Dropbox versus Google Drive—it’s a debate as old as time at this point. Whether you’re a
loyal Google-ite or an avid Dropbox user, chances are you’ve heard your
fair share of opinions on which is better. But have you heard the right opinion yet?
My name’s josh and today I’m going to be pitting Google Drive and Dropbox against one
another in an effort to determine the better cloud storage service based on the following factors:
Features File management
Storage and sync File-sharing
Security Pricing
User experience
I’ll declare a winner for each category, and we’ll tally them up at the end. Whichever service scores
highest in each category gets to take home the official “Best Cloud Storage Service” award.
But before we dive in, don’t forget to like this video and subscribe for more content like this.
Now, let’s start . . .
Features
First things first, let’s just get this out of the way—features. Everyone loves features,
right? We love knowing that we’re getting the biggest bang for our buck. But seeing as this
video will mostly be focusing on the free versions of both Google Drive and Dropbox,
that doesn’t really factor in much, does it?
Still, there are a few features for each service worth mentioning.
Arguably, Google Drive’s most valuable feature is its seamless integration with
other Google apps. This makes managing your files between apps so much easier,
which is great news for anyone with an Android device. Hey! The camera’s not an Android device!
Anyway, because Google has so many apps on the market, you’re likely already making
use of a few of them—at the very least, everyone watching this video probably has a Google account.
On the other hand, Dropbox’s best feature is its syncing ability. You see,
Dropbox doesn’t have a full suite of apps like Google,
so they really have to make it count when it comes to the apps that they do have.
Fortunately, that means that when it comes to syncing your files across all your devices,
Dropbox is pretty much unbeatable. All you need to do is sign into your Dropbox account
on whichever devices you plan to use and presto! You can now edit or remove files at
your discretion and they’ll be synced across all of your devices nearly instantaneously.
This is due to their use of LAN-syncing, which we’ll cover a bit later in the video.
For now, though, Google’s wide array of apps and uses edges it out over Dropbox, so we’re declaring
them the winner for this first section. Of course, there are still seven more sections to go . . .
File Management
Unless you’re a masochist, you probably don’t enjoy having to navigate hundreds
of folders searching for that one pesky file that should have been there but somehow isn’t.
Luckily for you, you don’t have to with cloud storage services. Both Google Drive and Dropbox
have their own set of file management options. For example, Google Drive allows you to search
for specific files by filters and tags. If you’re using Chrome, typing the file
name will display it on your search bar. Neat! Dropbox’s search features aren’t as complex,
unfortunately. Their range of criteria and filters isn’t nearly as comprehensive as Google’s.
However, their file organization is much better. Dropbox lets you add tags to your files, which
makes searching for them later much easier. This process isn’t automated, but if you’re someone
who just loves to organize things, this should be a no-brainer. The only equivalent Google has to
offer is the feature that lets you change the icon color of your files. That’s . . . okay, I guess?
Picking a winner for this section is difficult because it largely
comes down to personal preference. If you’re the
type of person who values structure and organization, Dropbox is better for you.
Storage and Sync
It should go without saying that when you sign up for a cloud storage service,
storage space is a big concern. After all, with the number of files the average person downloads
or has access to, it seems we’re far past the point of filing cabinets and flash drives.
Fortunately, you’ll be happy to discover that both Google Drive and Dropbox offer
you a respectable amount of free storage per account. Of course, there’s always a catch.
Dropbox offers you 2 GB of free storage when you first sign up,
which is nothing to write home about. However, you can increase this amount to 16 GB by inviting
up to 32 friends to sign up for Dropbox. Of course, for this to work, you’d need to have
32 friends to begin with . . . and unfortunately for me, the YouTube lifestyle is a solitary one
On the other hand, Google Drive offers you 15 GB worth of free storage. The catch
here is that this amount is shared across your entire Google account,
meaning the photos and attachments your friends email you will eat up that space as well.
Now, both Google Drive and Dropbox have syncing capabilities, but the latter makes use of
block-level file-copying, which only syncs the bits of your files that have changed since they
were first uploaded. Additionally, Dropbox also features LAN-syncing, in which you can use your
home network to sync your files across all your devices instantaneously, so long as you’re signed
in with your Dropbox account with the devices you plan on using. Google Drive doesn’t do that.
Despite Google Drive’s limited syncing capabilities, we still feel they take the
cake in this section, simply due to the amount of free storage they offer. Of course, both services
allow you to buy more storage, but we’ll get to that later. For now, let’s check out . . .
