Compare Google drive and Dropbox - Mar 2022

Shlomi LaviShlomi Lavi / Mar 07, 2022

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Bottom Line: Which is Better - Google drive or Dropbox?

Dropbox Vs Google Drive

When it comes to storage in the cloud, Dropbox and Google Drive are the leading file storage services, offering a vast amount of online storage space for users for free or a small price. With the convenience of online storage, an increasing number of Internet users are turning to cloud storage. Both Dropbox and Google Drive are fierce competitors, with each boasting millions of users worldwide. However, when it comes to choosing the primary storage service provider for your business, you may want to look into the differences between both services. At ITQlick, we have done extensive research into these storage services and come up with a handy list of differences between both.

Dropbox Vs Google Drive: Which is the Best Cloud Storage Service?


  • About the providers

A favorite in the cloud storage industry, Dropbox was developed by Drew Houston and Arash Ferdowsi out of need for an efficient file sharing system in 2007. The founders set up a secure folder in the common server so that they could easily access files, irrespective of their computer location. It has an average of 300 million active users all over the world and allows users to share files seamlessly.

Google Drive came up in 2012, though Google had started working on the idea of online storage service in 2006. Just like Dropbox and other storage platforms in the cloud, Google Drive offers users space to store and share files and multimedia. With over 240 million active monthly users, the cloud storage service offers a number of tools, so users can collaborate on saved files.

  • Ease of Use

Which online storage platform is the simplest to use – Dropbox vs. Google Drive? When it comes to ease of use, Google Drive is the winner. Let’s see how!

As far as Dropbox is concerned, users that understand the syncing procedure find it seamless to share files. Of course, the platform allows manual sharing of files and folders via the browser. But new users may find it hard to locate the “upload” button in Dropbox. Users that use the dedicated syncing folder in their mobile device or desktop must copy and paste each file or folder inside, from where the files automatically sync with their Dropbox account in the cloud. However, you must be prepared for a time-consuming initial upload, especially if you have loads of data to share.

On the other hand, Google Drive gives you the option to upload files from a browser – the feature is missing in Dropbox. However, it looks more cluttered, since all files are dumped into one location, and users must make separate folders themselves to differentiate between different files. Moreover, first-time users may not easily find the share button.

All in all, Google Drive gets an upper hand over Dropbox, given the extra options that come complete with the pack. It also allows users to create documents within their folder. Additionally, there is the color code option that allows you to color their icons differently to set them apart from each other.

  • Reliability

Reliability is the number one criterion for online users. If a cloud storage service provider cannot provide the guarantee of reliable service, who would like to use their services?

As far as Dropbox is concerned, it is a highly reliable service. A March 2013 study conducted on BoxFreeIT’s experience of using Dropbox found that the cloud storage service has 412 minutes of down time during six months, tracking the server for 264,000 minutes. All in all, the storage service enjoys an uptime of 99.65 to 99.83%, which is quite good for an online platform that runs on Amazon $3 servers.

Google Drive, on the other hand, enjoys almost the same amount of uptime reliability as Dropbox, though there aren’t any extensive studies to prove this. According to a study conducted into the functioning of Google Drive for 30 says by Pingdom, the company experienced downtime of only one minute in one month. This study was conducted on Dropbox as well, and the cloud storage solution experienced downtime of 13 minutes during the 30-day period.

However, when making a Dropbox vs Google Drive reliability comparison, it is important to include the loss of user data. While some users complain of unexplained loss of files from Google Drive accounts without their knowledge, they haven’t had such a data loss experience with Dropbox, where a few users did lose files due to syncing problems. However, the loss of residing data in Google Drive gives it a setback on the reliability scale.

  • Speed

Speed is one of the crucial factors in determining the efficacy of a system. Consumers want it fast, whether it comes to downloading, uploading, or sharing files.

Transfer of files to and from Dropbox is a breeze. Users may find Google Driver little slower than Dropbox. Our experience says that when it comes to speed, both Google Drive and Dropbox are almost at a par, though Dropbox may be little quicker in uploading, downloading, and sharing of documents than the former.

  • Features

When you are looking for major differences between two cloud storage providers, you may want to go with the one that offers more features or best options.

If you aren’t looking for a lot of bells and whistles and are happy with a basic program, then you may want to choose Dropbox, which doesn’t offer feature-rich personal accounts. As far as account size is concerned, you get only 2GB of storage space in free service. However, given the quality of Dropbox service, you may want to get greater space for a starting package price of $9.99 per month. The program is compatible with Windows, iPad, iPhone, Linux, Mac, Android, and Blackberry and makes files instantly accessible anywhere. Additionally, with Dropbox, you can seamlessly share and receive files. You can undo changes in the files saved in Dropbox within one month, as all files are saved automatically for 30 days.

