it's really not expensive to buy a couple hard drives and have TBs of storage. Compared …
Chose ownCloud
Other tools with similar functionality have been much better for me to use. However, my company uses ownCloud as its software of choice, so I use it to remain consistent with them.
Chose ownCloud
This is another alternative to Google Drive as well, but less able to edit and use documents.
Chose ownCloud
I have used several products based on public (DropBox, Google Drive, Microsoft Drive, etc) and private cloud (Citrix). Most of them work on public cloud space so they could present problems with compliance. Also, it is usually difficult to protect the information contained in …
Chose ownCloud
Due to the need to support many external workers it was mainly cost effectivity of open source solution: ability to allow external workers to access company files without the need to pay a license for each of them every month. Unfortunately, ownCloud does not offer until now as …
Chose ownCloud
ownCloud's ease of install, maintenance and use as well as a modern interface were major reasons for the choice.
Chose ownCloud
ownCloud is one of the only self-hosted solutions worth it. It is open source and free, meaning that anyone with a Linux VM or an old laptop can host its own feature-rich cloud server. Many all-in-one firewalls will mix OwnCloud and Crashplan, joining document management and …
Features
DropboxownCloud
File Sharing & Management
Comparison of File Sharing & Management features of Product A and Product B
Dropbox
8.1
Ratings
3% below category average
ownCloud
8.5
Ratings
2% above category average
Versioning8.60 Ratings9.00 Ratings
Video files7.60 Ratings7.80 Ratings
Audio files8.10 Ratings8.10 Ratings
Document collaboration8.40 Ratings7.80 Ratings
Access control8.40 Ratings9.50 Ratings
File search7.60 Ratings8.10 Ratings
Device sync8.30 Ratings9.30 Ratings
Cloud Storage Security & Administration
Comparison of Cloud Storage Security & Administration features of Product A and Product B
Dropbox
8.3
Ratings
4% below category average
ownCloud
8.5
Ratings
2% below category average
User and role management7.70 Ratings9.00 Ratings
File organization8.80 Ratings8.70 Ratings
Device management8.40 Ratings7.70 Ratings
Cloud Storage Platform
Comparison of Cloud Storage Platform features of Product A and Product B
Dropbox
8.3
Ratings
4% below category average
ownCloud
8.8
Ratings
2% above category average
Performance8.20 Ratings8.80 Ratings
Reliability8.60 Ratings9.10 Ratings
Storage Reports8.00 Ratings8.40 Ratings
Best Alternatives
DropboxownCloud
Small Businesses
SugarSync
SugarSync
Score 3.8 out of 10
SugarSync
SugarSync
Score 3.8 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Druva Security Cloud
Druva Security Cloud
Score 9.4 out of 10
Druva Security Cloud
Druva Security Cloud
Score 9.4 out of 10
Enterprises
Druva Security Cloud
Druva Security Cloud
Score 9.4 out of 10
Druva Security Cloud
Druva Security Cloud
Score 9.4 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
DropboxownCloud
Likelihood to Recommend
8.8
(0 ratings)
7.8
(0 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
8.2
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Usability
8.8
(0 ratings)
8.7
(0 ratings)
Availability
8.9
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Performance
8.6
(0 ratings)
10.0
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
7.1
(0 ratings)
8.0
(0 ratings)
In-Person Training
9.1
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Online Training
9.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
8.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Configurability
8.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Ease of integration
9.1
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
7.9
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
8.2
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
8.2
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
DropboxownCloud
Likelihood to Recommend
Dropbox is well suited for sending File Requests to clients to upload documents, and for me to send File Transfers to clients with documents for them to download. I can create separate files for each client, and also create files within files, which is very convenient and useful for my business purposes. In Dropbox I can also see all of the File Requests that I have sent and it shows me how many times they've accessed it and how many files they uploaded. I can also see all of the File Transfers that I have made and whether how many times the client has accessed it and how many documents were downloaded. It also sends me notifications if the clients haven't downloaded their files yet so I can remind them. Dropbox Sign has been very easy to use, and I have already stated what could be changed with it
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OwnCloud/Nextcloud is a great application for cloud storage of files, and makes sharing specific files or folders easy and fast. It also makes a great tool for real-time collaboration, including real-time chat and simultaneous editing of documents or spreadsheets. I have used ownCloud to assist clients in sending large files that could not be emailed -- for example, one of my clients is a Video Production agency. They produced a commercial to air, but could not email the file as it was 400MB. OwncCloud came to the rescue. I set up a temporary share and allowed him access to upload into that folder. Once the file was in the folder, I generated a share link that was then forwarded to TV stations for instant viewing in a browser. Each TV station then downloaded it and was able to add it to their scheduling system quickly. From the Photography side... I am able to deliver large amounts of files quickly and easily to my clients, and they can download or view on mobile devices easily. Since I use ownCloud on a daily basis, I cannot think of any reason why I would not use this software
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Pros
  • Ensures documents are up to date, even with multiple users accessing the same documents.
  • I love that if a team member accidentally deletes a file, I can find it and restore it.
