10 top file-sharing services: Dropbox, Box, Google Generate, OneDrive, and more
In the pre-cloud days back, sharing files involved using file transfer protocol applications if not copying files to a disc and mailing it or walking it to a colleague (affectionately referred to as ‘sneakernet’). Emails may be sent (and several people still use email as their main “file-sharing” option), but size limits on attachments and security concerns discouraged this practice.
Today’s world of file sharing offers endless options nearly. Giants like Dropbox, Box, Google, Microsoft, and Apple, in addition to smaller companies like Tresorit and MediaFire, all offer online cloud storage options offering file sharing, synchronization across multiple devices, and collaboration features. You have uploaded a file to 1 of the services once, file-sharing is really as easy as clicking a “share” button and sending the hyperlink to a colleague via email. Some offer desktop and mobile applications, users can upload also, store, sync, and share files with a web browser.
The services we’ve chosen are listed in alphabetical order and cover a variety of options here, from basic services for consumers to enterprise-level services. This isn’t an exhaustive set of all ongoing services, but a sampling of the big players plus some lesser-known vendors rather.
To check on file transfer times for every, we uploaded a 245MB ZIP file utilizing an internet connection having an average upload speed of 86 megabits/second. (See “ How exactly we tested .”)
Box
IDG (Click any image in this story to enlarge it.)
It’s extremely difficult to speak about Box without mentioning Dropbox (and vice versa), because the two are pitted against one another frequently. Box has been aimed toward businesses and enterprises always, while Dropbox was previously centered on consumers and SMBs largely. But both ongoing services now include enterprise collaboration features and cloud content management via integrations with Google Workspace, Microsoft 365/Office 365, and many more, alongside enterprise-grade management and security options.
There is a free plan for individudals that lets the tires are kicked by you – it offers 10GB of storage, a 250MB file upload limit, and the capability to share these files with limited permissions. The file upload size limit is really a bit strict if you’re attempting to share video files, however the 10GB storage limit is pretty generous still. Additionally, most of Box’s business plans provide a 14-day free trial.
Free account space for storage: 10GB
Free account max quality: 250MB
Paid accounts : Personal Pro, 100GB storage, $10/month; Business Starter, 100GB storage, $5/user/month; Business, unlimited storage, $15/user/month; Business Plus, unlimited storage, $25/user/month; Enterprise, unlimited storage, $35/user/month; Enterprise Plus, unlimited storage, custom pricing. (All business plans require at the very least 3 users. Prices shown are for annual payments.)
Paid account max quality: Personal Pro, 5GB; Business Starter, 2GB; Business, 5GB; Business Plus, 15GB; Enterprise, 50GB, Enterprise Plus, 150GB.
Additional features with business plans: Built-in integrations with Slack (in addition to Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace), plus 1 additional enterprise app integration; Box Sign (unlimited e-signatures via web app); Box Relay (workflow automation); data loss protection; two-factor authentication; SSO; Active Directory integration; other user management features. Higher-level plans offer additional enterprise app integrations; HIPAA/FedRAMP compliance; document watermarking; AI-powered threat detection; more.
Time and energy to upload 245MB file: 35 seconds
Citrix ShareFile
IDG ShareFile , which Citrix acquired in 2011, creates a custom file-sharing site for the business, in order to share files with clients easily, partners, co-workers, among others. For example, your accountant might use ShareFile to talk about tax documents with you securely. The ongoing service offers plenty of compelling features and tools for business users, including workflow management, document collaboration, e-signatures, and integration with Gmail and Outlook.
Security is robust, too, with enterprise-grade encryption and customizable permissions settings. The ShareFile dashboard allows you to include new users and toggle between shared and personal folders. Full-featured apps are for sale to Android, iOS, macOS, and Windows. There is absolutely no free plan, nevertheless, you can try the Premium version free of charge for 30 days and never have to enter credit cards number. The company supplies a virtual data room for 5 employee users also, that provides advanced security, sharing, and control for sensitive data.
Free account space for storage: N/A
Free account max quality: N/A
Paid accounts : Standard, unlimited storage, $50/month; Advanced, unlimited storage, $77/month; Premium, unlimited storage, $122/month; Virtual Data Room, 5GB storage, $338/month. All plans are for 5 employee users (additional employee user fees are $10-$24/user/month) and unlimited client users. (Prices shown are for annual payments.)