On the other hand, Google Drive does give Dropbox good competition as far as the amount of features is concerned. The former easily gets an upper hand over the latter as far as free account size is concerned, offering free 15 GB space. Users may want to purchase additional space for a low price of $1.99 a month.

Besides, the platform allows you to create spreadsheets and presentations, in addition to documents, which is an added plus for users, as it allows for simultaneous collaboration. Users can view over 30 file types in Google Drive, including Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop. Like Dropbox, Google Drive automatically saves all files for a one-month period. Moreover, users can start working in the cloud drive itself, without requiring them to do the same on their local disks, thus saving time and hassle. It’s as simple as -work, save, and share!

  • Security

Online security is the number one criteria for most users. When it comes to choosing a storage solution in the cloud, you may want to go with a platform that offers the guarantee of safe, secure storage, with no risk of data theft. So which of the two – Dropbox vs. Google Drive – keeps your documents safer? Let’s see!

Though Dropbox offers AES-256 bit encryption, it has been a victim of phishing scams recently, which tricked users into revealing their usernames and passwords. Additionally, the storage service also experienced a technical glitch that led to a security issue, allowing third-parties to search private information stored in Dropbox, risking leakage of many sensitive documents. However, the storage service provider was quick to respond to the problem.

With a guarantee of AES-256 bit encryption, Google Drive promises storage security to customers. However, it has had its share of problems, which have been primarily internal. In one or two instances, Google was reportedly caught for over-reaching its service terms that promise protecting sensitive user information. As a result, Google employees could easily access and share private files, which was a serious breach of terms. Additionally, there have been reports of the National Security Agency gaining access to Google Drive files.

Neither of the two cloud storage providers supports local file encryption, and both encrypt data only in transit.

You may want to consider Dropbox for a more secure storage solution, because their breaches were external compared to Google Drive that suffered from internal security breaches.



  • Summary

The best solution is to choose a cloud storage provider that provides reliable, secure storage. While Dropbox may have an upper hand as far as security and reliability is concerned, Google Drive is way beyond the former in terms of its amount of feature offerings for users.

Whether you like Dropbox’s third-party integration or Google Drive’s document creation and collaboration in the cloud, you may want to go with the storage provider that offers you the best services and solutions for your specific business type.

If you are still wondering which of the two is better, contact our experts today. ITQlick IT specialists can make the best recommendations and help you decide which service can give your business an upper hand in the Dropbox Vs Google Drive war!



Google drive

ITQlick rating
(4.8/5)

starts at $1.99 per month

Google Drive software is a cloud-hosted file sharing and storage software solution that offers cloud backup and storage for docs, files, photos and more. It enables the users to access their files from anywhere...

Categories: File Sharing, File Storage.

Dropbox

ITQlick rating
(4.5/5)

starts at $9.99 per month

Dropbox is an online service that allows users to backup files online. The program will have a folder created on the device that it has been installed on and you will use the drag and drop option to save files....

Categories: Document Management, Team Collaboration, File Sharing, File Storage, Workflow Management.

Compare specifications

Compare features

Google drive: 0 Features

We are working to collect the list of features

Dropbox: 15 Features

Access to open/locked files
Backup history
Backup Network Locations
Backup Password Encryption
Backup Password Protection
Backup Scripting
Backup Verification
Complete System Backup (Image Backup)
File sharing
Files-In-Use Backup
Full Backup
Individual File Backup
Replaces Older Files and Duplicates
Restore File Paths
Restore Individual Files/Folders
ITQlick rating ITQlick Rating is based on the software score (below) and aggregated online reviews
ITQlick score ITQlick Score is a 1 to 100, the calculation is based on pricing, and functionality Vs. alternative solutions
Pricing score pricing Score is a 1 to 10 (10 is high cost), based on the TCO (cost of licences, customizations, training, hardware when relevant) Vs. alternative solutions
License pricing license pricing (if provided by the software vendor)
Functionality score
Software review
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Auditor - Shlomi Lavi

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Shlomi Lavi is an entrepreneur and founder of ITQlick.com. He holds a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) in Information Systems Engineering from Ben Gurion University in Israel. Shlomi brings 17 years of global IT and IS management experience as a consultant and implementation expert for small, medium and large-sized (global) companies. Shlomi’s goal is to share the best knowledge and news about information systems so you can make smarter buying decisions for your business.