Dropbox vs Microsoft OneDrive
Dropbox is the better sync engine and OneDrive is the storage most companies already own. Dropbox costs extra and earns it on very large folders and poor connections. OneDrive is effectively free with Microsoft 365 and co-authors Office files properly, with SharePoint quirks attached. Microsoft 365 customers stay with OneDrive unless sync failures cost them real work.
Niels AbrahamsenAnalyst, Security & Infrastructure
Hannah Reiter
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Choose Dropbox ifyou move very large files over unreliable connections, work across more than Microsoft tools, and consider dependable sync worth a separate per-user subscription.
Choose Microsoft OneDrive ifyou already pay for Microsoft 365, work mostly in Office documents, and can live with path limits and occasional sync errors in exchange for no extra cost.
Dropbox and Microsoft OneDrive side by side
| Dropbox | Microsoft OneDrive | |
|---|---|---|
| Our cloud storage rank | #14 of 16 | #15 of 16 |
| Established in | United States | United States |
| Pricing | Per user per month, published | Per user per month, published; included in Microsoft 365 |
| Free tier | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Self-hostable | — | — |
| Built for | A team that moves very large files over poor connections | A company already paying for Microsoft 365 |
| Not for | A company that already pays for Microsoft 365 | A team on Google or Apple |
Both are reviewed in full in our cloud storage ranking: Dropbox and Microsoft OneDrive.
Where they differ
Dropbox 2 · Microsoft OneDrive 1 · open 1- 01
Reliability of sync
Dropbox has the most reliable synchronisation in the category, particularly for very large folders and weak connections. OneDrive rests on SharePoint, and that shows as path length limits and sync errors that IT ends up explaining again and again. When files failing to sync means lost working hours, Dropbox is clearly stronger.
Edge: Dropbox
- 02
Additional cost
OneDrive is effectively free for any company that already pays for Microsoft 365. Dropbox is priced above the bundled suites for storage alone and adds minimum seat counts on business plans. Dropbox is explicitly not recommended for a company that already has Microsoft 365, purely on these grounds.
Edge: Microsoft OneDrive
- 03
Editing Office documents together
OneDrive offers proper Office co-authoring, and version history and retention integrate with the rest of the Microsoft tenant. Dropbox is documented for wide integration, but the data does not describe its co-authoring, so no equal claim can be made. For a company living in Office files, OneDrive is the natural home.
Depends on the buyer
- 04
Working outside Microsoft
OneDrive is hard to use well outside Microsoft and is not suggested for a team on Google or Apple. Dropbox is noted for wide integration and is kept by creative and engineering teams alongside whatever suite they own. In a mixed environment Dropbox is the less restrictive choice.
Edge: Dropbox
When neither fits
A company on Workspace fits neither well: OneDrive is awkward outside Microsoft, and Dropbox adds a bill for storage the suite already includes. Google Drive is the storage layer there, with collaboration and search that are rated unmatched.
Dropbox or Microsoft OneDrive: questions
3 answersDo we need Dropbox if we already have OneDrive with Microsoft 365?
Usually not. OneDrive is effectively free in that case and Dropbox is not recommended for companies already paying for Microsoft 365. The exception is a team moving very large files over poor connections, where Dropbox's sync reliability justifies a second product.
Why is Dropbox more expensive than OneDrive?
Because OneDrive is bundled into Microsoft 365, while Dropbox is sold per user as storage alone, above the bundled suites, with minimum seat counts on business plans. What the extra money buys is the sync engine.
Which has fewer sync problems, Dropbox or OneDrive?
Dropbox. It is rated the most reliable for synchronisation in the category. OneDrive's SharePoint foundation produces path length limits, sync errors and permission behaviour that IT departments have to explain to users repeatedly.