Paid account max quality : Standard, Advanced, and Premium, 100GB; Virtual Data Room, 5GB.
Other paid options include: Feedback and approvals workflow; activity logs; versioning; third-party integrations including Microsoft 365/Office 365 collaboration.
Time and energy to upload 245MB file: 1 minute, 38 seconds
Dropbox
IDG As mentioned previously, Dropbox and Box are big players available market, offering enterprise-level security and management features and a healthy ecosystem of integrated third-party apps that produce the services better quality. Both have evolved and improved to the stage that continually, for most organizations, each one is a superb option.
In recent years, Dropbox has been adding features targeted at boosting collaboration and productivity, such as the capability to create Microsoft Office or Google Docs/Sheets/Slides files from within Dropbox and a fresh shared Spaces interface for team collaboration.
To try before you get, Dropbox’s free Basic arrange for individuals offers 2GB of storage. A 30-day trial offer is available for several continuing business plans.
Free account space for storage: 2GB
Free account max quality : No limit, but should be smaller than your space for storage quota.
Paid accounts : Personal plans include Plus (1 user, 2TB storage, $10 monthly) and Family (around 6 users, 2TB shared storage, $17/month). Work plans include Professional (1 user, 3TB storage, $16.60/month); Standard (3+ users, 5TB storage, $12.50/user/month); Advanced (3+ users, unlimited storage, $20/user/month). For enterprise plans, contact Dropbox Sales. (Prices shown are for annual payments.)
Additional features with business plans: 180 days of file recovery and version history, 180-day history for Dropbox Rewind (get over accidents/ransomware by reversing changes at folder or account level), remote device wipe, two-factor authentication, document watermarking, shared link controls, file locking, branded sharing, priority email support, and live chat support. Higher-level plans offer HIPAA compliance, an admin console, SSO integration, audit logs, more.
Time and energy to upload 245MB file: 56 seconds
Google Drive
IDG If you’re committed to the Google ecosystem already, Google Drive is really a no-brainer, because it integrates with Google’s productivity apps, such as for example Google Docs. In the event that you don’t use other Google services even, Google Drive will probably be worth considering, since it gives users 15GB of free storage (distributed to other Google services). Its rates may also be competitive – 200GB costs individuals just $30/year.
With the Backup and Sync desktop client, it is possible to choose which of one’s Windows or macOS computer folders to continually sync to Google Drive – you don’t need to keep files in a designated folder, as you do with some ongoing services. Permissions on shared files will get complicated – we’ve often shared a web link with colleagues and then get yourself a response saying they can’t access the file. Nevertheless, you can access a file once, collaborating on documents instantly through Google’s other productivity apps is really as good since it gets.
Beyond the 15GB free plan, Drive can be acquired to individuals by way of a Google One plan. Businesses can choose the Google Workspace plan, which include Drive, Gmail, Calendar, Docs, along with other productivity/collaboration apps, or Workspace Essentials , which include every one of the above except Calendar and Gmail. A 14-day trial offer can be acquired for business plans.
Free account space for storage: 15GB
Free account max quality: 5TB (with some exceptions )
Paid accounts: Google One plans for folks: 100GB, $2/month; 200GB, $3/month; 2TB, $10/month; 10TB, $50/month; 20TB, $100/month; 30TB, $150/month. Google Workspace Essentials plans for businesses: 100GB per user/2TB pooled cloud storage, $8/user/month. Google Workspace plans for businesses: Business Starter: 30GB storage per user, $6/user/month; Business Standard: 2TB storage per user, $12/user/month; Business Plus: 5TB storage per user, $18/user/month; Enterprise (300+ users): unlimited storage, contact sales for pricing.
Additional features with business plans: Security and management controls, 24/7 phone and email support, centralized admin console, reporting and audit. Higher-level plans offer advanced endpoint management, data loss prevention, context-aware access, more.
