Dropbox - Plusses and Minuses
June 27, 2025
Dropbox - Plusses and Minuses
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Overall Satisfaction with Dropbox
I have used Dropbox basically since its inception. As a result I have over 43k files across multiple different projects and collaborations covering I think about a decade of endeavors. The primary benefit is collaboration ease. I have team partners at multiple universities across the world and we can all set up a shared Dropbox to access files with ease. It isn't perfect (indeed, my current University does not like me to use it and I can no longer store data there and my DoD grant prohibited it), but it has become my default. "Let's start a Dropbox" is what we say at the beginning of each new endeavor.
Pros
- Easy to share files
- Easy to save files and find them (unlike when things are Google Docs the Google Drive is not linked to my computer and so not "searchable")
- Easy to share with ANY email address (does not have to have special permissions or only an internal email)
Cons
- It has become increasingly difficult to rely on Dropbox for higher security work. Since moving to LSU, I am actually not supposed to use Dropbox for any LSU files. And for my DoD work, Dropbox does not meet their security standards.
- Also, it has been a burden on my students to access files because we work with large datasets and so it then requires them to buy a membership and I hate for any of my students to have to pay for anything. It would be nice to have a lab account option.
- I would like to more easily revoke access to shared files for certain users, as once my RAs graduate they are not supposed to have access to files. I have to go folder by folder and block access. It is a pain and I may miss access points.
- The biggest issue my colleagues complain about (aside from having to buy access when we work on large things) is that we cannot work simultaneously on a document - like you can on Google Docs. The whole sorting out of conflicted copies is an annoyance.
- Because of my move to LSU I cannot really use it (or am not supposed to) which has impaired my ability to work a bit because now things are stored all over the place and I can never remember if it is on OneDrive, Teams, Box, or Google. I wish I could just use Dropbox but it doesn't meet my university's standards.
I started on Dropbox before any of these. I hate OneDrive as it constantly crashes. Google Drive enables collaboration simultaneously, as does Teams, but the limited formatting options in Google's version of Word drives me nuts. With Teams - because I didn't create the files for our Center or the folders - I have no idea where to find anything and it is a constant hide and seek game. Box I have never used, tbh. And I can't remember the name of what the DoD requires me to use for secure data storage and sharing.
Do you think Dropbox delivers good value for the price?
Not sure
Are you happy with Dropbox's feature set?
Yes
Did Dropbox live up to sales and marketing promises?
No
Did implementation of Dropbox go as expected?
Yes
Would you buy Dropbox again?
Yes
Comments
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