  • I like that I can edit from the web or have the app downloaded.
Read full review
  • 100% of our data is stored ONLY on our servers and workstation. No external hosting anywhere.
  • Open source, no recurring fees for any amount of data we need.
  • Feature rich browser based application.
  • Mature desktop sync client for PC and Mac.
Read full review
Cons
  • I’d like to be able to hover over an image/document and have it expand/enlarge without actually opening it
  • I’d love to see a carousel that lets me thumb through more quickly
  • I’m almost always in thumbnail view. I’d like to see them re-organize automatically when something is moved or deleted instead of leaving an empty space.
  • AI options for photo editing.
  • Easier pdf markups
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  • Requires you to manage the infrastructure, software updates, backups and security because it is self-hosted
  • The picture viewer in ownCloud is not really snappy by default (You need to setup plugins or some kind of cache)
  • No video viewer by default
  • The web UI requires a cache setup to have reasonable load times (to be fair, it is recommended in the admin page)
  • I stopped using the calendar and contacts plugins because after each update they would break
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Likelihood to Renew
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.
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No answers on this topic
Usability
It works extremely well, and we have never had any issues with connecting or sharing files. It's very easy to use, and any team member can share, add, and delete files to a virtual drive. This is extremely helpful, and it's an amazing tool to use, ensuring everyone can connect and work together effectively.
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OwnCloud is easy for me to use, and I believe it would be for others too. The barrier for most people will be the set up. For a technology professional like myself, ownCloud's setup is pretty straightforward, but it's not the sort of thing most casual users will be able to handle. Also, it's on the user to maintain the service. These can be taken care of by paying someone to do it for you.
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Reliability and Availability
I really recommend the product for the Dropbox availability is a great having very very less downtimes, they errors are less I have been faced yet, due to connectivity sometimes we are getting errors. Only sometimes the limitations of some features show some errors.
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No answers on this topic
Performance
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.
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Compared with other cloud services, ownCloud has been the most efficient. It doesn't create a noticeable drain on resources and very quickly syncs across all my devices. I'm usually able to save a file on my laptop and by the time I walk over and sit down at my desktop machine, it's already there. I don't need to wait as often as I have with services like OneDrive.
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Support Rating
They immediately responded like in an example that I gave where one of our staff members accidentally deleted the whole Special Hope Network Dropbox, we immediately contacted Dropbox they walked us through the steps of how to retrieve the information and luckily enough we were able to retrieve the entire Dropbox and we have had back and forth with Dropbox on what to do when an employee leaves how to remove them how to add another employee.
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Regarding the community edition, there is a reasonably good support on the IRC, forums and in the issue section on Github. Perhaps a much more individual approach would be available if the premium support was chosen and the instance of the server was provided by the Owncloud company that also offers some premium extensions, not available generally. However, we did not need this level of support yet.
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In-Person Training
The person for corporate product dealing and knowledge of the product explore and better and secure use are properly handover to us. Also provide full software and tool training from the basic to the pro level with each and every possible explanation. Provide many sessions regarding every doubt. Also Guide better suitable options for our business to migrate and integrate for the expansion in all places employee smoothly.
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No answers on this topic
Online Training
I did not personally take any training for Dropbox so I am self taught but I know when our Vice President selected Dropbox, he personally did do some training modules on it and I'm assuming it was very easy and simple to understand since he now acts like he is a pro at it!
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No answers on this topic
Implementation Rating
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.
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No answers on this topic
Alternatives Considered
I prefer the layout and visual aspect of Dropbox as it mirrors my files on my computer. I feel that I am more organized, and it's easier to find my files in Dropbox than it was with Google Drive.
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ownCloud is better than Google Drive and Microsoft's OneDrive. I have not used Google Drive in some time now, so it may have improved. OneDrive has become better over time too, but my go-to is still ownCloud. Firstly, I prefer to have my data under my control. No other service can offer the level of control that ownCloud does. Setting that aside, in my experience Google Drive never quite got syncing right. Unless you have a very small collection of files and you're not synced across many devices, Google Drive fails to achieve a complete sync. The icon is always showing that Drive is syncing (and not up to date). I've had similar issues with OneDrive, but these days on Windows 10 OneDrive usually can achieve a complete sync across multiple devices, but it often hogs CPU and Network resources to do so, and it's still slower than OneDrive.
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Scalability
It's easy to integrate with the systems of Windows and Linux, easy to have web versions accessible, which provide the web login credentials. Also, it can be installed for individuals for the best autosync features.
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No answers on this topic
Return on Investment
  • I access my Dropbox account from anywhere—any computer, my smartphone —is very accessible while still secure.
  • I would like it to be more editable with existing projects. This could be just me.
  • I would like it to integrate better with other systems, such as email and Office.
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  • The company grew from 4 employees in 2013 when ownCloud was initially deployed to about 40 in 2017 and still using it with a very similar setting without any major upgrade on the same Linux VPS. 95% of all company data are stored and shared via ownCloud successfully. No clear data about ROI but clearly the perfect adoption rate by all people and its ubiquitous use makes it an essential part of the company workflow.
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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.