Time and energy to upload 245MB file: 48 seconds
iCloud Drive
IDG Anyone who owns a Mac, iPhone, or iPad likely already gets the free 5GB of online storage via iCloud that is included with the creation of an AppleID, and the ones users can share folders and documents with other iCloud users. Although Apple possesses an iCloud app for Windows, it’s likely that mainly benefits Apple users who also work with a Windows PC; we don’t really see individuals who are primarily Windows users registering for an iCloud account to utilize the service, because iCloud doesn’t have an Android app particularly. Android device users could access iCloud via the net app, however they may likely use Google’s online cloud storage to back up their videos and photos anyway.
Much like other online storage services, users can create iCloud to automatically back up and sync specific folders from their computer with their iCloud account, like the Documents folder, Desktop folder, or others. Photos and videos from an iPhone or iPad could be automatically synchronized also. By using this feature can consume the 5GB of free space quickly, so it’s likely that anyone using iCloud for such purposes would upgrade to a paid account . At $3 monthly for 200GB, it’s still a comparatively good bargain for the Apple faithful.
While iCloud users may use their personal accounts to talk about files with colleagues (and the ones files are encrypted in transit and at rest), this can be a consumer service essentially.
Free account space for storage: 5GB
Free account max quality: 5GB theoretically, so long as it doesn’t exceed storage limits.
Paid accounts : 50GB, $1 monthly; 200GB, $3/month; 2TB, $10/month. Apple allows these plans to be distributed to family (around five other members). Those that sign up to Apple services such as for example Apple Music or Apple TV+ can also be able to spend less through Apple One bundling .
Paid account max quality 50GB, so long as it doesn’t exceed storage limits.
Additional features with paid plans: Upgrading your storage amount doesn’t offer you additional features, unlike with other online storage services.
Time and energy to upload 245MB file: 1 minute, 56 seconds
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MediaFire
IDGMediaFire is really a lesser-known file sharing/storage service. With competitive rates and a free of charge plan that provides 10GB of storage (much like Box’s free plan), it could be worth a try for the budget-minded. The ad-supported free service enables you to upload files around 4GB, that is very generous, and the service scans files for viruses, which don’t assume all file-syncing service offers.
Windows and macs PCs access MediaFire with a web browser, however the ongoing company possesses apps for iOS and Android. It is possible to share file links on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, along with other sites by generating a one-time download link. The ongoing service is quite easy to use, having an intuitive interface.
One important caveat: Another services in this roundup offer detailed security information that’s no problem finding on the site, but we couldn’t find any specifics on the MediaFire site about encryption or other data protection. The company’s terms of service say, “we work hard to store securely your computer data safely and,” and its own Business plan offers security tools that track what taken by user accounts along with the location, referring domain, and data transfer totals when anyone accesses a file. However the site provides no specific file storage security details, and the ongoing company didn’t respond whenever we contacted them. Without those details, it’s far better assume that data stored on MediaFire isn’t encrypted, and the ongoing service shouldn’t be useful for sensitive documents.
Free account space for storage: 10GB
Free account max quality: 4GB
Paid accounts : Pro: 1 user, 1TB storage, $3.75/month; Business: 100 users, 100TB storage, $40/month. (Prices shown are for annual payments.)
Paid accounts max quality: 20GB
Additional features with paid plans: Ad-free downloads and sharing, download entire folders; upload from any website; customizable branding; detailed security log.
Time and energy to upload 245MB file: 45 seconds*
* Initial test was about 2 minutes, but subsequent uploads of exactly the same file took 10 and 7 seconds, respectively. We believe that the faster speeds in tests #2 and #3 were achieved because of MediaFire recognizing that exactly the same file had been uploaded.
Microsoft OneDrive
IDG Microsoft’s OneDrive had an awkward youth, stumbling from name to mention: Windows Live Folders, Windows Live SkyDrive, and OneDrive now. As may be the case with Microsoft often, OneDrive features and capabilities may differ from one version to some other (such as for example personal and business accounts).
Nonetheless, OneDrive integrates nicely with Microsoft 365/Office 365 (unsurprising) and Microsoft’s mobile apps, also it offers real-time collaboration in Office documents. A free of charge plan offers you 5GB of storage, that is a lot more than Dropbox but significantly less than Google Drive. The Microsoft 365 Personal plan offers you a hefty 1TB of storage, and the grouped family plan gets 6TB. OneDrive offers ransomware detection and recovery to paid plans also.
