What is Dropbox used for?

Dropbox is cloud storage and file sharing with desktop and mobile apps, plus related tools for video review, e-signatures, document sharing and search. It is a good fit for sharing large files with clients, syncing work files between computers and collecting signatures on documents.

Yes. Dropbox has a free plan, and paid plans start at $9.99 per seat per month. A free trial is also available.

Is Dropbox open source?

No. Dropbox is proprietary (closed-source) software and can't be self-hosted. Open-source alternatives to Dropbox include Nextcloud, Cloudreve and ownCloud.

What are some alternatives to Dropbox?

Dropbox competes with Box, iCloud and pCloud. For open-source options, see Enlisted's ranked list of open-source Dropbox alternatives.

Dropbox: features, pricing and alternatives

About Dropbox

Dropbox is a commercial cloud storage service for storing, syncing and sharing files across devices. Files saved in a folder on one computer appear on the others and can be shared by link with colleagues or clients.

The vendor's product family now includes more than storage: Replay for reviewing and approving videos, Sign for requesting signatures on documents, Dash for finding, organizing and protecting company content, DocSend for sending documents securely and tracking activity, and Reclaim.ai for AI scheduling of tasks and meetings. Solution pages are organized by team, including sales, marketing, HR, IT and creatives, and by use case such as sending large files and AI integrations. Desktop and mobile apps are available.

Dropbox is hosted, proprietary software with a pricing page and enterprise sales, and it is not self-hosted. It suits individuals, small teams and larger companies, and it is often compared with self-hosted options such as Nextcloud.

Key features

File sync across devices
Link-based file sharing
Video review and approval with Replay
E-signature requests with Sign
Secure document sharing with DocSend
Dash for finding company content
Desktop and mobile apps

Good fit for

→Sharing large files with clients
→Syncing work files between computers
→Collecting signatures on documents

Tags: file-storage; file-sharing; cloud-storage; sync; collaboration; e-signature

Dropbox: questions and answers

What is Dropbox used for?: Dropbox is cloud storage and file sharing with desktop and mobile apps, plus related tools for video review, e-signatures, document sharing and search. It is a good fit for sharing large files with clients, syncing work files between computers and collecting signatures on documents.
Is Dropbox free?: Yes. Dropbox has a free plan, and paid plans start at $9.99 per seat per month. A free trial is also available.
Is Dropbox open source?: No. Dropbox is proprietary (closed-source) software and can't be self-hosted. Open-source alternatives to Dropbox include Nextcloud, Cloudreve and ownCloud.
What are some alternatives to Dropbox?: Dropbox competes with Box, iCloud and pCloud. For open-source options, see Enlisted's ranked list of open-source Dropbox alternatives.