File-Sharing
Besides saving you the trouble of having to go out and buy out your nearest tech
store’s stock of flash drives, one of the other benefits of cloud-saving your files
is how easily you can distribute them among your friends, family members, and coworkers
Google Drive and Dropbox are pretty similar on this front.
Both cloud storage services allow you to share files via email and links,
but Dropbox edges out Google Drive here. Bet you didn’t see that one coming.
See, when you share a file via a link on Google Drive, the only things you have control over are
who has access to it (i.e., whom you send the link to) and what they can do. With Dropbox, however,
you have the option of also setting a password, adding another layer of protection, as well as an
expiration date so that after a certain amount of time, people will lose access to that file.
This is a great way of ensuring that your files are adequately protected…even from your friends.
Additionally, Dropbox also has a “file request” feature, which lets you request a file from its
owner, create a folder in the interim, then wait for that file to automatically be added.
These little quality-of-life features may seem small, but I’ll bet you that anyone
who makes use of file-sharing on a consistent, daily basis is crying tears of joy right now.
Security
Security’s a big issue when it comes to cloud-based services. Hell,
the Internet in general poses a major security risk to just about everyone who uses it.
That does mean, unfortunately, that the only surefire way to protect your
files from netrunners and hackers is to not upload them to the cloud in the first place.
Now, unless you’ve got a fat stack of flash drives this simply isn’t an option, so your cloud
service of choice needs to have some good security measures in place to guarantee your peace of mind.
Both Google Drive and Dropbox have such measures, including two-factor
authentication. To access your account, you’ll need to receive a key via SMS, email,
an authenticator app, or a one-tap sign-in if you’re on your phone. Sounds good, right?
And for most people, this is enough, but Google takes it one step further in terms of security.
While the aforementioned security measures are dependable enough, your data is still at risk if
someone hacks into Google’s or Dropbox’s servers. These servers generate a decryption key for your
files once they’re in the cloud, but if someone’s got access to those servers, they’ve got access
to those keys. Luckily, Google also generates a rotating master key, which is used to decrypt the
first key. That means that hackers and the like will need to bypass two keys instead of just one,
which could mean all the difference between having your files stolen and keeping them
safe. Additionally, if you do lose access to your files, whether through deletion or *gasp* theft,
Google offers a few recovery options, including the ability to restore previously deleted content.
It’s a small thing, I know, but it’s enough for Google to take the cake in this section.
Pricing
Okay, let’s face it: none of this really matters if their prices are too steep,
right? After all, 15 GB or 2 GB can only take you so far,
so you’ll likely have to upgrade to a premium plan at some point.
Google Drive and Dropbox both have their own set of payment plans. Google’s starts at $1.99
per month on a yearly plan, which nets you a respectable 100 GB worth of storage. Meanwhile,
Dropbox’s starts at $11.99 per month, which earns you 2 TB. The prices gradually increase
after that, but we think Google wins out here for one reason: Google One VPN.
With Google One (a premium Google Drive tier), you’ll pay the same price as Dropbox’s standard
monthly fee of $11.99. That nets you the same amount of storage (2 TB) and access to Google
One VPN. And anyone who’s watched us for a while knows we just love VPNs.
Really, it’s a no-brainer in this section. Google Drive is the clear winner here.
User Experience
Of course, even if both services were cheap, packed full of features, and easy to navigate,
you probably wouldn’t use them if they weren’t pleasant to interact
with. User experience is a big deal, and it’s also entirely subjective.
Google Drive integrates seamlessly with other Google apps, which makes using it a breeze
if you’ve had some experience with the other apps. Searching for files is also super easy.
On the other hand, Dropbox can be tough to get to grips with unless you’re someone who loves
to organize everything by yourself. And if that’s the case, more power to you . . . but
it looks like this is going to come down to a personal choice. And mine is . . . Google Drive.
So, that brings Google Drive’s total number of wins to 5,
against Dropbox’s 2. Sorry, buddy, better luck next time.
But what did you think? Have you had any experience with either of these services? If so,
what was it like? We’re always interested in hearing your thoughts and opinions,
so be sure to leave a comment on this video. Also, if you haven’t already,
hit Like and Subscribe to help us make even more great content for you guys in the future.
With that being said, I’m Josh, and you’ve been amazing. Bye!