Files are protected with enterprise-grade security measures and so are scanned for known malware when downloaded. A “Personal Vault” offers two-step verification and auto-locks after 20 minutes of inactivity. It’s on all your OneDrive devices also.
Free account space for storage: 5GB
Free account max quality: Not disclosed
Paid accounts: For home : OneDrive Standalone, 100GB, $2/month; Microsoft 365 Personal, 1TB storage, $70/year; Microsoft 365 Family, 6TB storage (1TB per person), $100/year. For small company : OneDrive for Business (Plan 1): 1TB storage per user, $5/user/month; OneDrive for Business (Plan 2): unlimited storage, $10/user/month; Microsoft 365 Business Basic: 1TB storage per user, $5/user/month; Microsoft 365 Business Standard: 1TB storage per user, $12.50/user/month. The 365 plans include usage of Exchange also, SharePoint, and Teams, and the continuing business Standard plan includes Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote. Additionally, there are always a selection of enterprise-level Microsoft 365 and Office 365 plans , you start with Office 365 E1 (1TB storage per user, $8/user/month).
Paid account max quality: 100GB
Additional features with 365 accounts: Ransomware detection and recovery, password-protected and expiring sharing links, file restore around 1 month. Higher-level plans include 24/7 phone support, advanced data-loss protection, preservation of edited and deleted documents for eDiscovery, more.
Time and energy to upload 245MB file: 33 seconds
OpenText Hightail
IDG YouSendIt formerly, Hightail features an interface built around shared Spaces, rendering it well-suited for group collaboration. Once you develop a new Space, you name and define the project’s goal. It is possible to request approvals on video, photo, along with other files in your Space from others; track all recent activity; and keep drafts private but share them with access codes still.
Hightail plays well with other file sharing services, too. It is possible to drag and drop files right into a Space from your own computer, Dropbox, Google Drive, and OneDrive. Hightail is versatile, with third-party app integration in addition to apps for iOS, Android, macOS, and Windows with automatic desktop folder syncing.
The Lite version is free, with a 14-day trial designed for paid accounts. Business plans include Pro, Teams (1-30 users), and Business (3+ users) tiers.
Free account space for storage: 2GB
Free account max quality: 100MB
Paid accounts : Pro, unlimited storage, $12/month; Teams, unlimited storage, $24/user/month; Business, unlimited storage, $36/user/month. (Prices shown are for annual payments.)
Paid account max quality: Pro, 25GB; Teams, 50GB; Business, 500GB.
Additional features with paid plans: Delivery notifications, send tracking, custom branding, password protection, live chat and phone support. Higher-level plans offer version control, task management, personal and team dashboards, more.
Time and energy to upload 245MB file : 1 minute, 5 seconds
SugarSync
IDG SugarSync includes a slightly confusing usage model. It is possible to designate any file folders on your own hard disk drive to be synced to the cloud – you don’t have to keep every thing in a designated folder, à la Dropbox. To sync folders, you right-click them (after installing a SugarSync desktop client). However in case you want a designated folder just, the service automatically creates a syncing folder on your pc called My SugarSync .
But beyond Microsoft Outlook, you can find no integrated third-party tools or two-factor authentication even, either of which is actually a deal breaker for business users. (2FA aside, however, the ongoing company says it follows standard data protection practices, including encrypting data in transit and at rest.) Also worth noting: There’s no free plan, but there’s a free 90-day 5GB trial. The 30-day free trials of the paid plans (with an increase of storage) need a credit-card number.
Important thing: SugarSync is intuitive to utilize and checks most file sharing/storage/syncing service boxes, but misses some big ones.
Free account space for storage: 5GB (on free 90-day trial).
Free account max quality: N/A
Paid accounts : Personal: 100GB storage, $7.50/month; 250GB storage, $10/month; 500GB storage, $19/month. Business: 3 users, 1TB storage, $55/month.
Paid account max quality: No maximum
Other paid options include: Outlook integration, remote wipe, user management dashboard.
