What’s Best for You: Google Drive or Dropbox?

Storing files and documents on flash drives? Nah, those days are long gone— I know, right? Now is the time to enjoy the perks cloud storages offer to the users. It’s surprising how long cloud platforms have gone to store your photos, files, videos, and whatnot. By 2025, users will upload and store more than 200 zettabytes of data in the cloud.

Choosing between two cloud storage, especially Google Drive and Dropbox, is similar to differentiating between twins. Both are competent, convenient, offer many features, and handle day-to-day storage needs fairly. So, placing a bet on any of them is challenging but doable.

Which one is the best cloud storage for you depends on your needs. So, we will look into five key areas to compare against your needs and preference.

We are using online storage, right? We are using it every day. Still, many of us don’t know what cloud storage is exactly. Sound weird?

Well, it is.

The Cloud storage market is forecasted to hit $832.1 billion by 2025. So, understanding it is crucial.

You like watching TV series on Netflix, right? A few taps and the movie starts playing. How surprising!

Ever wondered where this movie is coming from? There is your answer to cloud storage.

It’s a physical network of servers allocating a specific virtual space ready for you to access with an active internet connection. It depends on your subscriptions and is an excellent alternative to your hard drives if you are connected to the internet.

Now, there are many cloud storage services, including but not limited to iCloud, Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, AWS etc.

Out of many, Google Drive and Dropbox are pretty famous and for good reasons. Let’s learn a little more about them:

As mentioned earlier, both have rich features and offer great convenience to the users. But, differences remain. For example, Dropbox synchs faster than Google Drive but doesn’t offer flexible plans as Google Drive does.

Again, they have different storage allowances for free plans. They have different navigation systems and security features. Most importantly, their customer service policy makes the difference for corporate businesses.

Also, the availability of third-party integrations, e.g. Zoho CRM Dropbox integration or Google Drive extension for CRM software worth consideration.

To find out the best cloud storage for you, you need to compare them against the following features:

Let’s admit— phones today take breathtaking shots. But with a great price, measured by storage space every photo or video takes. See? We need chunky storage space even for personal uses. Then what about business— say, a corporation with tons of confidential files?

You need BIG space for that, no doubt. But how are our Santa’s little helpers performing in this case?

Which paid cloud storage is best for business? 

Thanks for asking.

But you won’t get any straightforward answer. Both have different pricing categories for personal and business purposes. Also, they differ in features. Let’s compare them:

Well, Google Drive surely wins the show with its whooping 15 GB cloud storage, even for free plans. On the contrary, Dropbox gives you only 2 GB of free storage. But you can win 500 MB of free storage every time your friends start using Dropbox with your reference. And you can get a total of 16 GB in this way for your basic account— for FREE. But are you sure your friends are not already using Dropbox?

That’s for the free plans. So, is Google Drive better than Dropbox? Well, it is.

Great storage comes with great responsibility. Does our cloud storage offer the security features we need to keep data secure? Which one is more secure, Dropbox or Google Drive?

Apart from 2FA, let’s see what they entail.

It uses Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) 256-bit encryption protocol. Your files in the drive, as well as created through Docs, are as secure as those used in the military. No compromise.

Dropbox also uses the same encryption protocol. You can rely on that.

So, what’s the verdict?

We have a tie here. Good for us; our data is secured no matter which cloud storages we choose.

Dropbox syncs faster than Google Drive. Also, it offers swift navigation through the swarm of files. But that’s enough to draw the verdict, yeah, I know, right?

Google Drive’s AI will detect similar images based on subjects and context. It will keep them in individual albums, saving you from the hassle of organising them manually. Dropbox? No, it doesn’t. But it’s true you don’t use cloud storage for only keeping photos.

For file synchronisation, Dropbox has gone the extra mile to make it as fast as possible. Every time you update a file, it will only extract the newly added info (Block-level) and sync all devices almost immediately. But the first synchronisation takes time. On the other hand, Google Drive takes all of it when synching with other devices. And when you are synching a chunky file, it matters.

So, it’s a bit complicated to come to an argument that Dropbox is better than Google Drive. But considering overall ease of use, Dropbox is the winner here.

Good customer support ensures a better user experience. 80% of customers won’t hesitate to pay more if they find the support system satisfactory. As market leaders, you can expect Google Drive and Dropbox to compete in this regard. 

Yes, they leave no stone unturned to respond to customer queries with the most helpful features. But the difference lies in response time— and Dropbox is clearly ahead of Google Drive. Expect to get a solution from Dropbox way quicker than Google Drive. But the privilege is reserved for paid subscriptions only.

In an actual scenario, Dropbox will reply to your queries in minutes, if not seconds. Besides, they have 24 hours instant chat and email support systems for subscribers. On the other hand, Google Drive’s customer support will get back to you, in most cases, when you are already frustrated. Sometimes it takes hours to get help. Although they are available 24 hours a day, learn to grow patience if you encounter problems. However, you can get a solution to most of your problems in the dedicated forums.

Both Google Drive and Dropbox have android comparable mobile applications, windows and mac apps. You will get handy features as you use them. But what about other integrations, i.e. for CRM solutions?

Luckily, consumer-centric software developers have focused on this while the hosts are busy updating their features and making them more user-friendly. So, if you use CRM software for business purposes, rest assured there are integrations for both Dropbox and Google Drive.

For example, you can use Dropbox Zoho CRM integration to synchronise data bidirectionally without having to access both platforms manually. The same goes for Google Drive integration for boosted performance. And you will find more Google Drive plugins in the aftermarket than Dropbox.

You cannot say which one is the winner as it depends on your needs and purposes. If you need a flexible storage plan with cheap prices, Google Drive is for you. But talk about synching bulky files and quick navigation, Dropbox wins the game.

The best way to define the best cloud storage for you is to check your background. If you are already using Google products, switching to a paid plan will add more value than subscribing to Dropbox’s basic plans. Similarly, stick to Dropbox if you are already comfortable with it.

Last but not least, small to medium-sized businesses using CRM software, i.e. Zoho CRM, consider third-party integrations that make your file management easier.