Time and energy to upload 245MB file: 1 minute, 24 seconds
Tresorit
IDG European cloud storage company Tresorit gained recognition using its hacking contest a couple of years back, offering $50,000 to anyone who could hack into its servers. Tresorit claims no-one succeeded. Clearly, the business is going following the security-conscious , promising end-to-end encrypted file syncing and sharing; HIPAA, GDPR, CCPA, TISAX, FINRA, and ITAR compliance; ISO 27001 certification; the protection of Swiss privacy laws; non-convergent cryptography; along with other security measures. Tresorit includes data residency options available upon request to customers in the united kingdom, Canada, Ireland, Germany, Switzerland, France, Singapore, holland, Dubai, and Brazil, and the U.S. states California and Virginia.
Tresorit offers several personal, business, and enterprise plans. Simple enough to use it’s, and you may designate a folder (called a ‘Tresor’) on your own hard disk drive for syncing. Plugins for Gmail and Outlook can be found with all plans.
Tresorit includes a free tier, nonetheless it only enables you to send files around 5GB; you can’t store documents. The trial offer of its paid plans is for only 2 weeks, and you’re necessary to input a credit-card number.
Free account space for storage: N/A
Free account max quality: N/A
Paid accounts : For folks: Premium, 500GB storage, $10.42/month; Solo, 2.5TB, $24/month. For businesses: Business Standard, 3+ users, 1TB storage per user, $14.50/user/month; Business Plus: 3+ users, 2TB storage per user, $19.17/user/month; Enterprise: 50+ users, customized storage per user, $24/user/month. (Prices shown are for annual payments.)
Paid account max quality : For individual tiers: Premium, 5GB; Solo, 10GB. For business tiers: Business Standard, 5GB; Business Plus, 15GB; Enterprise, 20GB.
Other paid options include: Enhanced collaboration and tracking features, admin console, SSO, detailed access logs, branding, more.
Time and energy to upload 245MB file: 1 minute, 26 seconds.
Conclusions and recommendations
By now, most individual companies and users are determined about the same service because of their file-sharing and synchronization purposes, and it’s likely among the big players in the area (Dropbox, Box, Google, or Microsoft). Because many of these offer similar features and services, there may be you don’t need to switch.
If you’re dissatisfied and ready for a noticeable change, however, listed below are our recommendations:
James Martin: Dropbox is my top choice. I’ve been a user since 2008 and had a concern. The ongoing service is supported by way of a large ecosystem of apps, it’s simple to use and share files with others, also it continues to evolve in positive ways. While some dislike its revamped Dropbox desktop app, I appreciate the excess features it puts at your fingertips, like the capability to create Google Docs files. Having said that, Box, Google Drive, and Microsoft OneDrive are great selections for most users, dependant on your allowance and needs.
Of the ongoing services I tested, I’m only impressed with SugarSync marginally. It’s fine; I love the known fact you don’t need to work with a dedicated folder for syncing, as you do with Dropbox. But there doesn’t seem to be much feature development going on with SugarSync.
Keith Shaw: As a freelance contributor, I share and receive files with others frequently, so I’m much less locked down to an individual vendor as other users. Furthermore, synchronization of files seems less vital that you me these full days, because the cloud basically lets you quickly grab a file to download for anyone who is working on another computer. For those good reasons, I favor to utilize Google Drive, but as James said, the big four are interchangeable almost.
How exactly we tested upload speed
We created a 245MB compressed file (ZIP) comprising a video (MP4), photos (JPG and PNG), PDF documents, and an Adobe Photoshop PSD file. We uploaded this file via drag-and-drop through each service’s web upload then, timing just how long it took the ongoing service to provide us an “upload complete” message. We conducted three tests and averaged enough time to get the ultimate score then. The files were uploaded from the MacBook Pro via 5GHz Wi-Fi link with a router in exactly the same room. The broadband router provided 85 to 87 Mbps upload speeds, which we verified via Speedtest.net after every vendor’s test.
In most cases, the original upload of the file took the longest, with the 3rd and second test providing better times. We attribute this to the chance of some caching by the vendors, but we still saw enough variations that we’re confident in the common time we measured over three uploads of exactly the same file. In all probability, users won’t be uploading exactly the same file three differing times to the ongoing service, and the file names and sizes will change. Still, a connection is manufactured between a browser and the service once, upload speeds may actually improve over multiple uploads.
september 2021 This short article was originally published in March 2018 & most recently updated in.